See a water tower; find a town

Outside of Avon

Fresh from seeing the walking play, Nature at the Arboretum we headed out to the Lake Wobegon Trail leaving from St. Joseph to Freeport.  It was a perfect (almost) summer day with sunny skies, winds from the South at 20-25 mph (gusts of 30 mph), and temperatures in the high 80s. The sides of the trail were covered with summer wildflowers.  We rode through clouds of dragon flies, grasshoppers and at one point a flock of tree swifts.  Just before Avon we spied three sand hill cranes who took flight as soon as I got off the bike to take a photo.  Hawks were soaring in the stiff breezes; we had a cooper hawk, eagle and vulture glide just feet above our bike.  As Thoreau said in the play Friday night, "I must draw my vigor from a wild source".  We were inspired and excited to be out on this awesome day.

The Lake Wobegon trail follows tracks that once went through each of the small towns.  The landmark of note is the distinctive water towers that are usually located at a high point in the town.  As we approach they are frequently the first thing we see.  Water towers serve a practical purpose.  Although you might think they hold all the water supply, they actually only hold a day's worth of water.  It's a back up for peak usage.  The water tower supplies pressure for all the homes in its vicinity.  We rode through four towns during this ride:  St. Joseph, Avon, Albany and Freeport.  Each has a unique water tower that stands over the community.

The color of wildflowers this time of year is yellow but along the Lake Wobegon trail we were treated with the occasional cluster of purple coneflowers which is in the aster family.  This are native, perennial plants and favor dry conditions especially along roads and ditches.  I can vouch for the fact that goldfinches love their seed heads.  I don't trim my coneflowers back in the fall; in winter our goldfinches who stay all year will pull seed from the heads.  It's my favorite flower. 

The journey back to St. Joe was a major effort.  The wind became more of a headwind because the Freeport to Albany trail bends to the Southeast.  We're a high profile vehicle so each gust was an obstacle to ride through.  I was definitely thinking about my feet by the time we got back to St. Joe's.  One hint:  I wear a neckerchief around my neck and keep it damp - cools one down. 

We ate at Kay's Kitchen in St. Joe's.  It's been a fixture in St. Josephs since 1972.   Kay's is just what you would expect for a small town cafe:  great service, lots of refills, and homemade pie!  The perfect end to a  great day of nature and riding. 

Bikes and Bands

It's Sunday and we're finally home after a three day weekend both on and off the bike.  It was a good use for my second furlough day (Friday) to pack up and go South to Faribault and the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail.  We cleverly planned to night in a bed and breakfast in town in order to spend Saturday listening to the Vintage Band Music Festival in Northfield.
Friday was the perfect summer biking day - sunny, not too humid, warm but not too hot.  We started out along Cannon Lake just outside of Faribault (to avoid nasty intersections in town) and decided to just ride until we wanted to turn around.  The Singing Hills nomenclature is so appropriate for this trail.  It's not the birds singing that is so deafening; it's the cicada.  From my office at home I can hear a cicada singing in our backyard.  Multiply that intensity by what seems thousands and you can image the "singing" by a grand chorus of cicada on the trail.

On other posts I've always focused on nature along the trails we ride but there is a striking amount of commerce going on.  Not far from Cannon Lake we ride past the Humphrey Manlift Co.  This name brings all kinds of interesting images to mind but it's a technology that moves people or things from floor to floor when you have limited space.  We also pass a very fragrant turkey farm where fans exhaust the wonderful turkey smell out to the trail.  Rumor has it the turkey dung has more value than the turkey.  I'll pass on that.  In Waterville we pedal past the Whitewater Grain and Feed elevator and the See-A-Cake company.  See-A-Cake is a leading manufacturer of bakery packing products.  Further along the trail we ride past Laska's Mercury Outboard sales and services.  That would be outboard motors for your boat which are displayed in the Laska's front yard.  Alley Scoops in Elysian sells ice cream (and hotdogs) right along the trail.  The Bear's Den is a restaurant in Elysian made from logs; we've eaten there after a ride.  Pro Fabrication, right on the trail in Madison Lake, fabricates metal.  Dale's Marine in Madison Lake sells boats but also provides snowmobile service in the off season.  And finally there's Prange's Heating and Airconditioning in Madison Lake; you can guess what they offer.  It's not all farm fields and wildflowers out there on the prairie.  Actually Faribault is a hub of manufacturing that has attracted a very diverse community. 

