Author Archives: Russ Lowthian

Bike Pic July 29, a fun animated water stop for hydration

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Here in this bike pic Thursday, we captured this biker dude filling his water bottle from a fun animated water fountain.

Get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. An now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic  

Now rolling through our 16th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, our goal is to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where it was shot? Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 13th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

This Wheelie Wednesday, with the kickoff of Penn Cycle’s Thursday Night Mountain Bike Races at Buck Hill tomorrow night. Take a chance, if life were a mountain bike trail a wheelie could help smooth out your day-to-day ride.

Bike Pic July 28, wheelie Wednesday may get you into your sweet spot

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This bike pic Wednesday, if life were a mountain bike trail and Wheelie Wednesday helped smooth out your ride, why not drop into your sweet spot. Here are some tips to make the rest of your week an adrenaline high?

Get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. An now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic  

Now rolling through our 16th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, our goal is to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]Biking.com. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where it was shot? Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 13th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

Here we caught a number of touring cyclists enjoying some of routes in Minnesota's Bluff Country, that will be a part of the LaCrosse Bicycle Festival, September 1 - 4. 

Bike Pic July 27, A picture perfect day riding Bluff Country

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Here in this bike pic, we caught a number of touring cyclists enjoying some of the scenic routes in Minnesota’s Bluff Country, in southeast Minnesota.

Get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. An now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic  

Now rolling through our 16th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, our goal is to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where it was shot? Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 13th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

This Bike Pic Monday, fond memories, of riding into the morning sun with warmer weather ahead.

Bike Pic July 26, riding into the Monday morning sun

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This Bike Pic Monday reflects on fond memories of riding into the morning sun, We found this biker chick in the HFB Archives riding the Tour D’ Amico in 2019, on the fourth of July.

Get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. An now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic  

Now rolling through our 16th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, our goal is to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where it was shot? Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 13th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

Its Ice Cream Smiles Sunday! So pump up the tires and plan your #NextBikeAdventure with a stop at your favorite ice cream shop.

Bike Pic July 25, ice cream smiles Sunday adds fun to a hot weekend

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It’s Ice Cream Smiles Sunday! So pump up the tires and plan your #NextBikeAdventure with a stop at your favorite ice cream shop.

Get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. An now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic  

Now rolling through our 16th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, our goal is to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where it was shot? Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 13th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

Bike Pic July 25, the Munsinger Gardens is a relaxing stop

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The Munsinger Gardens is a great place to stop and relax when visiting or passing through St Cloud, MN on a MRT (Mississippi River Trail).

Get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. An now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic  

Now rolling through our 16th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, our goal is to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where it was shot? Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 13th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

The Minnesota Scoop, a tasty tour across the state with extra rewards

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Each time you ride your bike, stop for some ice cream and get rewarded by having your Minnesota Scoop punch card. Eating ice cream is so delicious, and enjoying well-crafted ice cream is its own reward, but the Minnesota Office of Tourism has sweetened the pot. If you are looking at adding some tasty fun to your next bike or outdoor adventure this summer and love ice cream this reward is for you.

On this bike pic Sunday we found this biker chick enjoying a tasty treat.

Once you’ve completed your Minnesota Scoop punch card, submit your entry below for a free Minnesota Scoop t-shirt. Plus, you can register for a chance to win grand prize travel packages all across the state. Prizes available include weekend hotel stays across the state, museum tickets, and restaurant gift cards. You could wrap up your summer enjoying a weekend away that’s uniquely Minnesota.

This Bike Pic, Ice Cream Smiles Sunday, enjoy a sweet treat with friends – before, during or after your #NextBike Adventure.

Participating Minnesota Scoop Shops

You’ll find some funky flavors from participating ice cream shops across the state. Nearly 100 shops in Minnesota are participating, each creating a special #OnlyinMN creation. Here are a few of the special treats we have discovered along the trail while exploring the maps in the Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide:

At Two Scoops in Anoka, try the Fat Elvis.

Blast Softserve on Rose St. in Owatonna, pairs Costas Candies, with a special blend of their ice cream to create a #OnlyinMN treat. The combination of Costas’ Maple Buttercreme and creamy vanilla soft serve is worth a visit here to Owatonna. 

CannonBelles in Cannon Falls, also offers some of the exotic, like Big Muddy and Black Licorice.

It’s always fun when riding in the Twin Cities Gateway to stop for ice cream.

How to get a punch card to get rewarded

When you enter a participating ice cream shop, pick up a punch card and get it stamped. Once you’ve visited one of the 100 shops five times (and yes, you can repeat the same shop), upload an image of your completed punch card here.

