Sunday 07-25-2010 Farmers Markets.   I am adding information about all the Farmers Markets that are available in towns along the Lake Wobegon Trails.  There's one every Saturday for sure!  What great way to spend a Saturday morning  ... biking on the trail and then picking up locally grown and locally made foods for week.  I can vouch for the quality of the foods ... especially every thing that's sweet!  If you know of one I should be sure to add please send me the information. 

St Joe's market is right next to the trail and is held evey Friday aftternoon from 3-6 or until the goods are gone!

Avon's market is also right next to the trail in the Wobegon Park and they are open the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 9-noon.

Freeport's market is also right next to the trail across from Charlie's Cafe on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Saturdays of the month from 9-noon.

Sauk Centre's market is about 3 blocks off the trail.  Get off the trail at Ash St and head south to 12th St South and take a left about a block to Timberlane Dr and take a left and it will be on you left in the West Side Liquor Parking Lot (so you can stock up on your party needs as well!).  The market is open on Thursdays from 3-6pm and Saturdays from 8-noon.

As I find information about the markets I will add them to our calendar of events  ... send me any markets you know of and check back often for more infomation about events on the Lake Wobegon Trails!   

See you on the trail... Cliff      Cliff@wdemail.com

Tuesday 07-20-2010.   I rode the Soo Line Trail on Tuesday ... I think of it as an extension of the Lake Wobegon Trail even though it's a paved bike trail in its own right.   It's a great ride and extends from the Lake Wobegon Trail southwest of Bowlus at the Stearns/Morrison County line to highway 10 just north of Royalton.   Bowlus is a great stop on the trail with a very nice community center available for all kinds of events with a large indoor space for parties including a full kitchen and plenty of parking and outdoor activities.  Check it out if you're looking for great place for your next event... click here for more info.  Jordie's Trailside Cafe is just across the street from the Community Center and serves great food and provides nice garden space outside to enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, pie or a lemonade.

Regardless if it part of the Lake Wobegon Trail or not it's a great ride and provides an opportunity to stop in Bowlus and an opportunity to see the Mississippi River at the Blanchard Dam which brings me to the red fox story. 

I rode all the way to highway 10 where I spoke with several bikers who use the trail frequently from the parking lot there.  One couple was from Brainerd and Sandy Scoles from Pierz who rides in our Caramel Roll Ride was there.  Three other rides were there as well.  

Back the red fox ... remember I was riding in the afternoon about 2 pm not the time you would expect to see a fox on the trail.   I was approaching the dam from the east and suddenly I saw this brown animal on the side of the tail just looking around coming in my direction so at first I thought it was a large cat doing some hunting along the trail.  Then it went across the trail and I could see that bushy tail with a white tip that told me it was a red fox!   So now I expected it to dash off the trail before I really got much closer to it... I was about a 100 yards away at this point.  I kept going and got closer and closer and it still didn't see me.  I actually got about 50 feet away before it finally saw me and shot off the trail into the underbrush as I approached.  That fluffy tail straight as an arrow behind it as it dashed away! 

Of course this was one of the few times I rode the trail without having my camera with me!  So ...  you will just have to take my word for it that it was really there.   It reminded me again ... don't forget the camera because you never know what you might see on trail!

Hope to see you on the trail sometime too  ... Cliff

Monday July 17, 2010.  I just finished a nice ride this morning.  I biked Norway Road to Old Collegeville Road from Avon and then took the Lake Wobegon Trail back to Avon and then home.  It was a great morning to ride.  Overcast and a little cool but just perfect to work up a sweat getting some exercise.  I covered just over 12 miles and averaged 13.4 MPH... not bad for an overweight guy like me.  I wonder what I could do if I lost 80 pounds?  I might even be able to make it up the big hill on Tower Road without having to walk part way... then that young gal who passed me on roller blades going up the other day wouldn't be able to pass me either!!   ... Well it's nice to dream a little once in a while isn't it?

It was a nice day to ride though even if it was overcast.  The wild flowers are in full bloom.  The green headed cone flowers are all over the place.   I even saw a purple headed one too.   There's lots of little yellow asters blooming too along with all the .  Those little "prairie fire crackers" as I like to call them are in bloom too... they're the little purple flowers that bloom from the bottom up to the tip of the flower stem... there is a white version that does the same thing.  

There were a few downed tree limbs on the trail from the weekend storms... thanks to whoever moved them off the trail for us.  When storms like that happen it's nice to know our friends on the trail are willing to pitch in and get the trail cleared enough so we can continue to ride.  Thank You! 

So even if the sun's not shining it's always a good time to ride the trail!  Get out there and enjoy the ride... See you on the trail... Cliff

The Avon Area Arts group and Thomsen's Greenhouses hosted their annual joint Garden Tour of eight of Central Minnesota's finest local private gardens.   I volunteered at the home of Jan and Dick Klug and experienced the talent they displayed in creating a garden that was spectacular!   What a beautiful retreat they have created at their home.  They used lots of unique items and recycled them to create a garden hideaway that anyone would envy.  

