I had to remove one of my favorite roads from the mobile Twin Cities Bike Map 2018 for this update. Rich Valley Road, through Apple Valley and Rosemount, was a favorite escape route and recreational ride down to the Dakota County Technical College and the unique structures and quiet roads of UMore Park.The road rolls through farmland behind the Koch Refinery. It used to be a low traffic, scenic ride that occasionally offered some amazing natural phenomenon such as an epic battle between two Bald Eagles. We watched as the two eagles, locked in battle, fell behind a ridge, possibly to the ground. Today, a blacktop manufacturing plant and a landfill generate heavy truck traffic on this narrow road with no shoulders. It is no longer safe to ride.

I spent most of an afternoon looking for alternate routes without success. The only direct route, Akron Rd, is gravel, and two large housing developments are under construction on the south end. The road will probably be paved within a year to handle the new residents. I hope the new road will come with wide shoulders or a separate bike path, making it a good alternate to Rich Valley Rd. I’ll return to the area next spring for another evaluation.

The latest update also includes a significant number of revisions based on an intense spring of research, especially in the less explored regions of the Twin Cities. If you’ve already downloaded the 2018 Twin Cities Bike Map, go back to Avenza and download the free update. If you haven’t purchased the 2018 version, I strongly recommend getting this update. I expect to continue doing extensive research this riding season and will make significant changes and updates to the mobile map throughout the year.