Biking – Page 2 – Valerie's Voice

Old Frontenac

Glorious fall days…blue skies, sunshine and colorful landscapes… continue to linger on and on. We like to take advantage of them…so not much gets done on the home-front…but those things will wait…we have winter ahead of us.

We headed east in the morning towards Frontenac State park, through beautiful farm country. Along the way, close to the fence, were the unique Dutch Belted cows laying in a field, soaking up the sun. What a pretty sight. I discovered these striking and unusual looking cows (and special breed), on a farm along County Road 9 a few years ago. I look for them whenever we pass their way. When I got out to take a photo, the girls became alarmed and most stood up…I was sorry to disturb them. They were all laying down again as we passed them on our way home several hours later.

Overlooking the Mississippi River from Frontenac State Park.

We continued to the state park and drove up to the Mississippi River overlook in the park. The river was lovely and calm. We hiked along the river for a while,

then we found the recently acquired section of the park and hiked hilly trails. The fall temperatures were climbing and we soon shed our jackets.

A newly acquired section to Frontenac State Park.

After hiking, we wanted to find a place near the water to eat our picnic lunch. We found a beach and boat landing in Old Frontenac, with a picnic table close to the water’s edge.

Perfect. We sat on one side overlooking the river and saw a couple of eagles, lots of gulls and swans, and a few boats. The water was calm and the sun was bright and I wanted to stay there all afternoon, but we had more to explore.

A beautiful mansion overlooking the Mississippi River in Old Frontenac.

An old stone fence surrounding the mansion.

A few years ago, when we camped at Frontenac State Park, we drove through Old Frontenac near-by. It’s a small village along the river….no stores, only unique houses on packed, dirt roads, an old cemetery, and a church.

One of several gated sections in the Frontenac Cemetery, established in 1867.

I have always wanted to walk through this town, or ride a bike, since you can see more than from a car. So we brought our bikes to ride through this quiet town, off the beaten trail. It was fun to ride around and look at unique houses…no cookie cutter houses here. And, riding through the old cemetery garnered thoughts of spooky stories, so close to Halloween.

Halloween decorations on a front porch in Old Frontenac.

Later that afternoon, as we drove back home into Northfield, we commented on how our town was still the most colorful place of all…with a lot of maples still full of red leaves hanging on.

Our neighbor’s tree outside our bedroom window.

Autumn

Warm, autumn days in southern Minnesota have lingered longer than normal it seems, and we continue to enjoy the sunny days outside. We are grateful for them!

Part of the Spring Lake Park to Hastings trail.

Over the weekend Gary and I biked on another “new-to-us” trail…we went over the Mississippi River and through the woods, along the river to Prescott, Wisconsin.

The bridge over the river, includes a pedestrian/bike lane.

It is a paved trail. We started in Spring Lake Park in Hastings, Minnesota, a lovely park on a bluff, with a great overlooks of the mighty Mississippi River.

We rode from Schaar’s Bluff, down, down, down into Hastings. We have riden our bikes on this part of the trail before. It’s a fun ride. Next we rode across the beautiful bridge over the Mississippi River in Hastings.

From the middle of the bridge, looking south to the railroad bridge.

We crossed the bridge using the pedestrian/bike lane on the east side of the busy traffic lanes. It was exciting to be on our bikes looking over the railing to the wide river. Once across the bridge we continued riding into Prescott, Wisconsin, on an established bike/walking trail that follows the river, and goes through the woods.

It was a awesome, autumn day…blue sky and cool crisp air. When we arrived near Prescott, we rested along the river and watched the river traffic.

A while later we turned around, rode back to Hastings and then went up, up, up to Schaar’s Bluff. We saw a great blue heron, an eagle, three white swans, many ducks and geese…and lots of people. Many folks were out enjoying the last few days of this unusually, warm weather in Minnesota.

There were some beautiful fall colors in different places. I was reminded of a saying I read on a sign I saw in Pennsylvania this month…

“Autumn shows us how beautiful change can be.”

Bike Trails and Fire Towers

We like to getaway and ride different bike trails. There are so many to choose from. This year we went to Pequot Lakes in northern Minnesota. Our first stop was in Crosby, Minnesota to ride our bicycles on the Cuyuna Trail System. These trails are well-known for mountain biking, but there is a nice paved trail to ride also.

Huntington Mine Lake is along one of the Cuyuna Trails.

The trail goes past old iron ore mine pits, which are now beautiful lakes, with no development on them. The mountain bike trails go through the woods, and a bicycle with special tires is needed. The mountain bike paths are red dirt, from the iron in the soil.