Back to nature which is really why we ride.Yellow is the prominent color of wildflowers on the Sakatah trail.  Our flower of choice this trip is the Woodland Sunflower or Helianthus divaricatus, member of the Aster family.  We find it usually in the woods along the trail.  At this time of year it can get fairly tall.  I braved an onslaught of mosquitoes to get this photo.  We also were looking at a goldfinch at the top of a stand of spruce in Madison lake when we looked up and saw a Northern Harrier hawk.  It's black wingtips are quite striking and the key to identification.

So you are wondering how far we ended up riding?  Our turn around point was Madison Lake (Mankato we'll see you on another trip) but it was a 50 mile endeavor.  We refreshed at the Alley Scoop with root beer floats on the way back and showed up at the Historic Hutchinson House B&B in our sweaty glory at close to the promised time of 5:30 pm.  Tami  Schluter, formerly of Eden Prairie, showed us to Dr. Hasseley's Suite where we showered, ran off to eat and headed to our first vintage band concert by the Newberry's Victorian Cornet Band at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault.  More bands and more music followed on Saturday and a second night but different room at the Hutchinson House.  In all the best of weekends, riding the bike, lots of music, two nights of hospitality at the Hutchinson House, a walk through historic Faribault and plenty of good food. 

Drive west to the prairie...

Today is one of those perfect summer days which you wish you could pack up and open in the dark of February like a birthday pop up card.  It opens to let out the sun, the blue sky and the soft summer breeze.  We were lucky to have this perfect day for biking.  It was an adventure going back to one of our earliest trails that we biked on our tandem but that we haven't been back to for more than a year.  The Glacial Lakes State Trail http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/glacial_lakes/index.html starts in Hawick and goes south to Willmar.  The trail winds through farm country, dotted with series of small lakes created by the glaciers.  It's the end of July and the sides of this old Burlington Northern railroad bed are covered in wild flowers - yellows, pinks, purples from the giant mullein which can reach six feet in height (and we saw some that tall) to delicate birds-foot trefoil.  As we ride along we are constantly pointing to the next flower.  We discovered a new plant called the lead plant, a member of the pea family.  Tt has a cluster of blue or purple flowers and its leaf is divided into tiny leaflets.  According to my wildflower book, it can live for centuries but will never get more than 3 feet tall.  Its growing is in the root which can delve more than 10 feet into the ground.  Parts of the plant used to be made into tea.  Another of  the hundreds of flowers that were blooming is the common milkweed.  Did you know there are 13 varieties of this pink flowering plant in Minnesota?  It's important to us because it is the only plant that the Monarch butterfly uses to lay its eggs.

We had our share of wildlife sightings including a hawk, three deer (looking but not bolting), a heron, numerous rabbits and ground squirrels plus a toad.  We took one break and sat on a bench listening to the sounds of the trail:  wind rustling the leaves of the cottonwood, bird song, insect clicks and buzzes, and the solitary mow of a cow off in its pasture.

The 36 miles of trail wind through several communities.  Each is marked by a monument that carries its name and something unique about the town.  For Spicer it was Green lake and a picture of a sailboat. Life ebbs and flows in the small towns.  The grain elevator in Spicer is for sale but the junk yard outside New London seems to be busy. We did see the original telegraph poles still standing along the trail outside of Hawick.  It takes some imagination to think of the trains once passing through all these places we are now biking. 

