Seg #26 Last Minnesota Segment with Chris

Seg #26: Douglas State Trail Pine Island to Rochester, MN 8/4-5/13

Start	Pine Island, MN	44.21077-92.64617	NS miles 18
End	Rochester, MN	43.95277,92.45817	Trllgth 23.9 Ride 27.8

Ride Hr2.5

AVS 9.5

MXS 22.5

DST ~27.8

Temp 81

Kcal 2898

The Douglas State Trail is apparently is named for the same Douglas person that the town associated with trail is named.  The trail occupies the railbed of the former Chicago Great Western Railway corridor between the cities of Rochester and Pine Island. The asphalt trail passes through some of the riches farmland in Minnesota.

We found the trailhead at the north end of Pine Island about five o’clock. We figured we could make pretty good time with the hard trail under the tires. Chris rode with me to the halfway point and turned around to get the car. There were several heavily treed areas that gave great shade and a wind break. I was surprised that I only averaged 9.5 mph. When I could not locate Chris in north Rochester, I decided to ride on to the Mayo Clinic as that would be a good meeting point. The clinic is a monstrosity with a silvery façade and a clean, tidy image. The appearance alone screams “first class” as my former Nebraska College of Dentistry colleague Sere Koka described it. Sere now works in oncology at the clinic, quite a change from dentistry and the specialty of prosthodontics. It was nice relax in the sculpture garden with the bonze likeness’s of papa W.W. Mayo and his two sons Dr. Will and Dr. Charlie who are credited with founding the first and largest integrated not-for-profit medical group practice in the world, employing more than 3,800 physicians and 50,900 allied health staff. Unfortunately I was so mesmerized by the clinic, that I “spaced-off” the fact that I needed to ride five more miles south to overlap segment #20 (The Great River Trail in Wisconsin). I hope I can make up this gap without having to ride south of Rochester.

Segment #25 St. Paul-Bloomington, MN.

Seg #25: Ft. Snelling/Crosby Farm/MN State Trl  8/4-5/13

Start	St.Paul, MN	44.94351-93.09251	NS miles 8.2
End	Bloomington, MN	44.84785,93.23011	Trllgth 18.1 Ride 22.6

 

Ride Hrs~3

AVS 9.0

MXS 24.5mph

DST ~25.5

Temp 75

Kcal 2008

 Trixie was able to get us to the start point of the Ft. Snelling trail somewhere along the Mississippi River around St. Paul. By the time we got organized and found the trail, it was late in the day. I asked several people the location of the trail. One guy had been running, a big bazooka of humanity. I don’t know how far he had walked but he was having  a hard time breathing, panting like a dog. I told him to catch his breath and stop talking to me. I was worried he would expire right then and there. Finally I told him to sit down because I was leaving. As I rode away and looked in my rearview mirror, I could see he didn’t sit down and was yakking with someone else. Go figure!  The northern section of the trail was beautiful with sandstone cliffs, wild flowers and petunia baskets hanging from the street lights and the Mississippi lumbering south. There are tons of trails in the Minneapolis so I was asking nearly everyone I could get to stop which way I should go. Cush’s Theorem fit just about everyone I asked. Out of the dozen or more people I asked directions, only one fellow gave me the straight poop. And directions from ladies---FORGET IT. They rarely get anything close to correct. Chris and I rode south on the trail toward Ft. Snelling and turned around after six plus miles. We got back to the car and drove to a hotel before it got dark, an important issue for me.   

Since we were having problems determining what trail was what, we drove to Ft. Snelling and rode back toward downtown St. Paul until we overlapped where we had ridden the day before. If was Monday so like most historical sites, Ft. Snelling visitor center was closed.