A photo of our group at Huntington Mine Lake.

After our trail ride we continued to drive north to Pequot Lakes, our destination. We planned to ride our bikes the next day on the Paul Bunyan trail, one of the longest bike trails in the state. The Paul Bunyan Trail used to be the Burlington-Northern railway tracks.

At the Paul Bunyan trailhead in Pequot Lakes.

We rode a small portion of the trail. The weather was hot and humid, but the portion of the trail we rode was shaded and scenic, with surrounding lakes. We’re grateful for the many wonderful trails that have been created on old railway lines.

Above the tree line on the fire tower in Pequot Lakes. I’m in the red shirt.

The third morning we decided to hike in Paul M. Theide Fire Tower Park. The DNR recently acquired this land to create this park to protect the historic fire tower there. The small park is lovely with a nice picnic pavilion and a few trails that lead to the fire tower. The tower, built in 1935, is accessible to climb if one is so inclined. I learned this is the second tower to be built on this site. The first was a wooden structure built in 1927. The current tower is in excellent shape (no carvings in the wooden steps). I climbed up four flights (of eight) and was already above the tree line and could see for miles. Unfortunately, I left my camera down at the bottom.

Climbing the tower brought back memories of vacationing with my parents and friends in cabins on Rainy Lake in the 1960’s. There was a fire tower within walking distance of the resort where we stayed. We would climb the tower every year, several times during the week. I do remember some of us kids carving our names in the wooden steps. Whoops.

Several years later we went up to see the resort at the end of the road, Highway 11 East out of International Falls, and the fire tower was fenced in and locked up. I learned it’s called the Black Bay Fire Tower, or Rainy Lake Fire Tower, and it was built in 1939. I couldn’t find much more information online about this tower.

The historic fire tower in Paul M. Thiede park.

There is another accessible fire tower in Itasca State Park which we have climbed a few times; once with our two sons when they were younger, and a few times over the years when we’ve camped in the state park.

A few dozen fire towers remain in Minnesota. At one time there were 120-150 in the early to mid 1900’s. At that time there were about 5,000 fire towers throughout the United States. A majority of the “second generation” fire towers were built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in the 1930’s. These towers were built of galvanized steel and included steps. Earlier towers were made of wood and used ladders to access the cab. As airplanes and modern technology took over the task of spotting wildfires, many towers were taken out of service.

I’m grateful for organizations that have insight and resources to re-purpose railway lines and preserve fire towers.

A beautiful hibiscus bloom on the hotel patio.

Stillwater Loop

Going on bike rides has been a great way for Gary and I to get away during this pandemic. Gary bikes frequently with his bike club, but we have gone on rides together too. It’s an activity we both enjoy. And Minnesota has an abundance of bike trails to explore.

One day we went up to Stillwater to ride the “Loop Trail.” This trail goes along the river walk through town, then up the hill to the new, expansive bridge crossing the St. Croix River over into Wisconsin and back to Stillwater, creating a five-mile loop.

The new bridge crossing the St. Croix River in Stillwater.

Another view of the new, expansive Stillwater bridge.

This photo was taken in May 2018, showing the newly opened bridge from a distance.

The paved bike trail on the Wisconsin side guides one to a steep, downhill road leading to the historic Stillwater lift bridge, now repurposed as a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. Until recently the old lift bridge was the only bridge, in Stillwater, for vehicles to cross the St. Croix River.

Approaching the steep hill going down towards the old Stillwater bridge.

The old lift bridge made into a new bicycle/pedestrian bridge. The bridge still lifts for tall boat traffic on the St. Croix River.

The old bridge became too congested and a new bridge was built. In comparison, looking at the old lift bridge and the new superhighway bridge, is comical because of the major size difference. It does make for a fun five-mile bicycle ride.

After the loop trail we rode past the old, Zephyr train depot, now the Zephyr Theater, on a trail along Brown’s Creek. Another lovely ride, in the shade, slightly uphill for six miles and connects to the Gateway Trail. After we turned around at the intersection of Brown’s Creek and Gateway it felt like we glided down into Stillwater. It was fun.

A view of the old lift bridge in the background…photo taken from the new high bridge in Stillwater, MN.

We were in Stillwater on a weekday and it was bustling. The weather was sunny and hot, a great day to be by water…we ate our lunch on the deck of a restaurant near the river, and after lunch we laid out blankets on the shore and watched the people and boats go by.

A view of the St. Croix River and the old lift bridge, lifted up.

Still A Favorite

Cannon Valley Trail is a favorite bike trail that we ride several times a season.

