The longest days of the year makes for extended daylight perfect for long rides to a spot to watch the sunset. This was something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Ride to Mounds Park in St. Paul with a cooler full of beers and watch the sunset behind the skyline during Solstice week.

A group met up at Angry Catfish at 5pm for pre-ride beverages before heading to Surly Brewing (my employer) at 6pm. Brats were consumed. Plastic pints were enjoyed. And it was really windy. Like, too windy. We’re talking sustained 30 mph. But with the proper aforementioned combination of beer and brats, what wind?

Parker from ACF pulled the cooler the 10ish miles from the brewery to the park. We pedaled down parkways and through downtown before heading up an antique road with a one-lane bridge to get to our vantage point. Everyone was nice enough to empty the cooler so Parker didn’t have to pull all that weight back home. It was a shining example of empathetic humanity.