dreamshark

We had so much fun last summer with out of town and in town bike trails that I was looking forward to more of the same this year. Sadly, with one thing and another, we haven't managed a single overnight expedition and precious few more local expeditions. But the weather in September was too lovely to ignore, and we managed some local trail rides each of the last 3 weekends.

	Sept 12 - Crosby Farm Park - best country trail ride in the city I always forget this park is here - luckily Richard remembered. You can actually start this ride anywhere you want on East River Road, but we're too lazy to ride our bikes back up the hill to the river bluff so we parked down by the river at Hidden Falls Park and biked south.
	Sept 12 - Crosby Picnic Shelter with big stone fireplace After two or three miles you find yourself at yet another parking lot with probably the most beautiful picnic pavilion in the cities. Wouldn't this be a great place for a Minnstf picnic?
	Sept 12- Beginning of the wetlands trail loop Shortly after the picnic shelter you descend into a maze of twisty little passages, all different, circling through shady river bottom and open marsh like this.
	Beginning of the trail in Cannon Falls We've ridden this trail so often there aren't a lot of pictures left to take. So here's one token photo as a reminder that we rode the trail again this year. Actually, half the trail - Cannon Falls to Welch and back again. That's 22 miles round trip, which is a long ride for us. Some people apparently go all the way to Redwing and back. We did that once, but it took us two days.
	Sept 27 - Gateway Trail. I just can't resist a bridge picture. This is the bridge over County Road 96, painted in Golden Gate Bridge orange, fluorescing in the sunset. We were heading for Pine Point Park at the northeastern end of the trail, but when we found ourselves driving under this bridge on our way to Stillwater we just stopped and got on the trail right there.
	Sept 27 - Gateway Trail - scenic slough with waterfowl and muskrat house The northern half of this trail is shady and pleasant but looks exactly like every other shady Minnesota off road bike trail. This puddly wetland was the most interesting geographic feature, even before we realized just what kinds of birds were wading around out there. Look, can you see them?
	Sept 27 - geese and ducks and sandhill cranes Several parties of bikers pointing and yelling - "Look, cranes!" finally got to be too much and the whole waterfowl menagerie decided it was time to saunter over to the other side of the slough.