Silver City to Hancock

For the first time my legs were feeling strong, thinking I'm finally getting my riding legs. Hit the first climb at about 20 miles. At around 25/28 miles I started another long climb with a fabulous down hill making it worth while. Not much to stop and see so I made pretty good time getting to South Range. There is a steep curvy downhill with a lot of traffic entering Houghton, I actually rode my brakes for most of it. Crossed the lift bridge into Hancock and zig zagged to the Ramada Inn,  63.11 miles.
Today I spent wandering around Houghton, lunch at 5th and Elm coffee cafe - walnut veggie burger and dinner at the Library bar and grill - 3 cheese pasta.
Had a beer at the lounge in the Ramada with a couple women from the group.
Hitting the sheets early in hopes of a good nights sleep, I hear we'll be climbing hills again tomorrow!
Loving the trip, excited to start riding again. My butt was happy to have a day off.
Allergies are a bit wonky and I've learned that Bert's beeswax provides no protection from wind and sun. Bought new products  with spf 23, my lips will be happy!

Ironwood to Silver City

We left the Comfort Inn and hopped on US 2, at a wee bit over 12 miles we caught CR519 towards the Porcupine Mountains. Bugs, bugs and more bugs!
After entering the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park we took a detour to check out the water falls. It was well worth the extra couple miles.
After leaving the water falls we started a loooooong climb, some say 3 miles. I'd say minimum 2 miles, tough to out ride the flying bugs.
After 55.26 miles I rolled into Silver City, MI. I think the entire town is 4 buildings including the AmericInn that we stayed in. A beautiful location right in Lake Superior.  I spent quite a bit of time sittig in a rock meditating. I'd love to come back to that rock some day.
Another sun shiny day.

Bayfield to Ironwood

I pedaled on out of Bayfield on SR 13, stopped in Washburn for coffee and a lemon poppyseed muffin. Sunshine and blue skies!
Arrived in Ashland around 24 miles down the road. Took a little detour off the route to see the murals and find a bike shop. I was able to buy 3 spokes at Bay City Cycles on Main Street.
Miles = 63.53
After dinner Ina and I walked into Ironwood to see Hiawatha, the tallest indian. I can attest it's the tallest statue of an indian that I've ever seen. On the way back we saw a beautiful mural dedicated to miners from the area.
With help from Cy (guide) I was able to replace the broken spoke from the previous day.

90 miles

We zig zagged out of Duluth and onto the Bong bridge. The morning was overcast and foggy. Once across the bridge we zag zigged through Superior until we caught 13. At about the 28 mile mark I heard ping, ping,  ping while climbing a hill. I stopped and discovered that I had broken a spoke on my back wheel :( Not much I could do about it on the road so I just twisted it around another spoke and kept on pedaling.
At about mile 33 it started to rain and pretty much continued to do so for the rest of the ride.
Stopped in Port Wing for lunch - grilled cheese n fries - and to warm up. My body was frizzin' my feet felt like blocks locked onto my pedals. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to unclip and get off my bike without falling. Brrrr, I haven't been that chilled in a very long time.
Stopped at a place in Cornucopia looking for a bathroom and was directed to a restroom about a 1/2 mile down the road.  The restroom had one of those super high powered dryer which I attempted to use to dry my entire body! Spent quite a bit of time with that dryer! I think we need to get legislature to pass a law that all bathrooms are required to install these dryers!
The rain stopped for a wee bit after leaving Cornucopia but started again about 7 miles down the road and remained steady the rest of the ride.
The first thing I did when I arrived in Bayfield was to strip off my soaking riding gear and jump into a hot steamy shower in hopes of warming up.
The rain stopped and the sun came out about the time I got out of the shower and the evening turned out beautiful.
The group enjoyed a fabulous dinner outside followed by map reading and instructions for the next day.
I was in bed sawing logs by 9:30; I can't remember the last time I was that tired

Day 1

Arrived in Duluth safe and sound thanks to Nancee! Orientation and check in followed by dinner. It's about 8:30 now and the rest of the night is mine. Too early for sleep so I think I'llhave a glass of wine before turning in.
Breakfast is at 6:30 tomorrow. Then off we go!

