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Rohanda and Jim Victorsen look on, with a grin, as Jen Pacyga waves (front right) as she prepares to dip her wheel into the Headwaters for the ride of her life (May of 2012), on the Mississippi River Trail (MRT).
Thanks for viewing the Bike Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking, hope you enjoy the photo?
Now, rolling into our 10th year as a bicycle media, our goal is to continue to encourage more people to bike, while showcasing unforgettable places to ride. As we search and post more fun photos worth a grin, scroll through the information and stories we have posted to help you find your next adventure. Then, if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, next to the route you regularly commute, or at an event you plan to attend with your bike, be prepared to smile. You never know where camera will be and what we will posted next!
Do you have a fun photo of yourself or someone you know that you would like to see us publish? If so, please send it our way and we may use it. Send your picture(s) to [email protected] with a brief caption (of each), including who is in the photo (if you know) and where it was taken. Photo(s) should be at least 620 pixels wide for us to post. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.
As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please reference our blog and the annual bike guide to find your next adventure. We are proud of the updated, at-a-glance information, and maps we are known for in the Destination section of our website. Now, as the Bike/Hike Guide goes into its seventh year of production, we are adding a whole new dimension of bicycle tourism information available for mobile device. Plus, beginning September 2015, this year’s e-version of the Guide will move to quarterly editions where you may see some additional bike pics posted.
Bookmark HaveFunBiking.com and find your next adventure – we may capture you in a pic to post!
Above, riders enjoying the Browns Creek Trail as they roll into Stillwater, MN,
This week the HaveFunBiking Bike Getaway Contest spotlights Stillwater, the 1848 Birthplace of Minnesota, located on the scenic St. Croix River. A bike friendly destination where, when not pedaling, see paddleboats, riverboats and gondolas glide over the water while enjoying unique shopping, dining and entertainment experiences surrounding the new Brown’s Creek Trailhead. A great starting point for many bicycling opportunities, Stillwater is located on the eastside of the Twin City Metro Area and 30 minutes from Downtown St. Paul.
Biking in Stillwater, on the hill at the corner of Fourth Street S. and Churchill Street W. next to Chilkoot Cafe & Cyclery.
Along with the new Brown’s Creek trail that connect to the Gateway Trail, touring cyclists will find hundreds of miles of low traffic, scenic roads meandering in and out of the river valley here in Washington County and over the Lift Bridge into Wisconsin’s countryside. When not riding other fun activities include: birding, hiking, paddling or just hanging out in Stillwater, along the river.
This Bike Getaway highlights a prize package you can build on. It begins with a complimentary one-night stay for two, at Water Street Inn, located in the historic downtown Stillwater area on the river near the remarkable Lift Bridge and bike trail.
Then quench your thirst at the newest craft beer brewery in town, also near the bike trail, on Main Street. Here enjoy a Rock Star Flight (every beer on tap) and two Maple Island Brewing pint glasses to take home.
Map of the Browns Creek and Gateway Way Trails.
Other fun opportunities to check out while staying in Stillwater:
Take a walking tour along the communities hillside streets and view the many historic homes, churches and the Stillwater Library
And, stop into Chilkoot Cafe & Cyclery, on the hill at the corner of Fourth Street S. and Churchill Street W.
The winner of this Stillwater Getaway Package will be selected from our HaveFunBiking e-Database on Tuesday, August 18th. If you haven’t subscribed, please register now for our weekly drawings and the HaveFunBiking e-Newsletter by clickinghere.
About Stillwater and the St Croix Riveand Churchill Street W.r Valley
The City of Stillwater is a popular spot for active individual’s using the new Brown’s Creek paved trail system when visiting. A charming historic town built from its early lumber and river e-commerce days, this bike friendly community is a half hour drive from the St. Paul, located on the St Croix River, bordering Wisconsin. The bike trail here gradually follows the Brown’s Creek Valley out of town and intersect with the Gateway Trail that you can ride all the way into St Paul. Staying in Stillwater, enjoy the historic downtown area where it’s easy to find a delicious place to eat or stop after a ride to enjoy an ice cream treat. If water sports (fishing or paddling) are also your thing, extend your stay for more fun on the water. With more than 15 lodging properties (B & B’s, Historic Inn’s, Hotels and House/Lodge rentals it’s easy to make Stillwater your vacation headquarters and waking up to the relaxing sounds of an occasional riverboat whistle. For more information about Stillwater and its many options, see: DiscoverStillwater.com.
