First Bike Commute of the Season

Spring has been slow a'coming in Minnesota this year, but I finally biked to work today. (Last year it was a month earlier, but then I hardly biked again over the summer). I have been out on my bike a couple times this spring and last Sunday did an 11 mile trip so I figured might as well start biking to work.

The trip is a little over 9 miles and it took a little over an hour (a slight head wind). Today's weather is sunny with a high in the 60's; the rest of the week will be rainy and cold, although it may clear up by next Monday or Tuesday.

I was concerned that my usual route to downtown using the Cedar Lake trail would be blocked because of the new construction on the Twins Ball park. When I drove past, it looked like it was totally blocked: I figured I might have to go over to Hennepin Ave before the bike lanes started. However, when I got onto the Cedar Lake Trail, I saw a couple of bikers heading down it toward downtown so I followed. The trail keeps going and cicrumvents the construction and just exits a little further down the road then it used to. I circled up to 6th street and got on Hennepin pretty much my usual way.

For reference, I am creating a personal 'google' map outlining my route:
Google Map of Bob's Bike Commute
(Note that it may be a while before I complete the map, but I got a start on it today).

From Hennepin, I get on the path by the river and cross at the Stonearch Bridge. From the bridge, I usually take 2nd street to 11 Ave SE, but then saw that 2nd street was blocked around 8th Ave. Oh yeah, there is a collapsed bridge that wasn't there last year. So I went up to University Ave a few blocks early. I got up to 5th street and went through Dinkytown and found the next alteration to my route: the U's football stadium construction. There was a turn I missed, so I ended up on gravel, but did get to the bus transit way that connects the Mpls and St. Paul Campuses.

I took the transit way to Energy Park Drive and found no further surprises before getting to the office two miles or so down Energy Park. I'm a little stiff and sore but looking forward to the ride back.