Biking the Root with the Johnsons

Root River Trail with Kathi & John: 57.78 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 4 hours 30 minutes, average speed: 12.7

Although our organized rides are done for the season, we still enjoy getting out on the bike with our biking friends from Wisconsin. Kathi and John Johnson came to visit for a few days to ride the Lanesboro trail. The weather held for us to put on almost 60 miles. The trail was still quite busy but we enjoyed most of the ride side-by-side with entertaining conversation.



During our rest in Preston, John took notice of the different placement of our idlers and after closer investigation, Dennis noticed that all four were either cracked or broken right in half—looks like some repairs will be needed when we get home.


A short shopping spree at the Little River General Store in Lanesboro ended with us each purchasing new bike racks and bags for our bikes. Kathi and I enjoyed carrying those racks in our laps back to our vehicles parked in Rushford—a total of 19 miles.

During these last miles, Dennis and I heard a pop under the front seat of the bike so we stopped again to check it out but could not find the source so got back on the bike to finish with Dennis in a forward slopping position. Looks like the tandem will be done for the year while we work on some repairs. We were hoping for more tandem miles but will have to settle for the 1500 and finish the season biking on our singles.

We had a wonderful visit with the Johnson’s and were happy that we could get in one more bike ride with them before they head south for the winter. See ya in March, guys!

Total 2011 tandem miles: 1,509
Rans miles since purchase: 15,853

Mankato River Ramble Inaugural Ride

42-Mile Lake Crystal Loop
Comments: Ride Time was 3 hours 18 minutes, average speed: 12.6

Another gorgeous October day allows us to totally enjoy the inaugural Mankato River Ramble around a scenic river valley. Approximately 1500 riders joined us for this beautiful fall riding day. We arrived early to allow time for registration and be ready to ride by the 8:30 a.m. start time. We sought out one friendly volunteer who was willing to discuss the route with us. Jack guaranteed us that we were in for a real treat and he was correct.

Registration was held at the Land of Memories Park in Mankato where it was an easy entry onto the Minneopa Bike Trail to begin the ride. We soon came upon the 1901 Red Jacket Railroad Trestle. Unfortunately it was under repair so we could not bike over it but were informed it would be completed for next year’s ride. At mile 13, we came to the town of Rapidan and our first rest stop held in the County Park. Home-baked pie was being served and we just could not resist the display of mouth-watering choices.



After visiting with the friendly volunteers at the Rapidan rest stop, we got back on the bikes to pedal off the calories we just consumed. We continued along CR 9 towards the town of Lake Crystal—passing the three small lakes of Loon, Crystal and Lily. The views were wonderful along the stretch of CR 42. Much concentration was needed when descending one long hill known as the “Elevator Shaft”. Breaks were applied for most of the cruise down this monster hill and still my speed exceeded 40 mph. We then crossed the Minnesota River and found ourselves on Judson Bottom Road which provided many views of the winding Minnesota River. I missed snapping many photos but would have had to stop every mile along this stretch of road to capture the surrounding beauty. Next year we will bring the tandem!

At mile 34, we came upon another well-run rest stop at Minnemishinona Falls. We were entertained here by the Rain Dogs—how dare they have such a name but their sound was very enjoyable. The falls were not flowing much today but the stop provided a quiet place to rest and visit and of course have another treat.

Back on the bike, I was getting pretty tired and was not looking to climb any more hills. Just as I thought I could not take another hill, the hills decreased and we began hearing cheers from volunteers near the finish. This was another marvelous biking event that I would recommend to any rider looking for a day to ramble along the river bottoms and enjoy the music, food and fun created by the many volunteers with the goal to provide an exceptional Mankato River Ramble experience.




This ride marked the end of our organized ride schedule for this year. We plan to continue putting on miles until the weather no longer permits our bikes on the road.

Day Two of Wisconsin Dells

Wisconsin Dells, WI: 35.11 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 2 hours 54 minutes, average speed: 12.0

More route testing was on our schedule today. We would be heading south towards Baraboo, WI. Annette and I were up late Saturday night tweaking routes using ridewithgps and mapmyride web programs to help pick a route with fewer hills and within the mileage range we were looking for. We also wanted to make sure we were providing lunch and rest stop opportunities and including things to see along the way. After our breakfast at Denny’s, we set off on the bikes. When cycling, you take the weather as it comes but we never thought we would experience the weather as it was today—no wind, temps in the mid 60’s and only a few clouds in the sky and all day to ride. The cue sheets we printed from our Saturday-night efforts were spot on! We did make a few on-route alterations to avoid a few climbs and also to include cycling downtown Baraboo rather than skirting the town. We were even able to route through Mirror State Park and past the Hochunk Casino. We were really excited about this route and look forward to repeating it next July when we will put the finishing touches to all routes. We only had time to test the short routes on this trip but will concentrate on the long routes when we return. We must make sure the extended routes are not too challenging as there are many hills in this area of Wisconsin.

Total YTD tandem miles 1451
Rans miles since purchase: 15,795

Wisconsin Dells Bicycling

Wisconsin Dells, WI: 27.76 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 2 hours 15 minutes, average speed: 12.2

Before we could ride today, our group had an appointment with the owner of Amber’s Hideaway to visit about accommodations for the Post Ride to be held following MTR 2012. We were impressed with the property and requested a contract be sent with all details spelled out. We then had lunch and said goodbye to Bill and Marsha. It was now time to get back on the bike and do some test riding of the Wisconsin Dells area.

Our riding partners today were Annette and Tom Esser from Madison, WI. The assignment for the day was to scout out possible bike routes around the Dells. Annette came prepared with multiple routes for us to try. We were impressed with how easy it was to get from the downtown Dells district out into the countryside. We encountered some hills along the first route we tested but nothing extremely challenging. The route took us north of the Dells to Lyndon Station where we then looped back towards the Dells. We can only hope the roads are in this great condition next year when we introduce this route choice to those attending the Post MTR Ride. The fall colors were again on brilliant display. We enjoyed today’s bike ride in 60-degree temps under cloudy skies and very little wind.

Total YTD tandem miles 1416
Rans miles since purchase: 15,760


The four of us enjoyed our dining experience at the Moose Jaw Pizza Company & Brewery.