On a summer night in 2015, Lisa and I were in the audience of an outdoor music festival called Eaux Claires, just outside of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. We were waiting for the final act of the day – a band called The National – when Wisconsin writer Michael Perry stepped out on stage to say … Continue reading So many confluences: St. Paul to Hastings
Four Days in Southeastern Minnesota: Bicycling Around Minnesota (BAM)
Last week Lisa and I joined our team CLiPD (Cindy, Lisa, Lindsey, Paul, Dan and David) on a new-to-us organized ride called Bicycling Around Minnesota (BAM, not to be confused with Bicycling Around Missouri, which Lisa and I have also done). "Bicycling Around Minnesota" is an exaggeration, as we only biked through three of Minnesota's … Continue reading Four Days in Southeastern Minnesota: Bicycling Around Minnesota (BAM)
Two Minnesota bike trails that were new to us
Sakata State Trail While we are at Lisa's family cabin up in Becker County, we try to get some rural biking in. We've ridden from the cabin to Lake Park, where my great grandfather, Esten Gjelten, settled in the late 19th century after emigrating from Norway. It is about a 60 mile round trip to … Continue reading Two Minnesota bike trails that were new to us
Mickelson Trail: Custer to Edgemont, final day
Our final day was short, just 45 miles, and almost entirely downhill. The weather was perfect, as it had been all week. I was already planning our return to St. Paul, wondering how far we could drive with our early arrival in Edgemont. I was also appreciating the classic Black Hills landscape around us: the … Continue reading Mickelson Trail: Custer to Edgemont, final day
Deadwood to Custer on the Mickelson Trail
Dan already wrote about our ride into Deadwood, though he glossed over the fact that we were watching big storm clouds and listening to distant thunder for most of the afternoon as we made our way out of Rochford. It was a beautiful ride through ranches and old mines for a while, and then we … Continue reading Deadwood to Custer on the Mickelson Trail
Mickelson Trail: Hill City to Deadwood
The well water we find along the way - delicious This may be a shorter post, as we have done just under 110 miles in the last two days and are leaving Deadwood early tomorrow to head back south on the Mickelson. We’re a little tired tonight. We left Hill City well fed and mostly … Continue reading Mickelson Trail: Hill City to Deadwood
Confluence 