Bike Ride: Minneapolis to Stillwater
This ride was recommended to me by my doctor, who is also a cyclist. Usually I head west, where you can get out of town in just a mile or two. Instead I headed east, through St. Paul.
The Route:
- Dinkytown Greenway to Transitway
- Transitway to Como Avenue
- Como to Avon (?)
- Avon to Wheelock Parkway
- Wheelock Parkway to Gateway Trail
- Gateway Trail to Brown's Creek Trail
- Brown's Creek Trail to Stillwater
29 miles each way. There are sections on Como, Avon, and Wheelock where bike lanes disappear, but other than that you are not sharing the road with cars.
Stillwater is on the St. Croix river and features a Main-Street-turned-Mainstreet-of-Yesteryear tourist attraction vibe that I honestly can't stand, but at least you can get food and Gatorade and sit a spell before you hit the road again.
Much of the two state trails are heavily wooded and provide plenty of shade. Look out for turtles on the trail, while are, as you might expect, slow-moving.
In spite of replenishing electrolytes with the previously named sports beverage, I still managed to get muscle cramps in about 3 different leg muscles almost immediately into the return trip. I kept the bike in a very easy gear and just pedaled through the cramps. Remember, potatoes have more potassium than bananas, so...pack some French fries?