Detours on the Gateway

Today was my first of five voluntary furlough days at the U of Minnesota.  I remembered to turn off my alarm and sleep until 7:30 am!  Crawled out and did my morning yoga routine (thank you Kitty) and drank my first cup of coffee in the backyard while I watched our backyard critters.  One of two chipmunks is featured in this blog.  Will finally woke up and we packed up the bike first heading for excellent lingonberry waffles at http://www.steamworkscoffee.com/ where owners Jeff and Kristine remember your drinks and bring them to your table.  We leisurely read the paper and eventually got on the road for the Gateway Trail in St. Paul.  http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/gateway/index.html  This is a heavily used commuter trail that passes through woodland, prairie and bogs.  In the spring you are serenaded by the peepers.  There is a parallel horse path for part of the trail. Today we encountered quite a few horses.  We were surprised when we hit a "Trail Closed" sign about 40 minutes into the ride.  We followed some other cyclists off to the horse path, then on to a road, across County Road 15 and down a gravel path for a short stretch.  Not the best surface for the tandem or its riders.  A new bridge is being built over County Road 15. This will make the trail safer and easier for riders.  Later (at the Dairy Queen) we discovered that a second bike trail bridge was being built over Century Avenue.  We never go that far west because of the difficulty in maneuvering across the street on our bike.  Great improvements; thanks to the DNR and the citizens of Minnesota that support and fund bike trails.  We are usually on this trail in early evening when we can fit a two hour ride in after work so it was revealing to see it in the light of day.  Butterflies were everywhere; splashes of colorful wildflowers lit up the sides of the trail.  We saw the orange of butterfly weed, the yellows of woodland sunflowers, grayheaded cone flowers, birds foot trefoil and butter and eggs, the pinks of spotted knapweed and wild bergamot, whites of prairie clover and sweet clover.  And the absolute best:  the rare find of a cluster of Turk's Cap Lily which we saw only once before on the Lake Wobegone trail.  That was more exciting than the deer running in front of us.  I've come to realize that being out in the country on our bike is important for my soul.   Not sure why it was so hard to get started this year.  Valuable happiness time lost.

We're back on the bike!!

Most cyclists smile at us as we pass on the bike trail. It’s not clear if it’s the bike they’re smiling at or the sight of Will and me pedaling down the trail. It certainly isn’t our good looks although we always wear matching bike shirts. And on that topic we have yet to find a sensational recumbent jersey. I’m still relegated to putting essentials into back pockets when I really need front pockets. There’s a market out here if only someone will rise to the creative occasion.

It’s hard to confess that mid-way through the summer was our first ride. Blame it on vacations, people visiting us, weather, heavy gardening, too much work, etc., etc. Whatever the obstacles we finally burst out the other end and headed to our traditional first ride: The Cannon Valley Trail http://www.cannonvalleytrail.com/ . We actually left the house by 8:30 a.m., then an hour and hot chocolate and soy vanilla latte later we arrived at the Cannon Falls trailhead. Actually my map reading skills were defective so we drove around Cannon Falls for a while before we found the trailhead. Typically we start at Welch and never go all the way into the town of Cannon Falls. Two issues with starting from town: a U-turn onto the bike trail from the parking lot which is impossible for us to complete and a hill coming back into town. Remember: hills are not our friends.
Clogging up the bike trail was an inordinate number of people on roller skies (or whatever you call them). These are insidious athletes who poke their ski poles into your bike lane. The response is to move your bike as close to center as possible and play chicken with them. Big bike vs. young girl in teeny shorts and sports bra; result – ugly. Our early start tactic to ward off the high dew point was shared by too many people
The Cannon Valley Trail moves from woods to prairie to bog so the quantity and type of wildflowers are amazing. Just a few we saw (not everything) were harebells, purple prairie clover, cow parsnip, Goat’s Beard, Gray headed coneflowers, and wild bergamot. Despite the high traffic we had a pudgy raccoon cross our path headed for the river and off on one side trail saw a mother turkey herding her five poults (young). Several hawks circled over head but not close enough to identify.
At the Welch rest area we were treated to polka music from Ray Sands of the Polka Dots http://raysandsandthepolkadots.com/about_the_band.html . He’s been in the business over 60 years! Grandpa’s Garage in Cannon Falls donated free sugar cookies topped with pecans. We met a couple riding Ran single recumbents and had a chat about the advantages of recumbent bikes and why we like a tandem and they didn’t. They were about our age so it was interesting to get their perspective which really centered on our comfy seats.

Leaving Welch to return to Cannon Falls I was leafing through the wild flower book when our new friends passed us. The Mrs. single recumbent pulled alongside of me to comment on how I was “reading” when she drove a young kid off the trail. When her husband came up alongside of us he commented that he’d try not to replicate her effort.

