June 2, 2021
The Lake Itasca Trail
Today was a nice little ride on a day with a few points of interest. It begins with breakfast, which we didn’t particularly enjoy at the Wingate in Coon Rapids. I’m not one to complain much about or expect much of motel breakfasts, but the meager choices at the Wingate seem especially ridiculous. Yesterday there was a toaster but no bread or muffins; but at least there was cereal and milk, so I made do with a few bowls of Raisin Bran. Today there’s still no bread, which doesn’t surprise me. I pour a bowl of cereal, and then notice that there isn’t even milk this morning. Now that does surprise me. It doesn’t surprise the woman at the counter though, when I ask her about it. She said they never know what they’re going to get for breakfast. So that’s interesting.
We had a second loop from the motel mapped out for today, one that follows the river in the other direction from the motel, downstream toward the big cities and back. We scrap it though, because we both want to go back to the Lake Itasca Trail for a slower, more relaxed look than the rushed pass-through we gave it yesterday. We thought it would be fun to take a video that captured the rattle of the planks as we bike across them, and slow down enough to hopefully see some interesting bird life in the marsh to zoom in on. I want to explore a bit more of the Mud River Trail too, so I come up with a new route that is more of an out and back that stays on our side of the river.
It is quite pleasant when we start out not long after 9 in a refreshing light breeze. It’s warming up here with a run of fearsomely hot days just ahead, but not yet. Enjoy it while we can.
About ten miles into the ride we come to the start of the Lake Itasca Trail. Rachael tries to activate her GoPro but fails - the battery is dead. Apparently she forgot to recharge it when we arrived. She carries a spare though so she hopefully swaps it in; but it’s dead too. No video today. I reach for the camera to take a photo of her staring at her GoPro brick, but it’s not there. I forgot to bring the camera. So that’s interesting too.
At least there’s the Android.
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
So we continue riding north, stopping just shy of Elk City before turning back. A few miles later we sit on the grass beside the road and eat our lunch - Rachael has a fake peanut butter sandwich she’s been carrying around since we left Portland, and I finish off the last of the trail mix that I dipped into for breakfast. Then, we cross the Lake Itrasca Trail again, and this time Rachael remembers that her Android takes videos. Not quite the video we’d hoped for, but better than nothing:
A few minutes later, Rachael points out a faint sound in the distance that I can barely pick up because my hearing is gradually worsening. Once I crane to pick up the sound though, I recognize it immediately - cranes! There’s no similar sound to this throaty rattle that I’m aware of - at least not in this part of the world. I don’t expect to see them, assuming they’re off out of sight in the marsh somewhere, but it gives me a warm glow just knowing they’re out there.
Surprisingly though, the sounds just keep getting louder as we bike on - and then we see a pair of them actually walking across the path up ahead. There are four of them, two pairs, just walking around the suburban lawns. Close enough that we can get a respectable shot and video with our phones. A woman walking her dog stops to chat about them and says they’ve been living there for years. So that’s interesting. Pet cranes! I’d love to have pet cranes in our yard, if we had a yard.
Don’t be concerned by the coughing in the video, btw. I haven’t got the virus. I think it’s the cottonwood.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Another interesting thing about today’s ride is that I’m finding that my rear derailleur is badly maladjusted. Some of the gears are fine but others skip badly - good enough for the flat country we’re in now, but it won’t do for long. Fortunately we’re biking through Ramsey on our way back, and our new favorite LBS, Ramsey Bicycles, is just a mile off-route so we decide to stop by to see if they can fit me in.
They can! Their mechanic wheels the bike back to the workshop and returns five minutes later and hands it back. Apparently they’ve been feeling guilty about charging me an exorbitant $15 to repair the bent brake rotor, because today they retune the derailleur today gratis. Great shop!
Back in Anoka, we ride the Rum River Trail upriver to the end of the pavement, which is nice as far as it goes, which isn’t far - about three miles.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Back at the motel, we pack away everything that’s being shipped east to the end of the tour and then I drive over to the neighborhood UPS Store. It’s a bit speedy, but it’s such a convenient service to be able to just wheel your suitcases in the door and hand them over the counter.
Then, back to Shawn’s home in Champlin for one last visit. As soon as we open the door we’re greeted with one more bit of interesting news, the best yet. Ashley beams with pride, telling us that she aced her Economics final today and is going to graduate with her class this weekend after all.
After dinner Rachael takes the girls downstairs to tour their rooms while I stay upstairs to have a dad-to-son discussion about the fact that his oldest daughter is 19 now, isn’t going to be attending summer school after all, and needs a chance to start easing into a life of her own. Shawn’s inclination is to be quite protective and he likes to hold a tighter rein than either of us would, so the discussion is a bit frustrating with perhaps little to show for it. The wisdom of the ages goes in one ear, with its final destination unknown but highly suspect.
After that I feel the need of and feel I’ve earned a beer; so when we return to the motel I walk to the grocery store right next door. Unfortunately it’s after 8, and they’re closed for the day. So I walk across the street to the bar and grill, but they don’t sell beer to go and I’ve no interest in sitting around a crowded, noisy bar tonight. So I go back to the motel and ask what’s nearby, and I’m directed to the nearby Holiday gas station just down the road - close enough that it makes sense to me to drive there. But Holiday doesn’t stock beer either (Is this a Minnesota thing? Is this even legal? Maybe I should report it). The guy says that there’s a liquor store just down the street, so I watch for it on the way back to the motel but manage to get lost instead.
It’s obviously time to move on from Coon Rapids. We regret that we won’t be around this weekend to see Ashley in her cap and gown, but it really is time. It’s been three days, and we’re starting to smell like fish.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 2 | Link |
Thanks for this map! Once we reach Grand Forks, we plan on going to Mississippi Headwaters and then the Paul Bunyan Trail.
How are the bugs?
Rachel
2 years ago
2 years ago
Ride stats today: 44 miles, 1,100’; for the tour: 79 miles, 2,000’
Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 79 miles (127 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 4 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |