April 13th - Trail Report

Sunday was rather coolish on the Sakatah. Rode from Saint Peter to the Lime Valley Entrance, and East to Eagle Lake Bridge and back. Spring is getting into full swing. Last report, the moss was just about the only thing green on the trail. Sunday saw new grass greening up. I also saw, what I believe to be, Bloodwort sprouts... so the Ephemerals are coming, I looked for Dogtooth Violets, but saw none. They can't be far behind.

The streams were full and along with the crisp air and good sunshine, it made for an excellent day to be out. It was cool enough that I wore my biking gloves with fingers. (This time of year I carry both) I also tried out a pair of Spandex leggings I bought this winter. They were very comfortable and kept my legs warm. I had a light windbreaker over a long sleeved bike shirt and it was a comfortable trip. I saw about 15 people on the trail, including a rollerblader.

Birds didn't change much, I saw fewer Cardinals and Chickadees. But on Eagle Lake bridge, I saw "gulls" - I'm not sure what they are, but they look like Gulls. The Sakatah has them every year, in the fall they follow the farmers as they disk the fields looking for food. Anyway, they are back on the lake.

No animals sighted at all. I did see a butterfly, which I think is quite unusual for this time of year.

From the last trip, I made a quick call to the DNR office in New Ulm and reported the cracks in the trail. I was happy to see that they came and filled the cracks with "Cherrystone" (Pink Quartzite mined near New Ulm, MN) presumably in preparation for adding tar in the future. Made it much better.

There was a thin tree across the road just east of the 22 entrance, a couple of passer-by's helped me get most of it off the road. I ended up having a front wheel flat (Glass) and had to fix it. As a result, I am buying new tires this week. Most bicyclists give tires about 1500 miles - as a rule of thumb. Mine are getting thin, also, every time the outer shell is compromised, the chance of sand and debris gettingback in and causing another flat is much greater.

This week looks very promising trailwise, and I have a Saturday planned, and maybe I can sneak a quick trip in this week sometime. Anxious to see some flowers!