Sunny Sunday Autumn Biking Minneapolis - Zhongguo Pengyou!

Zijun "Dan" Zhou from Fujian China has been my Mandarin Chinese teacher this fall. A U of M Graduate Student.  He is with Xijing Zhang, his landlord from Wuhan China who has lived in the Twin Cities for 15 years now.  Here we are near the Mississippi River Gorge to start our 20 mile trip west to Uptown and the Minneapolis Lakes via the Greenway.  This was the first time for Zijun to wear the safety helmet here in the US!   Safety first I always say.  

I am following Dan west on the Greenway as the path travels in the old rail bed. 

Arriving in the Uptown Lakes area, we first circled Lake of the Isles, on the trails in Minneapolis reserved only for bicycles.  Again Zijun commented that not many trails just for bicycles in China. 

I led the group of the 3 of us, into the Kenwood neighborhood where the Lytle Family, is restoring a 1920's home on Sheridan near a small section of Franklin by 21st.  As no one was working there at lunch time, we found the beautiful flowers, chrysanthamums here at the corner of Queen and 21st on the way back to Lake of the Isles.  Zijun and Tom W, the author here with our mountain bikes and helmets.   Zijun commented many of the homes look like "castles".  

With Zijun in the lead bike, here is a view of Lake of the Isles in Autumn foliage looking southwest. 

One of the "castles" along Lake of the Isles Parkway on our ride.

After circling Lake of the Isles, we went along the east side of Lake Calhoun and then to Lake Harriet. Here we stopped at the Como-Lake Harriet Street Car Line where we met some of the volunteers who run the historic line that stopped running in 1954.  I remember as a boy looking down at the yellow street cars from the Foshay Tower, then the tallest building in the Twin Cities still in the early 1950's. Fun that inside the building Zijun and I met Bill Graham a volunteer whose son Tony who now lives in Vancouver BC, had studied in China and now works for the famous bank HSBC there.  I hope to follow up with Bill and Tony as my Rosen Method Training likely will led me to Vancouver to the Cascadia Center there.   Happy, Kaixin "open heart" to have all the fun connections. Xie xie ni also for the beautiful day and ride! 

Inside streetcar #1300, decorated for Hallowween with a Volunteer in the isle.

Many families riding the street car on a Sunday in Autumn. 

Fun to see old advertisements.  Remember Gluek's Beer one of the local brews back in the day.

Learned that Ben Gay was from a French Man's name pronouced

Ben Gay and Spelling Dr Bengue when I check it out on line. Fun to 

notice how the English language changes, and even the brand name spelling changes. 

Another product with methyl salicilate. Smells like fresh wild wintergreen in my experience. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengay

And the light golden Grain Belt beer. I wonder how many readers still remember the Stanley and Albert jingle.  I'm Stanley, I'm Albert we hope to bring you cheer.  Been a long long time a brew oo ing, Grain Belt Premium Beer!  

http://www.grainbelt.com/history.php

And here the Zephyr Trains, leaving for Chicago Twice a Day from Both Minneapolis And St Paul. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Cities_Zephyr

Zijun here at the end of the ride.  Happy that Dan was so assertive that he asked to have the photos taken!  I enjoy giving tours of the Twin Cities and perhaps Zijun will be my tour guide if and when I return to Shanghai and other places in Zhongguo.  Xie xie ni and Zaijin for a nice Sunday in the Twin Cities, Oct 21 20121