On May 1, two adventurers will hit the saddle and begin their documented journey around the Great Lakes of North America. We will spend three months bicycling over 5,000 miles on a journey that will take us through two countries, eight states, and over 20 major cities. As we undertake this epic journey we will be filming with high-definition cameras to document our experiences.

This expedition was born from our discovery of bicycle touring and our love for the Great Lakes region. We wish to put all of our efforts into getting a first-hand and intimate look into discovering the importance of this amazing region.

By documenting our experiences we hope to create an educational adventure film capturing the importance of the Great Lakes in order to create a bond with those living near and beyond the scope of the Great Lakes, a region holding 1/5 of the world’s fresh surface water. This feature documentary will be the first to capture the Great Lakes region by bicycle, showing our interactions with the Great Lakes, its communities, and the incredible landscape that surrounds them.

We will be leaving Duluth on May 1, in front of the Fitger’s Brewery complex at 9 a.m. Please join us for our departure!

For more information please visit our website at bigwaterbike.com.

Thank you for your support!

Here it is early February, and spring is in the air. That means snow-melt, which admittedly won’t be a huge issue this year. But we know from past experience that spring melt and heavy rains can lead to sewer overflows. This is a problem worth understanding, and rather than trying to offer details here, I highly recommend WLSSD’s article on the topic (I and I Solutions – Inflow and Infiltration: When Clean Water Causes Problems!).

Read more about why I love the new storage tank in Canal Park, and overlook some of its less redeeming qualities (and see a photo) by visiting today’s Nature of Modern Life post.

When you look at old pictures of Duluth’s Cascade Park there is a creek that runs through it. Whatever happened to it? Why did people change it?

Unfortunately, there is no website for actually making the lights happen, but we did learn that it was going to be “quiet” going on “extremely quiet” each night she was here. But we learned a ton and had fun in the process.

First of all, we read up on the Aurora Borealis together – the Conservation Volunteer has a great article on the phenomenon, and how to catch it, in this month’s issue. That was night number one. On night number 2, we drove around Duluth’s residential neighborhoods after dark and took in the, er, leftover Christmas lights. Kind of festive, and after all my aunt was in the north (from the south) and they were lights.

As if that weren’t enough, on day number 3 we went to the Lake Superior Writers Open Memoir Group. One of the writers read a beautiful passage about northern lights and their reflection off the snow. On night number four, my husband and I recounted that amazing display of northern lights that were shockingly colorful right here in town. The reds (yes, there were reds!) blues and greens when on for what seemed like hours and we stood on the lawn with our neighbors taking them in. That was at a high point in the auroral cycle – at least six years ago judging by the age my daughter is now. We told her all this to entice her to come back. That is, watch the forecast, drop everything when the lights are gonna be good, and hop the next plane to Duluth.

So my ears naturally perked up when I heard that there was a huge solar flare that hit the earth at 9 this morning. And I was thinking of calling her back up here. The auroral forecast for northern Minnesota is  “extreme.” It was a beautiful clear day, but now that it is dark, the clouds have rolled in. Aurora. Not. Visible. 

I think I’m happy just knowing that in all likelihood the lights are dancing behind the cloudy curtain. See PRI’s coverage on Finland this evening by clicking here.

Bjørn Jørgensen Image taken: Jan. 22, 2012 Location: Grøtfjord close to Tromsø, North Norway

Also to listen to the effects, check out the software defined radio from Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The low and middle bands show the activity.

Any recommendations about places to rent skates here in town?

Is anyone else losing patience with media references to “unseasonably warm” temperatures? This is a record-busting winter on all counts.

Case in point, Little Angie’s: “Opulent Ice House Coming Soon: December 9 Until Thaw!” High-end cocktails to be offered in a lounge made of ice blocks. But today I noticed the piled shards of melting ice scattered around the enclosure. They just couldn’t get the thing built.

For more ranting about the Duluth climate-change experience, including a couple of photos, please see my latest Nature of Modern Life blog post.

(And, yes, it would seem that the joke is on me. Winter is here today. Gone tomorrow? We’ll see.)

Thanks to all the pagan drummers and bonfire tenders, the sun came back up this morning. From Park Point, it was rising right over the mouth of the Amnicon River. Where was your solstice sunrise?

Here are a few musings on the topic.

Happy winter!