Hello... So. California here... I heard somethign about BIKE AROUND MINNESOTA which is supposed to be held August 22 - 25. Does anyone know anything about that?

I happened to ride the inaugural BAM last year (helped organize it, actually). This is an attempt by a bunch of folks and agencies like Mn/DOT to create a RAGBRAI style ride in Mn - but you better give it a couple of years. They are still working on the logistics, and have a very limited number of slots open by invite only. Keep an eye out for it in future years, though!