I checked out five other home gardens on tour and found them to be equally fascinating and full of ideas to take home and apply our home gardens too.  And it was a great way to spend a beautiful sunny day in Lake Wobegon Trail Country.  The only thing that would have been better is if I would have taken my bike to ride to the homes to do the tour... it would have been a little over 60 miles with about 40 of it that I could have done using the Lake Wobegon Trail!  If I would have chose to skip a couple gardens it would have been only 40 miles ... certainly doable on nice sunny summer day! 

Well next year I think I will check the route and consider doing it on my bike trail instead of doing with my car... See you on the trail!   Cliff

On my way back from the Central Lakes Trail (CLT) meeting Wednesday I stopped at the Carlos Creek Winery.  www.carloscreekwinery.com I stopped to see if they would be interested in selling my Lake Wobegon Trail Walking sticks and canes but also to pick up a couple bottles of wine.

I bought two "Minnesota Nice" varieties … Wobegon White and Hot Dish Red… two of their top sellers and some of the best wine they have available!  I plan to enjoy some this weekend … after a nice ride on the trail!  Here’s a list of the their wines… wine list.

Did you know Carlos Creek Winery is the largest winery in Minnesota?  Did you also know they have a wine tasting lounge for you to try their wines and see what you like best?   There were about 25-30 people there on Wednesday and everyone was enjoying the wines.  They have a wine tasting every day at 1pm and 3 pm with an addition tasting at 5pm on Saturdays.

I met one couple who was from Rochester who were up to visit their family cabin on Dead Lake and they were stopping for some wine for the weekend.  They were bike riders too and we talked about the trail and they were saying they needed to get out and use the trail more often.   I explained to them the trail was now completed from Fergus Falls to St Joseph and provided an opportunity for short or long distance rides. 

The winery is a great place to visit or to hold a special event.  They do weddings, family gatherings, business meeting whatever your special event is they can probably satisfy your needs.  

They’re just a short distance off the Central Lakes Trail too. It’s only about 5 miles north of the CLT on Nakomis Street.  Just follow Nakomis which turns into County Road 42 and take a left onto County road 11 which turns into County Road 34 and you will know you’re there when you see the white fence and the white buildings on your right along with all the vineyards and orchards … did I mention they have fruit wines too?   The ride is very straight forward … only one real turn from 42 onto 11.

You could ride out taste some wines and have them ship them home for you if you don’t want to take them with you.   Sounds like a great afternoon ride to me! 

Enjoy the trail!  Cliff

 Lots of poeple using the trail today and it was a beautiful day to do it!  

I rode the roads a little today and took Tower Road to Quaker Road to Albany and took the trail back to Avon.  Those hills really make the quads work.... I got embarassed by a young lady who was roller blading on Tower Road... I had to walk a short section of the hill on the while she passed me up roller blading!  My only consolation is she was at least 150 pounds lighter than me and probably close to 40 years younger than me... still I need to work harder! 

Yesterday I went to the Central Lakes Trail Association to see what they have going on with their trail and to discuss our efforts to promote our two trails together.  We will have a joint ad in next year's Explore Minnesota Travel Guide ... watch for it.   We have close to 100 miles of paved rail trails between the two trails runing from Fergus Falls to St Joseph.  

The meeting was in Ashby MN ... a great little town on the Central Lakes Trail.  The Ruby Cafe is a neat little cafe with some great chocolate croissants.  It's one of those great old time restaurants you find in many of the towns along our trails with great food, great atmosphere and friendly service.   They had a heavy wind storm blow through town earlier in the day before I arrived and there were lots of tree branches lying on the streets... they were lucky they didn't get the tornados we had in southern Minnesota. 

Enjoy the trail ... Cliff

I met Myrvin Secord on the trail today on my way to Albany.  I missed him at the Caramel Roll Ride this year ... he just forgot about it!  Can you imagine that .... one of the original Caramel Roll Ride Kings of the Lake Wobegon Trail forgetting about the Caramel Roll Ride?  Well never fear he's still riding the rails... er trails ... near as I could tell from our conversation he's riden about 300 miles in the past week and well on his way to at least a couple hundred more this week.  He was on his way to Sauk Rapids to visit the Mississippi River today.   He makes my little 35 mile ride at the Tour Of Saints last Sunday seem like a walk in the park!

Myrvin is one of those people who is always riding the trail somewhere.  He doesn't just ride the Lake Wobegon Trail either.  Last week he road to Brandon on the Wobegon and Central Lakes Trails with a friend from my hometown of Freeport, Bobby Kerfeld.  Bobby lives in the St Cloud metro area so he was on a long bike ride of his own. 

