Hopkins

New pavement today.

After a bit of a false start on Tuesday when temperatures rose yet again into the 90s it now seems apparent that Fall has arrived. Today's temperature was about average, mid-70s and humidity seems to have gone back to where it belongs, the dog days of summer. It was a bit windy but overall it was a splendid day for a bicycle ride.

I stretched it out a little and into a west wind I found myself riding the into the wind slightly uphill leg of the Midtown Greenway. I felt pretty good so I went ahead and explored new terrain.

Here is a NewLOOK at Excelsior Boulevard.

I got there by riding an abandoned railway right of way turned into multiple use trail. There used to be a railroad here. Visible across the street is the also abandoned (but not as a coffee shop) Hopkins Depot.

We had a much nicer one downtown.

A ride to Hopkins ended up being a three bottle ride, I only have equipment on my bicycles to carry two at a time. On the way back I was pretty much out of water and looking around for a public water source. I found one at Lake of the Isles.

That's a particularly handy public water source.  There is a fountain for short people (with water running for this photo), a fountain for slightly taller people, another one around on the back side for, I guess, dogs, and a faucet on the side ideal for filling a water bottle.