Into the Jaws of the Suburbs

Post for May 21, 2021

I’ve enjoyed cycling in many places, on the tangled streets of London, gravel roads in the country, Downtown Minneapolis, paved country roads, and city neighborhoods. I’m comfortable cycling in all those places, but suburbs make me worry.

And tense again.

I have friends and family who I love and respect who live In the suburbs, but the streets there are made for fast traffic. That traffic usually does not include bikes. In suburbs, I sometimes break an important rule and cycle on the sidewalk to stay safe, but there’s often not a sidewalk. In this case, I put all my lights on, listen carefully, look around often, and glance in my mirror just as often. I had to do all that today since construction made suburban roads busier.

All that made the MRT feel much better when it changed from suburban road to bike trail, often next to the Mississippi River. At one point, I passed some cyclists going the other way, and one called out, “Are you touring?”

I replied “Yes, to New Orleans!” It felt great to cross paths with a kindred spirit. This little exchange comes up later in the pictures.

The song for this post, from my touring playlist, is Rexroth’s Daughter. The song is about looking for an elusive woman, kind of like I was looking for elusive safe places to cycle today. Ok, that might be a bit of a stretch, but it’s still a good song.

2 thoughts on “Into the Jaws of the Suburbs

  1. Great stuff, Steve! Suburbs are kinda like cross-over bikes, they don’t do the rural effect well and they are not as convenient nor well-planned for bikes or pedestrians as cities often are… Suburbs are weird. Glad you had the trail!

    • I enjoyed the trail more than ever, and I hope more suburbs add more trails. I’m sure people there would enjoy them.

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