The MS Society will host its annual MS150 ride from Duluth to the Twin Cities on June 8-10.  The two day event uses the Willard Munger Trail from Duluth to Hinckley the first day, then follows back roads to the eastern metro area. It’s a worthy event and a great way to experience long distance bike touring in a safe and hassle free environment.

For more information or to register, visit myMSbike.org.

If that whets your appetite for longer tours, follow up with the MS:TRAM Ride during the week of July 22 ̶ 27, 2012
This scenic journey through the Central Lakes region, includes stops in Alexandria, Bemidji, Walker, Park Rapids, Wadena and Fergus Falls. Enjoy small-town hospitality, top-notch support and festivities to boot —For more information or to register, visit myMSbike.org.

For years Minnetonka Blvd was a standby for one of my favorite bike rides into the western suburbs. The route involved going west on Valley View Road, then skirting the shores of Lotus Lake and rolling along Lake Lucy Rd to Galpin. That got me to Excelsior. From there I shot straight back to Minneapolis via Minnetonka Blvd. It was a fast road, with an intermittently good shoulder and a tailwind. I didn’t care for the increasing amount of traffic on the road, but there weren’t a lot of good alternatives, so I tolerated the vehicles.

That changed several years ago. I found myself taking the Lake Minnetonka Trail, or turning up to ride Cedar Lake Rd. If I was interested in adding hills, I took a combination of roads like Ridgewood and Lake St south of Minnetonka Blvd.

Today I decided to go back to Minnetonka Blvd. It wasn’t any fun at all. Traffic is still high, the shoulders are falling apart and the intersections with major cross streets aren’t easy to negotiate. Apparently other riders have come to the same conclusion. I didn’t see a single rider on Minnetonka Blvd. Four years ago that would have been unthinkable.

Minnetonka Blvd will no longer be designated a bike route on the Twin Cities Bike Map. The change will be noticeable with the next press run. I can’t predict when that will happen. If I sell out this press run, the change will come when I reprint. At the latest, it will appear with the scheduled update in 2014. The Twin Cities Bike Map is always evolving to reflect the changing conditions for bicyclists in the metro area. Although the changes aren’t usually as large as removing a major east/west corridor, they are frequent and numerous. I’ll be out there checking out new routes and doing my best to keep the bike map as current as possible.

The Dakota Rail Trail between Highland Road in Minnestrista and Kennedy Memorial Dr in St. Bonifacius will be closed until May 25. The trail will be closed in this segment while Highland Road is being reconstructed at a right angle to improve sight lines for trail users and motorists.

Trail users traveling west should detour south along Highland Road, then west along Kennedy Memorial Dr, rejoining the trail where it intersects with Kennedy. Trail users traveling east should detour along Kennedy Memorial Dr east, then north on Highland Road until it rejoins the trail.

For more information, go to www.ci.minnestrista.mn.us

This trail, between Dresser and Amery in west central Wisconsin, is tucked into an area of rolling hills, lakes, marshes, maple and oak forests and farmland. The trail is flat, with a hard packed limestone surface suitable for narrow road tires. During our visit over Easter weekend the trail was in bloom from wild fruit trees, and maples had already started to green up due to our unusually early spring .

The trail is named after Harvey Stower, a member of the Wisconsin Legislature and long time mayor of Amery. The name also refers to the numerous lakes along the trail. Lakes near the western end of the trail are large enough to support cabins and recreational boating. Others such as Kinney Lake, between Deronda and Amery, are seepage lakes which depend on groundwater and local precipitation. Seepage lakes are usually surrounded by marsh and virtually inaccessible.

The trail doesn’t appear to get much use, which is too bad because the frequent lakes and lowland marshes create scenic stopping points and break up the tunnel effect along better known trails such as the nearby Gandy Dancer Trail. Of greater interest to this long time road rider are the paved, low traffic roads that intersect and run parallel to the trail. Those roads weave among the rolling hills, skirt lakes and wander through woodland and farm country. I’ll be back to explore those roads later this season.

The Stower Seven Lakes Trail isn’t part of Bicycle Vacation Guide, but it will be part of the new Bikeverywhere website planned for spring of 2013.

A web site called Walk Score rates cities and neighborhoods for walkability, the ability to walk to destinations like stores and coffee shops. Of the fifty largest US cities, Minneapolis is ranked ninth most walkabable with a score of 69. Milwaukee is fifteenth (score: 61). Madison had a score of 55. All three are rated “somewhat walkable.

The site also rates individual neighborhoods. Scores over 90 are called “walker’s paradises.” In the Twin Cities, Minneapolis’ downtown east, Loring Park, and Lowry Hill East and downtown St. Paul are rated as walker’s paradises. Milwaukee’s most walkable neighborhoods are Northpoint, Murray Hill and Juneau Town. In Madison, the capitol area is the only one.