It was very satisfying to get to pass them eventually since we pedal, never coast, and actually were keeping an even pace. I didn’t thrust my arms up in celebration.
We stopped outside of Cannon Falls to take a photo of the falls and a swan plus cygnets alongside the trail. The single recumbents rode past but Mrs. couldn’t keep momentum going up the hill and fell over. Will looked at me and asked if we should walk it and I said “never”. Off we went creaking up the hill at about two MPH. Success!! We got the pass our new friends again while they patched up the Mrs. Our second attempt to make the U-turn into the parking lot missed again however.
After the ride we strolled through Cannon Falls. The hardware store was closed for Megan’s wedding: congrats to Megan. The Cannon River Winery http://www.cannonriverwinery.com/ was humming. You could get a massage or tan on the main street. We ate at the Old Market Deli http://www.theoldmarketdeli.com/ – food was great but the service was slow and odd. We helped an older couple clear the table and another couple found them silverware. Neighbors helping neighbors.
Hopefully we’ll be out again on my furlough day this week. Keep on biking!

Back in the Saddle

After a long hiatus we finally got the bike out. House guests, our own non-bike travels, Irish Fair, and my sinus infection took way too much time from our summer. But today, despite high dewpoints, we threw the bike in the van and headed south to our favorite trail on the Cannon River. It was a wild flower day with 12 sightings of summer wildflowers: spotted knapweed, green headed coneflowers, grey headed coneflowers, Canada Goldenrod, Wild Bergamot (like beebalm), Joe-Pye Weed (not Joe Pa), Queen Ann Lace, Common Mullein, Purple Coneflowers, Tall Bellflower (my favorite with delicate blue-purple star flowers), Spotted Touch-me-not (best name), and Jewel weed. The green headed coneflowers which are tall yellow flowers covered wide areas of the trail. Despite the layoff we rode reasonably well and the nasty crank noise didn't start until 20 miles were covered. Is it the chain, the derailler (sp?) or both. HMMMM. Wildlife - chipmunks running across the trail in front of us, a hog nose snake along the side of the trail, ground squirrels, circling vultures and a young deer peering at us from the side as we rode toward it not deciding until the last moment that it should actually cross the trail. I told Will it would be a perfect day if we could see the wild turkeys and low and behold we did see them but from the car on the way to Red Wing - six turkeys strutting through someone's front lawn! People everywhere today including a woman who complemented me on my "punk" hair. Also the guy wearing the "Beat Michigan" shirt was a hit. The kids tubing down the river yelled up at us "cool tandem" as we waved majestically from above. A good Day.

Neither rain, lightning nor broken bolt....

A 4th of July weekend to remember on the Central Lakes State Trail. If you want to see lakes this is the trail to ride. And then throw in pelicans, herons, egrets, night heron, cormorants, belted kingfishers and you're in Heaven. We started biking in Dalton, a very small town with alot of traffic for some reason, and rode out to Fergus Falls. This is the most scenic part of the trip with one lake after another - some just small glacial puddles while others stretch into bays with islands covered with birdlife. A fawn crossed our trail and alongside the trails were purple coneflowers, yellow clover, false sunflowers, daisies, etc. Unfortunately the trail stops abruptly in Fergus Falls and we didn't even see the town. There is a trailhead at Pebble Beach which we skipped. We rode back toward Dalton toward Ashby hoping to see Lake Christina and Pelican Lake. Despite the weather forecast of fair skies we were caught in a rain shower just outside of Ashby. No thunder or lightning so we waited under the branches of a tree for the shower to pass. The tree as umbrella worked well and we headed out again once the rain let up. Unfortunately the dark clouds started to fill in once we got to Pelican Lake. We smartly turned back and rode like the wind only to hear ominous thunder in the distance. To the South it looked clear but not right over us. We did pause to see a kestrel (small hawk) on the utility line along the road. Large raindrops turned to a heavy shower. We tried the tree trick again but the rain was getting serious as was the thunder. We were within five miles of Dalton. Rats. So off we went into the rain, thunder and lightning and the back spray coming into my face. By the time we got to the car (35 miles round trip) the gutters along the road were overflowing. Will threw the bike into the car; I covered the seats with our raincoats (which we had left in the car). We stripped off our shirts and at least had dry t-shirts on. Driving into Alexandria toward our B&B, The Cedar Rose Inn we noticed the roads turned dry just past Ashby. There was no rain anywhere but right above us. Waiting for us at the B&B was a decanter of sherry and a huge bathtub. We washed up, went out for dinner, and slept like logs.