By the way Myrvin is in his 80's but you'd never know it from looking at him or by the energy he exudes as you listen to him talk about riding the trail.  His one of those role models for all of us to look up to as an example of how to live life to the fullest and have fun doing it.  

Ride on Myrvin!   See you on the trail ... Cliff

PS:  Myrvin's not the oldest rider on the trail though ... Herman Petermeier has him beat by almost 20 years ... yep Herman's over 100 years old and still riding!  More about him another time.   CB

Well I finally revisited the Tour Of Saints... "A heavenly little ride!"   ... the last time I rode it (I am ashamed to admit it) was 19 years ago in 1991!  My youngest son Duke was 10 years old and he convinced me to do the ride.  He did fine... me not so good.  I took a tumble that resulted in sore wrists for nearly a year.  Fortunately I wore a helmet I borrowed from a neighbor that likely saved me from a serious head injury if not death itself.  I had a scab about 3 inches across on the helmet that thankfully wasn't on my head!

Today I rode 35 miles and made it injury free!   But I must say riding the trail is a whole lot easier than riding roads with all those hills!   I like the 3% grades on the trail much better than some of those hills I rode today!   It was a fun ride though and I think I will plan for it again next year... hills and all.   I wasn't sure I could do 35 miles on the road but I did just fine.  I am glad I did a little practice the past couple weeks though so that I was at least a little prepared for those hills.   If you're interested in trying out "A heavenly little ride" yourself check out the website... www.tourofsaints.com

St Cloud Mayor Dave Kleiss was at the ride this year and we visited about the extension of the Lake wobegon Trail to St Cloud.  He's very much in favor of the extension and the hope is to have the trail extended as soon as funding can be optained.   Keep showing your support but signing up on the Facebook group People who support expanding The Lake Wobegon Trail to St. Cloud, MN.

See you on the trail!   Cliff

I biked to the east end of the trail this morning ... sure wish the trail went into St Cloud... if you haven't yet become a fan of extending the trail to St Cloud  by goin on Facebook to show your support.  Click here sign up

Lots of folks on the trail today.  Met a couple from Long Prairie who were out riding the trail.  They were going from St Joe to Avon today and last week went form Avon to Albany.   Lots of first timers today too.  Several from St Cloud.

Saw two hawks sitting on two big round bales on the north side of the trail in Martini's meadow at about mile 87.5.  I think they were Redtail Hawks but I didn't have my binoculars with me .... I should know better then to leave without them when I ride this section of the tral.  They were just surveying the landscape ... I would guess looking for a meadow mouse to snack on!  I have seen Sandhill Cranes at this same location several times in the past.  It's a good place to check for birds and animals everytime you ride this section of the trail.   

Earlier this week I saw several deer at mile 87 on the south side of the trail in a meadow near the bridge over the creek. There were several turkeys a little further east at about mile 86.  And of course a whole bunch of squirels... both gray and fox squirels.  

The wild flowers are in full bloom now too.  The Pink Lady Slippers may have stopped blooming but there are plenty more flowers to see.   Lots of cone flowers, Thin-Leaved, Gray-Headed, Green-Headed and Black Eyed Susans, False Sunflowers... these are all yellow flowers that look very similar and beautiful this time of year.

Goats Beard is another yellow flower ... It looks a little like an over grown  Dandelion whose flowers open to the sun during the morning and then close as it gets later in the day.  Keep an eye out for the Butter and Eggs that grown right along the edge of the trail too.  They are a member of the Snapdragon family.  The Common Milkweed is blooming too so the Monarch Butterflies are all around too. 

I just finished a 25 mile ride on the trail this morning.  I biked to Freeport from Avon to visit my mother Viola and my sister Marian to have breakfast (unfortrunately Mom didn't have any of her home made Caramel Rolls available... now they really are the best!)  What a perfect day to ride!  Sunshine, very little wind... a perfect day in Lake Wobegon Trail Country! 

If you missed Aunt Annie's Cutting Table Stage Concert with Ray Bonneville last nite you missed some really great music ... as well as some wonderful appetizers... especially Lucy's meat balls!  Check here for the next concert... Aunt Annie's Quilts and Silks.    Yes that's right... music concerts in a quilt shop... only in Lake Wobegon Trail Country can you find this great entertainment!   By the way if you enjoy quilting or fabric art Lucy's really does have the best selection of fabrics around too. 

We are ready to start offering opportunities to advertise on our website.  If you have an interest please let us know and we will get your business on our site at very reasonable rates.  Click here for contact information.   The money raised will help us promote the trails and help fund projects to improve and maintain the trail too.

Here's a couple links you may be interested in checking out to see if our site's visitors might be potential customers for you... MN & WI trail users economic study summary  and ... stats on our website.

Have a great day!   Look forward to seeing you on the trail in Lake Wobegon Trail Country...  Cliff

Hey!   How about trying some music on the trail?

