April 30, 2006
Ahh.. lots of cool things in the last few days that I’ve had so little time to post about!
First, the artist JAO, is pictured here with her wonderfully crafted “speed painting” of this bicycle mural for the future Freewheel Bike Center that will be located ON the Midtown Greenway! It was a great event with free pizza and lots of energy! JAO will be making appearances in the Twin Cities a lot this summer. Check out her website for more details!
Critical Mass was a bit damp this month, but I did get some good riding in with them! Not as many people this time, and the route that some chose took us way out of downtown with some hard hills to tackle in the Northeast part of Minneapolis. Maybe May’s Critical Mass will be warmer and sunny and attract more riders!
Finally, The Hub Bike Co-op’s Bike Expo was full of good energy! Some great discounts and free things made it a great time. I got to try a blueberry smoothie that was created in a bicycle powered blender! I also got a free tire patch kit, a Twin Cities Bike Atlas for only $5, and I bought a small waterproof cargo bag for the back of my bike. Now I can carry my camera and some small things on my bike much easier.
Total Distance Thursday: 18 miles.
Total Distance Friday: 13 miles.
Total weekend Distance: 4 miles (rain).
April 27, 2006
My digital camera is finally back from the manufacturer! YES! I have to say that it’s been tough not having it with me on bike rides. I’m glad that has been remedied. I have a new set of photos on my Flickr that I’ll add to from time to time that shows photos of things I found while riding my bike! I think that I may do a photo book sometime and use it as something to give to folks as a fundraiser for my trip to Oregon. I’ll talk more about that when the time comes…
Now that the leaves on the trees are popping out, and things are becoming green here in Minneapolis, I thought I’d ride along the Minnehaha Creek trail again, which is just beautiful! Babbling brooks and bridges galore!
Other rides the past few days have taken me to Birchbark Books near Lake of the Isles. If you are a lover of books and want to support Native peoples, this is the bookstore for you. Within practically seconds of entering, I was chatting with a wonderfully warm employee there named Susan, who helped me find two great books, and is ordering another for me. She’s just full of great energy and warmth! Can’t wait to bike back there when my book comes in!
Total Distance Tuesday: 20 miles.
Total Distance Yesterday: 9 miles.
April 24, 2006
I went on a bike ride late last night and got home about 11pm. It’s amazing how the terrain seems to change at night. I think for so long I just took the dark so for granted when I drove. Somehow, going slower on my bike made me feel more connected. I was able to ride faster as well, as there wasn’t much wind to contend with.
I had a small headlamp problem that I had to adjust along the way. My headlight and taillight are powered by a generator that snaps in and out along the back wheel. You snap it in so that the rotating of the wheel spins the wheel on the generator to power the lights. I think it was bent a bit so I had to adjust it back so that the generator wheel was always making contact with the wheel. I think that it might be good someday to have a small repair kit on my bike, with some extra lights in case I have any kind of accident.
Michael’s dad came by today and delivered shirts to us from Northern Sun Merchandising by surprise. He gave us both organic cotton shirts that have a bicycle logo on the front, and on the back they say “One Less Car”. It’s great that his parents are so close and so supportive! They miss him too, since he’s not living at home with them.
I’ve not been riding as much the last few days, as I’m wrapping up things for school. I’m completing two independent study classes and piecing together my portfolio for this first of four contract periods in my program. Lots of work, but I should have it all done hopefully at the end of this week, or by early next week. Technically, this post and this blog are all part of my next class too, as I love being able to write these independent learning contracts. I feel that education needs to shift in our country to allow more of this kind of exploration much more often.
Maybe I can be part of that change. I’m already doing it, so maybe I already am. hmm.
 Total Distance Yesterday: 10 miles.
April 19, 2006
Some great bike related events are coming up soon! I thought I would inform! Here are some things you might not want to miss:
- Thursday, April 27-6:30-8:30pm: The Midtown Greenway Coalition will be hosting its annual meeting for members, along with food, art, and entertainment! The event is free, and will take place on the Midtown Greenway, just north of the Midtown Exchange building on Lake and Chicago. At the event, artist and athlete, JAO, will speed paint a bike mural, and they will be hosting a fundraiser for a community bike center that will open on the greenway!
- Friday, April 28 - Critical Mass 5:30 at Loring Park. Come be a part of a monthly mass action where bikes become traffic in downtown during rush hour. We usually gather between 5 and 5:30pm near the fountain in Loring Park. Last month we had about 120 folks on bikes! It’s warmer now you know, so come on out and ride with us!
- April 28-30 - The Hub Spring Bike Expo - at The Hub Bike Co-op. Fun events, workshops, sales, and free Peace Coffee. Smoothies made with a bicycle powered smoothie maker! Should be tons of fun!
- May 6-7 - Living Green Expo - State Fairgrounds Grandstand.
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April 12, 2006
I decided to surprise Michael at the bus garage today by biking over so that we could both bike back. However I decided to take a new route, and I’m so glad I did!
I took the Midtown Greenway across town to Uptown, and then traveled around Lake of the Isles halfway to 21st Street, where I turned West to connect with the Kenilworth Trail. After crossing under Interstate 394, you continue north toward downtown (you are now on the Cedar Lake Trail).
Michael and I took the same route home as I wanted to show him the trails! Very scenic. This is how a bike trail should be made. Most of the time there is a separate lane for pedestrians, and at times they even split up lanes for bicycles, so each direction has its own lane. Mostly old rail yards near downtown, but closer to Lake of the Isles it becomes more woodsy and serene.