The least walkable cities in Wisconsin are Caledonia, Pleasant Prairie, and Mequon. All are in southeast Wisconsin (on the Milwaukee bike map) and are areas near Racine, Kenosha, and Milwaukee that have recently become urbanized. Given their low density, it is unlikely that these areas will ever become walkable. But perhaps they could be made bikeable.

One tool on the site allows the user to type in an employer’s address and get back a list of apartments within a walkable or bikeable distance or available on public transportation. Apparently major apartment listings now include walkable scores (see this article in Slate), reflecting a growing desire to get out of cars.

The attached photo shows the underside of I-394 where it crosses over the trail. All of that white paint is part of an anti-graffiti campaign. It’s expensive, not very attractive and requires constant vigilance. A better solution, wall art, works throughout the city. Wall art turns an unattractive building wall into public art. It allows an artist or group of artists to express themselves and it discourages graffiti. Let’s turn this dark, somewhat intimidating stretch of the Cedar Lake Trail into a public art gallery. With a palette this large, my guess is that we would have stiff competition among local artists for the right to create a public art display.

North Star, You, Your Bike has been updated. The new file has an insert map for Monticello and new labeling for some of the highways on the North Overview Map. Although the routes haven’t changed, the updated map is easier to follow because of the added detail through Monticello and the additional highway numbering in several locations along the routes to Lake Maria State Park and Elk River.

With the arrival of spring and warmer weather, take advantage of the extra range that the North Star Commuter Rail offers for you and your bike. Families will especially enjoy taking the kids on the train to Anoka, then crossing a single street next to the station to hop on the Rum River Trail. From there you will enjoy car free riding along the banks of the Rum River. At the north end of the trail you can cross the river to Rivers Bend Park for a picnic before returning to the station. You will have over 5 hours to complete the six mile round trip, so pack lunch and fishing poles for a relaxing day.

On Tuesday, September 20, I will be speaking to the MN Rovers, a group of outdoor enthusiasts who participate in member organized trips and events including hiking, biking, canoeing, climbing, skiing, snowshoeing and camping.

I will give a two part talk. The first half of the talk will be about metro area bike trails, including state and regional corridor (rail) trails, urban trails in Minneapolis and St. Paul and park and rec trails. Then we’ll switch gears and talk about combining bikes and North Star Commuter Rail for some new biking options in the northwest metro area.  The second part of the talk is based on Bikeverywhere’s newest online map brochure North Star, You, Your Bike.

The Rovers meet at 7:30 at Macalester College, in St. Paul, in Olin-Rice Science Center, Room 350.  It is building #13 on this map. The talk will start at 8:00. Join us for an informative talk about bicycling in the metro area and learn more about this group of outdoor enthusiasts who not only enjoy the outdoors, but give back through volunteer service and educational programs.

Learn about the bike trails of the Twin Cities and the new bike exploring options offered by the North Star Commuter Rail  on Tuesday, August 30 at the Minnesota State Fair. I’ll be presenting two shows, at 9:30 am and 1:00 pm, on the Sustainability Stage in the Eco-Experience building. The building is located in the northeast corner of the fairgrounds near the Fine Arts Building.

While you’re there, talk to the folks at the Metro Transit booth. They will show you how easy it is to take your bike on North Star and they’ll have copies of my brochure “North Star, You , Your Bike” for viewing. Ask for the business cards with a discount code for ordering the brochure from bikeverywhere.com.

Bike parking is free at the State Fair. The closest lot to the Eco- Experience Building is Lot #3 at the intersection of Hoyt Ave and Snelling Ave. You can also park at Snelling Ave and Como Ave or at Commonwealth and Gortner near the UM St. Paul Campus.

Stick around after the talk to say Hi and talk bike trails. See you at the State Fair.

From the City of Minneapolis;

Bicycling Update Subscribers,

On Monday, August 8th, bicycle and pedestrian path reconstruction will begin at the southwest corner of Loring Park, across from the Walker Art Center. A short detour for bicyclists and pedestrians will be posted. Construction is expected to last for 2 to 4 weeks.

The goal of construction is to improve the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians entering and leaving Loring Park.  This will be accomplished by providing more space for waiting, a wider curb ramp, and clearly designated paths through the area. For more information visit the project website.

On Monday, August 8th, the Hiawatha LRT Trail will close between 11^th Avenue and 15^th Avenue for construction related to the Central Corridor LRT. Construction is expected to last through 2012. A detour route  will run along 5^th Street and 11^th Avenue.

Happy Riding,

City of Minneapolis Bicycle Program