TheBanyanTree: Rolling Down the River

[Margaret R. Kramer]

The rain didn’t happen, so I dragged the hoses around the yard.  It’s so
dry.

Ray put my bike rack on my car and then we fastened my bike to it.  The
fishing poles and tackle box went into the car and off we went to Fort
Snelling State Park.  We explored this park on the 4th of July and I have
been thinking of a return trip since then.

I believe Fort Snelling was built in the 1820s where the Mississippi and the
Minnesota Rivers come together.  The old fort is still there.  Our airport
is also nearby, along with our National Cemetery and many other federal
offices.  The Fort and the airport on high on the bluffs, but the park is
down low, hugging the rivers.

There are a couple of lakes off of the Mississippi and there is a swimming
beach on one of those lakes.  There is fishing pier on another lake.  A
Hmong family was fishing there on the 4th, catching hundreds of little
sunnies, which were about two inches long.  I suppose that was the family’s
meal that night, because they were so intent on catching them.

The park has a gift shop, an interpretive center, and is also connected to
two islands, Picnic Island and Pike Island.  Picnic Island has bike and
hiking trails, picnic shelters (duh!) and is also used to launch boats on
the river.  We parked there so Ray could fish while I rode.

We got my bike off the rack and I got on it.  I have a six speed, cheapo
bike – nothing fancy, and it certainly didn’t cost $1,000.  But it has shock
absorbers, a big seat for my big butt, and it moves along pretty well.  I’m
not a racer, I’m a leisurely rider taking in the scenery.

I rode around the bend and saw a couple of deer dash into the woods.  I went
past the beach, the fishing pier, and up to the bridge which connected the
mainland with Pike Island.  A sign by the bridge says “No Bikes.”  I
hesitated, took a picture, and then wondered what to do.  A couple of
cyclists came riding over the bridge and said they rode around the island,
so I decided to break the rule and ride it, too.

It’s a wonderful ride through the forests, a winding road with few hills,
skirting the sandy banks of the river.  There were a few hikers, no bikers,
but so what?  I saw a rabbit, a few birds, and a large yacht tied on shore.

I got around the island and then back over the bridge and rode back to
Picnic Island.  What a delightful trip.  That’s what summer is all about –
enjoying the outdoors on a sticky, warm day.

The bike rack was left on my car.  I can fasten my bike on it any time I
want.  There are no limits now on where I can go with my bike.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.
~Albert Camus