August 30, 2023
Aliens Send Gigantic Birds To Invade SW Minnesota Bike Trail
Minnesota State University--Mankato
After a delicious breakfast of coffee and two heaping spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter, I tackled one of Sakatah Lake State Park's hiking trails. It was pretty nice. There is no doubt that I like hiking through forests of view-blockers better than I like biking through them.
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Then I was back on the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail. That thing is really starting to grow on me. I rode on it for about 25 miles today, and I only had to use two gears the whole time.
And there were a few nice towns along the way. Waterville and Elysian, in particular, seem to embrace the cycling culture. I rode into the downtown areas of each town.
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https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/american-white-water-lily
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https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/64237-Phragmites-australis
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By the way, this time of year, you can soak the red seed heads in water to make a lemonade type drink... Really good. Flavor is due to malic acid.
https://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/sumac-lemonade/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_grasshopper
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/167829/browse_photos
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A bike trip to southwest Minnesota would not be complete without visiting the biggest city in the region. With a population of 45,140, it is the 22nd largest city in Minnesota. I got that population figure from a little research I conducted a few minutes ago. I also learned that 34 of the 50 most populous cities in the state are Minneapolis, St. Paul, and their suburbs. In fact, more than half of the state's population live in the metro area. With that in mind, Mankato is a pretty big deal in outstate Minnesota.
In addition, Mankato is the home of Minnesota State University. My accommodations for this evening are on campus.
To get to the campus, there was a significant climb of about eight blocks away from the river and downtown. That surprised me, but I made it.
Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 107 miles (172 km)
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Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
Now you are into my old stomping grounds. I was a professor for 18 years at Minnesota State, and faculty advisor to the MSU bicycling club. I even lived in Madison Lake for a year and rode the Sakata trail almost daily , weather permitting. There’s much to see around town, if you know where to look. And the river valley makes a great ride. I’ll be waiting on the next installment to see where you go .
Cheers,
Keith
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