A Curious Sight

I suppose that is a title that could be used for most days to describe me. Today I was a curious sight because I procured a pair of metallic-looking plastic fenders at my favorite used bike place and then rode home with them in my Land's End "professional" briefcase that I got from my favorite uncle for high school graduation and have been using extensively ever since. Only half of the fender fit in the bag so the rear fender started out curved over my head like an iconic halo. Soon, however, because of my height and the flexibility of this thing, it sagged into my face, making me out to be a Jordi La Forge like character. It bonked against my forehead the entire way home and from the expression on most people's faces, it looked like I was being bonked by a heavy metal fender.

I raised the seat on my Schwinn Traveler which was a really good idea. Now I don't have the labia pains that I used to complain of.

I was obsessed last week with finding a good foul weather bicycle that I could potentially crap up. My biking coworker is a hard-core winter fixie fan. I was really curious about it for a while, but this week I decided to try the whole "riding through winter" thing with a Ross Compact that I bought for $20 this week. Maybe next year I will make it a fixie so I have a summer of practice before I'm carreening on icy roads. It has a decent derailler and everything. I put upside-down upright handlebars on it. It is blue with salmon and violet decals. I'm in denial about its salmon decals so I bought bright pink handlebar tape to go with the blue. The faux-metal fenders are for the Ross.

I was entertained today by a young man who came up to me at the Homecoming lunch on the McNamara lawn. I was reading the Women's Press and he came up unexpectedly. He thought that I was someone else but didn't realize it until he squatted down to talk and I looked up. I was friendly (not "why the fuck are you bothering me" or anything) He told me that he thought that he met me at the University Pegging Society. I asked him what that was and he didn't want to tell me. I said he didn't have to and to change the subject he asked me about my shirt. I happened to be wearing my favorite shirt today. My friends and I made it to commemerate the first and only trip taken by a baby elephant on public transportation. You see, in Wuppertal, Germany there is a monorail called the Schwebebahn. My friend and I became intrigued by it a few years about because of the movie "The Princess and the Warrior" The Schwebebahn is suspended over the River Wupper for a number of miles. In 1950, when the circus was in town, they thought that it would be a good idea to take the elephant for a ride on this monorail. It panicked, pushed out the wall of the carriage and jumped out into the river. The elephant was ok and apparently lived until the 1980s, according to the wikipedia article. This guy thought it was cool and got up to say good bye. After he had walked about 10 feet away, he turned around and said, "I'm going to tell my friends about your shirt".

Cannon Valley Trail

Me boyfriend and I went on the 20-mile (we went 40 miles round trip) Cannon Valley Trail that is a converted rail bed between Cannon Valley and Red Wing. For some reason, a reason that seems ridiculous now that I'm sitting here thinking about it, I thought that this trail would be especially hilling and challenging since we were going to the river town of Red Wing, a city known for their rugged bluffs untouched by the glaciers. The trail was very tranquil, well-maintained, with a slight elevation increase from Red Wing to Cannon Falls (duh, because it was built for a train). The part near Welch was really un-Minnesota-like (or at least the Minnesota that I've known). The only unsettling part of the entire afternoon was that we rode past a rifle range that was conveniently located along the trail. I would have shit myself if there were anyone actually patronizing the range. The line of fire was at an unsettling acute angle with the trail. I'm sure that was fine when the railroad was going through, but I let my imagination run wild and pedalled my ass away!!

As I was pedalling into Red Wing, I was reminded how much I miss riding into a city on the train. It was cool that one can experience that on a bike as well.

My Hefeweizen is working out. It is carbonated for the most part and quite refreshing.

Biked to Selby and Dale

I rode my bike to a monthly meeting that I have above the Mississippi Market at Selby and Dale. I couldn't believe how well I was treated by cars on Summit Ave!

2 strange observations:
A guy passed me near Snelling on Summit. He was large, spandexed, and on a mountain bike. I soon discovered that either he wasn't maintaining his speed or else he just passed me when I slowed up the hill, but I quickly found myself in the awkward position of practically drafting him. Should I pass him now? That just seemed tiresome.

I realized that I didn't want to pass him because he was fascinating. He was riding almost exclusively with his helmeted head down, looking at his front chainwheel. He kept changing the front gear and spinning. I think that he was in the lower one up front when he passed me and didn't expect me to be gaining on him, as I'm almost always in that highest one in front. I think that I introduced him to the mighty large front gear. He was playing with it for blocks. Finally he got it because he zapped away from me at Lexington.

