Mankato River Ramble

42-Mile Road Route: 41.90 miles
Tandem Pedal Time: 3 hours 13 minutes, average speed 12.9

Despite the 24-degree temperature on this sunny, Sunday morning, we were happy to be in our van and on the road by 5:30 a.m. driving toward Mankato, Minnesota to attend the second annual Mankato River Ramble bike ride. We so enjoyed this ride in 2011 and were looking forward to ending our 2012 bike season with this very special event.

Registration volunteers were cheerfully greeting the 1600 registered riders as they arrived despite the frosty morning air. We collected our riding information and were then directed towards a warm beverage before beginning the 42-mile scenic Lake Crystal Loop. We chose to bring the tandem for this event and as we awaited the 8:30 a.m. ride start, we enjoyed visiting with riders curious about our recumbent bike.

We continue to be amazed with the mass of volunteers willing to give their gift of time in a way that is so very meaningful to us and the volunteers on this Mankato ride are some of the best. The River Rambler organizers excel at organization and include many appreciated details such as assigning these two gents the task of waving riders out with wishes of a pleasant and safe journey—how thoughtful.

As we began pedaling out of the Land of Memories Park, the stream of cars just arriving for the event continued to roll in with their bikes in tow. We pedaled slowly so that we could focus on each sponsor sign that lined the route as we exited the park.

Just 3.5 miles into our ride, we encountered our first rest stop at the Minneopa State Park. We were entertained here by the musical sounds of the Fatheads which we enjoyed while munching on delicious cookies as we gathered around a warm fire. The temperature was cool but we stayed comfortable layered in clothing to prevent the chill from affecting our enjoyment of the ride.

After a thank you wave to the cookie girls, we pedaled away from the park and towards the historic Red Jacket Railway Trestle bridge built in 1901 and newly reopened this biking season. We enjoy working pieces of history into our biking adventures.

We were well-cared for along our route and greatly appreciated this man pointing us towards our next mouthwatering stop—the Rapidan “Pie” Park. The Rapidan Dam Café baked up a tasty variety of award-winning pies and accordian and guitar music by the Bockfest Duo added warmth to the air.

As the SW wind began to increase, we felt an urgency to keep on moving. We biked the next 21 miles out into the country without stopping. We passed through the town of Lake Crystal with its beautiful lakes and then experienced the down hill glide of the “Elevator Shaft”. We were happiest when travelling north with the wind to our back. We finally reached the Judson Bottom Road with its scenic rolling terrain leading us to our next rest stop at Minnemishinona Falls with one more pleasant volunteer inviting us to stop in for a rest, an offer we were happy to accept. More cookies, music and visiting enticed us to take an extended rest before completing the final 7 miles back to the Land of Memories Park.

Our last miles of this journey were along the Minnesota River. We were reminded of the dry season we have had as we looked out over the receding waters.

We finished our ride back where we began and collected our Ramble tee shirts beautifully designed with the trestle bridge across the front. We’ll be marking our calendars for October 6, 2013 so that we can attend the third Annual River Ramble. We so enjoy spending this day with the happy folks of the Mankato River Ramble making memories and meeting new friends.