Paddle & Pedal Winona, MN

Lake Winona Paddle and LaCanne Park to Prairie Island Pedal: 10.36 miles
TRIKE Pedal Time: 1 hour 8 minutes, average speed 9.1

Our trip to Winona was full of adventure. We started out with family visits in the morning and then kayaked Lake Winona in the afternoon before getting ready to meet up with good friends, Tim & Deneice, for supper.

Following an early supper, we all decided to continue our visit and get some exercise. Tim suggested a bike tour starting at LaCanne Park and continuing on towards Prairie Island. We passed over a wooden bridge with lots of character, then toured through Prairie Island Park and finally finished our ride with a spin though the area’s manufacturing neighborhood—a very enjoyable route.

A Test for the Trike

La Crosse River State Trail to West Salem
and the Great River State Trail to Midway : 25.60 miles
TRIKE Pedal Time: 3 hours 0 minutes, average speed 8.5

We took the single bikes to Wisconsin to try out the unpaved trails near La Crosse. The purpose of building my trike was to take it on these less-than-smooth surfaces. It was great fun but the mph demonstrated the extra energy required to move the trike along. We parked at the Great River State Trail trailhead in Onalaska and headed to Kwik Trip to purchase our trail passes of $4 each then continued along the La Crosse River State Trail to West Salem. Trains still run along the tracks that run next to the trail and we kept watching for the Amtrak to pass but our timing didn’t match the train’s schedule. We turned around in West Salem and headed back to the van.

The weather was cooperating so once we reached our van, we decided to continue biking along the Mississippi River on the Great River State Trail to Midway, east of Trempealeau. I always enjoy the chance to bike along waterways and the Mississippi offered wonderful views today. The trike provided another comfortable ride and proved it could take me to places I would not travel on any other bike.

Triking Along the Root River Trail

Neighborhood Test Ride & RRT to Harmony: 55.10 miles
TRIKE Pedal Time: 5 hours 41 minutes, average speed 9.8

After taking the trike out for a short neighborhood jaunt and making a few minor tweaks, I was ready to introduce it to the Root River Trail with a challenging ride from Lanesboro to Harmony. The first half of this route was very hilly but on the trike I just continued to crank up each hill with no worries of going too slow and tipping over. I reached the top with just enough energy to pedal to the Crunchy Side for a break before enjoying the downhill coast back to Lanesboro. The trike handled better than expected and I counted 7 “WOWs” from bikers passing by. The unusual paint job seems to draw attention.

While breaking in Preston, we began a conversation with an Iowa bike group and realized we had met them before at the 2012 PIGS Rally in Cresco. Keith and Mary Wherry, Cresco bike shop owners, showered Dennis with compliments on the trike design and build. The trike proved to be a worthy addition to my growing bicycle collection.

Total June Miles: 285                  Total 2013 Miles: 742

The rain this season has put us behind for total miles.  Last year at this time we had double the miles, however, the weather had a lot to do with the completion of the trike in just 3 months, much earlier than expected.

Triking

Saint Charles Trails: 2.30 miles
TRIKE Pedal Time: 15 minutes

The trike’s maiden voyage took place on this chilly day in June. We drove to Saint Charles in search of an open parking area to test the mechanics of the trike before disassembling for painting. We had a great time pedaling the trike and it passed every test with flying colors. Even with only one gear, the bike was fun to pedal. Some final details will now need to be worked on before we take the trike on a longer test.