Semi-Wordless Wednesday: a Long, Wet July 4th Ride

My boys were fishing with Grandma, so I asked my wife if she'd like to go on a ride with me on the 4th of July. Off we went on a damp morning before an early afternoon rain that was predicted:

Prepping with not-so-tiny kitten Enid.


Along Concord in West St. Paul.


Me helping with my wife's flat 5 minutes later.


My wife working on her SECOND flat at an abandonded gas station (staying out of the rain).

After fixing 2 flats and seeing that our patch kits have adhesive that have both solidified, we were FINALLY back to riding. Those flats took about 30 mins total (we rode for about exactly 2 hours, but we were gone for 2 hrs and 45 mins, and we chatted here-and-there, so I figure the flats took about 30 mins).

Crossing the RR tracks to get on the trail along the levee in West/South St. Paul


From the same spot, looking up the Mississippi to downtown St. Paul.


Handicap parking spots at the boat launch near 494 under water!


Sarah still heading south of I-494.


We turned around at the flooded trail.


There was something in the water!


Heading back north.

We stayed on the trail longer back towards downtown, and we biked through a flooded section that SOAKED our feet. And we were trying to race the dark clouds that were coming our way with the predicted downpours (notice the dark cloudy skys in some of the previous photos, and none of those were looking west!). We finally had to turn around and find our way back to Concord when the trail was really flooded ahead with a levee going across it:

Levee, debris, then water.


I broke away with 4-5 miles left to get in a few extra miles,
but then we met back at home. We're SOAKED (it had been raining
decently for the last 15 mins), but we don't look too bad!


After taking off my socks in the basement.


Kind of just a weird out-and-back (with splits shown every 5 miles).


Here's some of the slower biking along Concord and the levee...


...and here's me breaking away and going faster
down Summit Ave once we were on familiar/safer roads.

It was 29 miles in just over 2 hours for me, leaving my wife with a 12.8 mph average and getting home with a 14.1 mph average (doing 5 miles at the end with a 20.5 mph average). Nothing fast, but just a nice ride with my cutie!