Just the Usual Neighborhood Loop

Dover Loop: 20.53 miles
SINGLES: Ride Time was 1 hour 43 minutes, average speed: 11.8

The month of April winds down with one last trip to Dover for supper. The winds were constant creating just enough force to cause us to pedal on the downhill glides but we can’t complain as the sky was blue and the temperature was hovering at 60 degrees—a wonderful finish to another fabulous spring riding month.

April 2012—Total Biking Miles 241.35
Accumulative Miles 618.08

Biking in the Big City

Minneapolis Ground Rounds: 10.94 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 1 hour, average speed: 10.8

We began biking downtown Minneapolis upon our early arrival at the Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Expo being held near the University of Minnesota. We parked the van and began to search for a bike trail that would allow us to quietly pedal along the Mississippi River. After a bit of a struggle, we finally found a paved trail that lead us towards the west bank of the Mississippi River.

It was a wonderful day of riding with temps in the 50’s. One motorist stopped us at a busy intersection apologizing for the intrusion but wanted her son to get a closer look at us on our strange bike. He shouted a cheery “hello” and we were then all on our way. We did not expect any speed records today but we did enjoy the constant view of the Mississippi River throughout our ride.

Extended Utica Loop

Utica Loop–Extended: 30.43 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 2 hours 7 minutes, average speed: 14.2

An evening with no wind and a temperature in the 70’s made for a speedy ride. We biked towards St. Charles and then took the back roads towards Utica where we stopped in at Brewskies for supper. It was good to see the old gang again.

Breezy Dover Loop

Dover Loop: 21.62 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 1 hour 36 minutes, average speed: 13.4

We again faced the strong winds out of the northwest as we biked towards Dover—a great test for endurance and leg strength. We passed the test and enjoyed the breeze at our back as we turned for home. The temperature was in the 60’s which is always unexpected this time of year in Minnesota and we are enjoying every opportunity we get to pedal down the road. This was also a great test for my new camera. The images are very clear even when zoomed in while on the back of the bike—a big improvement from my Canon 1400.

Following our ride, I made an adjustment to our cyclocomputer which needed a closer tire measurement so that we were more accurate with our speed and miles biked. The number to remember for the future: 2070 mm.

Minnesota’s Root River Bike Trail

Root River Trail—Lanesboro to Rushford: 39.54 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 2 hours 48 minutes, average speed: 14.0

We have been enjoying our rides each week with Michelle and Alan and this week we all met in Lanesboro, MN, to bike the Root River Trail towards Rushford. The air was cool when we set off but warmed to a comfortable 52° by ride’s end.

We stopped for lunch at The Creamery in Rushford. We all ordered the pizza/salad buffet and ate so much that we had to walk right past the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream treat on our way out. We will definitely return here in the future.

After lunch, we biked back to Lanesboro. The trail was very quiet today and we only saw a handful of bikers enjoying this crisp, spring-air ride. As we biked towards our finish, we discussed our next biking adventure—a new bike trail near Hastings, maybe? We’ll have to wait and see.

Stress Release

St. Charles and Home: 12.92 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 1 hour, average speed: 12.8

What a stress reliever! Just 12 miles on the bike can do wonders—temperatures in the 70’s added extra enjoyment to this ride. We biked into St. Charles for some groceries and were pleased to see the many cheerful waves extended from vehicles as we pedaled along. We are fortunate to live in such a bike-friendly neighborhood.

A test camera came along for the ride today. These photos were taken using a Canon PowerShot SX130. The test passed and a new camera will be joining us in the future—a Canon PowerShot SX260.

It’s not my habit to photograph the Amish but I couldn’t resist this happy fellow

A Neighborhood Loop

Boyum Loop: 15.33 miles
SINGLES: Ride Time was 1 hour 21 minutes, average speed: 11.2

We continue to add miles to our single recumbents with a 15-mile loop around our neighborhood. The temperature registered in the 60’s with much wind out of the SE. We spent the first half of this ride pushing into those strong winds but we sure enjoyed the breeze at our back as we pedaled home. Nice ride!

Biking the Rochester Trails

Rochester Trails: 34.68 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 2 hours 47 minutes, average speed: 14.0

Today we met with bike friends, Alan and Michelle Andersen, in Rochester, MN to bike the Douglas Trail to Pine Island and back. Again we had a gorgeous riding day with temps in the 70’s. We stopped in Pine Island at the Island Bar & Grill for lunch and enjoyed mixing our own flavors of slushes. The ride back to Rochester went fast and Dennis and I still wanted more riding once we parted with Alan and Michelle so we decided to drive to Essex Park and check out the trails there—rather disappointing. We just can’t seem to find enjoyment biking in this urban city which uses sidewalks as bike trails that repeatedly cross busy traffic. We much prefer biking the roads where we can be seen clearly by motor vehicles. I am thankful I have such a great captain watching out for his precious cargo.

Many More Miles to Go

St. Charles Loop: 21.56 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 1 hour 27 minutes, average speed: 14.6

We continue with our goal to get more miles on the bikes this year so take every opportunity we can to get out and pedal. This was just and quick evening ride into St. Charles for groceries. The wind was slight and the temperature was in the 60’s allowing for a very enjoyable ride.

Dover Loop with Friends

Dover Loop: 20.46 miles
SINGLES: Ride Time was 1 hour 48 minutes, average speed: 11.2

Alan and Michelle Andersen joined us for a ride to Dover for a quick lunch. Their tandem was in the shop for a tune-up so we all biked on our singles. The wind was quite strong on the return trip and gave us that exhausted feeling when we were done. We plan to have many more Fridays out biking with this couple as Dennis will begin having every Friday off at the end of April—yeah!

Wednesday Evening Ride

St. Charles and Home: 13.34 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 1 hour, average speed: 13.3

It’s nice to be able to do some biking after work now that daylight savings time has started. We biked into St. Charles for a stop at Kwik Trip for bananas and oranges. We are still having record high temperatures for this season and are enjoying every minute of it. We were happy to come back from Alabama and still be able to ride.