Full northern route

We here on the tundra have received word that the great flatlands rider of the dune country has recently completed one of the important northern routes. The seasons seem to be somewhat parallel as today I completed the full route of the most commonly ridden northern route in this territory.

This is Sucker Lake. This is at the northern most limit of the ride and also the eastern most limit of what is predominantly a ride to the northeast. It is the turnback point to be sure but due to the vagaries of JRA (just riding around for any non-cyclists who might be tuned in) it is not the halfway point, it is just slightly past halfway. Sucker Lake is part of the Snail Lake Regional Park system. The lake and the surrounding real estate are owned by the City of Saint Paul Water Utility.
And this is Lake Vadnais. Again, the lake and the shore surrounding the lake are owned by the water utility. The utility draws the drinking water for the city (and several adjacent suburbs) from this series of lakes. In fact, the actual pumping station is on Lake Vadnais. There is no development on either lake which makes them quite unusual for such a large urban area. They are no swimming, no wading, no boating lakes, fishing allowed but fishing from the shore only. They are both hey we are going to be drinking this water we would appreciate it if the rest of you would stay out of it lakes. With no development both lakes present a quite northwoodsy sort of ambience right in the middle of the city.
I note that the great flatlands rider comments on the availability of pigs at the Port Sheldon Party Store. There are no pigs available anywhere within several hundred miles of the route I rode today. However I did have a couple of pieces of leftover pepperoni pizza before I departed on the ride. This is not in any way a comparable experience to a fresh pig but it did result in my having a distinct sausage aftertaste in my mouth for most of the ride, which aftertaste seems to me to be one of the quintessential parts of the pig experience.

As I neared home I met an interesting group of riders. There was a husband and wife tandem followed by two recumbents. The first recumbent featured a fairing which is not at all unusual on a recumbent at this time of year. But the guy bringing up the rear had constructed an entire cab, completely enclosing the bicycle. It seems to me that crosswinds would definitely be an issue with such a rig, and, in fact, he did seem to be weaving a fair amount.

I wish I had a picture but sometimes these things happen so fast that even an eyewitness ends up wondering, "Did I really see that?"

It was a beautiful day for a ride.