Ft. Snelling. Easy to spot hard to get to by car

The Fort is another pre-civil war military instillation not unlike Fort Scott in Kansas. This fort, built in 1805, served to “control” the Native Americans and the important rivers below its wall. Major American water highways, the Missouri and Mississippi river, merge down the sharp cliffs below Fort Snelling. Had the bike trail not have gone through this historical site, I would have missed a unique feature of the area. Not only was the fort sitting on the pinnacle of the surrounding territory it, was a picturesque scene with sandstone turrets penetrating the blue sky above emerald green trees. Near the fort is one of the country’s 131 Veterans Affairs national cemeteries. There are 180,000 military veterans interred here. The grave markers of those that gave their lives for this country go for miles. The largest is, Calverton National Cemetery in New York, larger than Arlington’s 300,000 interments. Seeing these markers gave me pause as I was inline to be drafted in 1966 when I dropped an inorganic chemistry class at University of Northern Iowa, falling into the infamous "part-time student" category. Thank goodness for a left knee torn meniscus from a football injury and terribly flat feet, the army decided to give me 4F status. Thank the Lord I never had to be shot at. I did serve in the Air Force during the Viet Nam War but I was fortunate to have a cushy job as a dental officer. There was talk of sending one of us from the Azores to Southeast Asia but none of dental folks from Lajes Field had to go there.  Maybe the fact that Kenny Hammel, died in Viet Nam has me especially moved by the sacrifice veterans give for our freedom. Kenny was two years ahead of me in dental school and worked on my ushering crew for entertainment events at the University of Iowa. When he graduated, I bought his high speed dental handpiece, a luxury at the time, and his operating stool. Perhaps that bonded us for ever. I have visited traveling replicas of The Wall and found his name and think fondly of him. I know another reason these cemeteries give me pause, is the sacrifice Connie’s dad made in World War II.  Not only was he traumatized by wounds and suffering, but the post war psychological effects were devastating.

 After eating lunch at a nice Italian restaurant, Chris and I headed south from Fort Snelling toward the highway 77 bridge. Again I became “discabobblated” and had to reroute myself several times. I question whether I found all the trails I had planned to ride, but I did make it to the most southern latitude needed for the cross country traverse I am attempting. Chris had ridden half way and then rode back to the car to then drive down highway 110 to pick me up and head toward the Douglas State Trail in Pine Island, Minnesota.

Seg #24 Maze Boy Bike Ride Two B (MBR2B) 8/4/13

Segment # 24 Prairie Sunrise/HardwoodCreek Trail Stacy to Hugo MN 8_4_13
 

Start	Stacy, MN	45.40563-92.98670	NS miles 14.7
End	Hugo, MN	45.17712-92.99410	Trllgth 17.3Ride 22.6

Ride Hrs 2:20

AVS 9.6

MXS 26

KCAL 1848

Temp 78

El 890-960

 
Anyone following this blog will remember that Maze Boy Ride #2 was scheduled for May (See an older Post for Segment #15) but that trip was short one rider---Christopher Glenn was recovering from a hernia operation resulting in a opt-out situation. So Geoff and I did Maze Boy Bike Ride Two A (MBR2A) in Kansas. When Chris was mended and was able to get a couple days off from his hemodyalis position at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, he decided he could ride some trails with me in Minnesota. It seems appropriate to name these rides as Maze Boy Bike Ride Two B (MBR2B).

Three Maze Boys. Brother Flip the senior.
Chris the Junior and Me in-between 

Since we were going to pass within twenty miles of big brother George’s (better known as Flip) house, about seventy miles up Interstate 35, we diverted to Webster City, Iowa and dropped in on Flip and Carol. As you can see in the three Maze picture, George is doing well as the 85 year old captain of the Maze Team; in fact, better than sixteen years younger, littlest brother Glenn (that be me). After a nice chat and inspection of their Rutgers tomato patch, Chris and I headed up the interstate to Stacy, Minnesota. We found the trail head and had our picture taken by a passing bicyclist. Chris rode with me for half the trail and then rode back to the car as I kept going to Hugo, Minnesota. The ride was smooth asphalt so we averaged 9.6 mph, faster than normal for me. There were quite a few bikers, in-line skaters and cross country “no snow” skiers. Chris picked me up and we drove to St. Paul for segment # 25.

Segment #23: Frisco Highline, Wilson Creek Greenway Springfield, MO 7_25_13

Start	Willard, MO	37.304999 -93.42761	NS miles 14.7
End	Battlefield NM	37.09159,-93.40540	Trllgth18.8Ride 21

Ride Hrs 3:23

AVS 9.5

MXS 23

KCAL 908

Temp 86

El1088-1305

*These data are estimates; I rode my black Trek that no longer has a working computer

Trixie was first-rate in shepherding me to the comfort of the Comfort Inn and she splendidly found the trailhead in Willard, MO. Being so close to Springfield, I could not but try to contact one of my top ten residents, Jody Vance. Jody finished his periodontal specialty certification at Nebraska in 1994. Right after Dr. Kaldahl gave him his certificate, Jody jumped into a loaded moving truck with his car in tow. My guess is he drove all night to get to Springfield. This hard working young man jumped into practice feet first. I am so proud of his leadership; support of the dental profession; and dedication to his community. Not only did he blaze the bicycle trail

Jody with his Nebraska College of Dentistry classmate Marlene Feisthamel. These Cornhuskers keep Springfield teeth, gums and implants in excellent condition.