July 4th was a perfect day. We had a full table at breakfast with folks from the cities in Alex to watch their kid play baseball and another couple from North Dakota on their way to the Twin Cities. We decided to bike out from Alex to Garfield and then back to Alex and on to Osakis for close to 50 miles. Halfway to Garfield we heard a crack. Will said those famous words, "that doesn't sound good" and I look down to see the support for his seat hanging loose. It looked like our ride was over. Will found some adhesive tape and managed to bandaid the support and we rode back to Alex. We remembered walking past Ace Hardware the night before and decided to ride a few more blocks to see if it was open. We drove down main street - not easy for us - and pulled up to find the store open. YIPPEE! The helpful clerk found Will the right size bolt; we screwed it in and off we went back to Garfield. Thank you Ace Hardware! In Garfield we met a 77 year old biker and his wife. He biked 77 miles on his 77th birthday. He looked like he could give most of us a run for our money. Very inspiring. From Garfield we turned around and headed to Osakis. The scenery on this end of the trail is not as inspiring as the Fergus end but we saw tons of wild flowers including a prairie lily, thistles, red clover and purple coneflowers. There were the occasional killdeer trying to lead us away into the corn fields, lots of goldfinches and one rabbit. We were looking for shade and frequently rode along the wrong side of the trail to get some cool breezes. We did travel past Oakis to see where this trail hooked up to the Lake Wobegon Trail. We almost have both trails complete - just missing small sections. Arriving back in Alex and went immediately to Dairy Queen and ordered large cold things to each and drunk.

That evening we headed back down to the Depot restaurant and sat outside on the patio looking over the trail and Lake Agnes. Pelicans and cormorants flew by, fish jumped, about 20 ducklings waddled by. We drank and ate and ended a great day together.

Notes on the trip: we saw a few remnants of the trains besides the rail left in Fergus Falls including a few crossing markers, mileposts and a water crossing post. Alexandria has a charming downtown but it was almost totally closed over the holiday. We'd like to see the Runestone museum on a return trip. The speedway in Alex operates from Memorial Day to Labor Day on Saturdays. It is very loud and kind of intrudes on early to bed people like ourselves. Alex is a very walkable town and has a number of interesting buildings which I have on Facebook. We ran into fun and gregarious people each morning at the B&B. Everyone sat around for more than an hour eating and talking.

Turkeys and Chipmunks and Snakes...oh my!!

After a week of hot, humid weather and frequent threat of storms we had a Saturday ripe for biking. No rain in the forecast. With Ingrid's graduation party that night we decided to stick closer to home and drove down to Welch - earlier than usual but after waffles. There were the rollerbladers who thought they were funny by telling me I only had to coast. It's the same as people who ask us if we wished our harpist daughter played the piccolo. Hey dude, I AM the stoker, the power pedaler, the water carrier. Dork.

Okay, got past that and road first to Red Wing making great time then back to Cannon Falls to Welch. We averaged 13 mph which is a good rate for us at this point in the season. It was hot so we drank plenty of water filling up our bottles at the NEW water fountain in Red Wing. Great improvement. We did see one other tandem coming out of Cannon Falls but they were moving and we were sitting on a bench. It was a regular road bike.

I almost forgot Molly, a young girl, riding with her family. As they approached us Molly decided to nonchalantly ride right in our direction. Her mother kept telling her to move over but it was her father's "Jesus, watch where you're going!" that saved the day.

It was a great day for almost hitting animals on the trail including two garter snakes slithering across (we happen to like snakes having raised a number of them including Baby, the yellow rat snake), scolding chipmunks and two good size wild turkeys who couldn't make a decision whether to climb the bank or go down to the river so instead stood on the trail until the last moment. We also got a good view of one of the parental eagles soaring over the trail. There was too much of a crowd at the eagle nest to stop and gawk at the young eagles.

