I'm glad Dan told me about the Luce Line Trail yesterday.  Designed for non-motorized traffic, this former railroad track was a great respite from the increasingly heavy traffic as I approached the Twin Cities metro area.  It only required a four-mile detour from my planned route on Highway 7 and it was well worth the effort.

I had the 35-mile Luce Line pretty much to myself.  The crushed limestone was hard, dry, and in good condition.  I saw two deer early on, four or five walkers, and no bicycle riders.  At least 50% of the trail was shaded by trees in comparison to almost 0% shade on the highway--no small consideration on another hot, humid day.

Something that caught my attention were the frequent signs telling trail users to clean up after their dogs.  The signs detailed the many diseases that dog feces can spread to children.  "IT'S THE LAW," the signs proclaimed.  And, to back it up, the state trail system even provides little plastic baggies for the cleanup task. 

I was glad to see the "It's the Law" signs were working.  I did not see a single dog turd all day.  Sad to say, however, horses--or should I say, horse owners--seem to get a free pass.  

A horse trail runs parallel to the hiking/biking trail.  In some sections the two trails run concurrently.  In those stretches where hikers, dog walkers, cyclists, and horse riders are on the same path, I saw many piles of horse crap.  (I can only assume that the separate horse areas are similarly disgraced by the huge poop of horses.)  WHAT'S UP WITH THAT??!!  Why aren't horses held to the same standard as dogs?  Why aren't horse riders required to clean up after THEIR beasts with big, 5-gallon plastic bags?  Why aren't horse-apples considered a disease threat to children?  Why is "The Law" applied so selectively to one species of pet?  Just wondering.

The Luce Line State Trail took me into Plymouth, a big western suburb of Minneapolis.  From the end of the trail, I navigated my way to the Super 8 motel in Golden Valley.  This will be the last night of my adventure.  From here, it is only 45 miles to my home in Hastings.  As I write this, I don't know what else to say about that.