Cycling the Driftless Region | PART 1: THE ROOT RIVER TRAIL

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The Driftless Region is an area along the upper Mississippi River, perfect for bicycle touring, and the focus of this new series. Going solo this time, I head to Minnesota to ride the Root River Trail, one of the prettiest Rail Trails in the U.S. Along the way I discover the small towns, wooded river valleys, and beautiful farmland that make this region one of the most scenic in the entire country. Since Julianna isn’t with me this time, perhaps you could join me? I could definitely use the company!
Music:
Les-ly by Mini Vandals
RU-vid-AudioLibrary
Over The Mountain - Mini Vandals
RU-vid-AudioLibrary
Early Morning Rain - Staffan Carlen
Epidemic Sound
Mountain Air - Cody Francis
Epidemic Sound
Fire Trails - Staffan Carlen
Epidemic Sound
Fire and Bones - Biddy Sullivan
Epidemic Sound

Опубликовано:

9 ноя 2023

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Комментарии : 58

@billstei 7 дней назад

I and my wife live here in the middle of the Driftless Region and I thank God that we have the privilege to ride the Lanesboro / Root River Trail every year (and the many excellent bike trails in Minnesota) and even though I was just riding it a few weeks ago, watching your videos brings tears to my eyes, because even though I live here and it's easy to take it for granted, I do see it for what it is, and your narration (and the music) is like listening to someone reading my mind.

@TheBicycleTourists 5 дней назад

Wow, thanks! That really makes my day! Nothing better than hearing it from a local. You have so many great trails to choose from. I also really love the Sakatah and the Cannon River Valley as well, hope to do more in your fair state some time.

@garrygraham6637 7 месяцев назад

Happy to find you posting some videos from the trail again. You do a great job.

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Thank you Garry!

@Minnesota_Matt 6 месяцев назад

Amazing videography that really captures our fair state’s beauty. I’m glad I stumbled upon this series and am looking forward to seeing the rest!

@TheBicycleTourists 6 месяцев назад

That means a lot that you feel I did your state justice. This is a real beautiful part of the country, often overlooked.

@UtahTenkara 7 месяцев назад

Thanks so much for sharing your rides! It really is inspiring and informative. Makes me want to get out and ride!

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

That's awesome, and exactly what we're trying to do!

@elzabethmorgan8020 6 месяцев назад

Great to see a new adventure! Really loved your France series. Congrats on the new grandchild. Happy trails.

@TheBicycleTourists 6 месяцев назад

Thank you so much, Elizabeth!

@TerrapinCyclist 7 месяцев назад

Congratulations to Julianna and you on your beautiful new grandchild

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Thanks John! She's adorable!

@juliannahenley4921 5 месяцев назад

Thank you so much, she is an amazing little human!

@JustinPedersonC 6 месяцев назад

This is a great place!! Me and a buddy hit the trail this September for the first time. The views and ammount of bikers were amazing!!!

@TheBicycleTourists 6 месяцев назад

Yep, a real gem!

@lindahowes5949 7 месяцев назад

Happy to see you and travel along another adventure! Beautiful, sweet little baby! Miss the “good morning babe” though. Love having drone footage in the mix and your “selfie station” selfie was awesome. 🤣 best to you both! 💜

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Thanks Linda! I really miss the Good Morning Babes too. It's just not the same. We hope to be riding together next Spring.

@marklawrence4596 7 месяцев назад

You do a great job with commentary as you ride, narrative with your editing, and videography. Much appreciated! I'm from New England and enjoyed your trip across America. What a ride! And I happened to travel through the southeast section of Minnesota in this video a few years back and it felt like I dropped back into New England. Quite a surprise. What a country! Please keep the videos coming!

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Thank you Mark, you're right, this country is reminiscent of New England. Lots of hills, quaint villages, and clean rural living.

@Bikepacking_sa 3 месяца назад

Hey, Mark. My youngest sister and her family moved to NZ a little over a year ago. I'm hoping to visit there from South Africa to do some Bikepacking over in Nelson.

@Bikepacking_sa 3 месяца назад

Europe is surely also on my Bucket list. Such a beautiful country in my opinion and I would love the weather over there. 😊🎉

@klasjansson5814 7 месяцев назад

As always a very nice video!

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Thank you Klas!

@TerrapinCyclist 7 месяцев назад

Love your post as always! 12:42: looks like quite the climbing gear. Are you a Russ Rocca ( Path Less Pedaled) fan too? BTW, my wife and I rode EV6 mid Sept into Oct. We had a fabulous trip!! Thank you, thank you, to both you and Julianna for helping to inform our choice of where to tour. Best, John

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Thank you John! I'm so glad we could help! The EV6 is amazing. I will look up Russ Rocco. Yes, I had that small chain ring installed, never regretted it.

@dennispiciullo8060 7 месяцев назад

Well, glad to see you back! Hope you can get that seat post problem resolved.

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Thanks Dennis. Everything is temporary!

@Bikepacking_sa 3 месяца назад

What a country, well presented through your experience there, Roland

@TheBicycleTourists 3 месяца назад

I love this region, always leaves me wanting more. Thank you!

