#30DaysOfBiking Day 17:
With a severe thunderstorm watch from now until 5 pm and a forecast of plummeting temperatures, an early ride was the best option. It was warm, sunny but very windy as I set out to ride the #RochMN city trails for 23 miles. Trail riding is the best option at 7:30 a.m. here because the morning rush drivers are crazy. I witnessed at least 5 moving violation moves and that doesn't count the frequent speeding. The school drop offs are even nasty.
#BikeTooter

#30DaysOfBiking Day 15:
I am grateful for the earlier sunrises, as I have a lunch appointment, I was able to get out on my bike early. I rode the #RochMN city trails and some county roads for 30 miles. I spotted a Great Blue Heron and a Ring-necked Pheasant. The ephemeral woodland wildflowers are further behind here, but I saw Bloodroot and False Rue Anemone. The Bluebells on the Zumbro South Trail are coming along and should be on full display in 10 to 14 days.
#BikeTooter

#30DaysOfBiking Day 6:
It was cloudy, cold and very windy again today. Because of the gusty winds, I decided to ride my ebike again on the #RochMN city trails and a few streets for 22 miles. It felt pretty raw most of the ride, but a few times when the sun popped out and the wind was at my back, it was much nicer. To get my mileage up I rode through two subdivisions, I've not ridden before, one was new construction of upscale suburban homes with lots of contractor vans parked.
#Biketooter

#30DaysOfBiking Day 5:
It was cold and windy this morning, but with a beautiful sunny blue sky. It was below freezing overnight so some of the puddles and wet spots were icy, so I had to be careful at the beginning of my ride on the #RochMN city trails and around both Cascade and Silver Lakes for 20 miles. Like yesterday, there were more joggers on the trails than dog walkers. The Coots are still on Cascade Lake. It got up to 40F (4C) by the end of the ride.
#BikeTooter

#30DaysOfBiking Day 4:
It was miserable this morning, cloudy, cold (36F, 2C) drizzly and windy. But it was supposed to be even windier in the afternoon. So I rode my gravel bike on the #RochMN trails for 23 miles. The drizzle let up and with the tailwind on the way back, it was more tolerable. We received a decent amount of rain overnight, accompanied by lightning and thunder. The creeks and the river were pretty swollen, but well below flood stage.
#Biketooter

My original plan was to participate in the local rally in #RochMN but last evening my wife encouraged me to instead go up to St Paul for the rally there. It was a good idea as it was going to be a one in a lifetime opportunity. I drove to Minneapolis and parked in a University of Minnesota ramp and took the Green Line light rail to the gathering spot, the Western Sculpture Park in St Paul. It was one of three gathering points. 1/x
#NoKings #Minnesota

This afternoon was awfully pleasant for riding a bike, 52F (11C), sunny and very light winds. But the remnant snow limited my choices. The #RochMN city trails were mostly open but there were spots where I had to dismount and one where I had to climb over a huge snowbank. One other place had not been plowed so I had to detour. There was a lot of snowmelt on the trails, so a bicycle with fenders was the best option. I rode my Brompton for 15 miles.
#BikeTooter

#BikeStreak Day 59:
What a difference 24 hours makes. Yesterday 55F (13C) and sunny, today 20F (-7C) and snowing heavily. So I climbed back on my fatbike with studded tires and rode the #RochMN city trails for 11 miles. On the way back, I couldn't even see my tracks from an hour earlier as it was snowing so hard. It will be back above freezing starting Monday, so we'll see how long this snow lasts.
#BikeTooter

#BikeStreak Day 40:
It was almost 40F (4C) when I set out on my ride. I rode 31 miles on #RochMN city trails and county roads West of town. As I live in far Southeast Rochester, I have to ride through town whenever heading West or North, so my "road" ride today was more on city trails than roads. Fortunately the Mayowood Trail was *mostly* clear of snow and ice so I was able to head out that way today. I still need to work on my stamina for longer rides and for climbing hills.
#BikeTooter

#BikeStreak Day 35:
Today is the midpoint of astronomical winter or the beginning of Solar Spring (Northern Hemisphere), with the darkest quarter of the year now over. That it falls near Groundhog Day and Candlemas Day is not a coincidence.
Today I rode to a meeting with a local elected to discuss restoring bicycle access to downtown #RochMN after Mayo Clinic's Bold. Forward. Unbound. program will cause the existing bike lanes to get vacated with a new hospital construction.
#BikeTooter