Exploring Minnesota Gravel Roads, Part 2

On Thursday morning, I set off just before 7am with the hopes of biking further north into Minnesota, using as many gravel roads and I could.

Even through Google Street View hasn't visited a lot of the rural roads up here, I was able to virtually visit some intersections where highways crossed other roads to see if the intersecting roads were gravel or not.  That helped quite a bit.

Using that intelligence,  I was able to plan an 80+ mile ride, using almost all gravel roads, to Windom, MN for lunch and then back along the same route.  The next time I do this, I want to make it a century ride with a large sweeping loop, rather than an out-and-back.  I'm fairly conservative when I bike alone, so for the first time, an out-an-back made me feel more secure than a large loop.

Unlike my first ride, Exploring Minnesota Gravel Roads, Park 1, I tried not to stop for every photo opportunity (it's hard, since it's so pretty up here) so that I could make better time.  However, I couldn't resist snapping a few pics, particularly of the windmill construction that so strong in this area right now.

My day's supplies.  When I tweeted this picture, The Douglas said I needed more food.  He was right.  What's not represented here was my planned stop for lunch at the turn-around point.  I experimented with using halves of a PB&J instead of an extra Cliff Bar.  That worked out really well.

I didn't actually ride this MMR, but it looks fun.  Future routes might feature more MMRs.

Is this an old schoolhouse?  A church?  Notice the handicapped accessible ramp and parking sign.  I'm not sure if the outhouse affords the same accommodations.

Southern Minnesota is filled with these lovely landscape scenes.  This one is just north of Black Bridge Road.

I'm guessing these signs are necessary to alert the farming traffic that there are new power lines overhead after the windmills are installed.

Crop circles?  No, just a site being prepared for a new windmill.  Note the cement base in the center of the picture.

I saw about a dozen sites like this where windmill tower sections and blades were being prepared for erection.

A crewman told me they could erect five towers a day, using two cranes.  Here's one at work.  Notice all of the headless towers in the background.

These new windmills aren't yet spinning, but it's cool to see them up close.

I had lunch at this Subway restaurant in Windom, MN.  This restaurant took advantage of their proximity to the Des Moines river and incorporated a scenic overlook.

Finally back home after about seven hours on the saddle and 1.75 hours of stopping time.  My average speed on the way out was between 14 and 15 MPH, but a headwind and general fatigue slowed my overall average down to 13.4.  In all, it was some of the best 90 miles I've ridden.

This was my longest solo ride, and I learned a lot.  I found that I can keep myself company for hours on end, but that I have to keep myself at a reasonable pace (ie: not get lazy and go too slow).  When riding with other people, that's often something I don't have to worry about.  I also had to plan when to drink and eat.  Often when cycling with other more experienced folks, I just take cues from them on when to take a sip from the bottle or nibble a bite to eat.

I never ran out of liquids, but I don't think two bottles would be enough in the heat and on a longer ride.  I might research hydration packs, or alternative ways to carry more water.  I knew of only two places where I could stop for water: one at the 20 miles out point, and the other at the halfway turn-around point.  There were stretches of a dozen miles or so between townships, paved roads, and even a chance at food and water.  I learned some about planning my own self-sufficiency.

I really enjoyed my time on the bike over this vacation week in Spirit Lake.  I want to learn more roads and trails, and will share the routes online for others looking to do similar routes.  Please comment below if you have any routes, information, or suggestions on where I should ride the next time I return to the Iowa Great Lakes region.

Here's the approximate route that I took: MapMyRide link

Exploring Minnesota Gravel Roads, Part 1

Vacationing over the Independence Day holiday and the following week, I decided to take the gravel bike out exploring the rural roads of northern Iowa and southern Minnesota near Spirit Lake / Okoboji.  Let me tell you, these roads up here do not disappoint.  While I didn't find much in the way of rollers like we have in Nebraska, I did find endless miles of road and beautiful scenery.  The grid system of roads here seems more consistent than in Nebraska, with a road just about every mile.  Another difference is that the roads seem to be on a 10 blocks per mile system, rather than the 12 block per mile that we have in Nebraska.

For my first ride, I intended to explore the roads between Spirit Lake, IA and Jackson, MN.  This wasn't a great fitness and training opportunity, since I kept stopping to take photos and to enjoy the scenery.  My 48 mile ride took about four hours and 20 minutes, including an hour of stopping time.  However, I had a great time and mapped out a good route that I want to try again. Maybe once the route isn't new any more, I can turn it into a workout the next time.

