Alleycat

More from Heart of the Beast Theatre’s Mayday 2012 Parade in...

Sun, 20 May 2012 16:33:00 -0400

More from Heart of the Beast Theatre’s Mayday 2012 Parade in Minneapolis, MN.

More from Heart of the Beast Theatre’s Mayday 2012 Parade...

Sun, 20 May 2012 16:30:00 -0400

More from Heart of the Beast Theatre’s Mayday 2012 Parade in Minneapolis, MN.

Heart of the Beast Theatre’s Mayday 2012 Parade in...

Sun, 20 May 2012 16:26:00 -0400

Heart of the Beast Theatre’s Mayday 2012 Parade in Minneapolis, MN.

Homemade kaiser rolls that I let proof overnight in the fridge...

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:50:55 -0400

Homemade kaiser rolls that I let proof overnight in the fridge last Saturday. They may have lost their shape, but they were delicious.

An old synagogue in North Minneapolis.

Thu, 03 May 2012 13:42:52 -0400

An old synagogue in North Minneapolis.

Last photo from Easter Sunday.

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:47:14 -0400

Last photo from Easter Sunday.

First photo from Easter Sunday.

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:45:47 -0400

First photo from Easter Sunday.

Bike tire deflated on the way to the Eastside Food Coop, so we...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:33:00 -0400

Bike tire deflated on the way to the Eastside Food Coop, so we walked back down Lowry and over to North. Halfway down 26th Avenue in NoMi a bro on a scooter yelled at us, “Get out of the hood, you’re going to get shot.”

Anyways here’s the Minneapolis skyline from Northeast on Lowry Ave.

Bikers beneath the old Fort Snelling in Minneapolis.

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:06:59 -0400

Bikers beneath the old Fort Snelling in Minneapolis.

A deer in the forest from “A Day at Fort Snelling.”

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:03:54 -0400

A deer in the forest from “A Day at Fort Snelling.”

The trail ended. I walked out of the bushes and brush that...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:55:40 -0500

The trail ended. I walked out of the bushes and brush that enveloped this thin strip of land bordered by the San Francisco Bay on one side and Highway 101 on the other. I carried the Surly Cross Check I borrowed from my soon-to-be brother-in-law on my shoulder up the embankment. The highway emerged in front of my eyes.

I decided the best coarse of action was to bike to the nearest exit and hope that no cops saw me.

The day had begun with some earlier missteps. My plan was to bike the entire 55 mile stretch from the southside of San Jose to San Francisco. I quickly realized this was impossible. The night before I had adjusted the seat, but it was still not nearly high enough for these long legs.

I biked towards the Capitol Caltrain station, stopping at a strip mall dominated by Mexican and Vietnamese restaurants, bakeries and other assorted establishments.

I decided on a Bahn Mi from Hoa Sen, a tofu-dominated hole in the wall.

I went next door after finishing my sandwhich and picked up a donut from the neighboring Mexican bakery.

This strip mall is something foreign to my Midwestern education. It’s what one could imagine Minneapolis suburbs like Brooklyn Center and Richfield could become as they march towards a more diverse future that’s fueled not by big box retailers, but small, one-of-a-kind, family owned businesses.

I continued on along Monterey Road to the Capitol station only to find out that the only train that stopped there that morning had left hours ago. I was directed to the Tamien stop, four miles up the road only to find that station also had limited service.

I headed north and watched San Jose morph from suburban to something that at least approaches Minneapolis’ urbanity. I stopped in a bike shop and adjusted the bike seat. The repair man yelled at me for using the tool that was sitting on the counter without asking. At least the rest of my journey I would bike comfortably.

I continued to bike past each stop, ending up at the Santa Clara station. Finally on the train to San Francisco my four mile bike ride to the nearest Caltrain stop had morphed into 17 mile trek from San Jose’s southern point to it’s northern border town.

I still wanted to bike into San Francisco, rather than arriving in the city.

The journey was the days goal, so I got off at South San Francisco and biked along the trails that follow Oyster Point until I ended up where this story started.

After biking along the highway for long enough I hit the exit off the 101 and onto a road towards Candlestick Park.

I was hopeful after the strange sprint along U.S. 101 that the rest of the day wouldn’t be as surreal. Candlestick was an uninteresting monstrosity and I biked past without any eagerness to gaze at its unimpressive edifice.

I lucked out riding right toward Smokin’ Warehouse Barbacue.

I was still frazzled and explained what had just happened to this barbecue impresario. I asked him for the best thing on the menu and he obliged with beef brisket, baked beans and corn bread.

Gatorade and BBQ? Why not?

The industrial land around Candlestick was very un-San Francisco, no hills in sight. I was relieved and excited to see the first incline.

My stomach dipped a few times as I biked past fixie riding messengers (or at least hipsters riding fixed gear bikes in a city that begs for gears), looking down a second too late. Though I didn’t bike the entire 55 mile stretch from San Jose to San Francisco that day in May, I did end up biking 30 plus miles before I met my brother in what was once his home. I’ll always be able to say, “I biked the 101.”

Old Mandarin Islamic in images, circa my trip to San Francisco,...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:28:21 -0500

Old Mandarin Islamic in images, circa my trip to San Francisco, CA in May 2011.

Three months back we were swimming in Dog Lake. This time around...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:15:00 -0500

Three months back we were swimming in Dog Lake. This time around we were flying a kite on the frozen surface.

Walking Dog Lake under the leaning tree in Three Lakes, WI.

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:11:52 -0500

Walking Dog Lake under the leaning tree in Three Lakes, WI.

The Town Hall Cafe and Bakery from our day trip to Door County...

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:36:57 -0500

The Town Hall Cafe and Bakery from our day trip to Door County this past summer. Ah…summer.

A snowy run in the city of lakes.

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:01:00 -0500

A snowy run in the city of lakes.

Haven’t been doing much “interesting”...

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:09:00 -0500

Haven’t been doing much “interesting” photography. It’s slow season for wedding photography, I’ve been working a lot at Geek Squad and we haven’t went on any road trips. Here’s another from a month back. This is our honeymoon breakfast at the Norskie Nook in Hayward, WI.

The big fish at the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward,...

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:02:39 -0500

The big fish at the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, WI. The highlight of my mini-moon with my new wife, longtime better half. Read on to find out what wasn’t closed during our brief trip to Hayward, the Apostle Islands and Superior.

I’ve been an absentee tumlbr recently. Here’s an...

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:20:17 -0400

I’ve been an absentee tumlbr recently. Here’s an image with one thing out of place to satiate my need.

We’ll be missing the joys of summer, soon. Hopefully...

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:26:00 -0400

We’ll be missing the joys of summer, soon. Hopefully we’ll get back to the cottage for some snowmobiling in the frigid months to come. Today I’ll enjoy the lucky days of an Indian summer.