Ice Bikes

Freewheel Bike has been hosting a bike race on the ice of Lake Minnetonka for a few years. They’re a local shop in town. Every year in mid February, they plow a maze-like course in Lake Minnetonka, then invite cyclists to race for the title of fastest ice racer. They usually line up a beer sponsor for onsite suds. Lucid was the brew in 2013 … Continue reading Ice Bikes

Still #FindingWinter

It has been nearly three months since the good folks at Mountain Hardwear sent me a package of goods and a booklet welcoming me to their #FindingWinter athlete ambassador team. Winter was looking like a certainty when I opened that package. Ski trips were being booked. I had every intention of spending more time outdoors than indoors this winter. Then everything went wrong. Pneumonia sidelined … Continue reading Still #FindingWinter

Fly Fishing. Now With More Brats.

If this trip were a menu, I would order everything. But not that I need a menu to eat. Angry Catfish is now our traditional starting point. They serve up stellar hot caffeinated beverages and sell pastries from Baker’s Wife, a bakery two stores down. Between the two is Buster’s on 28th, a bar that has an extensive tap list. We set off at 7:30 … Continue reading Fly Fishing. Now With More Brats.

Lake Maria State Park. Year Two.

The journey began with pizza, as all storied journeys do. I just wanted to write that. Anyways. We loaded up Subi (my Subaru) and headed west on I-94. Lake Maria State Park is about 45 minutes from Minneapolis. From downtown, take I-94 west until the second Monticello exit. The park is eight miles west of the freeway. Farm fields speckled by oak groves, rolling hills … Continue reading Lake Maria State Park. Year Two.

Slow Fishing

“All you need is a credit card and you can be an outdoorsman on Instagram.” If you look at a cache of photos on any given hashtag–#campvibes, #camptrend, #liveauthentic, whatever–you’ll find a few photos of people doing cool shit. You can see people hiking the PCT, traversing glaciers or camping in Trolltunga. But most of all, you’ll see people standing in a field with their … Continue reading Slow Fishing

Breaking In A New Cabin

Pine forest meets shipping container meets hygge. A new Dakota County regional park opened just south of St. Paul on the border of Rosemount and Farmington. It’s called Whitetail Woods. The park has a few miles of ski and hiking trails, but the main attraction has been the camper cabins, which welcomed their first guests around Christmastime. Reservations for these cabins opened to the public … Continue reading Breaking In A New Cabin

#FindingWinter with Mountain Hardwear

It wasn’t more than a week ago in Minneapolis that I could walk outside in an unbuttoned without a chill. I could bike home from work without gloves, crack a window and night and hear the crunch of leaves underfoot. Things are different now. Winter coats are required, sidewalks need to be shoveled and that crunch underfoot is ice and snow. Winter is here. I’m … Continue reading #FindingWinter with Mountain Hardwear