Jan 2 - Badger Hill

Beautiful day today!  Clear and Sunny.


Summary:  43.2 miles, 9.8mph average (see below), 1 destination, 1 beer.

Leg 1:  Badger Hill
 - (Plymouth Road - Baker Road - Eden Prairie Road - Pioneer Trail - Bloomington Ferry Road - CH101 Trail - Hwy 101)

Badger Hill is a brewery/taproom in Shakopee.  They used to share space with Lucid/Bad Weather in Minnetonka before getting their own location and opening a taproom a year back.

Wanted to go to Badger Hill because they brewed a limited edition Russian Imperial Stout for New Year's Eve, and I wanted to try some before it was gone.  I thought it was pretty good.

Had a little trouble on the way down.  After crossing the Minnesota on the CH101 trail (a bike/pedestrian bridge), I hit a section of trail that was unplowed.  If it was virgin powder, I could have plowed through, I sink down and the studded tires give me enough traction.  But it had a fair amount of foot traffic, and also a few fat bikes had been through.  There was only about an 8" wide part that was packed enough to stay on top, but I kept sliding off that part.  The rest of the trail was a mix of powder/slush/hardpack that was halfway between biking a rock field and biking a beach.  I biked some of it, but way too exhausting, especially since I lost traction every time the tires bounced on the uneven surface.  Sigh.  I ended up walking about 2/3 of a mile.

Leg 2:  Home
 - (101 - Flying Cloud Drive - Spring Road - Eden Prairie Road - Baker Road - Plymouth Road)

I didn't want to walk my bike again, so I took 101 home.  The bridge across the Minnesota was redone, and there is now a bike/pedestrian trail, but it isn't open yet so I just biked 101.  A little hairy, especially where it necked down to one north-bound lane, but most of it had a 2 foot shoulder and 2 lanes so it wasn't too bad.

Weather:  19 at the start, warming to 29 degrees, sunny.  12mph wind, mostly as a cross-wind except on the east-west legs.
 
Roads:  Generally clear.
Trails:  Mix of clear and up to ½”  of packed snow.  Two segments that were unplowed and close to unbikeable.  (I detoured around one, and slow-rode/walked the other)

Gear:
Bike:  Specialized Sirrus, Gravdal studded tires (38mm), rear fender.

Head:  Two bandannas (scalp, chin/neck), goggles, helmet
Body:  Long sleeve underarmour baselayer, light short sleeve shirt, arm warmers, light wool shirt, windbreaker, biking shorts, jeans
Feet/Hands:  medium wool socks, athletic shoes, booties, Sturmfist 4 gloves
Comfort:  Generally OK.  Started overheating on the way back but opened my pit zips and was OK after that.