3rd Annual Group Camping Trip- Success! – Grease Rag Ride & Wrench

Friday night, this happened:

tree fallen on a car with people sitting on top of the tree

Photo: Tom Wallace via StarTribune.com

(Not my kids/ tree/ car. Grease Rag House more or less survived the mayhem!)

Severe Weather Events

Friday, June 21, Minneapolis was hit HARD with gusts up to 60mph after torrential rains that caused flash floods. When those two conditions are combined, lots of trees go down. And we mean lots. Our neighborhood had at least one large, magnificent tree down or severely damaged on every block. Some people are still (as of Sunday night) without power, and aren’t expecting to have power until Tuesday. It is a wonder that more people were not injured during this severe weather.

To Camp… or Not to Camp??

Given the post-apocalyptic feel of the neighborhood, I wasn’t sure whether or not people would be up for camping. I had no electricity or internet or other way of contacting people, so I packed up my stuff by the light of my headlamp Friday night, ready to roll out the next morning.

After looking at all the available data, we threw caution to the (possibly perilous) winds and unanimously decided to camp. That’s why this group was awesome: grins and gumption! Intrepid adventurers, they are. We were not even deterred by the fact that our meetup spot had no power and no coffee. Our first adventure of the day was to seek out some breakfast!

collage of riders on bikes

Success!

Magically, fortunately, gladly, we did not get more than a drop or two of rain on the entire ride out to Carver, despite the ominous forecast of severe weather!!! We (okay, just me) were nervous, but we ended up not getting a drop of rain until 4am, when we were all safely tucked in and battened down.

photos of a group of campers at night

We had a great time at the park. We swam, ate food, drank beer, shared stories about the moon, celebrated bike camping for the first time (four newbies!), and got to know each other around the camp fire. One of my favorite moments was the dock picture and getting to release the lantern. (Thanks, Sveta!) I am so lucky to be able to take trips like this with super cool people.

Thank you, Linda (we missed you!), Sunrise Cyclery, Ben Erickson, Parkway Pizza, Lu’s Sandwiches and Three Rivers Park District. But MOST OF ALL, thank you to Karyn, Trisha, Eric, Christina, Courtney, Tae, Wes, Kris, Nadia, Dan and Sveta for attending and bringing the good vibes. Ride with you all soon!!

collage of bikes riding down trails, paths, etc

All photos from Linda and Sveta. Thank you!