So, I’m digging through some old albums in search of a picture of me with torn jeans for yesterday’s post and stumble across this picture:
Can you guess what decade this picture may have been taken?
Given my height, I’d guess I was either 13 or 14 in that photo. I’m standing in my grandparents’ kitchen along the shores of Lake Minnewaska. They lived along North Lakeshore Drive, right near the DNR fish hatchery, and were a convenient stop for my numerous trips around the lake.
This photo represents some of the earliest stages of my adventures into cycling. With an older brother in college doing some serious racing throughout Minnesota, I caught the cycling bug and was soon outgrowing my basic Nishiki ten-speed. Sometime in 1986 (or maybe 1987), I upgraded the bike and ended up with a Trek 560 that I bought from Freewheel Bike in Minneapolis, which I still own and now fondly refer to as The Old Steed™.
The location that I lived was near perfect for a young kid and a bike. My parents owned a house on Priest Point along the northern shores of the lake. We were 2 miles from Starbuck and 6 miles from Glenwood – which means that a walk into town was impractical, but a bike ride was just about right. The only concern is that the bike ride would at least have to partially share a fairly narrow, two-laned road with 55 mph traffic. Although at the time that seemed like the busiest road in the world, by today’s standards it was quite lazy and it would be rather rare to encounter a single car during the 20 minute journey into Glenwood.
The lake itself also offered the perfect riding conditions as a full loop involves 21 miles of riding. That was just over an hour in the saddle and enough for a nice workout without taking up the entire day. I would usually start out by heading west into Starbuck. Although this was mostly the best rotational direction (counter-clockwise) for combating the typical western winds, it also meant a quick stop at the Dairy Queen to fill up the water bottle at their outside fountain. The hard water we had at the house on the lake needed to be chewed first before swallowed, so it was important to replace it as early in the ride as possible.
Lake Minnewaska - South Lakeshore Drive
I would head out of Starbuck and start working my way up the hill to the eventual highest point in the ride along County Road 18. That road offers great views overlooking the lake and gave a nice 4 mile stretch of gentle rollers, an open road, and never any signs of traffic. At the road’s peak elevation, I’d jump off the road and head back toward the lake along South Lakeshore Drive. I’ve showcased some photos in past posts (like the one on the right) that shows this narrow part of the road and it’s great canopy of trees. Although the road itself was always a little rough, you can’t beat cycling along a beautiful lake while being protected from any wind and getting shade from the beating sun.
There was another stop along this stretch with a free-flowing artesian spring that was dumping from a flexible pipe directly into the lake. If my water heated up since stopping at the Starbuck Dairy Queen, I would refill from this well and spend a few brief moments looking out over the water before getting back in the saddle.
The ride would eventually move into Glenwood, but I would hug the lakeshore – passing the bandshell and Lakeside Ballroom – avoiding the real “town” part of Glenwood and soon come upon my grandparents’ house where the first photo above was taken. From there, it was a short 5 miles to home and a close out of a great ride. If the weather was hot, I’d get off my bike, walk out on the dock and jump right into the lake to cool off.
I was able to do that ride fairly steady for around six years – while in high school and early stages of college. Then life started to get in the way, and the Old Steed™ sat idle for about ten years.
I’m happy to have re-found my love of the bike and can now share some of that with you in these posts. It’s been a long journey (but a welcome one) from my teenage day’s of half-shirts and Nishiki ten speeds.
