The first week of October brought some major changes to the
Matt + Karen + Rio + Lucky clan. On October 3 Matt + Rio arrived in Chaska,
accompanied by Matt’s dad, Ron. Matt + Rio left Anchorage one week before, on
September 26, after calling Alaska home for more than nine years. Driving from
Anchorage to Haines, Matt + Rio then hopped on the Alaska Marine Highway System
destined for Prince Rupert, British Colombia, Canada. After a day and a half on
the water, Matt + Rio landed in Prince Rupert and drove to Calgary, Alberta,
where Ron joined them for the rest of the drive. Three days later the three of
them arrived safely in Chaska.
Rio...being camera shy...
Lucky loves watching all the action from high places...
Matt is also warming up to the idea of sharing space with a cat…and more specifically, a black cat
This
past weekend called for unseasonably warm weather in central Minnesota, so Matt
and I took full advantage of the temperatures. We rode the Minnesota
River Bluffs LRT Regional Trail, which follows an old railroad route from
Hopkins through Chanhassen. We added 16 and 8 miles on each end of the route
for about a 40 mile bike ride.
Our first pit stop was in Hopkins at The Depot Coffee
House, a popular stop along the River Bluffs Trail. This coffee shop is
housed in a renovated train depot and is student-run; often offering live
music. We had a few snacks and then headed on our way again.
Our next stop was in Excelsior at the Excelsior Brewing Company. One of my favorite breweries in the area, I was excited to share the place with Matt. Excelsior Brewing Company was celebrating Oktoberfest, or unique to Excelsior, Docktoberfest, so I enjoyed a seasonal brew while Matt sipped on a flagship favorite.
We then hopped back on our bikes for the last 11 miles of the ride. We had a great time enjoying what is likely the last day of “summer” in Minnesota…and, I truly enjoyed having my favorite cycling companion with me for the ride.
Cheers!