I ended up with more highway miles than I had intended (about 28 miles road and 20 miles gravel), but I think by choosing a different set of roads, I can turn this into mostly all gravel.

For the last five miles or so back along the east side of Spirit Lake, a cycling pastor pulled up beside me on his road bike. He slowed his pace to match mine and we chatted about about cycling in the area.  For future reference, he told me about a local cycling blog, and about some places to ride cyclocross bikes.  The links are included below:

• Cycling the Lakes
• Hogsback
• Horseshoe Bend

I opted to use my old hiking and Geocaching GPS receiver, just in case I got really lost.  It was fun to ride with the GPS, even though its features are nearly as useful as a modern mapping GPS.  The GPS did give me some security in that I could see for sure that I was headed in the right direction and that I could track back along my route if I had to.

I hope to get a 75 or 100 mile day in before I leave the area, but since I'm vacationing with family, I'll need to just balance bike time with family time.


Please see below for some of the photos I took on my ride.

My riding partner.  He's just as slow as I am.

I like how these Iowa lake roads leave a little extra pavement to the right of the line.  De facto bike lane.

The pavement stops and the gravel begins just north of the Iowa/Minnesota state line.

These gravel roads are arrow straight, and not very hilly.

Rustic scenes abound.

This valley road into Jackson, MN has a sidepath.

This trail in Jackson, MN is flooded.  A familiar sight to us Omahans.

Hippy sculpture at the Peace Park in Jackson, MN. :)

Meditation garden at the Peace Park in Jackson, MN.

The Wishy Washy laundromat in Jackson, MN has a restroom, pop machine ($0.75) and free wifi.

Black Bridge Road is a must-ride for gravel enthusiasts in the area.

Black Bridge Road runs along the Des Moines River, a tributary of the Mississippi River.

Gravel roads and windmills, both an exercise in simplicity and beauty.

Clear Lake, Minnesota

Here's a simplified map of my ride.

Lunch Anyone? Shenandoah Sounds Good.

My brother, Jason, the author of his blog, Laughing Right Out Loud, is coming out for a visit next week, and I want to show him a good time.

The plan is to ride Sunday, October 24, from Midtown Crossing to Shenandoah, Iowa for lunch and Coronas at El Portal, and then ride back in time for dinner, possibly with more Coronas.

The pace would be relaxed, trying to keep an average of 15 MPH on the Wabash Trace. We'd likely leave around 6am and plan to be back in Omaha by 5pm-6pm. Estimated round trip distance: 120 miles.

Any and all are welcome.

Please see the route below:

Omaha to Shendoah

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Click here to view the map at Bikely.com

It's Going Around: Single Speed Fever

A curious malady is making the rounds in my barn. Symptoms of single speed fever are spreading.

My true single speed, the 1976 Schwinn Le Tour II is now my favored city bike and fair weather commuter. There's a 40 tooth chainring on the front and a 17 tooth freewheel on one side of the rear hub, and a 17 tooth track cog fixed on the other side. I find that this combination is perfect for me for tooling around town tackling the typical hills in my stomping grounds. With the addition of a new saddle, I'm all the more eager to spend a lot of time on this bike.

I've gotten comfortable standing to climb, spinning on the flats and coasting when the road turns downward.

This weekend I went to clean about 100 miles of Nebraska gravel road dust and Iowa Wabash Trace crushed limestone dust from my Specialized Tricross when I noticed something odd about the cassette.

A couple of Sundays ago combined a Bacon Ride with my first century ride, and last week I did a Taco Ride. Without realizing it, I'd been riding the Tricross as if it were single speed; standing to climb and spinning when not climbing. I got into a nice pace and spent most of the time pedaling.

As I got my degreaser and cleaning rags ready, I noticed that all the cogs but one were covered with white dust. The one that was cleaner was obviously the one I'd been using for my recent rides. At 34 x 14, I was cycling at a gear ratio just a tad stiffer than on the single speed Schwinn.

