Intended Purpose

Marginal ice

By now just about everybody and their brother, and sister, have a fat-bike. In my immediate area all the open land that no one used to ride is now quite common for the curious fat-biker. All the local trails get groomed in very quick, simply by the high volume of riders. Breaking trail or finding something new to ride is getting tough................. so we search.       

ArcFlash is the self designated ice thickness tester 

Best in Schow,The Mayor, ArcFlash, and Corky

First opening onto a lake

 Last Saturday we found just what we were looking for, an amazing route in an area our group had only been to once before. The first ride dubbed the Mayor's Ride was one of the most memorable in all my years on a bike. The outing on Saturday was of the same caliber. We started out on a four-wheeler trail that we had done some recon on the previous week. At that time the trail ended and we decided to bushwack around the area and see what we could find. We ended up building a fire cooking lunch and then headed home. By mid-week the three of us that had been on the ride were itching to get back out there with the rest of our crew.

Bikes don't shift too well like this

Wide open

Roots

Lunch time

We assembled five riders, all on fat-bikes, loaded with lunch items,water, and snacks... and for the most part, no time constraints. We got going early enough for a Saturday ride, hitting the trail at 10 am. We made two, partially frozen creek crossings right away, which set a good tone for adventure. When we got to where the trail had previously ended, we were delighted that it now kept going. It's not like we need a four-wheeler track to follow in the minimal snow, but it was fast and seemed to follow a route we would enjoy anyway. Initially the trail remained in the woods, but after a few more miles it got out onto a lake. From there it cut through long stands of cattails and onto other bodies of water and repeated the cycle several more times. After we emerged on a very large body of water, we had a grasp on where we were and started making our way to a lunch stop. Riding across most of the lake we settled on a calm,windless spot in the woods to build a fire and cook lunch.

Standard Imperial Fat-Bike Rider issued ultra-light weight everything utensil 

OK....nobody smile

All natural Halloween mask for next year

Lotus

safety first

 Afterwards we set out for more exploring and eventually looped back to the lunch spot due to thin ice and open water. We had been out for about four hours at this point and began to head back. It was a bit of a slog in the final few miles as the exhaustion of playing all day was starting to come over us. The final challenges were the creek crossings, they were now deeper and not frozen. Soaking wet feet  or a detour didn't matter by now so we all rode through the axle deep water. We finished at 4pm, six hours before that we had no idea it would be such a memorable day.

AF up ahead testing ice thickness....If he falls in then we know it's not think enough

Water was way up

   

Rotten Ice

Saturday I reluctantly agreed to meet Arc Flash at Lake Minnetonka for a fat-bike ride and swim. He had been pressuring me for an adventure on the lake for the last two weeks, assuring me of the fun and safe experience I would have. The fact that I was jonesing for an adventure and I wanted to try out my new dry suit is what led to me caving in and participating to this crazy endeavor. Did I mention the lake is huge and  covered in rotten ice, and in order to ride that rotten ice one must swim to reach it.

Hmmmmm    fat-bikes and a dry suit

A.F. is out swimming in the pool in the background

it looks warm, right?

 The plan was simple, make it out to Big Island and back. We started out at a little parking lot on the south east corner of Wayzata Bay. We didn't have to swim here just yet but the ice was super thin and rotten. We were punching trough the slush until the water was about knee deep, at which time we gingerly stepped up on top of it and scurried further out onto the thicker ice. From there we cut across the bay about a mile and a half to a little island. On our way out A.F. had me stop and go for a swim in an open pool surrounded by bad ice just to get the feel for it. A.F. is a regular ice diver and this is nothing to him, I on the other hand, was pretty freaked out. As a native of the Land of 10,00 Lakes, it's ingrained at a very young age to stay off of thin ice. Overcoming this instinct was difficult and had me uneasy the entire trip. 

