SNOW.

Last winter was disappointing in respect to snowfall.  Nobody minds if we miss out on the -20 temps, but we like to have some snow if it's going to be cold at all.  Especially since fatbikes are so on the rise here.  I bought my Mukluk 2 last year, and didn't get to ride much on snow.  I still had a great time however, and I've been looking forward to this winter ever since.  

Last Sunday brought us our first big snowfall in the Twin Cities.  Some surrounding areas apparently got a foot and a half.  We didn't see that much, but got our fair share.  We went from brown to thoroughly white and fluffy.  I was finishing a trip for work in the morning, and thankfully we were able to land in the heavy snow and low visibility, since I wanted to be done with work and ride my Mukluk!  :)  Jonathan was up for it too, so we met at the MN river bottoms like usual and took off.  

In many places it was quite ridable with a little grunt work, and in some places it was as much fresh powder as even a fatbike will plow through.  (I've heard that with higher temps and many people out riding/snowshoeing the bottoms have become pretty nice to ride since, but haven't been back down yet.)   Packed snow and fresh powder are two different animals.  

We had a great time seeing what the Mukluks/ourselves could take, and simply being out in nature when it's dumping snow.  We like our four different seasons.  Hopefully this winter will bring lots of snow like Sunday did.  Have fun out there!

Rainy fatbike afternoon..

The weather in STP has been a roller-coaster this week.  September usually brings fall and an end to the summer heat, which I look forward to being a Northerner.  Well, last year's hot winter lead to this year's  hot summer, and tuesday was in the 90's with 40mph wind gusts.  Gross.  I did get out anyway that day on my Long Haul Trucker for a jaunt around town, and it was simply biking for the sake of biking- not particularly enjoyable however.  So when it finally cooled of yesterday and started raining, I at last felt some fall in the air and brought the fatbike down off it's garage hangers to get out into the Minnesota River Bottoms.  I had no real plans for mileage or goals of any kind other than enjoying the kind of riding the big tires bring.  Floating over miles of sandy trail, beach, flood plain, and muck is a good time if you ask me (and an ever growing number of cyclists in MN).  

I started out at the Sibley House historical site in Mendota Heights, which is a popular meeting place for river rambles.  The trail started out downright clean for rainy fall weather, and as the day went on and the sections of trail thinned, I got the broad range of conditions the area can throw at you.  Anywhere from stuff that could be handled on a cyclocross bike, to muck and sand that only the fat machine likes.  

Large bird that stayed put just until I took this picture- so it's the white blur taking off.  :)

Getting thinner and weedier...

OK, getting sticky and heavy...(still fine with a fatbike however)

Where is the trail?  Wait, who cares.  

I'm pretty excited for the upcoming fall and winter seasons, as I think the fatbiking scene is pretty stacked this year.  More and more people are starting to ride big tires, and more events are showing up all the time.  Plus, maybe it will actually snow and get cold this year.  :)  We'll see.  But I think there will be more people to adventure with either way, and I'm planning some good stuff.  Hopefully ideas meet reality.

Route here.