This weekend, I grabbed the grocery panniers and my Trek 7300 hybrid and headed out to Whole Foods to stock up one some specialty items that I can't get at my local Bag & Save or Hy-Vee. With 35mm tires and a cargo rack, this is my hauling bike. Again, I noticed that I was doing all the pedaling in a similar gear ratio. I did have to shift down to climb out of the Papio Creek valley into my neighborhood, as I was loaded down with groceries.

Incidentally, I saw Rafal D. with Megan, and Steve O. with some friends at Whole Foods and talked for a moment with each.

So, look out. If you ride near where I ride, you might want to keep your distance. If your bike gets too close, you might find it, too, afflicted with single speed fever. I just hope single speed fever doesn't jump over to humans in the form of some kind of knee pain!

Bacon Ride, and a Failed Century Ride... Sort Of

This Sunday, Rafal organized another one of his favorite Bacon Rides, with route created by route wiz, Mark. I had expressed an interest in adding some more miles to get my first century under my belt, so Rafal obliged with some more awesome gravel routes through La Platte, and then streets, trail, and more streets through Bellevue before leaving me in Little Italy with 15 more miles to do on my own.

Several folks showed up at Wholner's at 6AM

• Rafal D. on Bianchi single speed cross bike
  
• James P. on a new Giant cross bike
  
• Mark S. on a single speed, of which I didn't notice the brand, but it looked expensive
  
• Ryan F. on a beefy mountain bike
  
• Chris G. sporting a classic Bianchi Sport SS with some new tires, eager for his first time gravel adventure
• And myself on the Specialized Tricross

W00t! A nice crowd.

The weather was perfect, with temps in the lower 60s, little wind, and highs predicted in the mid 80s. It couldn't have been a better day for cycling.

Chris told me that when he arrived at Wholner's, he realized he had forgotten his gloves. Then, he said, it dawned on him that he also had forgotten his helmet! Ryan's advice: "Don't fall." He didn't.

We made our way to the end of the city pavement just south of Walnut Creek, and from there, it was a mix of gravel roads and highway, with some MOPAC trail mixed in.

I'll save the play by play, and instead, offer up photographs taken during parts of the trip.

A nice breakfast was had at Platte River State Park, and conversation spilled over between our table and a table with some Lincoln riders that some of the folks knew. Unfortunately, Mark had a problem with his crank spindle and bottom bracket, so he had to call out for a ride home from the park.

Then, highway, MOPAC, pedestrian bridge, gravel, highway, gravel, lots of gravel hills near the church, more gravel, some highway, then more gravel.

James, Ryan, and Chris rode on back into town at Fairview near 108th, while Rafal and I rode on Fairview to 84th, then to Platteview to 57th, then La Platte Road, crossing under Highway 75 near the Platte River. We worked east toward Harland Lewis and then got onto the Keystone Trail/Belleview Loop and rode on in to Old Towne Bellevue to stock up on water and sports drinks.

The Bellevue Boulevard saw us to Mandan Park and on to 13th Street, and then we rode the familiar Gibson Road/Zoo/10th Street route. Rafal headed home at Bancroft, and I rode on in to downtown, crossed the river, and got some miles in on the Council Bluffs Levee trail heading toward Narrows Park before turning around and heading home.

Once home, I could relax. My shoulders and arms were a little sore, but my legs, knees and feet were feeling great. Aside from a general tiredness setting in, I felt like I could keep on riding. My new cycling shorts and jersey really kept me comfortable and energized.

At home, I saw what I was afraid on the bike computer.

I did not ride a century.

I was short of one-quater mile.


Epic fail!

Damn. I'll have to try again some other time.

Thanks, Rafal, for helping me on the century, and thanks to everyone for the awesome ride and conversation. I can't wait for more gravel adventures. My Tricross is getting quite the appetite for the awesome gravel roads and trails we have in this part of the country.

Taco Ride - Rainy Dark Edition

Not many words for this post. Check out the ride description at Tim's blog.

These fawns let me get about 4 feet away from them

Tim helps out by snapping a random group photo.

This rainbow over Silver City was much brighter to the eye than it appears here.

49 Miles on the Single Speed Schwinn Le Tour II. She's a Keeper.

I took Friday off work to burn some vacation, and to enjoy the excellent, mild summer weather. I also wanted to give the newly converted single speed Schwinn Le Tour II a good spin. I'd been wanting to see if a ride to Hitchcock Nature Area, north of Crescent, Iowa, would be a good ride for bike camping.

