Bike Minnesota group cycles through region
By Justine Wettschreck, Worthington Daily Globe
PIPESTONE — Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge David Minge spent the holiday weekend on his bicycle — along with 50 or so other cyclists — as they toured southwest Minnesota, exploring some of the region’s natural and cultural treasures, during Minge’s third annual Bike Minnesota with Parks & Trails ride.
“I really wanted to highlight what we have in this part of the state … the parks and the monuments,” the former Second District congressman said Saturday. “I want to make sure that the people from urban areas realize the diversity of the bike trails.”
The cyclists who joined Minge for the ride came from various areas — some local, some from Mankato and St. Cloud, and one even came from Duluth — but the majority of them were from the Twin Cities.
“The people say, ‘I never realized this existed,’” Minge said.
Although he has been riding bike over the Labor Day weekend for many years, Minge organized the Bike Minnesota ride, with the help of the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota, to showcase different areas and the benefits of their parks and trails.
The Parks & Trails Council is an organization that has worked for more than 50 years to protect and expand Minnesota’s special places by acquiring critical land for incorporation into the state’s park and trail system. Funded by charitable contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations, the Parks & Trails Council has been instrumental in adding more than 8,700 acres of land valued at $15 million to key areas within the state’s vast network of parks and trails.
“They are advocates for the trails and bike paths across the state,” Minge explained, “including the Casey Jones Trail.”
And it just so happened the new Pipestone Trailhead on the Casey Jones Trail was one of the group’s stops.
They met and set up camp Friday night at Lake Shetek State Park, making it their home base for the next few days.
On Saturday, they fought strong winds all day. They left Ruthton, went through Tyler and Lake Benton, checked out some wind turbines and visited Cazenovia before stopping at the Pipestone National Monument.
As they headed up the drive toward the visitors’ center, the same comments were heard.
“Can you believe that wind?”
The bike group was introduced to Travis Erickson, who led them on a tour of some special areas at the monument and spoke to them about Native American culture. He showed them the frame of a sweat lodge and talked about the traditions behind the practice.
Erickson also brought the group to the quarry where he mines quartzite and pipestone, explaining the process and the geology of the area.
From the monument, the cyclists headed to the Casey Jones Trailhead, where four miles of new trail are now being developed between Pipestone and Lake Wilson — highly significant because it represents the trail’s first new construction since its authorization in the late 1960s.
Former Representative Verne Long of Pipestone, who authored the bill decades ago, spoke about the ongoing fight to make the trail a reality.
On Sunday, the group started in Edgerton, hit the Split Rock Creek State Park and the Blue Mounds State Park, toured the Agri-Energy Ethanol Plant in Luverne, saw the Brandenburg Gallery and Palace Theater in Luverne and took a shuttle back to the Lake Shetek State Park.
Monday morning started with a presentation at End-O-Line Park in Currie and ended at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove.
“Southwestern Minnesota is so rich with history, culture and natural beauty it is only fitting we organize this three-day biking and camping expedition, so our visitors can soak up the area in all of its glory,” Minge said. “More than anything, this event highlights the vital contribution that our state’s parks and trails make to our health, our economy and our great Minnesota outdoor way of life.”