All of my biking gear is laid out on the table. I'll decide in the morning what to bring. With the help of Amy Anderson I found rain gear at REI and from the pitter patter on my windows I think I'll need it. My passport is packed and I have lady visa and mastercard in case I forget something.I think I'm ready!

In about 24 hours I'll be heading to Duluth, I still need to find a rain jacket and decide what to bring. I always pack too much or too little and find myself packing and unpacking about 3 times before I think I'm done! Packing is something I'd pay someone to do for me.

Lake Superior Epic Tour

On July 8, 2013 I will begin my 26 Day epic trip around Lake Superior. On Day 1 we begin our tour with an orientation followed by a bike prep and then dinner together.

Day 2 we'll ride out of Duluth, cross into Wisconsin and through the town of Superior. Our first overnight is in Bayfield Wisconsin, known for being the state's Berry Capital (91 miles).

Day 3 we leave Bayfield and pedal to Ironwood, Michigan (62 miles). Ironwood is nestled within the pristine Porcupine Mountains.

Day 4 brings us to Silver City, Michigan (55 miles). Silver City is at the foothills of the Porcupine Mountains, beautiful sandy beaches, Lake Superior sunsets, waterfalls, rivers and streams, hiking, biking the list goes on.

Day 5 we pedal into Hancock, Michigan (64 miles). Hancock is on the North shore of Portage Lake, and is the northernmost City in Michigan.

Day 6 This will be our first "rest" day, I'll need to get out and explore the city of Hancock.

Day 7 Copper Harbor, Michigan (60 miles) Copper Harbor is the  gateway to Isle Royale National Park.

Day 8 brings us to Baraga, MI. The village of Baraga is located in the northwestern part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula on L'Anse Bay, the lower part of Keweenaw Bay (80 miles).

Day 9, July 16 - Marquette, MI 74 miles. I'm really looking forward to visiting Marquette, my first mountain bike race - Ore 2 Shore ended in Marquette and I've always wanted to come back.

Day 10, July 17 will bring us to Munising Michigan - 43 miles. I'm guessing this will be a hill day as were only pedaling 43 miles :-/ Munising is the gateway to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Day 11 after 58 miles we pedal into Newberry Michigan.  Pictured Rocks, Tahquamenon Falls, and the Two Hearted River made famous by Ernest Hemingway are a few of the attractions we may get a chance to see.

Day 12, Paradise, Michigan 61 miles. Paradise is a small town with history of shipping, logging, fishing,  blueberry and cranberry harvesting. The great fire of 1922 destroyed the natural growth of the land and prepared it for one of Michigan's most productive wild blueberry reagions.

Day 13 Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan - 60 miles home of the world famous Soo Locks. We will have a day to spend here.

Day 14 Sault Ste. Marie - 0 miles I'm going to guess that we cross to Canada today.

Day 15 brings us Batchawana Bay, ON - 48 miles. I like the name of this place, Batchawana! Pictures of this place look beautiful I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Day 16 Wawa, ON another fun name :-) this is the longest ride of the tour - 99 miles! Hell I might as well toss in another mile and make it a century ride. They have a 28 foot steel statue of a Wawa Goose, I hope I get a chance to see that!

Day 17 we"ll pedal 57 mile to White River, ON. the birth place of "Winnie the Pooh" White River holds an annual festival commemorating the bear cub who became the inspiration of author A. A. Milne.

Day 18, July 25 will find us in Marathon, ON. Another 57 mile day. There's gold in them there hills! In 1980 gold was discovered in Helmo, an uninhabited areas adjacent to Trans Canadian highway, some 40 kilometers east of Marathon. By the late 1980's there were 3 mines running, two of which located their employees in Marathon, which effectively doubled it's population making it the largest town along the North Shore between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.

Day 19 Terrace Bay, ON - 47 miles, does this mean a hill day? Slate Islands are located south of Terrace Bay, the islands were created by a meteorite impact which created a crater about 20 miles wide.

Day 20 Nipigon, ON - 66 miles. Nipigon is located along the west side of the Nipigon river. The Nipigon crater on Mars is named after the town; isn't that a great claim to fame!