@carmenraedelaney2795 7 месяцев назад

Hello again, I had a great time in 2016 riding the Root River Trails. Your video brought back many memories of the quaint towns we rode through. So many places to stop and just enjoy the view and the water ways. It was a hot time of year, and we had one day with a crazy storm. The local cities got together and decided to host a supported bike tour…we got an awesome bike jersey as part of our tour fee. As usual your narrative and music is perfect. Happy Trails…. Carmen from Fargo

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Hey Carmen, Yeah, I rode this, maybe the same year you did, or at least pieces of it, with my brothers. It's not that long but its one of my faves!

@FollowThomas 6 месяцев назад

This is very nice trail. I need to look up where is this exactly and hopefully ride it next year. Thanks for sharing a nice trail👍

@TheBicycleTourists 6 месяцев назад

You're very welcome!

@paulaericson7204 6 месяцев назад

Your videos are so inspiring!!!! Just can't get enough of the Roland (and Julianna) bicycling adventures. Do you ever post a link to the routes?

@TheBicycleTourists 6 месяцев назад

Thank you Paula! I've posted my Komoot routes in the past, but I did NOT post a link to this route. And since it's Christmas and you've been following us since the beginning, here's a link to the (approximate) route. Appreciate you! www.komoot.com/tour/1394578316?ref=wtd&share_token=aKEd5BlYm9Em6veCX3n2w9jYhEYKxnpw8NS0YkjNfjEbZkhvhL

@tybrady4598 7 месяцев назад

I just bought a used recumbent e-bike off of Facebook Marketplace. The prices are very good. I’m getting older and can no longer ride a hundred miles a day. With an e-bike, I could easily ride a hundred miles a day. I would need two oversized batteries to do this. I try to only ride on trails for safety reasons. If you’re able to recharge the batteries overnight, one could enjoy some beautiful nature and trails this way. (Some trails do not allow e-bikes.)

@kenmcclow8963 7 месяцев назад

I forgot that unless this past summer was an anomaly, I think the better travel weather is going to shift to spring and fall instead of summer if it going to be hot and humid. It’s usually not to bad when I go through there in early June

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

We see a lot of eBikes on our travels. I think its a great technology, one that at some point we'll probably use. They extend the life of the cyclist, and give you more years to ride! Also get a lot of people out there seeing the world that wouldn't be able to otherwise.

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

The weather is getting more unpredictable in all ways. Here in Denver, it was mild nearly all summer, when we typically have lots of hot, hot temps. You have to stay on your toes when planning.

@kenmcclow8963 7 месяцев назад

I had that trail on my list for last summer but things didn’t work out so I’ll try next summer. My plan was to find a campground somewhere in the middle and then ride to one end and the other over a couple days. I have a recumbent trike and I added a mid drive motor to it to keep pressure off my knee on hills. With it I have gone from 30 gears to 10, so I’m not entirely sure it changes much aside from going up hills a little faster than without the motor. If I was going to take it to Europe I would have to take the motor off again because they only allow up to 250 and mine is 500w, and you can’t take batteries on airplanes. For now though I think it is helping my knee

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Sounds like a good setup. I support the eBike idea just because it does what you said - gives people the strength when their bodies start to fade. Do check out the Root River. If you're in the area, with time, add the Elroy Sparta network, the Cannon River Valley and Sakatah Trails.

@cyclistefroisse9267 7 месяцев назад

Salut Roland ! For what it’s worth, Thomson seat collars never let me, literally, down. Else, no first hand experience, there is Engin Cycles, in Philadelphia, which makes, in house, « Dual bolts seat collars ».

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Salut Claude! It was solved with a bit of carbon paste (in a later video), but I will look up the Thomson. It was a really irritating problem to have.

@cyclistefroisse9267 7 месяцев назад

Irritating and possibly worse than that ? In my experience, it takes very little, a couple of millimeters of off-set /miss-adjustments, here and there, and you have joints which start hurting. ( knees ?). From their website « L.H. Thomson Company, INC, founded in 1981, Macon Georgia. Their processes are Aerospace 9100 certified. Don’t ask about their customer service, I never needed it.

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Yep, the knees were a result of inconsistent seat height I'm sure. I am checking out Thomson now. Thanks Claude.

@P13586 6 месяцев назад

People don't ever lose their religion. They just change it. Christianity to humanism, or to materialism, or to climate change, etc. We all need something in which to place our faith.

@TheBicycleTourists 6 месяцев назад

Actually, I agree. We all need a narrative to give our belief some kind of shape.

@gregtitus2467 5 месяцев назад

It'd be nice to know when you rode this.

@TheBicycleTourists 5 месяцев назад

That would've been in late August of last year.

@iwazzabadboy1982 7 месяцев назад

Did you skip Preston to Harmony?

@TheBicycleTourists 7 месяцев назад

Haven't skipped. I'll hit it on the way back to Preston.

@iwazzabadboy1982 7 месяцев назад

Gotcha 👍🏼…The downhill from Harmony to Preston is a blast

@TheBicycleTourists 6 месяцев назад

Yes it is!

@srb6345 Месяц назад

Can I bother you to find out what hybrid bike you ride and your thoughts on it?

@TheBicycleTourists Месяц назад

Sure! Not a hybrid but a touring bike, build longer for stability and designed for weight. It’s a Novarra Safari, a since-discontinued model from REI. I love it! Similar I suppose to a Kona Sutra or Surley Disc Trucker.

@srb6345 Месяц назад

@@TheBicycleTourists thank you!

@TheBicycleTourists Месяц назад

Of course.