About the Bike Getaway Contest
If you like the bike map’s in the HaveFunBiking.com “Bike/Hike Guide” Minnesota edition, here is your chance to win a Getaway Package to one of the bike friendly areas we showcase. Each week, starting June 2nd, we will draw an email address from our e-subscriber database. The selected winner will then be informed they have won a Bike Getaway Package to one of our bicycle friendly destinations highlighted the previous week. The last drawing will be held on September 28th, for a Fahrlander Fitwell Bike. Just registering here to win, it’s simple and no cost to you.
* Please note all our e-database subscribers’ email addresses are used strictly for the HaveFunBiking.com’s e-Magazine and contests and will not be sold to any third party venders.
As the Mississippi River Trail(MRT) travels north, then south from Itasca State Park to the Gulf of Mexico, it passes through the Brainerd Lakes Area, on the Paul Bunyan Trail. Here in the Brainerd/Baxter Area bicyclist of every level will find plenty of fun opportunities. This family-friendly bike vacation destination includes over 50 miles of pave trails in the area, 100’s of miles of scenic lakeside road riding routes and some of the best mountain biking trails in the state.
A four-season vacation destination with many lodging choices, when not riding your bike explore the area’s premier golf courses, many water sports activities, the Brainerd International Raceway, the Crow Wing County Historical Museum and the Crow Wing State Park, which offers more history, swimming, camping, hiking, fishing and picnicking when visiting the area. All in their new and free mobile App in the Visit Brainerd Lakes Guide
Another option, when you are on the go and need information at your fingertips, check out the HaveFunBiking Destination section with articles like At-A-Glance Brainerd/Baxter.
If you haven’t had a chance to ride your bike on the newest paved trail in the Twin Cities Metro Area, come out and enjoy this new multi-use paved trail connecting downtown historic Stillwater, to St. Paul. Completed this last fall the new Brown’s Creek Trail is six miles long and starts on the north end of Main Street, in Stillwater, Minn. by the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Then, connects to the existing Gateway State Trail for an addition 18 mile journey through the cities of Maplewood, North St. Paul and Oakdale, in Washington County, to St. Paul’s downtown area.
This cyclist is riding out of Stillwater on theBrowns Creek Bike Trail that connects to the Gateway Trail, into St. Paul.
On this new trail, bicyclists and walkers alike can travel through beautiful rock gorges, parks, farmland, fields and wetlands on the east side of the Twin Cities, with connections to other local parks and trail systems. The Gateway-Brown’s Creek Trail is perfect for beginners yet long enough (48 miles round-trip) for avid cyclists looking for relaxing ways to commute in the eastern suburbs. Both trails are generally level and accessible to users of all abilities because they are constructed on old railroad beds.
While visiting Stillwater, stay overnight and enjoy the great culinary opportunities, breweries, wineries, boutiques river views and fun nightlife in this historic river town. For a complete list of things to do and places to stay when visiting by bike or car, see: www.DiscoverStillwater.com.
Stillwater is located on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border, just 30 minutes east of Minneapolis/St. Paul, on Highway 36.
Due to some last minute cancellations, there are a few openings on this year’s Swiss Cheese & Spotted Cows bicycle tour, including a female looking to share a room with another female. This fun-filled tour, which runs from June 27-July 2, features the best of southern Wisconsin–renowned for its exceptional cycling—and northern Illinois.
Sampling the products after a beer tour.
The tour starts and ends in Mineral Point, Wisconsin and features four days of riding and one layover day (riding optional) in beautiful Galena, Illinois. Not only will you pedal along quiet pastoral lanes during the tour, you will also have the opportunity to explore the only primitive lead mine still open in the U.S. Then, yodel and suit up for: a tour of a cheese factory tour; a local brewery, sampling some of their brews; taste some of Wisconsin’s award-winning cheeses, enjoy beers in a badger hole; refuel on chin drippin’ peaches and melt in your mouth cinnamon rolls; and even milk a cow!
A happy Swiss Cheese & Spotted Cow rider looking forward to the local cheese and wine from the area.
Enjoy a day off in lovely Galena, IL where a plethora of options await you including historic trolley tours, shopping galore, canoeing, kayaking, scooter trips to a local vineyard, winery’s an optional bike ride!
After the cheese tour everyone still wearing their hair nets for a group shot.