On the way home I was on the east river road bike path. There is a part were the pedestrians and bikes mingle. I was cautiously going downhill and then up hill slightly. At the top of the hill stood a baby boomer couple with a poodle. Ever cautious of poodles (and baby boomers for that matter) I was relieved when I saw that they saw me and they moved their dog out of the way. As I passed them I said, "Hi". They said, "Hi" and the woman said in a really sarcastic upsetting tone, "Thanks for the light." I was so confused I didn't have retort. Clearly there has been some bad blood between cyclers and that couple. If they hadn't noticed me, I would have dinged my bell and everything. Geesh.

Biking to Work - Bike Routes to the U from Whittier

I've been getting a real kick out of riding my Schwinn Traveller to work. I splurged for a bike locker (#56 by Smith! I feel like a rock star, last time I investigated getting one, all they had for me was in St. Paul or at the Huron Lots.) with the idea that when I'm leaving in the morning I would more quickly grab my bike than spend $2 for the bus or $3.25 for a spot in the Huron Lots.

I'm a little upset that the bus is now $2 dollars during rush hour. The $1.75 was bad enough but there was clever psychology built into it. I know that I could get a Metropass but I have been noticing that, for me living in a neighborhood that butts up against downtown Minneapolis, clearly I get a LOT more exercise if I bike, but a surprising amount if I drive too, because of the 10-15 minute walk from the Huron Lots to my building. The bus picks my doughy ass up a block from my house and deposits me roughly 100 m from my building.

With the bike superhighway closed this week, I found another super slick way to get to work. It has 2 freeway overpasses, which aren't as tedious as I thought they would be. I really enjoy the human interaction on the one near the MIA. For years I've seen that 24th street is identified on bike maps as a friendly alternative to Franklin. I went on 24th in my youth and found it really frightful. Now it is really pleasant. I don't know if the city changed the street so people don't try to make 2 lanes (I think that was the problem) or if I have just become more brave.

Anyway, here are my favorite routes from Whittier to the University of Minnesota's East Bank.

Through Downtown (IMO best if it is raining):
1. Take Nicollet to 12th street (street, cars don't tend to bother you, you really must book it to get away from the buses, tho. When I bussed I was also so impressed with the volume of cyclers making their way up Eat Street in all weather)
2. Turn right on 12th (bike lane, left side, one way going with bike lane)
3. Turn left on 2nd Ave (bike lane, middle lane, going against cars and with buses)
4. Turn right on the street after Washington (bike lane, right side, two-way)
5. Turn left at 5th Ave from the middle of the road (genteel 4-way stop, please at least put your foot down so that I will be treated well at that intersection)
6. Go down the little ramp, carefully cross the west river road
7. Take a relaxing ride on the Stone Arch bridge
8. Get onto 6th St SE and turn right at University.

Down 24th Street:
1. Take the pedestrian bridge over 35W (I walk it because it is small, tight and I've seen a lot of elderly on it. One old man teased me with "Why aren't you riding that bike!?" my reply was "Because I'm terrified!" He chuckled and told me that I shouldn't ride my bike over anyway.)
There is a set of stairs on the east side.
2. Get onto 24th street.
3. Go until you get to Cedar (This morning the stretch seemed ridiculously short, I almost didn't believe that I was there when I got there)
4. The next overpass starts right in front of you on the left (I didn't know what that was for years!) This one I ride because it is clearly made for riding and I smile when I see the daisies on the east side.
5. Go over the LRT and take the trail to the left until you get to the Ceder/Riverside station.
6. Take 6th street S to 20th (the block past Cedar) (bike lane, two-way).
7. Turn right on that street in front of CSOM.
8. Turn left past the CSOM subterranean parking garage entrance.

The beloved way on the Greenway:
1. Take the city streets to your favorite/closest entrance ramp.
2. Go on the Greenway to the east
3. At Hiawatha there is an insanely long light to cross
4. Once you cross you are on the Hiawatha trail. Be cautious at 26th Street. Try to time your arrival with the train because then everyone has to stop except for you and the train.
5. Go til the Cedar/Riverside Light Rail station
6. Do steps 6-8 from the route above.

2 weekends ago I rode the entire Gateway Trail there and back.
Last weekend I finally did the West river parkway, Minnehaha creek trail, Lakes trails, Greenway, Hiawatha, back to where we started. It was really fun. I too love the Minnehaha Creek.