Day Three: Snow Day!

Monday! Oh Monday!! Today I woke up, looked out the window, and saw SNOW. Again.

I set out from the Hauan’s warm farm by North Branch into the bitter cold of the wintry morning. Okay, I told myself, I knew what I was getting into when I decided to organize the bike ride in October in MINNESOTA; I would stick it out, I wouldn’t let any weather deter me. The roads were free of snow, but they were wet, and by the time I got to the City Center Market in Cambridge, even my “waterproof” shoe liners were soaked like sponges.

As I entered the co-op, I felt like I was like a traveler in a sleety desert who had just stumbled upon an oasis of heat and locally grown produce. Susan, who was working at the register, greeted me and called Gail, the manager, who showed me to a table where I could sit down and drape all of my wet clothing over the chairs. Thank you Gail for putting up with my mess!

Gail left for a while to return to a meeting, and I met and talked with customers at the store who were excited to learn about Bike MN 350, and shared their opinions about clean energy, climate change, and Copenhagen.

After getting some delicious organic squash soup from the deli and a decaffeinated cup of coffee from Cafe Caffeine next door, I sat down and talked with whoever came by the table.

When Gail got out of her meeting I was able to interview her on the importance of buying local to take action on climate change and the message she would like us to take to Copenhagen. See an interview clip, coming soon! City Center Market has been thinking of ways to increase its efficiency in ways that are cost effective.

An hour later the snow had stopped, and I was biking along when my phone rang from my bag. Trying to answer it, I fell from my bike off the side of the road. Fortunately, I wasn't hurt and I answered the phone in time, just as cop cars whizzed by me at top speed. On the phone was Josie from St. John's University, calling to say that I could stay at the Abbey in the guest house the following day and meet with Theo, the Sustainability Fellow at the university to talk about the new solar installation.

Shortly afterwards, I crested a hill and saw that there was yet another challenge before me. The bridge was out. I could only go south when I needed to go north. This added another hour to my trip. Also, there was no shoulder on the road! Get with it, road infrastructure! Make room for bikes!

I also got lost for a couple hours when I took the wrong road of two roads with the same name. It was starting to get dark and I was lost, but I turned around and found my way.

Finally, I got to Amy Sabrina's Sweetgrass Farm after sunset, exhausted but exhilarated to see her.

Over dinner, we talked about what she's been doing at the Sweetgrass Farm. For someone raised on city food, it was a treat to eat local, organic, real food. We ate venison burgers that were awesome and wild rice, drank chaga (a coffee substitute made out of a type of mushroom). Her idea of how to do something as a solution is to live the way that she would like others to live and to share that by introducing people to it. She doesn't like teaching people to do things, she likes teaching creativity. She told me about the community dances and why she does them. No matter what a person's point of view, dancing breaks down barriers. When that happens, people are more open, happy, and joyful. She thinks you can't do any important work unless fun is part of it.

We put on music and danced!

Then..
Sleeeeeeeep!!!!