The star of the wild flowers was the cow parsnip which stands in some places almost three feet tall. These have broad clusters of white flowers that seem to attract lots of bees. Beware of the wild parsnip which will do bad things to your skin (these are yellow). We also saw penny cress, red clover and birds-foot trefoil in addition to lots of flowers we didn't identify because of our great speed.

After the ride we changed shirts, me baring my midriff to the crowds and headed to Red Wing for lunch. We highly recommend Lily's where we had chicken curry and Thai chicken wraps, tall ice teas, and excellent service. You can also buy your greeting cards while you eat. They are a coffee shop too.

Met Uncle Jim at Ingie's graduation and we traded bike trail stories then went to my brother's to congratulate him on returning safe and sound from the Rocky Mountain bike tour. Just can't get enough of the bike.

Lake Wobegon trail

After the coldest start to June since the 1950s we finally had a warm, sunny Saturday. After waffles and ligonberries at Steamworks, we headed west to the Lake Wobegon Trail. The spring wildflowers were still in full bloom probably because of the cooler weather. We saw golden Alexanders, campions, wild geraniums, wild roses, Canadien Anenmones, Virginia Waterleaf. Two new flowers: Cow parsnips (our favorites) and Daisies. Keep in mind that there are lots of other flowers out there but we're tracking the ones we can identify.

I hopefully will also post a photo of one of the old telegraph poles from the original railroad line. You can see these between Bowlus and Holdingford. Not much wildlife besides birds but we heard peepers and saw an occasional chipmunk.

Our pace was great considering the headwind and uphill route to Albany. The ride back to Bowlus was mostly downhill and with the wind. We decided not to head for the dam but instead chatted with Louie, the resident caretaker of the trailhead, for a while and then ate lunch at Jordie's Trailside Cafe. I heartily recommend Jordie's for a great lunch with homebaked pie! It's located right behind the depot.

The screamer was well behaved today as were its riders. We drove the scenic route home through Little Falls and Pierz (where I got into the wrong car). It was great to be back riding. People were really friendly and chatty this weekend. Probably because it finally felt like summer had arived. We did hit showers near Mille Lacs but sunshine back home.

Will vs fallen tree on Sakatah Trail

Excitement on the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail out of Faribault. First we encounter two Kildeer parental birds playing the broken wing dance in the middle of the bike trail. Will looks to the side and narrowly misses riding over the wee kildeers hopping along the trail. We get to go through this charade again on the return trip. Then the winds that kicked up from the Southwest knock over a good size tree across the trail outside of Elysian. Will takes on the tree by himself and breaks a path through the branches for the screamer (that would be the bike not me).



It's our first trip out from Faribault. We typically start at Shager Park on Cannon Lake to avoid the stoplights and traffic out of the trailhead. It was early for us 9:30 am and the gulls were lined up along the lakeshore single file looking for goodies. This trail goes through a number of small towns. Today we cruised through Warsaw, Morristown (celebrating Dam Days), Waterville to Elysian. You get to see people's backyards and gardens. The main attraction and the most scenic part of the trip is the Sakatah Lake State Park. One rides along the lake under a high canopy of trees. The trail is interrupted in Waterville so you get to ride through the town following very small trail signs. They have a great watertower by the way. Elysian is a pretty town. We recommend the ice cream store on the trail. Nana's Nook is worth a stop for gifts made from recycled plastic bags. I bought my knitting bag there last year. There is also the funky LeSueur County historical society museum in the old school building.



Vestiges of railroads: a few stone mile markers remain, a signal post outside of Waterville and rails in the road near Faribault.

Amenities: Full automated rest area at the trailhead in Faribault, Biffys at Morristown and Waterville and bathrooms in Elysian.

Wild flowers: Hillsides of purple Dames Rockets, white campion, wild roses, columbine, goat's beard, virignia waterleaf, wild geranium.

Wildlife: herons, egrets, cowbird, kildeer family, red tail hawk



Sad news: Starbucks in Faribault is closed.

