Biking into and out of big, unfamiliar cities can be challenging. Sometimes I feel like it might be easier to ride into a city than to drive in. Chicago is a good example - I’ve ridden south from Kenosha into the northern suburbs and then along the lakeshore and right into downtown and it was … Continue reading Day 5: Syracuse to Utica
Day 4: Waterloo to Syracuse (and Dan’s birthday)
There was some terrible weather yesterday after we arrived in Waterloo - we’d taken a short walk for a late lunch at the Mexican restaurant on Main Street and relaxed there during the torrential rain. After lunch, we went back for naps in our rooms and it turned out to be a great day. We … Continue reading Day 4: Waterloo to Syracuse (and Dan’s birthday)
Day 2 and 3: Medina to Palmyra to Waterloo – A flat, a fall, and a bike failure…and it was still terrific
So day two of our Empire State Trail trip started at the Bunkhaus Hostel where we did actually sleep in bunks, and it was in a great location, about half a mile from the canal bike path and a block from Main Street. We got up and made coffee and carried our bikes into the … Continue reading Day 2 and 3: Medina to Palmyra to Waterloo – A flat, a fall, and a bike failure…and it was still terrific
Empire State Trail day 1: Buffalo to Medina
Let’s begin with yesterday, actually. We loaded up the car with bikes and bags and people and pulled out of St. Paul about 5:40 AM and headed east on Interstate 94. And then we drove 940 miles and arrived in Buffalo at 11:00 PM. It was a beautiful day to drive across Wisconsin but driving … Continue reading Empire State Trail day 1: Buffalo to Medina
A few days before we leave
We’ve done some long training rides in the last few weeks, including a 58 miler between the family cabin and Lake Park, Minnesota over Memorial Day weekend (my great grandfather settled in Lake Park after migrating from Norway.) Last Saturday we rode the Tour de Pepin, a hilly 72 miler which runs on both sides … Continue reading A few days before we leave
Spring Training and Summer plans
Apple blossoms and Finn Spring has finally arrived in Minnesota. It showed up overnight about a week ago and even brought unseasonably warm days in the 80's after an April which almost never got out of the 40's. The apple tree in front of our house burst into blossom over the course of a day … Continue reading Spring Training and Summer plans