The CVT is a sanctuary for me. A canopy of trees welcomes me and I feel I’m entering a special space. The trail is mostly shaded, and a lot of it follows the Cannon River, which adds to the ambiance of the trail.

When out of tree cover, the Cannon Valley Trail passes fields of wild flowers. I like that it was an old railroad line and therefore fairly flat, and it’s paved. And… it is close to home. After traveling to other trails to ride in new territory, it is always good to come home to this sanctuary trail.

Recently we discovered another trail that we really enjoyed. It’s the Trout Run Trail in Decorah, Iowa. Although it’s not very convenient location-wise, it is very scenic and now another favorite.

The route is only eleven miles but seems longer because there are many hills on half of the trail. It makes a loop around Decorah and travels through a farmer’s field, rolling hills, and city parks. The vistas at the top of the hills are breathtaking…beautiful landscapes, small farms and fields, winding roads, and green forests.

At the top of the first hill we climbed on the Trout Run Trail.

Through corn fields, on both sides of the trail.

This loop also passes Decorah’s Fish Hatchery where the well-known eagle cam is but we couldn’t spot the eagle’s nest. The rainbow trout in the tanks were fun to watch…several tanks filled with hundreds of trout in one tank, all swimming and splashing about. We didn’t see an eagle at the hatchery, although they are often seen hanging out there we’re told.

However, on our ride through a city park, along the Root River, we spotted an eagle in a field eating, what looked to be, a rabbit, and a vulture was close by waiting for leftovers I guess.

We watched this eagle eating his prey…In this photo the eagle took flight for a short distance.

At the end of our ride on a very hot and humid day, we drove into town and bought ourselves some ice cream from the Whippy Dip, a popular local ice cream place in Decorah.

Ice cream and bike rides go together. It’s a fun treat to look forward to at the end of a ride.

Lenora Methodist Church

I didn’t know there was a small town in southeastern Minnesota named Lenora. The name reminded me of my mom’s sister Lenore. It was a fun, fleeting thought.

Of course, there are many small towns in southeastern Minnesota that I have not heard of, but I do know the beauty of the rolling hills dotted with quaint farms and fields, and magnificent vistas in the area. It makes for an amazing place to drive around and appreciate. We spent three days in the area this week; driving around in our car and also riding around on our bicycles.

This is also part Amish country. We caught glimpses of the nostalgic scenes with horses pulling farm equipment in the fields, and buggy’s traveling along the road.

Our friends had told us about an old stone church in Lenora. Lenora is an unincorporated community in Fillmore County. A post office was established at Lenora in 1856, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1905. But an old stone church remains.

The Lenora Methodist Church was built in 1856, which was two years before Minnesota became a state in 1858.

When we drove to see the stone church we were expecting to admire the church from the outside and not expecting to go inside but alas, the door was unlocked. There was a sign in the entryway reminding people to “social distance” but feel welcome to look around.

This chalkboard sign greeted us in the wooden entryway of the church.

It was a beautiful stone structure, with a wooden ramp up to an add-on wooden entryway. The ramp was lined with huge hosta plants and there was a bell hanging on a pole on one side of the ramp and an old kerosene lantern hanging from a pole on the other side.

The wood stove greeting you as you enter the church.

Immediately inside the church was a wood-burning stove. There were wooden pews lined up facing front towards the altar and an organ.

Hanging on the wall behind the altar was a 44-star American flag. Here’s what I found out about that flag from GOOGLE… The 44-Star flag became the Official United States Flag on July 4th, 1891. A star was added for the admission of Wyoming (July 10, 1890) and was to last for 5 years.

You could tell the flag was an original; it had been repaired several times. It was very interesting to see it hanging there.

A picture of the church’s first pastor, Rev. John L. Dryer was hanging on one wall. He was a circuit rider.

Reverend John L. Dryer, a circuit rider and the first pastor of Lenora Methodist Church.

According to Wikipedia circuit rider clergy, “in the earliest years of the United States, were clergy assigned to travel around specific geographic territories to minister to settlers and organize congregations. Circuit riders were clergy in the Methodist Episcopal Church and related denominations, although similar itinerant preachers could be found in other faiths as well, particularly among minority faith groups.”

It’s curious to think about who all worshiped within these walls over the years…to think of the families that attended this church and the baptisms and funerals and many social gatherings and other events in the last almost 200 years. As the sign on the chalkboard said, “This historic building has known pandemics before! 1918 flu”

Looking out one of the windows of the church.

The lights were kerosene lanterns and I didn’t notice if there was any electricity …but apparently they still use the church for special services to this day.