At the end of each day relax in the comfort of your hotel room after exploring the local Scandinavian, Swiss and Cornish heritages of the quaint communities we visit, most of which are listed in Midwest Living’s ‘Best Small Town Getaways”.
She did it! Six days of treasured memories gained on the Swiss Cheese & Spotted Cow tour.
To guarantee your spot on this great tour, please contact Mary Derks at 651-335-6505 or [email protected]. For more information, please visit www.scscbiketour.com. We hope you can join us!
Last week, the League of American Bicyclists announced the latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC). Being one of the 42 new and renewing communities this round, Indian River County, FL., with the bronze-level BFC status, is aiming to be the best in the region with its ocean front shoreline along Florida’s Atlantic coast.
[photo above – Cyclists enjoying one of the designated bike lanes in Indian River County]
An area known for its tropical tranquility, its fame comes from citrus fruits and nesting turtles. Here you will find a center of regional ecology dependent on clean water that is perfect for active fishing, farming and the tourism industry there. And with the fabulous Florida climate, they boast that long bike rides are possible nearly every day of the year.
With 16 miles of soft sand ocean beaches in the area and rarely crowded, Indian River County may be worth checking out for a future trip?
About a 100 miles north of Miami or a 100 miles south of Orlando’s tourism attractions, here is some bicycling information to meet-up and ride when visiting the area.
This person in the Bike Pic is enjoying one of the many treats, eggs on a stick, served at a rest stops along the Tour of Lakes route. In its 26th year the ride will begin and end at the Crow Wing County Fairgrounds, in Brainerd, MN. Each year, in keeping with tradition, the Tour’s routes and start/end points are modified so the scenery is always new. This year’s route choices will be approximately 35 and 70 miles.
Sorry, registration is now closed for this years Tour, but to learn more about creating your own bicycle adventure in the Brainerd Lakes Area, click herefor maps, lodging and things to do when not biking.
This week the HaveFunBiking Getaway Contest spotlights Peterson, Minn. Known for its Norwegian heritage, water sports and pie – Peterson is the ticket. Centrally located along the Root River this quaint little town is 13.5 miles east from Lanesboro and 4.8 miles west from Rushford, by way of the trail. Along with many riding opportunities, both on the paved trail and the scenic country roads that meander in and out of the bluffs, visitors will find many other activities here including birding, hiking, paddling/tubing or just hanging out along the river.
A smiling face serving ice cream at Geneva’s on Main Street, in Peterson
This Bike Getaway highlights a prize package you can build on. It begins with a complimentary one-night stay, for two, at the Andor Wenneson Inn, Peterson, next to the Root River Trail. Also included in this package for two:
Hike up the bluff on the North Peterson Hiking Trail.
The winner of this Peterson Getaway Package will be announced from our HaveFunBiking e-Database on Tuesday, June 2nd. If you haven’t already subscribed, please register now for our weekly drawings and the HaveFunBiking e-Newsletter by clicking here.
About Peterson and the Root River Trail
The City of Peterson is a popular spot for active individual’s using the Root River and the paved trail system. A charming Norwegian community, the town is a two and a half hour drive from the Twin Cities, located in South Eastern Minnesota. The bike trail here follows the Root River and intersects with Peterson’s main street making it easy to find a delicious place to eat or stop to enjoy an ice cream treat. If water sports (trout fishing, tubing and paddling) or bird watching and hiking are your thing, extend your stay for more fun. With three lodging properties in Peterson, make this your vacation headquarters waking up and relaxing to the sounds of wildlife. For more information about Peterson, the Museum or your Norwegian Heritage see: www.petersonmn.org.
A Pedal MN Bike Repair Station conveniently located in Peterson
About the Bike Getaway Contest
If you like the bike map’s in the HaveFunBiking.com “Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide” here is your chance to win a Getaway Package to one of the bike friendly areas we showcase. Each week, starting June 2nd, we will draw an email address from our e-subscriber database. The selected winner will then be informed they have won a Bike Getaway Package to one of our bicycle friendly destinations highlighted the previous week. The last drawing will be held on September 28th, for a Fahrlander Fitwell Bike. Just registering here to win, it’s simple and free.
A lonely spectator cheers on couple doing an “ABC” check (air, brakes and crank) on their bike at the Pedal MN Bike Repair Station, in Preston, MN. This is one of eight, trail head repair stations along the Root River Trail System, in Southeastern Minnesota.
See the handy At-a-Glance Root River Trail Town article for information on HaveFunBiking.com.