Aunt Annie's Quilts and Silks in Avon doubles as a great music venue.  That's right music on the "Cutting Table Stage"... where else can you go for a bike ride, ... bring along your favorite bottle of wine and some cheese and crakers and ... take in a Ray Bonniville concert ... one the best blues and country performers around... ONLY IN LAKE WOBEGON TRAIL COUNTRY  OF COURSE!

Check out Aunt Annies and the best little music venue in Minnesota... Aunt Annie's Quilts and Silks and the "Cutting Table Stage" ... so come out and enjoy some really great live music on Tuesday July 6th in Avon MN on the Lake Wobegon Trail.... Cliff

I hope everyone enjoyed the 4th of July festivities yesterday.  We did...  but had an unfortunate accident at the lake that resulted in a guest of ours taking a fall and dislocating his houlder!  So they had to leave early and check into the emergency room to have it put back in place.  Marve ... hope you heal up soon so you and Elaine can come back and we can enjoy another ride on the lake. 

Garrison Keillor made an apperance at Fishers Club on Middle Spunk Lake in Avon to lead the "Lake Wobegon Community Choir" annual reunion songfest on the beach along with the Bottom of the Hill band.  It was a beutiful day in Lake Wobegon Trail Country!

Next weekend will provide another opportunity to enjoy Lake Wobegon Trail Country with the 2010 version of the Tour of Saits Bike Ride... "a heavenly little ride" in our area.  This ride has been around for 30 years!   It's hard to belive it's really been that long.  I will be riding it this year and hope to see many of you there as well. 

Here's a link to the website for more information.... 2010 Tour Of Saints bike ride.   Register today and I see you there next sunday morninng bright and early in Lake Wobegon Trail Country!    Cliff

Garrison Keillor will be leading the Lake Wobegon Community Choir in a patriotic songfest on the 4th of July at Fishers Club in Avon this weekend.   Come down and join the fun ... it should be a great event!  

Click here for more information. 

So get on your bike and take nice little ride on the trail to Avon and join in the musical celebration of the founding our great country and do it in Lake Wobegon Trail Country style!  

Hope to see you there... Cliff

Here's an email I received from my good friend Jan Lasar .  He's originally from Germany but now lives with his wife Jen in Bowlus and works in Avon MN at Tishler Wood Products. 

He commutes 2-3 days a week to his job from Bowlus to Avon on the Lake Wobegon and Soo Line Trails... that's 23 miles one way.  Not a bad commute... certainly more interesting than riding in a car as you will see from his email.   His wife occasionaly commutes from her job in Grey Eagle at the Centrail Minnesota Federal Credit Union as well.   ... enjoy!

Hi Cliff,

Another awesome day on the trail, there is just not enough coffee in the world to equivalate the  effect of a well-applied 5:15 am ride.

Monday morning, barely to the county line at 5:30 I encountered a group of a half a dozen or so ladies heading towards Bowlus. Made me wonder: what the hell makes a guy get up at that hour to plunk himself down on what the germans call a wire donkey (“Drahtesel”) and pedal  like mad when you still have lines from the pillow on your face? I’ll get back to you on that one.

On my way home today I met a group of about ten crazies just riding together towards Holdingford. I saw a barn burn and witnessed a guy running clear over a rat right in front of me this week, not to mention the painted turtle laying eggs, the plethora of deer, turkey (they run until they hit about eighteen miles an hour, then they look around one last time and then, with an eye-roll and a sigh start flying away and crash into some tree!) and thirteen-striped ground squirrels.

It was well worth it so far and it’s only Wednesday!..   Jan

My wife Linda and I biked from Holdingford to Blachard Dam last Sunday.  It was a beautiful day to ride.  We stopped in Bowlus at Jordie's Trailside Cafe for brunch and headed back to Holdingford.  

On our way back at about the 144 or 145 mile marker there is a mowed area on the west side of the trail and a nice bench on the east side we sat and watch a family of Sandhill Cranes enjoying the day too.  There were two adults and two youngsters.  What a great sight to see! 

See you on the trail....Clif

Lately there has been lots of discussion about extending the LWT into St Cloud, Waite Park and on to the Mississippi. Talk doesn't get it done. We know there is plenty of interest in extending the trail ... the problem is how to get it done.

Recently steps have been taken to make this a reality. A fund has been established with the Central Minnesota Community Foundation to hold and invest contributions to help finance the purchase of land and/or right of way easements and actual construction of the trail extension. All contributions will be used strictly for this purpose ... not for advertising or promotion or fund raising.

To put your money where your mouth is … make a contribution to help get it done… click here to join me in making a contribution to support the effort. Right now we have a $5,000 matching grant that will double your contribution. We’re looking for more large donations to help us generate the smaller donations that will be needed to make this a reality. Please do it now weather you can make a large or small donation we need them all!