I selected a route and headed off this morning, stopping by Blue Planet for breakfast. The route took me over the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, along Iowa's riverfront trail, then through Big Lake Park. Then I went north to get on Old Lincoln Highway.

Here it got scary! I wasn't expecting there to be little to no shoulder, and fairly narrow, fast moving traffic. I showed no shame in a couple of instances by ducking off the road where I could hear/feel a lumbering 18-wheeler coming up behind.

Finally I went through Crescent and found that the road I wanted to take to Hitchcock was gravel. I wasn't prepared to ride loose gravel. Just for fun, I tweeted my predicament when Bryan responded. I then messaged him with my phone number asking him to call me. Bryan phoned me, and using online maps, and his knowledge of local roads, he suggest a longer, but safer route back to Council Bluffs. This route was a little hilly in places, but proved to be a very fun ride with some nice views. Bryan says dead customers don't bring in much money to the bike shop, so it was all about profit margins. :)

I had some trouble with my headset getting loose. I overhauled it last night and I'm not sure if everything is tightened down right.

Six and a half hours, including stops for tools at the hardware store, munchies, water, breakfast, lunch, and photographs. 49 miles, and lots of fun on the single speed.

Photos

I'm going to try showing the photos in a Picasa web slide show, rather than uploading right to the blog. You can link on to the Picasa album here.





Lessons Learned

• Research roads more. Talk with other cyclists to get recommendations.
• When trekking in the Great Plains, maybe consider a geared bike, with gravel tires.
• There's no shame in walking. I did in a couple of spots.
• Bring a camera when trekking. Camera phone in good, but higher quality camera is good to have.
• Take a day off from work to go for a nice ride during these top-ten weather days.
  

A Tiny Taste of RAGBRAI

This blog post, in no way, approximates a detailed report of what's happening with RAGBRAI this weekend. I am sure there are any number of other blogs, Twitter feeds, Flickr pools, etc, that can do the job. However, Roxanne and I cycled downtown and across the BK Bridge to check it out the RAGBRAI eve festivities. I was blown away with just how many people were out in the bikes between the Old Market and the Mid-America Center. Just riding the few miles among hundreds of other cyclists was quite an experience. I think the experience was enough to whet my appetite for participating in a large group ride like RAGBRAI.

Below are some photos.

Cyclists dipping their wheels in the waters of the Missouri River. I think they will also dip in the waters of the Mississippi River on the other side of Iowa. This picture is on the Omaha side. There was also an odd setup on the Bob Kerrey Bridge wherby water from the river was pumped up through a hose and deposited on the bridge.

Council Bluffs wisely established a dedicated cycling path from the trail at the casinos all the way to the Mid-America Center. The poor suckers in cars sat forever while we pedaled right on by.

At the Bob Kerrey Pedistrian Bridge with information directing visiting cyclists to valet bike parking in Omaha.

I'm not sure if there was more than one location for bike valet parking in Omaha. This lot was funded by the Omaha Downtown Improvement District at 11th and Farnam. The attendants told me that they didn't have a lot of takers, but we all agreed it was the right thing to do. Roxanne and I parked our bikes there while we ate at O Casual Dining.

Lots and lots of people on the bridge.

The Riverside Grill seemed to be a popular spot.

Hundreds, if not thousands of campers in and around the MAC grounds.

We saw Ryan and Roxy at the exposition at the MAC.

These single-speed bikes are being given away at Barely's Tip Top by 42 Below Vodka as part of their sponsorship of the WeLikeBike42 ride across the US to raise awareness for cycling, and probably to try to sell some vodka. I had some with cranberry juice and honey. It had a really unique taste. I even got to pedal one of these around the parking lot. It was fun, but I'm not sure if it was due to the novelty of the single-speed experience, or from the vodka.

Not photographed were many odd looking bikes, and all kinds of cyclists on them. I saw an elliptical-bike, on which a guy ran like you would on the pedals of an elliptical machine. I also saw a cycle operated by a hand crank, making me think, perhaps, the cyclist did not have the use of his legs. Many riders wore strange things on their heads, like wedges of cheese, balloon hats, and various stuffed animals. There were young, and old. Skinny and fat. Racers and cruisers. Despite all the different kinds of people, one thing in common they all shared was the good time they were having, and the ride doesn't even start until tomorrow.