Total Distance Today: 21 miles.
April 11, 2006
I’m starting to feel like riding my bicycle is more than just riding my bike. It’s beginning to feel like it’s more than being ecological and sustainable. More than me riding for my transportation, and more than the rides I go on. I don’t know how to explain it really, but maybe it’s the same thing folks go through with cars they drive and love, or their favorite pair of shoes. There’s something unexplainable about it. You have a little more love for it. There’s something bigger transpiring, and it transcends how you think of a thing in all of it’s parts. It’s as if my bike is becoming a friend, or I’ve just found a new land that’s not been discovered. Hard to describe really. I’ve not driven my car now for 10 days. Feels good.
Michael is getting into biking to work now for MetroTransit. It’s actually faster than taking transit! I biked along with him to the garage, and then up to the end of the trail on West River Parkway. I came back and did a loop across the Stone Arch Bridge, over to the University of Minnesota Campus, and then again across the Washington Avenue Bridge.
I think that tomorrow I will find a new cool route to take in this city! I’m sure there’s still more to discover!
Total Distance Today: 11 miles.
April 10, 2006
Do you ever get annoyed at all the congestion of traffic? Here in the Twin Cities, it’s become known that traffic congestion is seriously whittling away at our quality of life. Maybe there are some alternatives..
Earlier today I attended the James Oberstar forum on Transportation Policy and Technology at the University of Minnesota. The topic for this forum was the important role of walking and biking. Rep. Oberstar is probably THE most prominent bicycle advocating member of the US Congress, and has helped to write and fund many transportation initiatives that include biking and walking.
I did see a few folks with bike helmets at the forum, but the large and overwhelming majority of those in attendance were city planners, transportation organizational leaders, mayors, city councilors, etc. While I’m out biking, I don’t see many folks in suit jackets, ties, or pant suits on bikes, I had to assume that 98% of them did not take a bike to this forum. However, hopefully it did inspire many of them to both get on a bike themselves, and/or to really dig into ways that they can make their communities more bicycle friendly.
A very inspiring presentation was made by Dr. Berthold Tillman, the Mayor of Munster, Germany. Munster was recently named “The most liveable city in the World”. 35% of all transportation is done by bicycle in this city.
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April 9, 2006
Michael, his mother Marijane, and I had a great time going to Theatre in the Round’s production of The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail this afternoon. It chronicles a lot of Thoreau’s life and philosophies up to the time he was jailed for refusing to pay his taxes, as he did not support the Mexican-American War. A very moving show. I think I’m going to re-read Walden.
After the show and a nice light dinner, Michael and I rode bikes together over to Powderhorn Park. This is the park where the Minneapolis May Day Festival takes place every year. Very peaceful this evening!
Afterward, we went on a trek up to the Stone Arch Bridge, then down University Avenue to Washington Avenue back across the Pedestrian/Bikeway at the University of Minnesota. Just an amazing bridge! We stopped for some nachos at the Hard Times Cafe later on as well. A great night for biking!
Total Distance Today: 11 miles.
April 8, 2006
I needed to get a water bottle and holder for the bike today, so I headed up to The Hub to get one. I know, I’ve been bad for not having a water bottle on my bike yet. All is well in the world now, and I can be adequately hydrated.
Speaking of which, I emailed the Minneapolis Parks Department to inquire about bathrooms that were locked in a few parks I visited. We’ll see what they say.
I also went to Magus Books to get a nice calendar so that Michael and I can write down all the cool things we want to do so we don’t forget. He’s not a Palm Pilot kind of guy, so we do it the old fashioned way.
After coming back over the Stone Arch Bridge, I headed down Portland Avenue, then back across the Midtown Greenway to home. It’s unfortunate that some people were driving and parking in the bike lanes. *sigh*
Total Distance Today: 8 miles.
April 7, 2006
It was a great morning. Very sunny and clear, but around 42 degrees. My partner Michael and I set off for lunch on our bikes to the Birchwood Cafe about a mile away. Great food there! I recommend it!
After lunch, Michael needed to get going to work at MetroTransit (he drives the bus! I’m obligated to ride you see!). I decided to set off on a bike ride!
At first I was only intending to ride the trail by the Hiawatha Light Rail Line south and then take East Minnehaha Parkway for a ride around Lake Nokomis. I guess I was up for a challenge because I didn’t stop there.
My ride took me on the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway along Minnehaha Creek, around Lake Nokomis, across to Lake Harriet, then North to Lake Calhoun, then back home on the Midtown Greenway. I made a few side trips around Lake Hiawatha and to Dunn Brother’s in Uptown too.
THIS trail is so incredibly beautiful! If you like bridges over brooks, babbling water, and winding through wooded areas you will love this trail. I especially liked the approach just to the south of Lake Harriet before Lynhurst Park.
A note for folks who need bathrooms. Some park bathrooms are not open for the season yet. Plan your stops accordingly. I’d say at Cedar and Minnehaha Pkwy use the one at the gas station, or if you can, wait until Lake Harriet at the north end!
I will take this trail again I’m sure. My digital camera is getting repaired right now, and I wish I could have taken pictures. Just beautiful.
I was getting very tired so I stopped at the Franklin Avenue Station and boarded Michael’s bus as my final leg of the ride home. I’m lucky he drives bus in the neighborhood we live!
Total Distance Today: 22 miles.