Day 21 Thunder Bay, ON - 69 miles Canada's gateway to wilderness!

Day 22 Thunder Bay, ON zero miles, we'll have the day to spend exploring.

Day 23, July 30 after pedaling 82 miles we'll be back in the good ol' US of A!!! Grand Marais, Mn. Grand Marais was named a Top 100 Adventure Town by National Geographic Adventure Magazine, and the Grand Marais Art Colony was chosen as one of the top 10 artist colonies in America by Coastal Living Magazine.

Day 24 Silver Bay, MN - 55 miles. It's all down hill from here, right? Ha! Silver Bar was originally known as Beaver Bay housing project. The company town was built to process taconite mined and shipped by train from Babbit, Minnesota.

Day 25, August 1st  - fifty nine miles of pedaling will bring us back to Duluth via 15 miles on the Gitchi-Gammi (another fun name) State Trail. We'll celebrate with a banquet.

Day 26 - home again :)

This is the itinerary as I know it. I'll try to keep y'all posted.

pedal, pedal, pedal...

Catching up!

I see my last post was waaay back in March so I'll do a super quick recap to get ya caught up. My riding streak ended at 401 Days of Riding. My last ride was the Iron Crotch ride on May 6, 2012 in Wisconsin; I think it was fitting that my last ride was called the Iron Crotch 'cause after 401 days of continuous riding...well you get the picture. Anyway, I'm still pedaling, just not every day. I run my errands, visit friends and continue to ride whenever possible. I participated in the Breast Cancer Ride in August; this still remains one of my favorite rides. It's always well organized and I know the money is going to a good cause. 

It's nearly the end of October and we caught our first glimpse of the white stuff falling from the sky yesterday. Actually, I thought I was going to wake up to the ground covered in white stuff this morning. I was happy to see the grass even if the water in my bird bath was frozen. 

I received some disheartening news a few months back. The Underground Railroad Ride I've been dreaming about is not going to happen. I was hoping to ride with the Womens Tour group as they had planned to do the ride next year. They have now decided not to do the Tour until 2015. I was quite disappointed but because I'm an optimist at heart I just surfed their site and found the Epic Tour Around Lake Superior. The more I read about it I decided that this was the perfect ride for me. It begins and ends in Duluth, MN which is just a couple hours North so it'll be easy to get to. I am now registered and sent in my first payment for the Tour. You can check it out here.

Now comes the tough part...training. I've done some long distance riding but nothing like this. The Tour is 26 days from start to finish; we'll average 54 miles a day. Right now I know I can ride 54 miles but to do it every day??? That's going to take some conditioning. We leave July 8, 2013 so I have about 8 months to get ready. I'll do my best to keep ya updated. 

Happy Trails!

335 Days

We finally received a fair amount of snow in the Twin Cities Tuesday night and I thought Wednesday was going to defeat me. I woke up to about 3 inches of snow in the backyard. I was very excited to get out and ride in it. I was finally able to get outside around 10 am. I almost crashed in the driveway as it wasn't the nice fluffy snow I had hoped for. It was the wet, sticky stuff I hate. Great for making snowmen but lousy for riding. About halfway down the block the snow packed under my front fender and brake and locked up the front wheel; I nearly hit my woohoo on the handlebars! Not fun! It continued to happen as I tried to make my way down the street, I finally turned around and went home feeling defeated.

On the upside it allowed me to try out the new tires on my car! They were a success. I took my mom to her doctors appointment, dropped Lashley at the groomers and went shopping at Costco. After bringing mom home and picking up Lash from the groomers I decided it was time to try again. 

I went out for a ride around 4 pm; TaDa! It took some work getting from my house to a main street that had been plowed but by this time the snow was more like slushy water than actual snow. Once I got on the Vento trail it was smooth sailing. I have to say it was probably the messiest ride I've had all winter, both me and the bike were pretty dirty by the time I got home. I don't have waterproof shoes for riding which is on the top of my purchase list so I went old school and put bread bags in my shoes before I went out. It doesn't keep your feet any warmer or win any fashion points but they do keep your feet dry. 

