One of top ten days of summer, out on the Giant Foldy, pedaling around the river, enjoying velo adventures, making plenty of new friends,.

Help Wanted volunteer sign posted on bulletin board at Army Corp of Engineers visitors' center near Stone Arch Bridge. Able bodied men and women needed to "help build the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area."  

Dreaming of Huck Finn days do you think?

Yielding right-of-way to a Segway Tour near Island Inn.

Just across the Hennepin Avenue Bridge workmen disassemble the classic neon sign that drew customers by the thousands to Nye's landmark bar + grill. I was told that neon gas is extracted, captured and reused; glass tubing goes to a recycler and a million different possbilities are the result.

Three stories up in U. S. Army Corp of Engineers visitors' tower a family has more damned fun than you can imagine. The young man straining to hold the "fish" is actually hefting 25 lbs. of river sand in something that looks like a local fish.  As I took this foto three other people with cameras suddenly appeared behind me -- all of us unknown to the others, but each of us lensmen aware of the possibilities.

The National River and Recreation Area could NEVER function as well as it does without the strong commitment of a cadre of volunteers. My new best freind Rita, here, offered to watch my Giant Expressway bike while I visited the observation tower.  Nice lady, that Rita.  Hope you meet her some day.

Riding around town on my foldy is great exercise, and invariably leads to adventure.  The journey also works up an appetite, and we slaked it with a massive Cobb salad made with the best, freshest, tastiest ingedients you can imagine.  Hats off to French meadow bistro on Grand Avenue in St. Paul.