Well, this happened back in June, but I've been meaning to blog it since then. I finally used my Surly for something other than riding to work. Every time I loaded it up with office clothes, the same old lunch, and commuter garb, I could hear my touring bike growl a little. A nine mile jaunt through suburbia only to sit in the corner of my windowless office for who knows how many hours is not a way to treat touring bike nor rider. So I finally got it loaded up with camping gear and ventured out of town. Actually, I drove the first couple miles cuz I was short on time and it was the only way to get as far away from the city as I'd intended. I took the Gateway Trail from just outside St. Paul to the highways of Washington County, MN, then on to Interstate State Park on the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. It was hot and sticky, as are many MN summer days, but it was nice to get out and ride, have a fire, sleep in a tent, not work, etc. I intend on more touring; I don't know with the falls schedule already filling if I'll get the Surly out of town overnight again in '08 but more trips will follow. Touring a great distance (ocean to ocean, or UT to AK are possibilities) is still on my "bucket list". Most people have some of those type of lifelong intentions, and few make it happen. The sad statistics make me realize it may be the type of thing to force into happening if you can find the right way. Still thinking. Still time. If I get to 50 and haven't done it it'll be time to drop everything and go. But for now, a night out in MN was fun:
My two workhorses. I prefer the two-wheeled option, but the other tends to get me to UT quicker under tighter timeframes. :)
In Washington County, MN...
Gentle descent down to Marine on St. Croix...
Campsite along the St. Croix River...
The combination of campfires and bikes will always make me smile. It was a good day...
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