We know all levels of government are strapped for cash but this is a project that begs to be completed. It needs to become a priority.  Our trail has been in existence for over 10 years and this critical connection to the Mississippi still isn’t completed. It will provide many benefits to communities and our citizens and our businesses along the trail.  Your contributions will be just one source of funding for this project.

More steps will be taken to help shepherd this project through the myriad of government entities and regulatory bodies required to get it done. We need the railroad … Burlington Northern… to help us with right of way needs to take the most direct route to St Cloud. Watch this blog for more information.

It will provide an alternative way to commute to the St Cloud metro to work for many folks. A number of people have cited this as a choice they would make if it was available. The recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico makes providing these alternatives even more important. It’s a small step toward reducing our dependence on carbon fuels for our transportation.

It will provide easy access to the trail for those interested in exercise. Our country is plagued by a failure to exercise sufficiently and we’re growing unhealthier as a result. Cycling is an excellent form of exercise that doesn’t require any fancy equipment to get started and can be easily incorporated into our daily routine. Providing safe opportunities for everyone including families with small children will help instill the interest and enthusiasm for cycling. More exercise options means a lifetime of healthier living and lower health care costs

It will provide opportunities for people to get out and enjoy the countryside and experience Lake Wobegon Trail Country at its best. Extending the trail will provide opportunities for businesses to grow.

Our restaurants will see more business from bikers who will stop for a meal or maybe a … caramel roll! Our strapped housing developments will see more people considering moving to the communities along the trail when they see the advantages of small town living, including more space, good schools and a healthier safer environment to raise a family.

Tourists will see the St Cloud area as a destination choice for a vacation. Where else can you bike in Lake Wobegon Country, enjoy visiting Munsinger Gardens, shopping, enjoy a fine meal at fine restaurant in St Cloud or maybe catch a glimpse of Garrison Keillor at Fisher’s Club in Avon… Mister Lake Wobegon himself! And you can do it all on your bike!

You can enjoy a musical concert or a play at the Paramount, Pioneer Place, Kiehle Visual Arts Center at SCSU or the outstate home of the Minnesota Orchestra at the Benedicta Arts Center at the College of St Benedict, the Humphrey Theater at St John’s University or even at Aunt Annie’s Quilt Shop in Avon… yep music in a quilt shop!

You can also find many opportunities to enjoy and purchase art created by local artisans and find that unique piece of art that you won’t find anywhere else. We have a thriving arts community in St Cloud as well as in the local communities on the Lake Wobegon Trail such as the Millstream Arts in St Joseph and the Avon Area Arts in Avon.

You can even enjoy a baseball game … outdoors … at one of the finest baseball venues in Minnesota and if you stop at the St Cloud Civic Center you can visit the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame. Or you can take in any one of a number of athletic events at one of the local colleges… St Cloud State, St John’s University or the College of St Benedicts … all with national championships to their credit.

We need to get this done … Please join us and show your support by donating to make it happen! Cliff

Hey Lake Wobegon Trail Fans!  There's a group working hard to get a new trail built to connect the Lake Wobegon Trail to more trails yet... the Camp Ripley Veterans Trail (CRVT) will connect the Paul Buyan Trail to the Soo Line Trail. 

There is a group of folks who are working to make this trail a reality.  The leader of the effort is Robert (Bob) Reinitz [bob@professionalrecruiters.com].  Here's a link to the CRVT website for more information.  www.crvtrail.com

Check out the website for more information about this effort.   Those of you who can ... get involved and help make this connection a reality sooner rather than later.   The legislature passed a bill in the 2010 legislative session authorizing the new trail.  Unfortunately they didn't authorize any funding... suprise, surprise!  But at least it's a start. 

This will create a connected set of trails that will have almost 400 miles of paved trails... now that's a lot of miles!  Here's a map of the planned corridor for the new trail.   CRVT Corridor Map 

The Lake Wobegon Trails Association will support this effort as much as we can.  Get on board and help make it happen ... remember nothing difficult happens easily but hard work and perserverance will make it a reality.   Cliff

We need your help to extend the Lake Wobegon Trail into St Cloud.   This extension will make the trail even more fun.   It will make it a practical alternative option for people to commute without using a car.   It will provide an opportunity for more people to enjoy the safety of riding their bikes on a trail.

Please join the "People who support expanding The Lake Wobegon Trail to St. Cloud, MN" group site on Facebook.  It's one way to show  grass roots support for extending the trail.  The more people we can show are in favor of the extension, the easier it will be to receive a higher priority for capital improvement, transportation and recreation dollars at the city, county, state and national levels. 

Be sure to say why you think this should be a top priority for our political leaders.  This will help them see the need for the trail and community support for the expense that will be necessary to build the trail extension.

The Lake Wobegon Trail Association will be working with everyone who is a stakeholder in the process any way we can to help the process. 

There are several  major issues to be addressed to complete the expansion. 

