Our Favorite Trail

The St. Louis River Trail

On a beautiful, warm Minnesota afternoon, the family and I put the bikes in the truck and headed west to our favorite trail.  It is a relatively new and fairly unknown paved facility that is very flat and, for most of it, in a scenic forest.  It is called the St. Louis River Trail and it is managed by Carlton County.  The north end is the "Scanlon Park and Ride" - a parking lot just south of Interstate 35 in Scanlon, near Cloquet.  We parked the truck there and this time we hooked the trail a bike on my bike instead of my wife Cameron's.  It was a little more of a pain to hook up because I don't have a kickstand.  Once it was ready, Bergen (6) hopped on and said, as she always does when we go somewhere, "Let's roll!"  So we did.

The trail wound south away from the parking lot and soon crossed a gravel access road before going into a dark corridor of pine trees - a very pretty spot.  We then cruised past a small wetland with ducks and crossed a County highway into the City of Carlton.  There is a section of the trail on the City street system, but it is very well signed and easy to follow.  The trail ends at Highway 210, right at the bike rental shop on the west end of Carlton.  We snaked our way through the community to the Willard Munger State Trail parking lot and picnic shelter.  We rested out of the sun under the shelter's roof.  After chatting with some other cyclists about trail conditions (parts of the Munger are still under repair after the crazy June 2012 flood) we got back in the saddles and retraced our route back to the truck.  Bergen wanted to go fast, and I wanted to test out the new bike's performance, so we hit the gas a bit and zipped down the trail at good clip and soon were back at the parking lot. 

Unfortunately, my hands really numbed up and hurt during the six mile ride.  Otherwise I felt pretty good on the very modest, but still my longest to this point, ride.  The other members of the family thought the ride was a bit hot, but fun.  We really like the St. Louis River Trail.

To watch a video describing how the St. Louis River Trail was planned and constructed, check out this you tube video.

Bike to Work - First Time

Route to Work

Got up on this morning for my annual checkup labs before work, so I grabbed the bike and coasted down hill to the doctor's office.  This was my first urban ride.  The first challenge was my briefcase/messenger bag.  I had to adjust it half way down the hill so it wouldn't fall off my back. The second challenge was London Road.  It was busy and seems really wide with the four lanes of traffic and high speeds.  It took me a little while to get into the left lane in order to make the turn into the Dr's office.  Cars didn't let me in, even when I signaled.  Not a good feeling.  I finally made it into the lot, locked my bike at the provided bike rack (Thanks Essentia!).  After the lab appointment, I got back on the two-wheeler and chugged up the hill to 1st Street, which was a flat ride to work.  Still, I was a bit winded...I am not used to biking, and biking in traffic makes me go faster...the cars kind of push you along.  All in all, a good commuting start.  

At the end of the day, I got the bike and peddled east on 2nd Street.  It is a busy route during Duluth's "Rush Minute."  I cruised down the right lane.  A white car honked at me as it went around.  I ignored it.  My work has given me a pretty good idea of the rules of the road.  I knew I had the right to be in the lane - cyclists are more visible there, and I didn't want to get hit by a parallel parked car's door opening.  Anyway, the light turned red at the intersection ahead and, lo and behold, I ended up standing at the white car's open passenger window as we waited for the green light.  

The driver spoke up and said, "you need to move over."

"No I don't," I replied calmly.

It was then that her friend in the passenger seat spoke up, "He's right, he doesn't have to move over."

"Yes, he does," said the driver.  

Before I could speak, my advocate in the passenger seat piped in again, "No he doesn't, he has the same rights as a vehicle."  

Wow.  I didn't have to say anymore and the green light moved us along, never to meet again.  Thank you nice lady in the passenger seat!

Knowing I am not yet in shape to climb the 350 feet in elevation between work and home, I stopped on 2nd Street and waited for the bus.  The Duluth Transit Authority buses all have two place bike racks on them that are easy to use and protect your bike pretty well.  I took the bus up to skyline parkway, did a pretty good little hill up to Chester Park and then coasted home.  

First bike assessment: My hands hurt and go numb.  My right foot falls asleep.  I will have to consult with my bike expert pal Ellen.

Day 2: The First Ride

Ready to Hit the Trail

After making the bike purchase (see previous post), it was time for the inaugural ride.  We put the bike in the back of the truck along with my wife's bike and our kid's Trail-A-Bike (FYI, my wife's name is Cameron, and our 6-year old is Bergen).  We headed down the hill to Duluth's Lakewalk.  The Lakewalk is a treasure - a paved trail right on the shore of mighty Lake Superior.  It is very popular with walkers, joggers, family outings and wandering tourists in the summer, which means it isn't great in the evenings for serious cyclists going faster than everyone else.  It's a good thing we aren't serious bicyclists...yet.  We parked at the new lot off 21st Avenue East.  It is a good starting point near the midpoint of the 7.3 mile trail.  We got the trail a bike hooked up to Cameron's bike so I would be free to test out my new bike without the encumbrance of the trail a bike.  The kickstand on Cameron's bike helped out when hooking up the trail a bike...I maybe should have gotten one after all.  We got everything set to go, strapped on the helmets and headed out.  First issue.  My helmet fell off.  The strap wasn't right - it is a helmet I got free at a training session.  I cobbled it together and we took off again, heading down the lake shore.  There are a few small hills along the way, and when we crested one and entered Leif Erickson Park, Bergen decided she'd rather pretend she was a thespian on the Park's historic rock stage.  So I went on without the gals for a bit getting the feel for the bike.  Everything seemed in order.  After they were done on the stage, we headed back home.  Results of the first ride...everything seemed in order, but I will need a new helmet.

Check out Healthy Northland and the Active Arrowhead Map!

Day 1: The Bicycle Purchase

Duluth's Lakewalk

Hi.  I'm Andy. I live in Duluth, Minnesota. I am a middle aged, out of shape guy that works for an organization that plans a lot of bike trails, does bike safety training, and promotes active lifestyles as a way to be healthier.  It's about time I get a bike.  Luckily my colleague Ellen is just down the hall and willing to help me out.  She is a bike expert.  Road bikes, mountain bikes, commuters, she knows it all.  She's a League of American Cyclists instructor.  So she gave me some tips, pointed me towards one of Duluth's several fine bike shops, and turned me loose.  On a fine June (2013) afternoon I bought my bike.  It's a fine machine of the "commuter" type.  Not a fatter tired mountain bike, not a skinny tired road bike - it's in-between.  It cost about $550.  Maybe a bit more cost than a beginner needs, but I am hefty guy and I wanted it to be solid.  It has disc brakes (vs. rim).  I bought a spare tire for it and it came with either a free kick stand or water bottle holder.  I chose the water bottle holder, thinking that the kickstand may be unwieldy when wearing long work pants or when the bike is on the rack with my wife and kid's bikes.  I put the bike in the back of my truck and headed home...the adventure begins!

Check out Healthy Northland and the Active Arrowhead Map!