He of course conversed with me again in the morning, eyed and asked about my bike, asked for the umpteenth time where I was going and why, gave me a granola bar (which I checked the seal of), and took my picture, again, and told me he was going to contact the paper and tell them about me. I just let him be him, smiled and nodded, until I was packed and ready to go.
I biked the Luce Line Trail about half the ride in yesterday. It's beautiful, and I kept stopping to take pictures...and then wishing I hadn't, as I'd get swarmed by bugs. It's all blacktop until Winsted...where it abruptly just ends, blacktop one moment, grass with faint lines of torn up rail the next. By chance, a guy had just parked there and was hopping on the trail with his recumbent (the fast kind, not the trike kind), and he explained, in quite excessive detail, how to meander through town to get back onto the trail where it picks up again. He actually told me to mark our present latitude on my GPS if I could, because that's what I'd need to get back to, and just generally making it sound horrendously complicated. ...When of course all I actually had to do was just listen to the Google and follow where it told me to go. You take a little gravel road and meander through town and then hit the trail again, where it's no longer blacktop but crushed gravel. It's still easy going though, and it's gorgeous all the way, through woods, by rivers, marshes, and lakes. I saw so many geese couples with goslings, but for my efforts, I only got a good (read, passable) shot of one of them.
I was sad to get off it. I could have rode it all the way into the metro, but I decided I'd rather head north and avoid going into the city as long as I could. Biking into major cities is usually my least favorite part of touring. But Minneapolis is different. I got off the Luce Line, with only a little meandering was in Baker Park, then on the Lake Independence Trail heading straight North. I was a little amazed that even though the highway had a nice wide shoulder, there was still a bike trail parallelng it. I got off the trail, followed another road with a decent enough shoulder...and next I knew I was in the metro. But it only took a little uncomfortable navigating and sidewalk riding (and goodness, many of those sidewalks are so wonderfully wide), before I was on bike trail.
...I've never seen bike trails like Minneapolis has. They're whole networks. There are sign posts and crossroads, short local trails and extensive regional trails, trails running along major roads, trails through woods that make you forget you're in a major metropolitan area, trails that cut across more efficiently than the roads so you can get places as fast or faster on bike. And drivers are crazily polite! I would come to roads where I had a stop sign, and the cars would stop for me. In Lincoln I've had cars run the lights for trail crossings so constantly I just expect it at this point. It's like a cycling Mecca here. ...I guess I could always forget my tour and Pittsburgh and just stay here. They've got a bazillion bike shops; I'm sure I could find a job.
...Probably not going to do that. But I'm certainly going to enjoy my stay here at the least, and having averaged almost 70 miles a day for 8 days (550 miles), the rest will be good too. I can't express how good it was to reach the house, be greeted by Ren at the door (with Sheena at work and Brad out) and after getting my stuff in, being able to take a shower for the first time in four days. The Christiansen's have made me feel right at home, just as when I rented their basement, and I'm really excited to see them again, and in this really cool city. I've already been able to see Sheena's shop, Trailhead Cycling (which while not the Bike Rack by any means, does have a neat atmosphere to it), play Munchkin (and eat way too much candy and drink way too much root beer) with the family, and this morning, see Anna Schwinn practicing at the velodrome (which is some crazy biking you will never catch me doing). And while I'm adamantly taking today off from biking, I'm sure I'll explore some more of the trails before I leave town. I have some logistics to take care of too, planning my route and figuring out stays, some bike maintenance, getting myself some sun protection for my face, restocking food, and all that, but that can also wait awhile. Today I just chill.
I probably won't be posting daily while I'm here, and instead will make one big post on the Twin Cities before I head north.
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