Playing hooky

What is better than working a half day and then taking the sunny, warm Friday afternoon off for a bike ride? All seemed idyllic until Will picks me up at the U and says “do you hear a hissing sound?” Alas, our BMX front tire had sprung a leak! Fortunately we had a spare tube…for once our planning worked. We headed south to the Cannon Valley Trail AGAIN this time to do the complete trail in one ride. The parking lot at Welch was full of yellow school buses…our kid alarm went on. Fortunately they were loading up the Lakeville school to go back to school. Whew. Will did a quick tire change and merrily biked first to Red Wing, catching a glimpse of the adult parent at the eagles nest; the other was soaring above the nest. There was also the annoying woman who felt compelled to tell us every move of the eagles in the last several days including feeding on baby geese. I said the latter might help reduce the excess goose population. She didn’t appreciate that comment

It was another day full of wildflower sightings. We’re getting adept at identifying number of petals to the bloom, the shape of the leaves and the height of the plant. With those three pieces of information one can frequently identify the flower. Color helps of course. There is one yellow flower that covers the hillsides near Cannon Falls that we can’t find in our book. We did add Canada Anemones, Wood Anemones, and Yellow Sweet Clover.

One of the purposes of this blog is to document amenities of the trails. The Cannon Valley Trail goes from one town center to another with only the village of Welch in between. It’s never far to get to civilization. For bike riders it’s important to have bathroom facilities. There are plenty on this trail including both trailheads and Welch station. Biffys are also available at Spring Creek, near the trail to the Anderson Center (on the Red Wing end); at Trail Run Creek on the Cannon Falls end. Water is a problem though. Welch has a fountain. The fountain at the Cannon Falls depot has been broken for a while. We don’t ride to the Cannon Falls Trailhead but since it’s a city park I’m assuming there’s water available.

We did have some great wildlife sightings other than the eagle. Vultures were soaring low over the meadows near Cannon Falls. We sighted a hummingbird just outside of Welch – thought at first it was a butterfly. A three inch caterpillar fell on me from a tree (yuck) and a deer stood on the trail as we approached Welch on our last leg. It watched us for a long minute before running ahead of us down the trail and finally up the ridge.

It was dinner time by the time we finished the ride. We packed up and headed to Red Wing and the Staghead Restaurant. The service was vastly improved since the last time we ate there but the food was not. My salmon was supposed to come with red potatoes but instead they substituted plain white rice. The steamed vegetables were done nicely but some seasoning like herbs would have been a nice touch. Still the beer and cider were greatly appreciated and I tipped the guy playing kind of lounge organ.

Return to the Cannon Valley

Memorial Day with American flags decorating Victory Memorial Drive. We left at 9:00 am to return to do the second half of the Cannon Valley Trail from Welch to Red Wing and back. It's our tune up to doing the full trail next time. Remember we are geezers!

On the rails to trails it's an adventure to try and see vestiges of the old railroad. On this trail the concrete mile markers still exist include WX (water crossings). On the way to Red Wing from Welch you can see one old telegraph pole and overhead a telltale. The brakeman used to stand on top of the cars. When they felt the telltale sweep over them they knew to lay down before the bridge hit them.

One new wildflower sighting - a Golden Alexander. There is an eagle nesting just before milepost 14. It was on the nest when we cruised by. Swallow nests on the bridge. The swallows were flying over the Cannon River scooping up insects. We saw a dragon fly. No turtles on the pond. Sigh.

Great ride - sunshine and cool. Lots of people but mostly well behaved. The bike didn't have any hiccups. Remember - no coasting!

First ride of the season

It's Memorial Day weekend and the start of our third year on our Rans Screamer. It's tradition to have our first ride on the Cannon Valley Trail leaving from Welch Station. The bike is tuned and hopefully ready to go. At the end of last season we were stopping every few miles to adjust the chain. An early morning rain had cleared out to mostly blue skies and temperatures in the 70s. The parking lot was full when we pulled up so it was on to the overflow lot. Welch has bathroom facilities and water. Musts for a good start. Bought our annual passes for $20.00 each. This is well worth the cost; the trail is the best maintained in Minnesota. There were crowds of people including lots of families. The kids were attracted to our "cool" bike as usual. Why are the pedals way out there? We still had long stretches of trail to ourselves. The Cannon River is low for this time of year due to our dry spring. This is the best trail for wildflower viewing. We ride past woodland to meadows seeing Dame's Rockets, Columbine, Wild Geranium, Winter Cress, Virginia Waterleaf, and lots of dandelions. The stoker holds the wildflower book as we slowly pass the flowers. Heard an owl!