My fat ride at Cuyuna in Minnesota. (2012)

I miss Minnesota.

I love Alaska – but I do miss biking in Minnesota.

And last winter while I was in Minnesota, I tried out my first fat bike. Unfortunately, the first 30 minutes were miserable. I found myself riding in fine, powdery snow. It felt equivalent to trying to ride a regular bike in loose sand: impossible.

Despite my struggles, I was happy to be at one of my favorite places in Minnesota – Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. (Read my article about the world-class mountain biking here.)

But the rec area has also developed some wonderful fat biking trails for the winter. Where the snow was packed down, the riding was amazing. It was harder work than mountain biking, but there was one big advantage: soft landings. Well, that and of course, riding a monster truck bike.

I can’t afford to buy a fat bike right now. Juneau doesn’t even have fat bike rentals, let alone the $25/day deal I could get in the Twin Cities. So instead, I’m reminiscing and flipping through some photos from a year ago (above). And as I read Hansi Johnson’s blog, I feel especially jealous about the lack of Minnesota biking in Alaska.