Valley View Rd near the Braemar Golf Course in Edina is under construction. See the attached photo for an alternate route. This looks like major construction, so expect the road to be torn up through the 2015 riding season.
Sometimes bike routes have to be removed because of traffic. The attached screen shots show three routes that are no longer acceptable for riding unless you are a hard core cyclist who doesn’t mind heavy traffic.
Highway 96 between White Bear Lake and Stillwater has wide shoulders, but traffic is so heavy that it isn’t pleasant to ride.
Highway 6, north of Lake Minnetonka, also has wide shoulders but far too much traffic. While researching this route, I saw drivers weaving onto the shoulder, possibly because they were texting and driving during rush hour.
Woodland Trail is dangerous. Traffic, including trucks, is very heavy and there is no shoulder. Note the alternate option on Greenfield Rd.
These changes will appear in the updated mobile Twin Cities Bike Map later this summer. Print versions will show the updates on the next press run.
Rusk County, in northwestern Wisconsin, is one of the least populated counties in the state. The county has low-traffic paved and gravel roads that are ideal for day trips or short tours.
The land is primarily a mix of forests, farmland and marshes, with several large rivers and low rolling hills.
Brian Vanderah, an avid cyclist, has researched the routes extensively and put together a unique map of bike loops designed to explore the entire county. Loops range from 5 to 100 miles in length and are laid out so the shorter loops are also the flattest. Each loop starts from one of the main cities in the county (Ladysmith, Bruce or Weyerhauser) and a key next to each city gives distances. Because the loops overlap and share roads, it is possible to customize rides endlessly.
The longest ride, a mix of gravel and paved roads, explores the remote northeastern parts of the county. Segments of the 100 mile ride follow the shore of Dairyland Reservoir, the largest body of water in the county.
The free map is available for mobile devices using the PDF Maps App.
Download the free Rusk County mobile map.
More about Rusk County.
The latest Crossroads puzzle will appeal to history buffs, engineering geeks and anyone who needs an excuse to hang out around St. Anthony Falls. Follow map clues to the mill races below the falls, the Guthrie Theater, Stone Arch Bridge and Water Works Park. By the time you’re finished you will have a good sense about the early history of Minneapolis, how power is generated by turbines and how early power lines were inspected in winter. That is, if you aren’t completely distracted by the rushing river, the Minneapolis skyline and the food and drink along St. Anthony Main.