Biking – Page 3 – Valerie's Voice

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.

I just couldn’t get enough of the fall colors and I couldn’t stop taking pictures. I guess it’s a good thing I wasn’t walking.

Our ride was great fun and it was a new adventure for us…riding our bikes one Honeymoon Trail.

While driving back to the cabin we saw a wolf cross the road. That was a first for us. I was not quick enough with the camera.

The Grand Rounds

Last week, on one of those gorgeous Minnesota summer days, Gary and I decided to head to Minneapolis with our bikes and take off on the terrific trail system called the Grand Rounds.

The Grand Rounds has over 100 miles of paved walking and biking trails that meander through urban areas connecting different city parks and lakes.

This system has been around a long time. It was conceived by Horace W. S. Cleveland in the early days of the Minneapolis park system and has been well maintained. It has been nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.

We started our tour at Minnehaha Falls and rode our bikes along Minnehaha Creek, past Lake Nokomis, then along one side of Lake Harriet, continuing around the loop of Lake Bde Maka Ska…..(formerly known as Lake Calhoun).

The new name for Lake Calhoun – Lake Bde Maka Ska.

We stopped for lunch back at the Bread and Pickle on Lake Harriet. We ate a delicious egg salad sandwich, which we were surprised to see on the menu, and then surprised at how tasty it was. It was lovely setting: looking out on the lake, seeing sailboats, and watching people.

After lunch we finished the Lake Harriet loop, rode past Lake Hiawatha and back to Minnehaha Falls. We treated ourselves to ice cream at the pavilion in the park, after clocking 20 miles.

Minnehaha Falls…I had to take the picture looking into the sun so the colors are distorted.

We viewed Minnehaha Falls – the falls were full and beautiful – encompassed by lush green trees and shrubs. There were many folks out enjoying the gorgeous scenery, and weather, on this weekday afternoon.

I had a great time riding my pedal-assist bicycle. We did stop at one garden…because… well, it’s just hard to resist gardens.

It is also fun looking at all the houses along the Parkway and the lakes. There are so many charming homes and biking past them is a great way to see them.

Don’t Leave Home Without It

The Cannon Valley Trail (CVT) is a “rails to trails” bike path near Cannon Falls, Minnesota. It is a favorite of mine, but we had not ridden it yet this season. One lovely, sunny afternoon, after errands and such, we decided to go for a bike ride. I was excited to go and ride on the CVT with my new electric bike.

We loaded the bikes on the bike carrier, grabbed our helmets, filled our water bottles and off we drove…15 miles to Cannon Falls, to the trailhead. When we were about three-quarters of the way to Cannon Falls I realized I forgot my bike battery! That’s an important piece of an electric bike. And, although you can ride the bike without the battery, the bike itself is extra heavy so it would have been difficult. Besides I was looking forward to trying my new bike on the trail.

Me and my bike, with the battery. The trail from Cannon Falls to Red Wing is 20 miles. We ride half way to Welsh, 10 miles, and turn around which makes it a 20 mile ride.

So we turned around and went home to get the battery then headed back. Once on the trail it felt good to be there.

It’s a bit of a sanctuary…the asphalt trail goes through some fields but mostly trees, and is very green with spring wild flowers blooming this time of year.

Sunshine dapples through the trees, and on one side the Cannon River flows for a good portion making for a beautiful trail.

The Cannon River runs along the Cannon Valley Trail.

It was a wonderful ride and hopefully I have learned a lesson…do not leave home without my bike battery!

First Ride of the Season

Last Friday, temperatures were in the 50’s and the sun was shining bright and it felt like spring had finally sprung. I went on my first bike ride of the season around our “country block” which is 9.3 miles. We start at our house and ride north, then east, then south, then west back home…we are out of town within a mile so we are mostly riding in the country, on paved roads. It felt wonderful.

The name of the bike is Verve, made by Trek.

The best part of this first ride of the season…I was on my new electric bike! I was surprised on my birthday when I unwrapped a box with a picture of this bike I’ve wanted for a season or two. We picked it up in town on Friday. The bike is a beautiful coral color. I’m excited and I look forward to this biking season. Thank you Gary.

Artist: Adam Turman

I’m beginning to notice the interesting artwork of Adam Turman. He is an illustrator, graphic designer, printmaker, and muralist from St Louis Park, MN. I was first introduced to his work when my son hired him to paint a eye-catching mural on his office building, depicting different landmarks of Minnesota and Minneapolis.

Hard to capture the extent of this wonderful mural by Adam Turman, depicting Minnesota and Minneapolis landmarks.

A closer look at part of an Adam Turman mural in Uptown.

The next place I noticed his work was at a St. Paul Classic bike ride, an annual event that we’ve participated in a few times. Turman has designed several t-shirts for the event over the years. A lot of Turman’s artwork includes a bicycle which, he writes, “is one of his favorite outdoor activities.”

And recently, at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, MN (which Is located right on the Mississippi River) I noticed artwork by Adam Turman on display. It was fun to discover it there. In 2016 he was commissioned to paint three works.

One is a large mural for the museum. It features the Mississippi River in Winona.

The plaque reads: “He painted a push boat frequently seen moving barges right outside the Museum, with a pod of American Pelicans overhead. The dramatic waves are influenced by Japanese wood block artist Katsushika Hokusai’s style while the sky and bluffs are in Turman’s distinct, simple and bold graphic style.”

Titled: *Sugar Loaf* This is the one of two prints in a series, commissioned by the museum.

The museum also commissioned Adam to create a series of two pictures depicting landmarks distinctive to Winona. The originals are on display at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, along with some other prints of Adam Turman’s.

Titled: *Mississippi*
“This is the second print the Museum commissioned and we want to celebrate what makes Winona special. The herons and the boat-house are iconic to Winona, so I made sure to highlight those in the piece.” Adam Turman

The Museum store had several postcards of Adam’s work and I was attracted to this simple design (below) with white birch trees, a red cardinal, and the back of a red bicycle and tire leaving a trail in the snow. I brought that one home with me.

This is a postcard featuring a print of Turman’s, that I purchased at the museum store.
Titled: Cardinal (2011)

As with all artists, Adam Turman has his own unique style. As he becomes more well-known it will be fun to find his art in different places.