Bde Maka Ska kayaking "hike"
Mon, Jul 14, 2025, 9:15am
Our July 14 "hike" is a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles led by Barb Friedman and Bev Moe. We will meet at the northeast corner of Bde Maka Ska, near the new concessions building for a two hour kayaking tour of Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake. If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concessions building rents both single and double kayaks at $15 and $25 an hour, respectively. Canoe rentals are also available. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Please arrive at 3000 E. Bde Maka Ska Pkwy by 9:15 so we can get on the water by 9:30. This event is perfect for beginner kayakers. Kayaks are very stable. We will go under the Lake Street bridge and go right into Lake of the Isles. If time permits, we will cross the channel into Cedar Lake as well.
There is plenty of parking nearby on a Monday morning, on the boulevard around the lake and on 31st street (a short block walk away from the rental place}. We will meet at 9:15 so we can get on the lake by 9:30. Afterwards, let's sit by the lake with our lunch; either bring your own or purchase at Pimento Jamaican Kitchen at the nearby concessions building.
Sign ups for this event are through the member portal -- be sure to create your login before you try to sign up. Search for an email from [email protected] for log in instructions. It may have gone to your spam folder.
Please sign up for this hike (required). Registrations will be accepted up to 24 hours before the hike.
Your completed form will be used to be sure everyone who signs up has arrived before the start of the hike. Newcomers are welcome!
—Bev Moe and Michael Luxenberg, UMRA Hiking Club co-leaders
Upcoming Events
Nanette leads a trail of two cities hike.
10:30 a.m. check in; 10:45 boarding; cruise from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Join UMRA friends and colleagues for a summer cruise and lunch aboard the Paradise Destiny II on beautiful Lake Minnetonka. Paul Maravelas, sailor, historian, and author of The History of Big Island, Lake Minnetonka will join us to share stories from 200+ years of lake-dwellers. Come early or stay after the cruise to explore Excelsior, a charming small town on the big lake.
Ticket price includes lunch: chef's sandwich, garden salad, fruit, chips, and cookies. Coffee, iced tea, and lemonade are complimentary and there will be a cash bar for other beverages. A vegetarian sandwich can be selected during registration.
UMRA’s Book Club I will discuss the debut novel Buckeye by Patrick Ryan when it meets via Zoom at 2 pm. on Friday, August 21.
You are invited to join the discussion of The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents 1773-1783 by Joseph J. Ellis.
"Monuments" is the theme for September.
UMRA member Mike Amidon, president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society in Mendota Heights, will provide a brief overview of the society, the library, and the many volunteers who help maintain it, when UMRA’s Family History Interest Group meets on Wednesday, September 9.
Bev Moe leads a hike around Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis with a social gathering afterwards at Isles Bun & Coffee.
UMRA Book Club I will discuss The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry when it meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, September 18. The day’s discussion leader will be Judy Helgen.
Critical issues facing detained immigrants and their families will be discussed.
UMRA’s September Living Well Workshop will feature Carol Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, interim dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School and interim executive vice president for Health Affairs. She is an internationally recognized cancer surgeon-scientist who also brings considerable leadership and administrative experience.
We'll visit with Marla Spivak, MacArthur Fellow and Emeritus Professor of Entomology and Dr. Katie Lee
A 1978 short story collection by American author John Cheever.
Professor Arun Saldanha, the featured speaker for the first luncheon forum of UMRA’s 2026–27 program year, will examine how tourism has evolved in an era shaped by pandemics, climate concerns, and changing global realities; and encourage us to think about what it means to be thoughtful, responsible, and curious travelers.
The architecture in Iceland is as spare as the culture -- honest and simple.
Michelle Trudeau-Spanjers leads the hike at William O'Brien State Park.
Topics include longevity, distributions, long term care, Social Security, and comprehensive planning.
The theme for October is "Hands."
UMRA’s second “Campus Conversation” with a University leader will offer UMRA members an exclusive opportunity to meet with John Morris, president and CEO of the University of Minnesota Foundation. The focus of the conversation will be the role of the foundation and its relationship to retirees.
Jon C leads the hike at Nerstrand Big Woods with lunch afterwards.
Michael Osterholm is a well-known epidemiologist, author, and public commentator with particular expertise on infectious diseases and vaccines. His conversation with us via Zoom will address current major public health outbreaks around the world, as well as the importance of preparedness for future pandemics.
.
Discuss long term care options with Fred Andersen.
Chris Coleman, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity president and CEO and a two time alumnus of the University of Minnesota, will provide a deep dive for UMRA’s October 27 luncheon forum into how Habitat creates, preserves, and promotes affordable homeownership for low-income households.
Bob & Jean Hall and Andy Whitman, participants.
The theme for November is "Pathways and roadways"