The Route .... ideally the railroad corridor would be a great option and the most direct route to St Cloud.   The railroad though is an active frieght line from Waite Park and St Cloud to St Joe. 

The Cost .... The cost of construction alone for the "Forgotten Four Miles" west of  Sauk Centre in 2007 was $440,000 or $110,000/mile and that didn't include the land for the corridor.

The Priority ... The various government bodies that will be involved need to see this as priority project for the communtiy.

The Stakeholders ... Lake Wobegon Trail users, tax payers, businesses using the railroad, Burlington Northern Railroad, the Cities of St Joseph, Waite Park, and St Cloud.  St Joseph Township, Stearns County, St Cloud Area Planning Organization, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Department of Transportation... and there are probably some others I haven't identified. 

Wow!  When you look at that list it's no wonder it's a challenge to get the extension completed... but if it was easy it would have already been done.  We just need to get the ball rolling and take it one step at a time until we have the Lake Wobegon Trail extended to the Mississippi River!

So you can see why it is important to show your support to help get the project done.   Please support the effort to extend the trail.    Cliff

Well I hope you enjoyed this year's Caramel Roll ride. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing everyone whose been to the ride in the past. It's always fun to meet the new people who try our ride and we hope you will come back often to enjoy Lake Wobegon Trail Country hospitality and the scenery along the trial.
The Lady Slippers are still in bloom until about the 4th of July. They are in full bloom right now and are absolutely georgous! If you've never seen our Minnesota State flower come and check it out. Use your zoom lens to get that close up picture... don't get to close!  Don't touch them!  They will give you a rash similar to poison ivy!

Please if you do come to see the flowers... don't love them to death!

We have several patches of them on the trail between mile markers 93 and 94 west of Avon and east of Albany. Stay at least 5-6 feet minimum from the plants ... getting up close will compact the soil and kill them ... remember it takes 15-20 years for the first bloom on a plant.

It's illegal to pick the flowers and to dig them up... besides that it's very difficult to grow them in a home garden. They require a very special unique environment to grow successfully.

Here are some links for more information about them

Wikipedia
MN DNR
US Forest Service
Orchid Society of Minnesota

If you would like to grow your own here’s a couple places to purchase them. I am sure there are other you can find on the internet too.

Hillside Nursery
Ebay
BestPrice.com

Enjoy our native Minnesota orchids! Help us protect them by making peopel aware of the need to treat them with special care.   Cliff

The 2010 Caramel Roll ride is now history! It was a great day to ride the trail ... except for the rain that dumped about 1pm! We had over 180 pre-registered riders this year. Unfortunately the cloudy weather apparently kept a lot of the walk ups we expected home in bed! Oh well ... next year's another ride!

Everyone who attended had fun and enjoyed the best caramel rolls in MN! Those who didn't make it this year just missed a great opportunity to have some fun and some tasty "sweet rolls on sweet trail"!

Thanks to all the great volunteers and everyone who helped make the ride a success this year! I also want to thank all of our great vendors who provided the refreshments and the caramel rolls... I willl publish a list of everyone who helped as soon as I get it compiled. Right now I think I need a little nap time to make up for the long days and late nights the past week!

We also want to thank everyone who joined us for the ride for the first time this year. Special thanks to all of you repeat riders who keep coming back year after year to enjoy the "sweetest rolls on the sweetest trail in MN!"

We look forward to seeing everyone again next year... don't forget the tell all your friends, neighbors and relatives about the great time you had in Lake Wobegon Trail Country!

We would love to hear your comments on the ride and any suggestions you have to make the ride even better next year. Any pictures you would be willing to share of your experience this year would be much appreciated too!

Please add your comments to the blog as well...

Cliff Borgerding... Ride Director Email: Cliff@wdemail.com or Cliff@lakewobegontrails.com

PS By the way you don't have to wait for next year's ride to come and enjoy the trail... the Showy Pink Lady Slippers will be in bloom for another couple weeks if you missed them on ride today.

Two days till the Caramel Roll Ride! Remember the ride is rain or shine ... so be prepared for the weather and say a lot of prayers for good weather Satuday early in the day. Registration and check in will be indoors at the Albany City Hall if it rains.

We have almost 200 riders already registered for this year's ride. The Caramel Rolls are going to be baked soon and ready to be devoured on Saturday so come hungry and ready to ride!

There's still time to register online at www.lakewobegontrails.com/events. So tell your friends, neighbors and relatives to get on line and register if they haven't already.

We're all hardy Lake Wobegon folks so a little rain isn't going to stop us from enjoying the day. See you Saturday! Cliff

Mayor's Ride was a complete success! We had about 100+ people who attended along with a few local politicians including three local mayors who supported the ride today. We hope to continue to encourage the development of the trail extension from St Joe to the Mississippi River. Change and new ideas always take time, talent and treasure to complete and we've only just begun. Encourage your local politicians to support the extension with both words and money. Lets continue to show them we feel this is a high priority community project that needs to be supported.

