Then I decided that the 20 mile loop I'd done wasn't quite enough, so I took Energy Park Drive just past 280 and then back the U of M transitway to 18th Ave SE into the Dinkytown Trench, to 6th Ave SE, back up the hill and home again, adding 5 more miles.
25 miles. 3 hours elapsed. 2.5 riding. Peak speed of 34.5 mph this time. Woo!
The bike path along Wirth Parkway and Victory Memorial Parkway is real old. It's pretty beat up, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you've got a real soft-riding bike. I spent most of my time on the street once I got out of Wirth Park. Luckily, both of those have a parkway in the middle, two strips of green on either side, then two small streets and then the houses along the parkway.
Another snag is that there's a nice path from 45th Ave. N into the North Mississippi Park, but there's no curb cut there. Grumble.
Other than that, a relatively pleasant ride.