Wolfie Browender decided in the summer of 2011 that he would ride his bike on every block of every street in St. Paul. He doesn’t just ride the streets. He posts a blog about each ride. The blog posts, which he claims take much longer to write than the rides; combine history, photography and interviews with local residents.

Even a cursory look at his posts reveals a man with a high level of curiosity, and the ability to draw a story out of just about anyone he meets. In his most recent posts he’s interviewed a piano tuner who works out his home, a school teacher who teaches in the one room Mattocks School Building, now located on the campus of the Highland Park Senior High School, a woman who searches out old grave sites in her local cemetery, and a Hamline University student working a parking lot during the State Fair. He also photographed three old cars, apparently abandoned in a weedy parking lot, a variety of Little Free Libraries with unique designs and an album’s worth of gravestones.

The idea for this grand project began with bike rides.

“As I traversed Saint Paul a few years ago, I saw various interesting, curious and cool things.  It was entertaining to visit parts of the city to which I didn’t often or ever get.  I also noticed sights while biking that I would have otherwise missed.

“This got me to thinking-what would I experience if I were to bike every street in Saint Paul?  How long would it take?  What fascinating people would I meet?  What interesting things would I see?”

Wolfie has completed two full seasons of riding and will soon start his third. He started the project expecting it to take 10 years to complete. That seems like a stretch. My guess is that this is a lifetime project at best and may have to be carried on by the next generation. Wolfie is just too fascinated by St. Paul to hurry through the ride. By the time this project is finished, we’ll not only have a complete and personal picture of St. Paul, we’ll also have a series of set pieces that capture the city as it evolves over the years.

One word of caution: Wolfie’s blog is called “St. Paul By Bike- Every Block of Every Street. Its Sights. Its People. It’s History.” The title alone should tell you that Wolfie doesn’t write Twitter Feed or Facebook Post type blogs. He writes and photographs everything he sees, he adds historical notes and writes up entire interviews. He doesn’t stop until he’s documented everything.

The Milwaukee and SE Wisconsin Bike Map is now available for your phone or tablet. Called the SE Wisconsin Bike Map, it covers bike routes and trails in SE Wisconsin from the Illinois border to Port Washington and as far west as the South Kettle Moraine. With this map you can comfortably navigate from Milwaukee’s Downtown to the upscale tourist town of Lake Geneva or the Kettle Moraine.

Explore the Oak Leaf Trail, Glacial Drumlin Trail, Ozaukee Interurban Trail, Hank Aaron Trail plus dozens of smaller trails and hundreds of miles of bicycle friendly roads.

Version 1.0 is a prototype. The routes and trails are current, but it still needs some tweaks and design work. This version is free for testing and feedback. Please send comments through bikeverywhere.com.

Get the App, Get the Map.

1. Go to the App store or Google Play and search for “Avenza.”
2. Download the free app. You only have to do this once.
3. Then go to the Avenza Map Store by opening the App and clicking the “store” icon at the bottom of the page.
4. Search for “Bikeverywhere” in the search box. You will see all the maps developed so far by Bikeverywhere.

Problems? Comments? Suggestions? Contact me through this site or on Facebook. I’m looking to make this the best bike map you will ever use on your phone. Your feedback will help me make the improvements that you want the most.