May 8, 2009
Greetings once again!
I’ve decided to revive my Peaceride Bicycle Blog!
Why? Well, here are a few reasons:
*Last February, I sold my car!
*I turn 40 in a matter of DAYS from this post!
*I’ve missed my bicycle adventures, and I want to explore the North Shore of MN and other places on my bike once again!
*Oh, and I finally got a new bike! (2007 Gary Fisher Zebrano!)
This week I’m in Madison, WI - just on a “working vacation” where I’m designing websites, blogging, and bicycling around new trails that I missed last year.
Today, I traveled the 18.1 mile Capitol City State Trail, which loops around the south side of the Madison Metro area. A wonderful ride! If you try it yourself, be aware that a portion of it is a fee area, and you will need to pay $4 for the day (or $20 for a yearly pass). It is well worth it!
Enjoy my pictures on Flickr of the Capitol City State Trail! At nearly 40, yes, I feel a renewed sense of an “invincible summer.”
Total Distance Today: 22 miles
January 18, 2007
Today I decided to leave my wimpy notions behind, and brave winter atop my bike! I first went to The Hub Bike Co-op to purchase a balaclava. This “ski-mask” type of head covering made all the difference today, and I was able to bike quite a bit!
“So? How did it go?”
Quite well!!
I had to forget about sunglasses, as they would steam up from my breath rising to them, but in general, I had a great time!
I biked from The Hub down the Hiawatha Light Rail Trail, then across the Midtown Greenway to the Uptown Transit Center to surprise my partner, Michael, who is a MetroTransit driver! He was pleasantly surprised at my ambition!
A few things that I did in preparation and on the first winter bike trip:
- I cleaned and re-lubed my bike chain
- I tied a plastic bag over my seat so my own “seat” would not get wet.
- I did a lot of walking up and down steep hills. No use trying to be a super-climber, nor coast at 90 miles per hour down a hill, only to slide into a snowbank.
- I used lower gears to pedal more easily.
- I made sure my tires were a little bit less inflated for better traction.
- I took my time.
Some things I will need now will include:
- Long underwear! My thighs got REALLY cold!
- Sunglasses or Eyeware that is fog resistant
- Maybe a little bit of de-icer for my lock, should it freeze on me.
But it was cool! Really cool! I think that you garner a little more respect, as everyone I met on a bike coming the other way on the Greenway nodded their head to me or said hello.
So, for my first (of hopefully many) day of winter biking, I think I did ok!
Total Distance Today: 7 miles.
October 2, 2006
As I promised, I have placed two new pages to the site where folks can download a few free items! Two of my class assignments were to create a photo booklet and a resource guide for bicycling resources in the cities of Minneapolis, Madison, and Portland.
I created the “What I found on my bike” photo booklet with Apple’s iPhoto, originally as a fundraising tool. Folks who contributed $50 to my transportation costs (Amtrak to Portland, OR) received their very own printed copy of this booklet. Now that my class is over, and there are only a few more weeks of warm weather, I thought I’d put it on the web for download. It will hopefully spark some interest in folks getting out and enjoying October on their bicycle! You can download the booklet from the Photo Booklet page listed on the sidebar.
The “Great Bicycle Towns” resource guide will hopefully be a living and growing document. For now, it includes some helpful hints on bicycle travel, and bicycle resources for Minneapolis, Portland, and Madison. I’ve also added links to farmers markets, local activities of interest, where to stay on a budget, and links to public transit resources. You can download the resource guide from the Bicycle Towns Resource Guide page link in the sidebar.
Enjoy the free downloads!
September 6, 2006
Munger Trail at Sunset
Originally uploaded by holisticgeek
Over Labor Day weekend, Michael and I got a chance to bike along a southern stretch of the Willard Munger Trail. We biked from Finlayson, MN to Hinkley, MN, then back to Sandstone, MN where we were staying. All in all, we biked about 26-30 miles along this great trail.
I have photos in Flickr.
