Minnehaha Falls Burley Biking

West River Parkway–Minneapolis: 11.84 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 1 hour 8 minutes, average speed 10.2

This tandem/Burley adventure took us to the West River Parkway bike trail along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We started at the Minnehaha Park and Falls and progressed north towards the University of Minnesota. We saw many great sites along this 12-mile journey. Of course the falls were spectacular and Kennedy enjoyed the boats on the river.

Minnehaha Park is one of Minneapolis’ oldest and most popular parks, attracting over 850,000 thousand visitors. The 193-acre park features a 53-foot waterfall, limestone bluffs and river overlooks and has been on my “must see” list for some time. I was grateful to see it this day when the water was flowing rapidly over the rocks.

We stopped for a short snack at the Bohemian Flats near the University which also gave Kennedy a chance to explore the authentic paddle wheeler, the Minneapolis Queen. We then pedaled back to the Falls where we had lunch at the Sea Salt Eatery—very enjoyable!

Kennedy’s biking miles for 2013 now total 73. She is slowly getting used to these trips with grandma and grandpa pulling her behind in the Burley.

Burley Biking with Kennedy

South St. Paul to Inver Grove Heights: 10.64 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 1 hour 11 minutes, average speed 8.8

We were off work early today and biking the streets of South St. Paul routing to pick up Kennedy from day care in Inver Grove Heights. She was surprised to see her Grandma and Grandpa roll up with the Burley attached to the tandem and had no problem getting ready to ride—she was all smiles.

The route back to Kennedy’s house included a stop at a park and a visit to Dairy Queen—a special treat on this hot July day.

Precious Cargo

Amish Market and Home: 9.53 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 48 minutes, average speed: 11.6

We were carting precious cargo on our route today—Kennedy had her first ride in the Burley pulled by Dennis and Amy on the tandem. She was a little worried about being placed in the Burley but once the wheels started spinning, her tears quickly turned to smiles. Luke and I rode on the single recumbents keeping close watch on Kennedy rolling along inside her colorful chariot. This was also a new experience for Luke but he proved to have a hidden talent for recumbent riding.

We all rested at the Amish Market which gave Kennedy some time on the playset before returning to the Burley for the trip back to the farm. This first trip with Kennedy was a success and ended with one tired toddler. She fell asleep a few miles into the return trip and remained napping when being removed from the Burley once back home.

We did have to do a little coaxing at first to get Kennedy to try this strange buggy but she quickly settled in to enjoy the ride. We look forward to many more miles pulling our precious granddaughter behind the Rans Screamer.