In early October Lee and I rode the Root River Trail out of Lanesboro, MN in the southeast corner of the state. This area is known as “Bluff Country” and fully lives up to the name. The hills, valleys, and bluffs make for a scenic ride, either by bike or car. The small towns in…
After several bike trips last year where Lee and I went to a local, longer (25-40 miles) trail of which we would have to ride half, then return along the same portion to get back to our car, we decided to try a different way. We both wanted to see the Mesabi Trail in northern…
As I have ridden around Wisconsin and Southeast Minnesota I have seen numerous unique pieces of art called “barn quilts.” These are painted on the side of a barn and made to look like a quilt (thus the name). Each is different and has its own unique look depending on the painter and owner of…
In 2016 my girlfriend, Lee, and I drove to Moab, Utah to take part in a Road Scholar bicycle tour. On the way out we got a chance to see my kids and grandkids in Colorado and on the way back we drove through the Four Corners area and stood on the spot where Utah,…
After Steve and I had met The Spokesmodels on the SAGBRAW ride across Wisconsin in ’05 and had enjoyed each others’ company, we had decided to meet the next year to ride the Michigan Shoreline Ride. The ride started in Spring Lake and ended in Mackinaw City. We met up with The Spokesmodels in Spring…
In 2005, after Steve and I had ridden SAGBRAW in the summer, my friends, Eric, Dave, and Jim, and I decided we wanted to ride Wisconsin once again. I promise, this is the last Wisconsin ride about which I will write, as I have already written four pieces about Wisconsin rides. All of the rides…
In 2005 Steve and I decided to ride the 400-mile SAGBRAW (Sprocket’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Wisconsin)—once again riding across Wisconsin. While Wisconsin is a great state through which to ride, we had both ridden it fairly often. However, we wanted to try SAGBRAW, as we had heard good things about it. Also, the…
In 2003 Eric, Dave, and I decided to ride part of the Natchez Trace Trail. The Natchez Trace Trail is 440 miles long and follows the route of the “Old Trace” which extends from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. It was actually first formed by prehistoric animals following the dry ground of the Trace to…
In 2004 I did four long rides and while they were all great, the best was the Top of Holland Bike Ride. I really lucked into this one. A cyclist friend of mine (he’s 80 and still runs marathons, bikes 100-mile a day rides, cross-country skis the Birkebeiner Ski Race, and easily outplays me at…
In 1998 my friend, Eric, and I, along with two friends (Dave from Michigan and his friend, Jim), had ridden the first third of the St. Paul, MN to New Orleans, LA ride Eric and I had decided to do. We ended in Galena, IL and had planned to start in Galena and ride to…