Monday, November 19, 2007

Urban Adventure


In my mind, a great city gives its residents ample opportunity to experience the outdoors within its borders. We are certainly blessed in this regard--having some of the nation's highest percentages of bike trails and parkland per capita. We even do an amazing job at sponsoring organized, outdoor adventures. This year for the first time, both St. Paul and Minneapolis hosted car-free, city bike tours. 6,654 people participated in the 2007 Saint Paul Classic Bike Tour and in its inaugural year, the Minneapolis Bike Tour logged more than 4,500 people. Minneapolis also has the amazing City of Lakes Loppet--a weekend of cross-country skiing races and events including the gorgeous "Luminary Loppet" that takes casual skiers around a candlelit tour of the Chain of Lakes. And let's not forget that people and their canines can skijor through Minneapolis neighborhoods. How cool is that?!?! Then of course there is the less athletic, but nonetheless adventurous, Medallion Hunt at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. For 12 glorious days, urban adventurers read the clues in the St. Paul Pioneer Press and head to a local park in an attempt to find the medallion. With a $10,000 prize, even below-zero temperatures don't keep scavengers away! Ahhh, Minnesota, land of 10,000 Lakes and 10,000 adventures.

Image: Jason Bain

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