The Scene of the Crime...

The Minnesota River meets the Mississippi River.

A Beautiful Ride along the Minnesota River

Today I enjoyed a beautiful bike ride from the 494 Bridge in Eagan, north on the Big Rivers Trial.  I love the view of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers as they merge, but along the way I noticed some handsome older buildings, and I just had to investigate.

Hidden Gems

I love home built from stone.  They look so solid, and it feels as if one could withstand any winter that might come your way.  I have seen the homes of Cornish miners near Galena, Illinois - a

Henry Sibley House

Ice House

Lo and behold, I found the Henry Sibley House.  I read that originally there were log cabin homes here, but in 1862 (a pretty important year in Minnesota history) Mr. Sibley built these more permanent structures.  There was the ice house, a trading post, and the home of another trader, Jean Baptiste Faribault.

Money First and People Later

I know that in 1851, in this area the Dakota "signed" away millions of acres to the US government.  After signing two copies of the treaty, the Dakota were led to a third document which stated that part of the money that was promised to the Dakota was to go to traders like Sibley to pay off their debts.  It would appear that while the trading business was not doing well for Mr. Sibley in 1851, he used the Dakota money and he did very well financially over the next eleven years.

I know you aren't supposed to judge people from 1862 by moral standards from 2018, but it is hard not to look at these beautiful homes and feel that they are a shameful part of Minnesota history.  I guess this is what happens when you look at others and don't seem these as people too.

Home of Jean Baptiste Faribault

I still can't help thinking that Mr. Sibley should have done better.  He seems like a bit of a shameless opportunist.

Eaten Alive

My visit to these beautiful buildings was cut short by the persist attack of ten thousand mosquitoes.  The wind had not yet kicked up, and even when I stood in the sun and on the road I was mauled by our state bird.  I left wondering how the Sibley's enjoyed their summer months given the enthusiasm of the local mosquito population.

Sibley home and I believe the building on the right is a trading post.

Fremont...Earth

Written in 2017 and finally posted in July 2018...

West Coast Adventures

So I have had the great fortune to visit friends and family on the West Coast for the last nine days.  This has been a great opportunity to create new stories, laugh, read, and do some of the things that don't get done during the academic year.

Seattle:
We decided to hit Pikes Place Market for some Beecher's mac & cheese, some cherries, and whatever else looked good for dinner (mangoes and salmon).

It all begins here.  "Because Beer Matters"

What?

World Cup Blues

Slightly in a fog at work I learned that Japan was up 2-0 versus Belgium at the half.  Excellent news.  Later in the shift I checked in with our guest mechanic (an engineer from Shimano who is here getting some real life training).  He told me that the score was tied in the 84th minute.  Noooo.

Later I went down to use the rest room and Joe the mechanic is watching the game on his phone.  I wandered over to watch Keisuke Honda take a direct kick and the Belgian goalie knocked it out for a Japanese corner. I rushed to use the restroom came back and Joe is disgustedly putting away his phone.  "Belgium won."

"What?"  How could there have been a corner and then a goal at the other end of the field in that short time?  Not possible.

Not possible.  Pass, dribble, pass, pass, goal, game.  Grrrrr.

More Scientific Study

 

The comforting jingle of halyards on masts at Wayzata Yacht Club.

So yesterday it was my day to go long on the bike.  I hopped on the 520 and headed west, taking the Cedar Trail west to Hopkins (with a hat tip to the Depot Coffee Shop for the bathroom), northwest through Hopkins to the Minnetonka Recreational Trail to McGinty Avenue to Lake Minnetonka and the Wayzata Yacht Club.  I was surprised at how short the trip was from the yacht club to the downtown area.

From Wayzata I headed north on Broadway until I found the Luce Line and then I headed west on the Luce Line, hoping to find Micki Wanous's new house.  Unfortunately, I ran out of time and I got within 12 minutes - which is probably two miles, before I had to turn around and head back.  This was my final view west.

Luce Line Trail

You Are Here.

For here I navigated my way back home.  I was surprised at how quickly I was able to get back to the friendly confines of the Depot Coffee Shop.  Here I was met by the Grim Reaper - a chocolate covered old fashioned doughnut.  This was no ordinary doughnut either.  The chocolate frosting was liberally applied, which caused me to abandon all common sense -- forget the bars with cranberries.  I wandered outside to a table in the shade and then I inhaled this culinary gut bomb with all the enthusiasm of a seventh grade boy.  I think I may have got frosting in my ears I was eating the doughnut so fast.  

A very poor idea.

From here I headed east, eventually racing a train to the place where the trail crosses the tracks.  Happily the train slowed down at the intersection before the nexus of path and train tracks so that I make it with ease.

The remainder of the trip - back around the lakes and south back to home is an exercise in paying attention to the body and taking breaks here and there.

So far, on the longer rides, I seem to need a bathroom stop 10-15 miles into the trip and then around the 30 mile mark my neck begins to get sore.

The Doctor is In

Eventually I make it to the bike shop - late for my Monday shift.  In a stroke of good luck no customers were waiting to have their bikes serviced, so I was able to check the 520 in with Andrew Chaffe (an amazing mechanic).  

I thought I might need a new cassette, perhaps some new cables, new hoods, and that might be it.  Turns out the ole 520 needed a lot more attention than that. Your rims are supposed to be a flat surface, but mine have had so much use that there were badly scalloped.  This led to one of those moments where all the mechanics gather and comment about how close to collapse my rims were at.  Hat tip here to Mavic for building great rims.  Not only were my rims trashed, but my trusted "newer" Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires had a big cut in the back tire.  

So it is with great sadness that I say, "goodbye" to my beloved Deore hubs.  Thanks for the ride boys!  So I will be getting new tires, rims, cassette, hoods, bar tape, bottle holders, and who knows what else.

Thank goodness that I took the bike in for a check up with three weeks to go before the big Iowan adventure.