A.F. testing out his Search and Rescue over-the -shoe fins

The water is super clear this time of year

 After our second swim near the small island I was starting to relax a little. This didn't last long, about a half mile out into the main body of the lake my bike kept breaking through the crust and my fears were starting to get the best of me. For whatever reason the layers of the lake went like this.... on top was hard snowy crust, next was 6-8 inches of slushy water, and then a who-knows-how-thick, layer of black ice. Each time my front wheel would take a dive through the crust and into the slush I thought I was going in. It was becoming  more than I was comfortable with and I thought about turning around. A.F. was way ahead of me by now. I stood and called out to let him know I was turning back. I don't think he got the message, he stopped for a few seconds to look back and motored on. At this point I decided to man up and keep moving. My rational thoughts were..... #1 A.F. has already safely ridden the section I am standing on. #2 I am wearing a dry suit and currently over heating, a swim would be nice. #3 If I turn tail and run I will be labeled a pansy.  

This just doesn't seem right. It is however a lot of fun and something were used to

New fat-bike accessory, swim fins

 I continued on towards Big Island punching trough the crust about half of the time, sometimes walking, and tried not to think about it. Walking is worse, when your foot goes through the crust, all you see when you pull it out is water and blackness. The blackness  combined with the erratic depth of crust/slush in relation to the ice can give the feeling of falling through. It's kind of like walking down stairs with your eyes closed and anticipating the next step.  When I finally got to the island I wasn't really in the mood for pics or exploring, I just wanted to get back. We did however take time to cool off and go for a swim. It was nice to cool off but now it was time to ride back before the conditions of the lake worsened. It was a warm, intensely sunny day, and I didn't want to wait around for the crust to get any weaker. We had about three and a half miles to ride and I really didn't want to walk. With very low tire pressure, I got on my bike, put my head down and pedaled like hell back towards the small island and the open water. I was relived when I got there, ghosting my bike into the water, I was not far behind. The final mile and a half across Wayzata Bay was enjoyable. The crust was firm and we were effortlessly cruising back to our vehicles. All in all it was a great time, I even got a sunburn. Big thanks to Arc Flash for the kick in the ass I needed to pull this off.          A.F's version coming soon, hopefully with video.

Gray's Bay

 

22 Miles

Our starting line, Gray's Bay or bust

 The length of Minnehaha Creek is roughly twenty-two miles. On Saturday, Vandy and I began our cycling trek at Minnehaha Falls with our sights set on Gray's Bay, 22 icy miles away. We opted to skip the quarter mile section of creek from the falls to the Mississippi River mostly because we just wanted to get moving. We did however ride down to the base of the falls to admire the up-close view of the frozen backdrop and set the tone for the day.

depressions of broken ice are common the first 5-6 miles

This is a really fun section on a kayak when the water is moving fast

 The first ten miles or so were review. I've ridden them a number of times so I was eager to get to the unknown. Last year I rode (w/AF) all the way to 169 and a little further, so the unknown wouldn't come until the last 6 or 7 miles. The whole thing was a joy to ride anyway, it went so quick I wanted it to last a little longer.

Some one was kind enough to leave this chair in the creek so i could relax in the middle of our ride

This is the guy with the skates, we thought we were hard core until we met him

 With the really cold temps there was very little watery, wet, slushy, overflow. Not to be confused with the frozen solid overflow that makes the riding fast and smooth, the watery stuff can wreak havoc on a drive train. Many sections had newly frozen overflow that was smooth enough to ice skate. It just so happens we met one such individual who was skating the entire length of the creek just as we were riding it. He started at Gray's Bay and when we met him he was just upstream of Meadow Brook Lake. We were impressed enough to start plotting our own adventure on skates as we chatted and rode.

I just need a few things at the grocery store

Taco Bell, yeah were tough, anyone that can eat this shit and then ride a bike is tough 

 In the final few miles Vandy stepped up the pace quite a bit, and before we knew it we were face to face with our destiny, the dam at Gray's Bay. This small barricade at the eastern edge of the massive Lake Minnetonka is what makes the whole thing possible. If it were not for this little dam controlling the lake level the kinetic energy of flowing water might keep the creek open year round thus making our ride impossible.

beautifully frozen overflow

The final stretch

 When we got to the bay we had planned on "a little icing on the the cake" or "throwing a pancake on it" for the grand finale' by riding to Big Island. I am not familiar with Lake Minnetonka and had no idea just how large it is and how far the additional ride out to the island would be. After rounding the bend a few miles out on Wayzata Bay, in gale force winds, the idea was scrapped. We headed back to the western edge of Gray's Bay where our pre-placed shuttle vehicle was waiting.

