Sakatah Trail Notes

Trip Report - May 8th

2008-05-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Today's goal was to get website pictures for the second half of the trail tour. I transported the bike and gear to Elysian. Elysian is almost exactly halfway between Mankato and Faribault. I headed east in search of interesting subjects to photograph.

As I started East, it was sunny and a bit chilly. I put on a windbreaker and proceeded. It gradually got warmer. After a few miles, I was back to my shirtsleeved. In fact, I got a little bit of sunburn on my nose and arms.

Very evident was the overall progress on greening. Trees, shrubs and grasses are coming to life. Just about every songbird was back. First bird I saw was a goldfinch, and then a catbird. In just a short time, the list had expanded from the common to the more difficult to identify. I even saw a Canadian Goose resting on her nest.

It is interesting to note that Bloodroot is found in Lime Valley entrance to the 22 Entrance, inside Sakatah State Park and the last few miles before Faribault. The rest of the area contained none. It is also interesting that Dutchman's Breeches are nearly always found near Bloodroot and not usually by itself. Perhaps someone knows the answer...

I was planning on stopping in Warsaw for lunch, but there was only one restarant and it wasn't opened in the afternoon. Warsaw has no downtown, I find this incredibly strange. Not even a gas station.

Ate in Faribault and headed back. To give you some idea, I took over 4 hours to get to Faribault due to stopping for pictures. It only took 1.5 hours to get back. It went very fast.

Perhaps I'll expand more tomorrow... I am very tired. :-)

Trip Report - May 4th

2008-05-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

Took a quick ride Sunday with my wife Donna. We rode from Madison Lake to Elysian. There was a slight wind with us, and against us on the way back. It slowed us down about 1 MPH. The trail is getting very green. It was athe weekend for Bloodroot and Dutchmen's Breeches! They were all over the trail, in greater abundance and more spread out than I have seen before in prior years. Also saw a Woodchuck burrow.

We stopped at Elysian at Alley Scoops, had a nice visit with Joanne, and headed back. It was an hour before sunset when we got back to the Madision Lake trailhead. Wonderful ride.

Diversionary Trip to RJT - May 3rd

2008-05-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Saturday) I carried my bicycle to Lake Crystal, to watch my son's soccer game. After the game, I left on bicycle. It started out chilly, it was very windy and it pushed a good bit of the way East. The plans were to ride from Lake Crystal to Rapidan, from there to Mankato along the Red Jacket Trail and from Mankato, it was a choice of Lime Valley Road entrance to 22 entrance on the Sakatah, or taking the less impressive county-5 return home. As I came out of Mankato, I realized that I would be facing into the wind, and my Daughter's birthday party at 5pm dictated that I take the county-5 home, missing the Sakatah entirely.

The ride turned out to be quite fine. My first stop, just before Rapidan, was the Rapidan Dam Store. It is probably one of the best kept secrets in Southern Minnesota. Nestled in a valley near the Rapidan Dam, the cafe/restaurant is a common hangout for the locals, and some savvy travelers, but usually goes unnoticed. I have been stopping there for years. It's a cafe with personality, a place that you couldn't design... it's a cafe with a haphazard outdoors theme, very common, yet cozy surroundings - Very Minnesotan. The owners are nice people, the food is terriffic, and they have the best Banana Cream pie ever (IMHO).

Passing through the town of Rapidan, you get to the south trailhead of the Red Jacket Trail (RJT) - the Red Jacket is a nice trail for families, it's a nice quick trip and easy access to Mankato. It's a great little trail, if you are visiting the Sakatah as a vacation, you should take a half day and spend it on the RJT as well.

Spring has hit the RJT as well. Nice flowers there, and interestingly, the mix was slightly different from the Sakatah. There are the usual Bloodroot and Dutchmen's Breeches, but in addition, I saw 2 types of Hepatica and some very nice Trout Lilies. I have not observed the last 2 on the Sakatah. I need to ask someone about that sometime and see why that is so.

Nice day yesterday, hope to ride the Sakatah this afternoon.

Saturday Weekly Summary

2008-04-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well Saturday came and went, it never was really warm enough to ride today. Friday evening, I saw my first Goldfinch of the spring (a male) perched on a Pussy-Willow bush.. he was nibbling at the flowers. So, I guess that we can expect finches on the trail any time now.

Today was a good day to sit inside and work on the website - I have new and improved pages. I want to get things usable, before I start the first campaign to draw notice to this site. I want it easy for people to use and helpful.

Last Sunday's ride was nice, I invited a group, but nobody showed up. It was windy coming from the East. I started from Madison Lake and rode to Elysian. It was a beautiful day! About midway, I got drowsy, so I pulled over at a rest area, laid down and took a tremendous 45 minute nap. I got up and rode the rest of the way to Elysian, had some ice cream at Alley Scoops and rode back with the wind.

