For the love of...

I have now lived in Sioux Falls longer than anywhere else in my adult life. I've grown to like, and maybe even love it. Really. But occasionally, I get restless and wonder about pulling up the roots I've worked hard to put down, and moving on to a new adventure. And as much fun as it is to think about, right now I'm tied down pretty securely, given 2 more years in my school program. But a girl can daydream.

This weekend I went to Minneapolis with a friend, and started thinking about all the things I could do in a city like that. We went to horse races, which I wasn't sure I would love, but did. I picked horses solely on their names, and only won with Abounding Aptitude. Of course.

We also visited the Schells brewery on the way home. Schells Stout is probably one of my favorite beers ever, so it was great to get a free glass at the end of the tour. And the grounds are beautiful, though maybe charming is a better word. Old brick buildings built on a hillside, along with gardens and a mansion, make it feel more European than Minnesotan for sure.

I think my favorite part of the weekend though was a bike ride on Saturday. The idea had sounded good, until I saw the heat index predictions. I love riding, but riding when it's hot, sunny, and humid is more torturous than pleasant. But, the weather was perfect. It was cloudy/foggy, and cooler for the entire ride, and the sun just started breaking through as we headed back to the hotel.


What amazed me most was how bike friendly Minneapolis is. I have heard it advertised as such, but since I just started riding this summer, I've only started noticing these things.

Our ride on Saturday took us around three of the lakes nearish downtown Minneapolis. The great thing was that most of the paths were one way, bikes only, which made things really simple. We also accidentally ended up on a greenway that you could take all the way downtown, or to light rail. It ran past some of the most amazing community gardens I've seen. Sitting downtown Minneapolis Saturday night we saw people using the dedicated bike lanes (cars have to park away from the curb, out of the bike lane). We also saw more pedicabs than regular cabs, and a lot of different kinds of people riding. It was great.

And, Sioux Falls is a good place to bike too, despite a biker being hit and killed last week. I'm thankful we have the bike path we do around the city, and despite my recent wanderlust, I'm happy to live where I do.