PS register for the Caramel Roll Ride at out website www.lakewobegontrails.com/events. The ride is next Saturday June 12th and starts in Albany MN at City Hall! Do it now so you don't forget!

I want to thank all those who helped put this event together this year and I hope we can make this an annual event.  I especially want to thank the Stearns County Parks department people,  Chuck Woecken and Pete Thiesmann, Mayor Dave Klies of St Cloud, Taryl Clark and the city council members from St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids and Sartell who rode in the event today as well. I also want to thank the St Cloud Police and the Stearns County Sheriff's staff who provided traffic control for the riders today.  I am sure there were many others  who helped make this a success but I don't know who they all were but please know that your help was appreciated. ... I almost forgot to mention thanks to the Central MN Nordic Ski Club for providing the root beer flloats... they were delicious!  

Come to support extending the Lake Wobegon Trail into Waite Park and St Cloud! This Saturday June 5th the Mayor's Bike Ride will give you a chance to show your support ... It's a free ride with root beer floats at the end of the ride from downtown St Cloud to Waite Park's River's Edge Park. Come join us and show your support!

Click here for more info     Click here for map of the route.

Another beautiful day in Lake Wobegon Trail Country! The Central MN Mississppi River Renasance project held a luncheon in St Cloud to kickoff planning discussions about how to create public & private spaces along the Mississippi River to showcase the river and provide public spaces to enjoy the river. We hope to have the Lake Wobegon Trail included in the planning process to bring the trail from St Joe to the Mississippi in St Cloud. Are you in favor of bringing the LWT into St Cloud? Please comment on this blog and let us know your thoughts. Cliff

The 2010 Caramel Roll Ride deadline for early registration is on May 30th. Don't forget to register to get the early registration discount. The caramel rolls are just waiting for you to enjoy! Come join us for a sweet roll on a sweet trail! Click here for more information.

 Check the results of the 2010 Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon Run.  Nearly 200 runners participated.   Many of the runners were Boston Marathon Quaulifiers.   This event is doing very well and growing every year thanks to many volunteers especially the St Cloud River Runners.  Congratulations on another great event!

Pepsi Cola has a grant program giving away millions of dollars for worthy projects across the country.  Strearns County Parks has applied for a $5000 grant to help build a bridge ont the Beaver Island Trail in St Cloud.  This will eventually benefit Lake Wobegon Trail users so we are asking everyone to help secure this grant. 

The project has been in the top 100 hundred projects for the past two months and so it's been allowed to continue in the running for the grant.   Unfortunately the voting starts over each month so we need to continue to vote for the project.

Please help us by voting for the project.  Click here to go to the Pepsi Refresh Project Website.

Wow! What an exciting day up at Breezy Point. It was a summit to discuss how we can promote Minnesota's bike trails to the public and the rest of hte country and the world. We have first class trails in MN... some of the best in the US. Lots of enthusiastic cyclists! There were people from all over the state of MN with lots of ideas to match.

We plan to take advantage of the information and ideas to help promote and make our Lake Wobegon Trail one of the best in a state with a lot of great trails.

As always if you have suggestions about how to improve our trail or how we can promote the trail to others please send me an email at Cliff@lakewobegontrails.com

See you on the trail! Cliff

PS Don't forget to register for the Caramel Roll Ride. By the way check out our new calendars on the events web page. We now have a calendar of other group's events on the trail including two marathons... one for runners and one for walkers.

Hello!   Have you checked out the trail yet!  Lots of folks have been out enjoying the trail.   Saturday there were 24 bikers, 4 walkers and one cute little black dog!  Yesterday we counted 18 bikers, 4 walkers, 1 person in a wheel chair, one roller blader, and one beautiful Golden Retriever.   This was west of Avon MN on the trail.   

Send me an email (Cliff@wdemail.com) with the count of people you see on your section of the trail.  It's interesting to see how many people use the trail on a regular basis. 

The wildflowers should be blooming soon... keep you eyes open... send me pictures of your observations on the trail.   We will post them to the website gallery.  We're looking for any pictures we can get from the trail.    Thanks ... enjoy the trail ... Cliff   

Hey ... have you registered for the 2010 ride yet?  Make sure to do it soon so you don't forget and so you get the early bird discount.  Check out the events page on the website for more information or click here for more details and to register for the ride... 2010 Caramel Roll RideThe weather is beautiful in Lake Wobegon Trail Country right now.  We have an early spring with temps in the 70's and lakes and ponds opening fast.  Blooming wildflowers won't be far behind. 

If you haven't been on the trail yet come on out and enjoy the sunshine!  

03-30-2010  Spring on the trail... I walked the trail the other day and watched a pair of Canadian geese come in for a landing on the pond north of the trail between mile 91 & 91.5.   They found a little patch of open water to enjoy.  As I watched another pair came flying in and landed in the same spot.  They were not well received!  I was surprised to see one of the first pair take after the newcomers and chase them away. 