When I got back from my ride, I noticed that my front wheel bearings were loose. Sunday night I took a look and it looks like I didn't tighten them enough last time I worked on it. I carefully re-tightened the wheel and I put it back on this afternoon.

It's going to be 47 degrees tomorrow afternoon, but I hope to get out and see if the Wildflowers are up yet, it's gotta be getting close. If I do, I'll post a report.

Browsing through "Short Bike Rides Minnesota" hoping to find some nice "non-DNR" trails this year. I am also catching up on some repair manuals... after the wheel bearing incident, a refresher wouldn't be a bad idea.

April 19th - Trail Report

2008-04-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

It was a gray day today, I thought that it would rain, for sure. It was actually about the same temperature as 2 weeks ago. I didn't think I'd need a heavier jacket, but I took it, and I wore it the entire trip. There was a slight breeze from the North.

I took the recumbent, unfortunately, I pulled it out of the garage, and spent too much time in preparation, so that I was unable to get to the trail until 10am. By then, the chance to get to Fairbault and back was gone. So I contented myself with a trip to Sakatah State Park and back.

On the way back the left rear tire of the recumbent started making a grinding noise. I limped home, and will have to look at it next week.

The trail itself is looking good. I was hopeful last report that the Spring flowers would be up, but I was a little too optimistic. The grass is greening up quite well, and trees and shrubs are budding.

It was still pretty gray and dismal, and one might judge the trail still in winter slumber. I was amazed to find a lot of activity to the contrary. In addition to the birds mentioned in the previous reports, add a ring-necked Pheasant, a groundhog, yellow shafted flickers... and the prize of the day - an Eastern Bluebird.

I was out from 10am to 6pm. I saw a lot of things. I met a new friend and had lunch. We will probably be doing some riding soon.

So, a lot of good came out of today, seeing the Eastern Bluebird was a real treat. It has a beautiful sound. It was about 2.6 miles from Waterville. No Bloodwort or Dogstooth violets was a disappointment.... maybe next trip? It's been a late Spring, it'll be interesting to see how things develop.

April 13th - Trail Report

2008-04-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

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!

April 5th - Trail Report

2008-04-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

Finally! - First trip on the Sakatah this year. Started at Lime Valley entrance in Mankato, the trail was completely clear, a few muddy spots and small ice patches at Sakatah State Park, but otherwise very nice. A little cross-wind on the way back to Mankato in the afternoon, but otherwise a warm splendid ride.

Trees were bare of leaves and flowers had not yet come up. Moss is green and grasses are starting to green up. Birds were the highlight on this trip. Cardinals and Chickadees are pairing up. Robins and Slate Colored Junco's were plentyful. There was a fairly large group of Junco's at the entrance to Madison Lake observed coming and going on the trail. Several sighings of Downy Woodpeckers. Between Elysian and Waterville the pond used last year was again inhabited by Canada Geese and Mallards.

Found a "treasure box" left by a little girl in Mankato. It was out in the open, so I decided to make it an informal Geocache for her. I added some trinkets, covered it with a bag and hid it more securely. Jaylyn Olsen will be happy to know that her geocache is now hidden at

N44 11.929 W 093 56.928 I plan on registering it at www.GeoCaching.com

I also stopped by my GeoCache and cleaned it up. It got exposed during the winter, and I checked it and resecured it.

Observed a group of 3 volunteers repairing Wood Duck houses at the Eagle Lake bridge. They do so as a hobby. I asked about the effectiveness of the program. One of the three told me that they have placed out 50 houses on Eagle Lake, and of those 50, have experienced a 60% occupancy. Spring work involves cleaning the house and repairing any damage caused by winter.

Trail restaurants are all open for business.

The trail itself has the usual spring trash. Some cleanup is needed. Alarmingly, over the winter several noticable cracks have been observed in the trail pavement. One very noticable one is at the base of the Highway-22 entrance, a long split an inch in width that extends for several yards. It is a very dangerous one since it can easily catch a wheel, and it is right where people entry the trail. The other two are after the bridge on Eagle Lake (always a problem spot) and a new one east of Elysian just outside of town. I am going to email the DNR and let them know about the cracks. Hopefully there is some money in the budget to fill the cracks before summer sets in.

Otherwise it was a great day, got a lot of new pictures, got some fresh air and even a little color for the sun. Can't wait til next time, we are getting close to spring ephemerals coming up.

February weekend walk on the trail

2008-02-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

Reasonably warm day, so at a little after lunchtime, I got dropped off at the 22 entrance and took a walk on the Sakatah, headed toward Lime Valley entrance. Took me just about an hour to make the trip. Saw a runner and his dog, and 2 cross country skiers. No snowmobiles today.

The air was crisp, but tolerable. The trail seemed empty, until I took the time to stop for a while and listen. This is a common problem on the trail, people are in too much of a hurry. When you are looking ahead as you ride bicycle, you can literally see the animals scamper for cover. If you stop and wait a while, they start to get used to you, then resume their activities.

