In case you haven’t noticed, Black Dog Trail has been flooded near I-35W since Sunday. The river bottoms and many roads and trails near the Minnesota River are now under water. The national weather service says the water is expected to rise above flood stage Thursday evening to a crest of 702.5 feet early Sunday afternoon. The last time the river was that high was 1985.

Flooding and construction limit our options for a northerly ride this week, so I’ve modified our Minneapolis route to cross the Minnesota River at I-494, rather than the Mendota Bridge, which is closed for construction through June. This alternate Midtown Greenway loop includes a rest stop at Sebastian Joe’s Ice Cream Shop near Lake Harriet and a short stop at Grand Performance, our club’s bike shop. Expect more trails, stops, and therefore more time for this ride than most of our rides. The weather during the ride is expected to be cloudy with temps from 47 to 50 degrees and NNW winds at 9 mph.