I rode, he was instrumental in organizing the Ozark Huskers. That's saying a lot for guy who grew up in Oklahoma.  His support of the Ozark Multiple Sclerosis Chapter is just another good guy thing this man fits into his busy schedule. Keep it going Jody!
  How impressing it was to see so many people riding the Frisco Highline trail. The trailhead parking lot in Springfield was packed and it wasn't even the weekend!  Unfortunately the Wilson Creek Trail doesn't connect with the Frisco Highline Trail so I had to do some creative peddling along the West Bypass, Republic Road and the streets of Battlefield. I was able to negotiate the traffic without a hitch to get to the Wilson Creek National Battlefield. The Battle of Wilson's Creek, August, 1861, opened the Civil War in Missouri. By the end of the war,

Over my shoulder, up by the lone

tree, is the restored farm home of
John Ray. Ray, his wife and nine
children along with an enslaved
woman and her four children and
a mail carrier all took shelter in
the cellar while the Confederates
used the home as a hospital.

 

Missouri had seen so many battles and skirmishes, it would rank as the third most
fought-over state in the nation. Many soldiers
hid and crawled through cornfields the farmers
in the area had planted. As a farm boy I was impressed that the battlefield was in prime shape with the corn tasseling over six feet---perfect for hide and seek guerrilla warfare. Despite the Union Army being 8,000 troops down to the 12,000 Confederates, the Union forces initially prevailed by using surprise attacks lead by General Nathaniel Lyon. But when Lyon was killed a day later, the Unionists retreated. Not until September, 1864 did the Union Army return. In the biggest battle of west of the Mississippi, the Battle of Westport, October 23rd, The Confederates were driven into Arkansas to never return.


When I was trying to establish my location on the Wilson Creek Trail, I came upon this work

of art, at least that is what I thought. There was no identifying plaque as to the name of the

piece nor the artist but I was intrigued and took this picture. When I ran into a local fellow at

least my age, I thought I would get the story. Well not only did he not know anything about a work of art in the area, he could not remember seeing this wall in the middle of no where next to the trail. Maybe it is left over bricks from Pink Floyd's The Wall? :-)

Seg#22 Prairie Spirit Trail #2 KS 7_24_13

Start	Garnett, KS	38.40145 -95.252604	NS miles 7.9
End	Richmond, KS	38.28303,-95.24920	Trl lgth 9.6Ride 19.2

Ride Hrs 2:10

AVS 9

MXS 14

KCAL 1600

Temp 88

Elev 960-1130

*These data are estimates; I rode my black Trek that no longer has a working computer

Ride segment #22 was a feel good ride with pequeno vento (Portuguese: “little wind”--- hearkening back to living in the Azores while serving in the US Air Force) or humidity and plenty of sunshine. It tickled me to be able to complete unfinished latitude Geoff and I were unable to complete on Segment #16. Since I was alone, I needed to peddle up the trail to Richmond, Kansas and back to Garnett, Kansas nine plus miles each way.  The train station in Garnett is a classic.



Garnett, Kansas: This is one of the
nicest trailhead stops I have seen.
An awesome restoration



 The original railroad, Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston Railroad, built in the 1868 eventually went bankrupt due to the Great Panic of 1891. The Santa Fe Railroad then procured the right of way and operated the tracks for ninety years. In 1990, the KTC Railway Corporation bought and subsequently abandoned the rail bed. In 1992, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks obtained title to the right of way and the first section of the Prairie Spirit Trail was built. Currently the trail is nearly sixty miles in length. Long range plans include joining the Prairie Spirit with the 117 mile Flint Hills Nature Trail and then connecting both trails to a Quad State Trail uniting four states,  Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.