The Willard Munger Trail is named after the late and former Minnesota congressman, Willard Munger. Munger was a huge environmentalist. Much of the environmental preservation of areas of Minnesota is because of his staunch leadership. The trail is the longest paved trail in the world, at over 70 miles.
At the beginning of the trail, in Hinckley, MN, we visited the Hinckley Fire Museum. Many residents of Hinckley and Sandstone were able to escape the Great Hinckley Fire of 1894 by climbing onto the train that once occupied the very land now paved for this trail. Now paved, it stretches from Hinckley to Duluth, MN.
I think that for me, the greatest stretch was this wide open prairie between Hinckley and Sandstone. While the trail may not have many curves or hills, the landscape around the trail is dramatic and ever-changing.
I’m hoping to travel more sections of the trail in the coming months before fall and winter make temperatures too cold to ride. So if you are looking for a great bike ride, stop in Hinckley, MN and hop on the Munger Trail.
August 29, 2006
(1 minute video - 5.6MB download)
This past Friday’s Critical Mass was just a fun and enjoyable bike ride through Minneapolis. No one was hurt, arrested, or otherwise unhappy. Some great moments included a very distinguished looking man on the street interacting with us:
Man: “Critical Mass? What’s a Critical Mass?”
Bicyclist: “It’s kind of a bicycle celebration.”
Man: “Oh! Very good!”
Click on the image above for a video of the ride! Special thanks to Jon Hain of Uvulittle Records for allowing me to use the song, Coma Savant, by The Coma Savants in this video.
For more information about Critical Mass:
Critical-Mass.info
Bicycle Lane Yahoo Group in Minneapolis
August 14, 2006
As promised, I’ve uploaded the videos I took with my camera while in Portland, OR. They are all about 30 seconds in length, and give you a little “peek” into my experience. Click on the image above or this link for the Dances of Universal Peace video that I captured while at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church in Portland.
I shared a part of my sandwich from the Food for Thought Cafe with a cute pidgeon, while sheltered under a pavilion made of cob.
Also, I took a short video of the Salmon Street Springs fountain on Portland’s riverfront.
Enjoy!
August 7, 2006
After taking a day to recoup from the 36-hour Amtrak ride home, I’ve finally placed a photo album of my pictures from Portland on Flickr. I also went back and placed photos within the posts that Michael translated and placed on the blog. Thank you, Michael!!
To tie up a loose end, I was never able to get to the Catholic Worker House in Portland. Apparently the phone number was for the Archdioses of Portland, and they had never heard of the concept of a Catholic Worker House. Portland could use one or two, since homelessness tends to be a large problem in the city.
Just as I felt while in Madison, the time I spent bicycling in Portland gave me an opportunity to really understand the city from a perspective I might not have otherwise known. I’m convinced that renting a bicycle in an unfamiliar city is one of the best ways to get to know it!
I believe that by choosing to bike for five days with a flexible agenda was my best choice. The people I met, the sights I saw, and the experiences I had - they were all formed through that choice. Never more did I feel that stronger than when I attended the Dances of Universal Peace event with my now new friend, Daniel. This was a profound event that I could have missed all together.
One of the dances and songs translated as, “All you who mourn, may you be embraced by love.” In this song, we each danced around our circle looking into the eyes of our partner. We would embrace our partner in a hug, then move around the circle to a new partner and do the same. In another song we were called to “Return Again”. “Return to who you are. Return to what you are. Return to where you are.” This was the affirmation I needed for the entire trip, knowing that my choices led me to wonderful people who were invested in our shared humanity.
I mentioned in an early posting that “you have to believe in yourself” first and foremost, and that the best place to start to make change is in your own back yard. I feel a bit renewed in my spirit to “create the change I wish to see” after this trip.
I’m glad to be home, and I’m glad for this experience and the way it unfolded. I’m sure my adventures aren’t over when it comes to bicycling. I’m now really itching to bike down the Willard Munger Trail, 75 miles from Duluth to Hinkley. Minnesota is a beautiful place.