I'm so awesome and I don't even know it  :)

This is what makes it all possible

 It was a great ride with a good friend. I was glad to finally make the goal I've had rumbling around in my head for a few years a reality. Not knowing for sure if the conditions will permit such a ride is what makes this one so sweet to have completed. I'm not the first, greatest, most awesome, or foremost authority, to ride this, but if you have not ridden the creek, do yourself a favor and get out there, it's a blast. No, it's not completely safe so use your best judgement.

Wayzata Bay, black ice 

More like Green Ice

New Toy

I can't believe this is all you get for 850.00 $

 Last week I opened a new door to adventure, I got a packraft! I had the idea of getting a raft several years ago when the stories of bike, and boat, stared hitting the internet, but couldn't justify the need for one just then. I also didn't really want to spend that kind of money if I had no one to go with since none of my friends had them. Fast-forward several years and I meet ArcFlash (from this day forward, Steve shall be known as ArcFlash) who has the same addictive need for adventure as I do, and we decide to get rafts to further our quest for fun. He's had his for a couple weeks and has already done several short trips, so when I was ready to get out for the first time, he had a route already picked out.

Testing

We put out this wildfire on the way to the river

 Before the trip I had inflated the boat several times to get the knack for it. I also spent time in the basement the night before learning to attach the bike so I would not be wasting a lot of time when we were at the water's edge ready to go.

Oh look the bike matches the pack and the paddles, "for cute"

 I met A.Flash at his house early Saturday morning and we headed out to the Mississippi River for my first packraft adventure. I admit I was ill prepared for the day, I could have used more clothing, some food and a rope.

My first crossing of the Mississip'

It's so natural down there

 An extra set of gloves would have been nice, as well as a warmer jacket or under layers. It was December 1st and although it's been unseasonably warm I was cold once we got on the water and my stuff stared getting a little wet. The spray skirt I ordered with the boat would have kept me warmer and dry but I opted not to use it since I had not been in the boat and was unsure how likely a wet exit would be. It turns out the boat is super stable and being confined in the boat by the skirt would not have been an issue for me. lesson learned.

The lake appears to be very smooth

That's because it's covered in ice! 

  After making our initial crossing of the Mississip' we made our way to Pig's Eye Lake. The wind was really blowing on the river crossing and made the water quite choppy, but when we got to the lake it was smooth as glass. That glass turned out to be a thin layer of ice on nearly the entire lake. We thought we could ram our way through but as we got a few feet in, the ice thickened up and was too much to paddle through.The new plan was to get to the nearby island, walk across, and get to the open channel on the other side and complete the crossing. The one item I had that A.Flash did not, was my neoprene kayaking/water shoes. These proved invaluable in the pursuit to complete our route. Not being one to quit ArcFlash took my shoes slid them on and got in the water to break the ice and clear a path.

Great day for a swim in ice water

 A.Flash ordered the dry-suit from alpaka rafts when he got his boat, and this was just the test for it. The water was not too deep and the ice not too thick, I was laughing my ass off as he slipped into the water for the first time and stared breaking ice. This is when the rope would have come in handy, I was trying to pull his boat behind mine with a short bungee cord,which did not work due to the fact it was really narrow channel and I could not get any purchase on the ice with my paddle to move me forward. Eventually I had to get towed through the channel and up on top of the ice when it got thick enough to walk on. Meanwhile I was sitting in my boat barefoot in a small pool of splashed-in water, freezing. I was temped to walk across the ice once we got close to shore but my feet were numb and the thought of breaking through prevented me from doing just that.

Only about 500 more feet and were there

The ice is thick enough AF briefly gets on top of the ice before falling through, it's ok he likes doing stuff like this

Once we made landfall the rest was easy. We had a short walk on the island to an open channel, which we crossed in about five minutes. From there we packed up our stuff and rode back to A.F.'s house. This was a great little trip to break in the new boat, but has set the bar high for what we will do to complete a planned route.

That's a dead duck just to the right in the water

Time to pack it up and head home