Sunday, November 3, 2013

75th Ave NW












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75th Ave NW is divided in two two sections of which I have deemed one South and the other North with the dividing line being 75th St NW or Olmsted Co Rd 14.  The South section is slightly downhill most of the way and can be a fast escape to gravel from Valleyhigh Dr.  The gravel runs about 1.7 miles and takes you to the intersection of 65th St NW and 80th Ave NW.  From there you can easily get back to Rochester and the Douglas Trail via 65th St NW or descend further down gravel to Genoa via 80th Ave NW.  This section is very exposed to the wind, which can make for a fast grind with a tailwind, just take caution on the 90 degree bend a half mile down the road.  In order to ride 75th Ave NW in its entirety, you must ride on Olmsted Co Rd 14 for about 0.7 mi.













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The North section starts out with a nice little climb from the tarmac and leads you to a SE Minnesota favorite of Northwoods Orchard.  Unfortunately, they were closed on the day I rode, so I wasn't able to snap a picture of their sign.  Northwoods has a great pumpkin patch in the fall, with a corn maze, hay rides, animals to pet and, of course, hot apple cider and homemade doughnuts.  You can also pick your own apples or purchase bags of apple grown and fresh picked from their orchard.  Their orchard back right up to the Douglas Trail and could serve as a meeting place for those less adventurous.















Just past Northwoods Orchard the climb pops to almost 10% and then you have a nice downhill ride to the intersection of 90th St NW and the Douglas Trail.  Taking the trail north from here is great to stay away from vehicle traffic and to access more miles of gravel to grind.