When out riding, with friends, stopping for a sweet treat!

After completing the punch card, you’ll get a free Minnesota Scoop t-shirt (they’re truly pretty fashionable). The T-shirts are limited to the first 500 claimants, so start your adventure ASAP!

In addition, you’ll be entered into the sweepstakes to win a grand travel package and other weekly giveaways. For example, you could win a hotel stay in the Twins Cities or the Iron Range, museum tickets, or restaurant gift cards. The sweepstakes entry period ends August 1.

Remember to eat ice cream while enjoying your favorite Minnesota outdoor activity, and get rewarded!

On this bike pic Sunday, we found this biker chick enjoying a tasty treat with her daughter, on an overnight stop, on the ride across Iowa on RAGBRAI.

On this bike pic Sunday, we found this biker chick enjoying a tasty treat with her daughter.

Also, check back to HaveFunBiking.com each week for our Ice Cream Smiles Sunday Pic of Day. You may notice a smiling face and we invite you to submit your photo’s to [email protected].

Have Fun!

 

It’s Friday's Bike Pic, so stay cool  and ride off on another weekend of fun, taking in that #nextbikeadventure.

Bike Pic July 23, yeah its Friday, ready for another heat wave?

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It’s Friday’s Bike Pic, and with hot/humid weather in the forecast, stay hydrated and ride off on another weekend of fun, taking in that #nextbikeadventure.

Get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. An now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic  

Now rolling through our 16th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, our goal is to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where it was shot? Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 13th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

The Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Tour has split into three fun weekends

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The Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Tour has a whole new look to keep everyone safe in 2021. By splitting the event over three different weekends, they have created the ultimate in safe social distancing. Helping to make sure everyone has a memorable time. This year’s tour #1 is July 31st, Tour #2 is August 28th, and Tour #3 is September 18th. Regardless of the three Mesabi Tour dates you choose, you will experience the same outstanding customer service and reliable logistics they have been famous for over the past 15 years.

The Mesabi Trail Tour, on the trail, crossing one of the iron ore tracks.

While you pedal (fully supported) along one of Minnesota’s premiere paved bicycle trails, you will encounter historic & scenic points of interest, food & music at rest stops, and a finish line celebration complete with a picnic lunch and more music!

Cost of riding the Mesabi Trail Tour in 2021

The cost of riding this year’s event (cost per weekend ride) is $45 for riders 17 years and older.  The ride is still free for kids 16 and under, with a parent or guardian riding along.

Noticeable changes to the 2021 Mesabi Trail Tour

If you have ridden the Mesabi Trail Tour before, here are the changes you will see for 2021:

  • Instead of one big tour in August – choose from three smaller tours throughout the biking season.
  • Instead of one long linear route – each tour will travel out & back on the Mesabi Trail from the same location – you will encounter TWO-WAY bicycle traffic.
  • Instead of four linear routes – choose from two routes of about 25 & 50 miles, out & back on the Trail.
  • The number of participants will be limited to 200 per tour each weekend instead of accepting an unlimited number of riders in the past.
  • Instead of opening registration in January – registration will open six weeks before each tour, running for about four weeks or until limits are reached.

The scenery is stunning along the Mesabi Trail.

Spring, summer or Fall your riding experience on the Mesabi Trail is what great memories are made from.

Spring, Summer, or Fall, your riding experience on the Mesabi Trail is what great memories are made from.

The view is stunning as you cross over the Rouchleau Mine Pit. Open to both walkers and bikers in the summer, and snowmobilers can enjoy crossing here in the winter. The contrast between the aqua blue water and the red cliffs below is breathtaking. The bridge spans across an abandoned mine pit that was named after Louis Rouchleau. It is now filled with water that is 450 feet at its deepest point.  With many natural springs feeding this three miles long, by five miles wide open pit, it is the main water supply for the City of Virginia.

More information to plan your visit to the Mesabi Trail

For more information and lodging options, visit the Iron Range Tourism Bureau: https://ironrange.org/motel

Be sure to add to your summer biking itinerary a visit to the Mesabi Trail. This paved trail system currently offers over a hundred miles to explore. The trail will reach 155 miles when complete, connecting Grand Rapids, at the Mississippi River Trail to Ely, next to the Boundary Waters. To learn more, go to: http://www.mesabitrail.com/.

Bike Pic July 22, finding a cool place to ride

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A cool place to ride a bike on a hot-humid Thursday. Here a couple of young cyclists find pleasure riding along the lake roads north of Hutchinson, MN.

Get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. An now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic  

Now rolling through our 16th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, our goal is to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where it was shot? Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 13th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!