Shorty after 5 p.m., I headed toward Springfield, Missouri for the Frisco-Highline Trail. Along the way I passed through Fort. Scott, Kansas. The town is quaint with eighteenth and early nineteen century buildings restored to their original glory.

Fort Scott National Historical Site today. The
post served to keep the peace and corral the
native Americans to the west side of the
Mississippi River. Heavy bloodshed occurred

The Fort was established by the US Army in 1842 to protect the Permanent Indian Frontier. Prior to the Civil War, Ft. Scott was a hotbed of controversy over the extension of slavery into new territories. Murder, rape, mayhem, robbery, arson and other hyenas crimes were committed by bold free-state, pro-slavery advocates in the name of the Cause. On January 29, 1861, Kansas entered the union as a free state but turmoil known by eastern newspapers as “Bleeding Kansas” continued throughout the Civil War. After the war between the states, the army pulled out of Fort Scott only to be called back in 1869 to deal with squatters  who forcefully opposed  the development of the railroad south of the military installation and the city of Fort Scott. The army became the scapegoat of problems between the squatters and the railroad, causing the troops to leave Fort Scott in 1873.  The development of the Fort Scott National Historical Site makes this area a destination point. I hope to return with Connie so she can enjoy the shops in the town along with the history at the historical site.

As I said before, I hate driving at night but that is just what I did. Trixie (the GPS Momma) was relied upon to get me to Bolivar, Missouri where I crashed a burned for a power sleep.

Even though Kansas is a flat state, there is tremendous beauty when the golden wheat contrasts with green trees and row crops. When I was on the farm, bales were liftable.

These two ton "porkers" require heavy equipment to lift, carry and stack. They are good for

hiding moonshine as we learned on the History Channel :-)

 

 

Seg #21 Hiway 12 Trl & Badger State Trl 7_11-12_13

 

Start	Middleton WI	43.19591-89.58140	NS miles 46
End	Clarno WI	42.51851,-89.64794	Trl lgth 52/Ride 52

Ride Hrs 5:40

AVS 17.9

MXS20.2

KCAL 4173

Temp 82

Elev 820-1115

What perfect weather for Segment #21. Mark, Donna, Connie and I headed out from Dubuque, IA and drove to north of Middleton, WI to find a paved bike path at the junction of highways 12 and 19. The nice thing was that 75% of the trail was downhill---a good warm-up, without the stress from hills and headwind. It was one of my top ten biking days ever, as far as ease of ride. Scenery and traffic noise kept the Cam Rating (see Cam and Cush names below) down to seven on a ten point scale. Low humidity kept the sweat beads from forming and the body cool. After riding the Highway 12 trail to Middleton, we loaded up the bikes and drove to the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, part of the University of Wisconsin Campus. A wordless sign at the gate displayed the ubiquitous NO Way Jose, showing an encircled bicycle image with a diagonal line through it. I was bummed out about my latitudes until I checked my GPS. It was clear I did not need to ride from as far north as Frautschi’s Point through the preserve. I made a note of the change in coordinates and we headed south toward Madison in search of the Blue Moon Bar on University Avenue.

Mark outside the Blue Moon in

pursuit of the Slimy Curd Motor-

cycle Club but "No Cigar"

The joint was minimally habituated likely due to the university students being off on summer break.  Mark was in hopes of meeting members of the Slimy Cruds Motorcycle Club that regularly meet at this bar. The bartender didn’t know that much about the group, a surprising response and eliciting a negative Cam Rating from me. After a sandwich and beer, we headed south on Highland Avenue to connect with the Southwest Commuter Trail and then Badger State Trail. We needed to ride to Belleview, ten miles, to complete half the distance of our two day ride. As we rode south the trail changed from paved to crushed limestone. Mark thought we could ride a bit farther to New Glarus to meet the ladies so he hailed down a bicycler coming toward us. This cyclist looked like Mark but wasn’t as sharp as Mark when it came to directions, confirming Cush’s Theorem. Back in our college days at UNI, we had given each other biblical names. Mine was Cam and his was Cush. Cush’s Theorem states that no matter who you ask for directions, there will be significant details excluded, thus resulting in not arriving at the correct place at the expected time. This was the case with the world experienced bicycler that we happened upon. We wanted to know how we could short cut to New Glarus so the gentleman told us and even drew us a map. After he left Mark said that can’t be right. “There is a road off this trail that will take us straight to New Glarus.,” Mark growled. “That guy doesn’t know what he is talking about.” Sure enough on the next day’s Badger Trail ride, Cush's Theorem: "Directional information tends to be generally misleading",  was confirmed---County Road W was the best shortcut.

