I rode off on a hot summer day to search for the perfect beach. There are many places in our chain of lakes to stop off for a dip, but few lack the milfoil or crowds to be considered a perfect beach. There needed to be some people though. An empty beach can be nice, but people watching is one of the best parts of a beach visit. Too many people though and it looses all serenity of being close to a body of water. I eliminated Lake Calhoun from my search. As much as I do love seeing half the female population of Minneapolis nearly naked, I wanted to write and this would prove too distracting. So I headed North, to the Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake. The first didn't seem to have any beaches, but was gorgeous and deserted. Being only three feet from Lake Calhoun, it confuses me that it is not more crowded.
It took me a while to even find Cedar Lake, since I took the wrong trail and ended up near downtown. Cedar Lake, once I found it, was lovely. The trails were only paved in sections and it seemed quite secluded, despite being in a pocket between a series of highway interchanges. The first beach I came to was the East Beach, but it seemed just like Calhoun with some trees. I biked around for a while, passing hidden lagoons that were already discovered by earlier riders. Finally, I came across the type of beach for which I was searching. Cedar Point beach. I don't know if this is the perfect beach in Minneapolis, but I was craving a dip in the lake after eight miles of random biking in the hot June sun.
The water was cold and relatively clean. There was plenty of room for sitting, yet enough people around to provide a city ambience. From the point, I could see at least three other beaches that also looked relaxing. There is the legendary Hidden Beach, the hippie hang famous for its joint circles and topless sunbathing. (Post journal note: Hidden Beach is not so hidden anymore. The aforementioned East Beach is Hidden Beach.) To explore the other beaches, I'll just have to spend more days in the sun, reading, writing, swimming and people watching, much like I did for months in Australia. Maybe "home" is a cooler place than I originally realized.
1 comment:
it seems your energy was rewarded with exactly what you wanted to find. now I can think of nothing but skipping work and going to the beach. I hope there are girls.
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