I live here.
August 5, 2006
“Hi, it’s Scott. It’s Friday. I am at the Amtrak station waiting for my train to leave Portland. It’s been fun. Ironically, I ran into two people, one of the Mom and daughters that went on the Portland trip. They’re going back because the daughter blew out her knee and they had to leave the trip early. So they’re going on the train the same time I am. They’re going to go in First Class, however.
It’s been a great trip. I wanted to run down the people I met in Portland because they’re so warm and wonderful. Everyone can talk to you on the street. First there was a person named Dolly. She sat down and talked to me at the bus stop out of the blue, one of the first days I was here. She was 62. She looked about 40 years old. She talked about retirement and how people just get comfortable and how wanted to go to New York and live with her sister. That time of life where she wanted to connect with her. So Dolly was a great person right up front.
Karen at Waterfront Bikes, she was great. She showed me the great trails and shared my sentiments dealing with the tour. She really worked out a good deal for me for the bike rental. A guy Michael from L.A. He made the decision to leave L.A. while he was here and move to Portland. We talked a little about, just a few spiritual things. Some of the quotes he said was “God is in nature and is protecting me so I’ll be just fine.” He wrote death certificates for funeral homes. I found that as an interesting occupation. He will be staying in Portland. I met him at the hostel. Doug and Laura at the hostel: Laura was moving from Sacramento to Portland, and Doug from Eugene was her tour guide. They were a great couple I met there.
I guy I met Tom, who I met casually while biking, he lived in Hawaii. He told me about how the 100 degree days almost did him in when he was surfing with his friends…people from South Korea who saw my Twins hat and loved baseball. Greg, who I met previously before coming to Portland, we shared pizza and a meal at Old Town Pizza, the home of Nina the ghost. We didn’t see her. Alex Wrekk from Microcosm [Publishing]. I want to thank her especially for all the great links and resources. I’m glad to have gone there and seen their store and seen all the things that they do. I wish I could have gone back again.
I met a bike messenger while I was there. He was a man of a few words. He seemed to like his job. He said “yeah, Portland’s really chill.” He has a lot of down time, been in a lot of jobs. Didn’t say much at all but was a cool guy. Food for Thought Cafe: they make the greatest sandwiches. I think that was a great highlight. And Daniel, this guy who I met at the library. This guy who read my blog. We got to connect and go to the Dances of Universal Peace at the church. It was great. I’m very thankful to Daniel. Sorry for not calling him back, I was doing my own thing the next day, trail riding.
It’s been a great trip. The people here in Portland are wonderful. I’m going to miss a lot of them but I’m glad that I got to meet a lot of people. I’ll have to get on the train pretty soon and see the sights there one more time. And then come back to Minnesota and the people that I love. Thanks for listening on this trip. I’ll give a little recap when I’m back.”
July 11, 2006
After last week’s plateau of tiring at about 13 miles during the day, my switching to rides after sundown has paid off. I ran some errands this afternoon for about 3 miles in South Minneapolis, and then at about 9:30pm, I set out on a 27 mile trip! 30 miles in a day! Am I tired writing this? Yes.
Part of the trip was into St. Paul to find a route to The College of Saint Catherine that didn’t involve the big 5 block hill from East River Road up Randolph Avenue. I’m going to a conference Thursday through Saturday called Waters, Woods, Prairies, and People of the Northland. I’ll get to see Sara Thomsen in concert, hear a keynote by Winona LaDuke of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, and go on a guided Labyrinth Tour. I’m excited!
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June 30, 2006
What a great day for a bike ride! Around 5:30pm on Friday, June 30, the weather was beginning to cool down as I rolled into Loring Park. What a site! Gathered around the fountain that greets you at the park entrance were about 200 people, ready to become traffic. On this last friday of the month, the “happy coincidence” of bike riders assemble all across the nation in metropolitan areas as a show of solidarity for people-powered transport. This was now my third Critical Mass ride, and has now become my favorite. This one I will remember for a long long time.
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