It begins!

Some context

The idea to rollerski every street in St. Paul came to me while under shelter-in-place orders during the Covid-19 pandemic.  In light of reduced car traffic and encouragement from our state government to stay close to home, it seemed like a solid way to have an adventure and get some exercise!

Why do this?

I could say that this is to promote an active lifestyle (which would be great), that I’d like to raise the profile of Nordic skiing (objectively the best sport but also in danger of extinction due to our changing climate), to stand up against car-centrism, or simply to say I did it (I’d be lying if I told you this project is free of ego). 

While these are undoubtedly factors, it all boils down to a desire to turn off autopilot (by experiencing new routes) and to live fearlessly (by sharing the road with heavy metal objects that want to kill me on planks of metal with wheels and no brakes).

“We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.” -Bukowski

The current crisis stokes mass uncertainty and fear.  This is my way of staring that fear down while also having a good ol’ fashioned adventure – discovering and experiencing the natural, architectural, and cultural beauty and blemishes contained within my hometown, all via an absurd mode of transportation - rollerskiing!  Yee haw!

Throughout this project, I will be able to provide a (as far as I know) unique perspective on the streets of St. Paul, MN.  With this in mind I will keep a tally on a few things that amuse me, including: 1) the best (and worst) streets, 2) the most common reactions to observing an urban rollerskiier, 3) the number of car horns (with an attempt to discern toots of encouragement from those of jerks), and 4) the number of times I fall down.

The rules

Rollerski all public roads on which doing so is legal (i.e., interstates and other controlled access highways are out), excluding alleyways and including off-street paths (e.g., Bruce Vento and Gateway trails).  This is a human-powered project; I plan to cover the entire distance without using a car.

According to the MN DOT, there are 861 miles of qualifying roadways in St. Paul.  While I will undoubtedly repeat significant amounts of this distance, I hope to finish this project before ice appears on the road, before the end of 2020.

I started raster scanning through my neighborhood about two weeks ago.  I plan to keep track of progress in Google Earth (see map below this post); as of today (5/12/2020), I've covered 79 miles.    I'll keep ya posted as regularly as I can!

Happy trails,

Alan

Map of St. Paul, MN with districts color coded and progress overlain in red.  Long way to go!

Zoomed in view of western St. Paul (not West St. Paul!).  Guess where I live!