Descending the Trimbelle River valley

This one made "The Gram" but deserves a home here too. It was a "good vibes" ride, slow with a chance of deer. 

I left St Paul a little after dinner to take advantage of the late summer sun and hunt down some Guzzi roads in Peirce County. Uninterested in fast moving, I snuck out Bailey Road to Afton and onward to the headwaters of the Trimbelle River. 

County roads N, J, and W in St Croix county are beautiful motorcycle roads. Perched high above the sunken river valleys, they are open and unpopulated. You can almost peer into the dark, sinuous, deer-filled coulees below. I could ride all day on roads like this surrounded by distance. 

County Road J/W

County Road W descends an opening in the limestone bedrock where underground streams feed a river with ice cold water. To the West, Crystal Cave has been carved out under the Eau Galle River. Here the unnamed cave systems are hidden below farmland.

I feel the pull of County Road O and a leisurely trek back up Highway 35 towards home. It's getting late and the sun sets earlier behind the steep valley walls. The deer will be moving, nearsighted and hurried. I slow down and enjoy my time along the Trimbelle before we both reach the Mississippi river. 

There are deer moving, I can see them in the fields and along the road side. From the brambles to my right an eager doe leaps across my path and into the floodplain. My slow pace paid off and kept us both from harm. 

All but a short burst on I-94 were prime Guzzi roads traversed on a beautiful summer evening. From Highway 61, the sight of St Paul at dusk is welcoming.

- Ride North

July 27th | warm summer evening | 7ish  - 9:00 PM