Gophers and Cheese

After my adventures on gravel just north of Taylors Falls last Sunday, I crossed into Wisconsin, headed south and stopped in Osceola, WI.  I walked down to Cascade Falls and also followed the trail all the way out to the river.  It was nice, except for the large number of mosquitoes that chewed me up. After the long climb back up the stairs, I stopped in PY's Saloon & Grill for a refreshment.  Then I headed south and stopped at the St. Croix Hilltop Drive-In for some pictures.

Last Sunday, I took the Road King for a really nice ride northeast of the Twin Cities.  I took I-35W north to I-35 and then headed east on US-8.  US-8 is nice because it cuts through a lot of great small towns, many (interestingly) with sister cities in Sweden. One such town is Lindstrom, MN.  Along the road is the Chisago Lakes All Veterans Memorial, complete with a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty. After Lindstrom, I also stopped in Center City, MN to take some pictures by the Chisago Lake Lutheran Church. I continued on to Taylors Falls, MN and headed north following the St. Croix Scenic Byway .  I didn't get too far before the pavement ran out.  I continued on a little farther before turning around.  It had been a while since I was on gravel.

Get excited people.  The Flood Run is tomorrow!!! Never heard of it?  Check out my "Guide to Local Events" section above where you can learn all about it and find links to previous posts about the run.

Here's the last set of pics from Saturday...

Another set of pics from Saturday...

A friend of mine told me about a great spot in downtown Minneapolis to take some pics.  There is building with the side covered in great artwork. I went this past Saturday with the Sportster and also stopped by on Sunday with the Road King.  I took a lot of pics.  I'll get to the Road King quite a few posts later as that was the last stop on a full day. I really love the way these turned out so, once again, you get both black and white and color versions.  Check back over the next few days as it'll take a few posts to get them all uploaded.  Enjoy! Here is the location of the graffiti wall where I took the pictures (near the corner of N 2nd St and N 1st Ave, Minneapolis): View Larger Map