Grand Excursion 2004: Upper Mississippi Bike Ride

June 27-July 5, 2004

Be Part of this Historic Ride!

The Grand Excursion Bike Ride departs Rock Island, Illinois, on June 27th, 2004, following the Grand Flotilla steamboats and arriving in the Twin Cities for the 4th of July weekend. A bus will return cyclists to the Quad Cities on July 5th.

Cyclists for this 400-mile trip will have excellent views of the steamboats while riding alongside the beautiful vistas of the bluffs of the upper Mississippi River. The ride will cover approximately 35 to 70 miles each day over somewhat hilly terrain. Overnight stops will coincide with the excursion boats' docking schedules to allow cyclists to enjoy the entertainment and events that will be staged at each port of call -- music festivals, reenactment programs, fireworks displays, hot air balloons and much more.

The $225 registration fee includes a tee-shirt, breakfast in La Crosse, overnight camp sites and transportation of rider's luggage and tents from each campsite to Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Additional fees will be charged for return motor coach transportation to Rock Island, jerseys and dorm rooms in La Crosse.) Riders are responsible for providing their own camping gear, fees for meals and any admission charges to local events in which they choose to participate.

Overnight campground sites will be arranged in Rock Island, Savanna and East Dubuque, Illinois; Prairie du Chien, La Crosse and Prescott, Wisconsin; and Wabasha, Red Wing and St. Paul, Minnesota.

For more detailed information, and to register, go to www.grandexcursion.com. Click on "Register for the Bike Ride" link or scroll down to "3 Ways to Join in the Journey" and click on "Bike Ride."

The Grand Excursion Bike Ride is only one component of the "Grand Excursion," a region-wide community festival celebrating the Upper Mississippi River. A schedule of regional and local events, ticket information, and a list of participating communities and organizations can be found at www.grandexcursion.com.

In addition to experiencing the Grand Excursion, bicyclists can savor being part of the first organized "excursion" on the northern section of the Mississippi River Trail. This proposed bicycle route will eventually stretch from the Mississippi River headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The southern half,
from St. Louis to New Orleans, is already mapped, marked and in use. The northern half, which includes much of the GE route, is being mapped and signed now, so GE cyclists will be among its first users.

"Perhaps in another 150 years, when the MRT is a long-standing, world-class destination, a new generation of cyclists will bike along this same route to commemorate THIS ride as we're commemorating Millard Fillmore's excursion now," said Pat Nunnally, Executive Director of Mississippi River Trail, Inc., the coordinating organization for the MRT.

Pat Nunnally
Executive Director
Mississippi River Trail, Inc.
2001 Sargent Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
651-698-4568
651-698-0680 (fax)
pdn @ umn.edu
www.mississippirivertrail.org