The lantern hanging out in front of the church.

Lenora Methodist church is on the National Register of Historic places. It was fun to discover this church.

Nine Mile Creek Trail

Last week, on a most beautiful Minnesota summer day, we took our bikes up to Edina and biked on the Nine Mile Creek Trail.

The temperatures were just right for riding, the humidity was low, and the sky was bright blue.

My husband rode on this trail with his bike club last year and found it fascinating. He wanted me to experience it, so off we went.

What set this trail apart from other bike trails is there are lengthy stretches of boardwalk…spanning over the marsh and through the woods with lots of shady areas. It runs along Nine Mile Creek but there are landmarks to remind you that you are in the city…a concrete bridge over Highway 100, a stretch along the back side of Edina High School, and other industrial buildings, shops and businesses…and then the trail bends and once again you’re back in the woods.

There were numerous bridges made from wood and one boardwalk was almost a mile long (.85 miles). The bridges are wider than a normal bike trail which added to the beauty of the trail.

It’s always fun to discover new trails…and this one was very unique. We are grateful for the many bicycle trails in Minnesota.

Mr. Turtle, the only wildlife we saw on the trail.

Taps Across America

“Taps is a bugle call played at dusk, during flag ceremonies, and at military funerals by the United States Armed Forces.”* Since most Memorial Day events have been canceled across the country due to the pandemic, an idea took off and today, at 3 p.m. CDT, bugler’s around America dusted off their bugles and played Taps at the same time.

We were out on a bike ride but stopped at a friends just in time to hear their neighbor play taps off their back deck. It was lovely, and very special, and I’m so glad I happened to hear it.

Taps Across America was an unique tribute this Memorial Day in 2020, to remember military personnel who have died while serving in the US Armed Forces.*

*Wikipedia

As March Ends…

Each year I have a book printed of my blog postings as a birthday present to myself. March 31^stis my cut off for the previous twelve months so I wanted to record a little of what’s been happening in our world with this global pandemic.

An example of “social distancing.” I watched these two friends keep their distance as they chatted after putting their groceries in their cars. They walked toward each other but stopped to keep at least 6″ distance and visited for several minutes.

Life as we knew it changed dramatically this month (March 2020). About March 13 the WHO (World Health Organization) declared a Pandemic. Within two weeks we went from normal, busy activities to being ordered, on March 27 (State of Minnesota), to “stay at home” to keep the COVID-19 virus from spreading. Restaurants have closed and non-essential businesses have closed. People have been asked to work from home. Schools have gone to online teaching…no children are meeting in schools. Our church services have been cancelled and services are online now.

We’ve learned new terms such as “social distancing” – keeping six feet away from others when talking with or meeting a person, and “flattening the curve” – trying to slow down the number of people who are getting infected with the virus to avoid overloading the medical system. We are learning how to use online video applications such as Zoom to stay connected with others.

Some activities in our personal world right now…jigsaw puzzles, the game Bananagrams. And see “Cool Blue” the blue kangaroo in the window? People are putting stuffed animals in their windows so children can have stuffed animals to look for when they go for walks. I love that idea.

I’m grateful we are allowed to get outside and walk and bike. I walk daily. Gary continues to either bike or walk.

Many of us are experiencing grief…the loss of control in so many areas of our lives. No one knows what comes next. And no one has the answers. This is unprecedented.

There will be many financial repercussions too. This is a difficult story.

I lean on one of my favorite scripture verses:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Lean not on your own understanding
Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways 
And he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3: 5-6

Coloring is another calming activity for me.

An article I read recently labeled the next generation as “Gen C’s”… C for coronavirus… since the world will never be the same from now on. Gen C’s will only know life after the coronavirus… life after the ”new normal” sets in.

Our world has turned upside down! I wonder what the new normal will be…

Honeymoon Trail

I needed my two-year-old granddaughter to walk Honeymoon Trail with me. I wanted to go at her “stop and look at every thing” pace….only I would stop and take pictures.

But she had already gone back home when we drove on this dirt road one rainy afternoon up north. Even in the rain the colors were stunning.

However, the next day the rain had stopped so we decided to ride our bikes on Honeymoon Trail. This road is a segment of one of the suggested Fall Color Tours on the north shore.

We’ve been going up to this area for 30+ years so we know this road and have always enjoyed it in autumn. But we don’t always see it so colorful. It was amazing.

It’s easier to stop on a bike to take pictures than stopping in the truck. These photos are taken with my iPhone. I can’t imagine having a specialized camera and capturing more of the beauty.