Mark's Look-look-alike explains how we can "shortcut"

to New Glarus. If we would have followed his map,

we would have gone miles out of our way 

Cush's Theorem confirmed !!!

Mister Mystery Cycler directions would have caused us to ride six or more miles out of our way, bypassing the County Road W short-cut. This has taught me to have a bit of suspicion of directions, especially from someone that acts tough, all knowing and condescending. Remember my experiences with the Great River Trail directions (see Segment 20)?

After staying overnight in the Swiss settlement of New Glarus and a dinner of Swiss meatballs and fresh baked peach turnovers, we loaded up the bikes and headed to Clarno. Clarno is just a few miles north of a the Illinois-Wisconsin border. A light south by southeast wind pushed us up the trail. With wind at our tailfeathers, the ride from Clarno to Belleview went very smoothly. I was delighted that Mark remembered that we needed flashlights to see our way through the Stewart Tunnel south of Belleview. The tunnel was dug in late 1800’s by laborers from the Chicago, Madison and Northern Central Railroad. Workers (120) earning $1.25 per day, split into two groups; one group dug from the north side and the other from the south. A friendly competition developed between the north and south side excavators. In one year the tunnels met in the center of the mountain, askew by only one inch---near perfection, especially given the era and equipment available. I wish my camera had not broken in California but this 1887 photograph tells the story. The tunnel center is a constant fifty to sixty degree temperature, which made for a pleasant walk through the quarter mile passage on an 80 degree day. My headlight allowed for me to see modern day cave paintings---mostly graffiti of names and hearts but one day perhaps Martian explorers will think of this trash as a significant work of art? With my long beam headlight, I could also see the bend in the tunnel, one of the few tunnels in the world built with a curve. The first pass through the tunnel was February, 1888.

Workers building the Stewart Tunnel in 1887. Blasting,   
steam shovels and steam drills were critical to the project.

 

 



 

 



It was time to head home. The girls brought home some finds including a new purse and shoes for Connie. Donna is turning my wife into a shopper junkie :-)

Hiatus From Riding to California Dreaming

Connie with Geoff and Kayoka's California and
Toyko family including Chris' two, excluding
the photographer who is not cluttering the picture.

A break in cycling border to border in exchange for a nice trip to Geoff's in Long Beach California was a lovely respite. Most activity was youngster based with three trips to the beach, a Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) day, hitting golf balls (Ian, Geoff and me), LA Science Museum, Hollywood, swinging in the parks and tons of Play Nine card playing. It got a bit warm on Sunday but the rest of the time was typical super duper southern California weather. I miss that part of California but not the crowds and traffic. Believe it or not, smog has dissipated from the early 70's with clearer views of the mountains and less exhaust odors. This picture is not the best, mainly because I lost control of my camera at KBF. It crash landed on a concrete walkway. Looking like a rear end fender bender accident---we saw several of those in just a week---I didn't think I could get it to function. Somehow I was able to get the accordian-like lens to operate even though the shutter cover was toast. I guess now is the time to move into the 21st Century. I will see if I can keep up with Alex and Ian and buy an Iphone 5. Apparently it takes super pictures. I remember dental students at Georgia taking intraoral images of their patients with eariler versions and having excellent outcomes. An Iphone would be good for my cycling having apps in that it will help with directions and distances. The GPS in the car doesn't work well in remote areas (see Seg #20 post).

The tough part of the trip was flying out of Denver to LAX. Thunderstorms had moved into the Denver area and some planes were turning around and going back to the gates. For some reason our plane was going to go. Thanks United Airlines for the hellasis white knuckled ride. Ian seemed to like being thrown around like a ping pong ball, but I was really stressed. Connie and Alex did better than me but they didn't enjoy it either. With the San Franciso and Alaska crashes coming on the heals of our flight, I have decided this may be my last plane ride, Connie too. Amtrax here we come! Yoshiharu and Mitsue, Kayoko's parents have a long ride back to Toyko: I just hope they don't have deal with a Denver-like experience.The next post on TAVRT should be a trip from the Illinois border to north of Madison, WI. Thanks for following me.