Hennepin Canal

I’ve been wanting to spend more time with Hayden this summer and perhaps bike a bit more. Since it has been so warm, and I don’t like the heat, things haven’t come together very often. We have done a few rides locally on the trails but not for very long. So, I’ve been looking for a chance to go down to the Hennepin Canal south of here and start doing the trails. About the most interesting ride that I could find was around the confluence of the main canal and the feeder canal. Going north from there is an aqueduct and I thought that would be interesting to see. It would be around a 12 mile ride round trip. We started out around lock #22 at a nice park. The confluence was nice, a big lake. I was surprised that the canal was only traverse-able via canoe and only just barely. Several portages would be needed.

The road to the aqueduct was a nice ride. Warm, but nice. We found some strange behavior with some butterflies. They would cluster on the path around dark patches. When the wind would rustle them, the would flap their wings like a wave in a stadium. Kind of cool to watch. Somewhere around there a dog met us. Considering there wasn’t really a farm or road around there...not sure where he came from, but he didn’t follow us. Hayden did ask me about the green balls. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about but he pointed to the walnuts that were scattered around the ground. Some of them were quite large and had a very interesting texture. They weren’t like the ones that we have in Michigan.

After getting back to the park, we packed up and went to Wyanet where there is a cluster of locks. That was a short ride, and we saw some interesting people and some nice scenery. Perhaps if we lived a bit closer, I would want to bike the entire path, all 104 miles of it.

Links:

Photos
http://groesser.multiply.com/video/item/49/Lock_15
http://groesser.multiply.com/video/item/48
http://groesser.multiply.com/video/item/47
Wikipedia on Hennepin Canal
Interesting Site
Feeder and Canal
Wyanet

Lock 15?

Lock 16

Mystery Geyser

This is a mystery geyser on lock 17 or so.

Hennepin Canal, July 2010

At lock 22, we prepare for our trip up the feeder canal. In the background is the stump chair and my bike...far right.

Hayden and I travel to the Hennepin Canal.