I heard them first, then saw a pair of mourning doves... then, what a surprise, there appeared right in front of me 8-10 others that scattered quickly. They blend into the brush amazingly well. I did not know that mourning doves stayed the winter, but evidently, they do.

Not much longer after that , I heard a Chickadee, which isn't surprising, they are a common stay-over bird. They are one of my favorite birds.

Getting close to the bridge near Lime Valley, I heard and interesting sound, looke up and saw a pair of Downy Woodpeckers gathering lunch. They looked well-fed and healthy. It was good to see them.

Besides the birds, I saw squirrels and plenty of tracks. I came across a regular party of tracks crowded around a fresh kill. Judging from the tracks, it appeared to be a feast that a lot of different animals enjoyed.

So, the Sakatah is not dead in the winter, it's very much alive... and taking a walk was a good chance to get fresh air and gather some hope.

There is about 1-1/2 inches of hardpack snow and ice... but here and there, I could see TAR. Which means the springtime bicycling is just around the corner. I can hardly wait.

Take a winter walk if you get the chance!

Website getting healthier!

2007-12-18T15:11:00.001-08:00

I've been working on the Sakatah Trail website for several days now, off and on, experimenting with colors, buttons, graphics.... you know the drill. :-)

It's been a bit of a struggle for me, because I am not a very creative person where design and color are needed. But it's good for me because it broadens me a bit. (I guess)

Woke up this morning at 5:30 with a vision about major improvements to the sight. I had taken the day off to finish my Christmas shopping, so I spent some time in the morning and in the evening after I returned home and I am very pleased with the result!

I have a lot of work to go yet, I hope everyone is patient with me as I gradually build content. It's a slow process.

I have yet to have an outside visitor to my site yet. Maybe I'll drop a little hint on a couple of sites and see what happens ;-)

Drove by the Sakatah highway 22 entrance going home from shopping.... about 3 inches of packed down snow... snowmobiles are enjoying the trail. Maybe I'll see if I can take a walk next week and report back.

I'm taking my computer along to the relatives and hope to make some changes over Christmas. We'll see... that never seems to work out... but we'll try.

For now, I'm going to leave the site alone for the night... other things need to be done.

Bicycle in thr the season - temporarily

2007-11-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been cold here lately (in the mid to lower 30's) and although I bought a facemask to protect my nose and throat from the cold air... I am chickening out, been a lot of colds around the house and I'm worried that travel on the trail in the cold might set me off.

I've been sitting around the house getting fat, I try to walk some in the afternoons, but I'm not consistant, I feel myself "blowing up" :-)) I was holding out to see if I could get one more ride in before the trail gets blocked with snow.

Thanksgiving brought some light flakes that didn't stay, Friday morning I poked around the house. I finally broke down and brought "MaryAnn" (my bicycle) in from the garage and set her up on the stand in the basement and got a few minutes riding in this evening.

I am not admitting defeat or giving in, if we get a warm streak and the trail is still clear, I will be out there... last year I was out there 9 days before Christmas. I'm crossing my fingers and shooting for Christmas.

How am I prepared for winter in Minnesota? Well, I have brought in all of my tools and am busy working on a couple of bicycles. A Trek 800 mountain bike that is about ready, it was going to be mine for non-paved trails, but I got a sweet GT this summer, so I guess I will finish it, and sell it to someone who needs a bicycle.

The second bicycle is a Bianchi Strada - it has had a bad life and has been in a terribly abused home situation. Fortunately, I was able to intervene before permanent damage was done (I think).

As I write, I have the bottom bracket pieces set aside covered with T9 to protect the cleaned surfaces. I have the bottom-bracket open and intend on cleaning the rusty/sandy/dirty interior several times. (leaving a bicycle outside on it's side in the rain is very, very naughty). I have the front wheel apart and have repacked the front bearings (after almost losing two in my basement). But they are back together and ready for spoke adjustment and cleaning before the tires go back on.

So I putter on my bicycles, work on this website, and I am hoping to make some new friends... who knows, maybe we'll all get together and ride bicycle this summer. ;-)

Last week, short trip to Elysian

2007-11-11T20:17:00.001-08:00

Had a little time to sneak in a ride, it was a little chilly, but I got the bicycle off the rack and onto the pavement around 2:30pm on Saturday.

The trail is noticeably quiet, most of the migratory birds have left for warmer climes. Even the Redwing Blackbirds have started their Southward journey.

Rode by myself, quiet day, not many on the trail. Grayish sky, looking like winter is almost here. I decided to stop for a warm cup of Chai. Found a very nice place south of the highway as I come into Elysian from the west. Believe it or not, it is a "Floral / Giftshop / Bakery" and they have "Elephant Chai" which tastes very nice.

Rode back to Madison Lake and arrived just before sundown. Nice ride.