The second pair flew about a 100 feet away and landed on the ice.  Both pair were making all kinds of noise.  This wasn't good enough for the offended goose from the first pair and he flew over to the second pair and tried to knock one of the other geese off its feet.   Then he let them know in no uncertain terms they weren't welcome ... until his partner started calling and he flew back.  

I am sure they were both looking for a new nesting home for the summer.  It was interesting to see the exchange.  I had never seen such an aggressive confrontation before especially when no nest was present yet.   

When I returned about an hour later ...  neither pair was there anymore!   All that fuss over nothing.  Just another interesting event observed on the Lake Wobegon Trail!    

See you on the trail ... Cliff

We hope you come back often and find out more about our trail.   We updated the website in March of 2010 to refresh our image and to give us more opportunities to share information with you and give you a chance to let us know what you think of our trail.

We will have a blog to comment on the condition of the trail, events coming up on the trail, plans for improvements to the trail, etc.  We also have a calendar with events listed.

We want to hear from you... our trail users!  Let us know if you have an event planned on the trail and we will  put it on our calendar too.  If you have ideas about how to improve the trail ... let us know.

We'd also like to add your favorite pictures to our gallery of photos so send a copy of that beautiful shot you got on the trail and we'll share it with everyone.

If you have a story to tell about your experience on the trail ... a favorite ride, an adventure you experienced, your kid's favorite place or experience on the trail ... or yours!  Let us know... we always like to hear about our friends experiences on the Lake Wobegon Trail!  See you on the trail!

Cliff Borgerding
President - Lake Wobegon Trail Associaion
Ph 320-356-7191 Email: Cliff@wdemail.com

 March 12 2010 ... The 2010 Caramel Roll Ride is set for Saturday June 12th.  We will start the ride in Albany again this year with three ride options. 

The Northern ride takes you to Holdingford, Bowlus and Blanchard Dam on the Mississippi and ends at Hwy 10 for those who want a 23 mile (46 miles roundt trip) ride to really test their skills.   

The Western ride to Freeport and Melrose is a beautiful open prairie style ride with lots of open country to view as you ride into the heart of Lake Wobegon Trail Country.  Charlie's Cafe in Freeport and Pioneer Inn are said to be the models for the Chatterbox Cafe and the Sidetrack Tap Saloon in Garrison Keillor's The News From Lake Wobegon stories.  This ride is 12 miles (24 miles round trip) if you go all the way to Melrose. 

The Eastern ride takes you to Avon, Collegeville and St Joseph and the eastern end of the trail for a beautiful 15 mile trip (30 miles round trip).  We hope to get the "Saintly Seven" miles completed to link the trail to Waite Park and the Mississippi River in downtown St Cloud at some point in the not too distant future. 

Check out Events page for more information ... See you on the trail!   Stickman Cliff

Good Morning from Lake Wobegon Trail Country… Well, we are beginning to see more sunshine!  I like sunshine… it makes everyone simile a little more.

The trail’s getting lots of use this winter.  I walked the trail recently to see the hoar frost and it was beautiful!  Snowmobilers are getting a chance to really enjoy the trails this year.  And they’re coming from all over!  I met some folks the other day from way over in Sartell and another couple from way down in South Haven.  Good to see our neighbors coming to visit us from so far away! Ha Ha! 

Lots of young folks using their sleds to get to school this winter too.   Can’t image what Grandpa would say about that.  He would have wondered about that… of course, he would have thought they should be walking like he did and not wasting all that money on gas just to get to school.  

We lost a good friend of the trail recently … Charlie Heidgerken.  He was the founder of Charlie’s Café in Freeport.  One of those icons on the trail that seems like it’s always been there.  Charlie bought the café from his brother in the early 1960’s and grew it from the small little café in the Commercial Exchange building behind the Corner Store to the main street icon with the big yellow sign above the door.

The Commercial Exchange business was actually started by my Big Granpa Ben, unfortunately he died before he really got a chance to get it going… more on that some other time.

I remember going to Charlie’s when I was just a young boy with my dad and getting an ice cream cone.  It was probably after a hair cut at Gib Lieser’s barber shop across the street.  Of course we didn’t get to eat there … couldn’t afford to spend money on that when mom could cook a meal just as good at home.  

Of course that doesn’t mean I didn’t eat a lot hamburger baskets there after a night out at the New Munich Ballroom!  That was an automatic after a night of dancing and partying back in the carefree days of the late 1960’s.

My three sisters worked there when they were in high school.  The first jobs they had besides babysitting.  They learned some good work skills and learned to deal with customers.  Lots of other young people got their first job at Charlie’s Café too. 

Well time to go.   I need to get out and enjoy some of that sunshine and take a walk on the Lake Wobegon Trail…

See you on the trail!  ...Stickman Cliff