Second Bike Minnesota 350 Trek Begins this Weds!

3 Days and Counting!

Hey friends,

After a long hiatus, the Tales From the Trail Blog is back! Last fall, I blogged about the bike adventures (and misadventures) I had while traveling around the state on the Bike Minnesota 350 clean energy trek. Then, I took you to Copenhagen, where you got a behind the scenes look at how policy (or sausage) is made at the United Nations.

This Wednesday, the second great Bike MN 350 Epic Trek will begin. This ride will be a little bit older and wiser than the last. We won't be doing any 100 mile days this time, and we won't be anywhere near mountain lion territory when the sun goes down.

We have a slew of amazing stops along our journey, including a tour of the McNeilus Wind Farm, a tour of the largest solar array in the state at St. John's University, and one night where we'll even be camping out at an alpaca farm. The solutions to our climate challenges are already being created across the state; on this ride we will seek them out and learn what it takes to transition to a sustainable future.

The kickoff event for our great adventure will be in Como Park by the Pavilion starting at 10am, and the bikers will hit the trail at 11. Keep an eye out for future posts as we give you a glimpse of clean energy, local agriculture, and bike transit in rural and small town Minnesota.

Happy biking,
Reed

Day Eight: The Minnesota River Valley

Maia poses for a picture, looking tough by a park just outside of Granite Falls



















This morning, we left June & Kurt's beautiful "Sweet Land" (Yes, the movie was filmed in part on their farm!), but only after a breakfast of very local bacon & pancakes. Kurt and June were amazing hosts!



















We biked into town to see the cozy indoor farmer's market, housed in a log cabin with a fireplace! We also stopped in Java River, a cute coffee shop downtown featuring signs of the many well respected sustainability organizations based out of Montevideo, such as the Land Stewardship Project. Having bid Colin farewell, we continued the trek.





















Today was a beautiful day of biking along the Minnesota River, through woods, valleys, and very steep hills. After coming through the Upper Sioux Reservation we biked along cow dotted pastures, corn fields, and barns.

Day Five: The Wobegone Trail to Dave Jacobon's Place

10-14-09

I woke up early today so that I could get to Dave Jacobson's prairie preserve by mid afternoon. First though, I jumped on my bike and followed Theo to the solar array area on campus.

Right now it's just a field of tubes and support structures, but by the end of November, it will be the largest solar array in Minnesota by four times! Theo and I got there at just the right moment and happened to run into a worker who was happy to talk about his pride in building the solar photovoltaic collection facility. He excitedly introduced us to the manager, who was proud to have his construction company, MA Mortenson, working on the project. He thinks that this is a trend, and that soon other colleges will also rise to the challenge of becoming more energy efficient.

Then Theo and I hit the trail. The Lake Wobegone trail is beautiful and the weather was warmer (than it had been at least!). I travelled through prairie and farmland and beautiful natural spaces, crossing through many towns along my way and meeting many interesting people.

I had a good conversation in Spanish with a couple of guys working at the local turkey stuffing plant. They thought that this year has been better than average for crops, but were concerned about long term environmental changes.

I stopped in at Charlie's Cafe in Freeport and had the best breakfast food for lunch I think I've ever had at a restaurant. Mel, my server, was excited to find out about the bike trek and wrote a note in the book that I'll be taking to Copenhagen. Thank you Mel!

I biked through Sauk Centre and north to Dave Jacobson's farm turned prairie land, and I got there in the nick of time. Right after I pulled my bike into the garage it began raining after a completely dry ride.

Dave brought me on a tour of his land in his jeep and explained why he had decided to take the farm that had been in his family since 1885 and return it to the native prairie savannah it had once been. Starting in 1992, he began to transfer the cropland to native land, doing research with the help of the DNR to find out where the original ponds and plants had been. Then, over the course of more than a decade, he reconstructed six ecosystems in what is possibly the most biodiverse restoration project ever to occur in Minnesota.

Day Two: Flats, Chats, and Nice Warm Hats

Uh Oh: The Flat Tire Fiasco

We set out from the refuge of Rebecca Otto's alternative energy home into the brisk chill of the Minnesota autumn morning. We travelled for about half a mile and everything was going well until I started to hear a "thu-thunk, thu-thunk." Oh, no, a flat tire, and not just any old tire, it had to be the rear one. I've changed a front tire before, but I realized (a little bit too late!) that I'd never learned how to change the back tire of a bike.

For hours, Maia & I worked on our quest to fix the tire. Many thanks to Amy Sabrina @ the Sweetgrass Farm and her friends for telling us how to actually get the tire off! After working "tire"lessly for a couple of hours, we put in a new tube, figured out how to fill it up and hit the road.


















Karen Clark & The Women's Environmental Institute

We stopped for conversation (and tasty brownies!) at the Women's Environmental Institute north of Almelund. Up a large hill, the brick building of the center stands like a part of the landscape, surrounded by a beautiful organic orchard.

We sat down by a warm, crackling fire with Karen Clark, the Institute director and were joined by a couple from the U of M who were spending the weekend on the farm. Karen talked about how the Institute focuses on issues of environmental justice in both the Twin Cities and north of Almelund. Karen believes that we need to prepare for climate change in ways that are fair and do not disenfranchise those who are poor and already struggling, and that it is an issue of environmental justice

Last Minute Preparations

The saddlebags are full and the winter gear is ready to take on any weather that good old mother nature (or should I say mother Minnesota?) can send us. This evening, I had a wonderful meeting with State Auditor Rebecca Otto, who is going to host the Bike MN 350! team at her home along our route. Rebecca and her husband Sean have made their home 80% carbon neutral, with a wind turbine, solar, and geothermal energy. It always feels good when you find out that there are actually representatives who practice what they preach.

This August, when the idea for this epic bike trek first came to me, I thought that it would be a piece of cake. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. Now, after two months of planning, and phone tag, of gearing up and saddling down, this adventure is about to become reality.

Until next time,
Reed

Getting Ready To Hit The Trail

10/08/09: This past week, I have had a series of amazing experiences speaking with classrooms and groups engaged in climate solutions work in the Twin Cities. It is hard to believe that after months of planning, an idea is about to become reality as the Bike MN 350! team hits the trail this Saturday. I've never undertaken anything this enormous before, but I'm ready, and I know we can overcome any challenge we may face on the trail ahead of us.

This Saturday, we will be hosting a Base Camp kickoff event open to the public as our team of cyclists departs. Come join us, along with polar explorers, youth delegates to the UN Conference On Climate Change, the Will Steger Foundation, 1Sky, OXFAM, and Carrot Mob at the Harriet Alexander Nature Center in Roseville, MN (10:10am til' noon).

-Reed