Yesterday was my 335th day of riding and it didn't start off very nice. I had an appointment at 0900 I left my house around 0830. I didn't make it very far as the roads were nothing but ice! Everything had frozen overnight and it was like riding on an ice rink. Normally I would have taken the risk of riding on it as I've ridden on ice all winter but I have to curl in Duluth this weekend and I didn't want to take a chance of getting hurt. Now I know I truly am getting old. I went home and drove to my appointment. I'm happy I waited because by 2 pm the temperature had warmed up and the plows had cleared the slush away; well most of it anyway. I was able to do the rest of my errands using my bike! 

March 31, 2012 will mark my 365th day of riding and I'm trying to figure out what to do to celebrate! I'm sure I'll come up with something :)

Happy trails!

Tobies Caramel Roll

My random thought for today was "how many calories are in a Tobies caramel roll?" I still don't know the answer. Tried to google it but came up empty handed. I'm guessing a lot! What? you ask does this have to do with riding my bike? Well...I had a Tobies caramel roll this afternoon and while I was out riding I started to wonder how many calories were in it and how many miles I'd have to ride to burn it off? I rode a little over 15 miles, not sure if that was enough but I also took the Puggle for a walk when I got home. In my book a Tobies caramel roll = a 15 mile bike ride and a Puggle walk. But the glass of wine I'm drinking while writing this is probably going straight to my belly fat :p

SNOW!!!

I enjoyed a fun ride in the snow today. The roads were pretty bad so I broke down and rode on the sidewalk until I got to a main street. The Bruce Vento trail is only about a mile from my house so I didn't have far to go before I got on the trail. Thank You Ramsey county for plowing the trail. There was still enough snow on the trail to make it fun but not so much that it became a chore. I pedaled just about 8 miles; which doesn't seem like a lot of miles but when you throw in the snow, ice and headwind it felt like 20 miles. Worked up a pretty good sweat too! 

I think I'll check out the Gateway trail tomorrow. It doesn't get plowed so depending on how much traffic it had today it could be a fun ride! 

Happy trails...

Tough Ride

I'll take the extreme hot, the extreme cold, wind, snow, ice, rain, thunder, lightening whatever but I do not like this cold drizzly crap. When the weather is extreme cold or hot you prepare yourself for it and it's a challenge. Wind, rain, snow, ice they are all an adventure and challenge your skills. This drizzly cold stuff just makes my bones hurt :p

I had to give myself a pep-talk before riding today. The temperature was hovering around 20 degrees, the roads were slushy, icy in places and wet. There was a mist in the air when I started out and it slowly because drizzly then I don't know what. Not quite snow but not rain either; something in between. 

The Vento trail was actually nice, nothing but the sound of my tires rolling across the trail. The trail hasn't been plowed so it's a little slick at the intersections. I worked up a nice sweat while riding which gave me an excuse to have a second helping of Channa Masala at dinner tonight :) mmmm I love me some Indian food. 

Calendar

On the first of the year started using a calendar dedicated to my riding. This gives me an overview of where I ride and how many miles. It also let's me pencil in all the rides I want to do this year :) 

My mileage is a bit of guess work because the MTN bike I'm riding doesn't have a computer thingy on it. I use MapMyRide.com to figure out my miles. I could put a computer thingy on it but it's not my bike and they don't always work well when the weather gets cold. The one on my road bike has indicated that on one of my rides my maximum MPH was 99; I"m thinking that might not be accurate :)

Minnesota has finally decided to turn down the heat and bring on some snow. Yesterdays ride was my first below zero ride. Both the temperature and windchill were below zero; how far below I don't know. I'm not big on checking the weather. When it gets cold everyone talks about it so I have an idea. 

I stayed plenty warm on my ride but would like to change a couple things. I need to find a face mask that doesn't get wet and cold from breathing and doesn't fog my glasses. Yesterday I used my goggles which worked much better. I'd also like to get better riding shoes. I'm thinking maybe hiking boots; something I can put thicker socks into and is wind/rain proof. 

It looks like I'll be riding in the snow today. Not the big fluffy stuff that is fun but the icy pellet snow; ick! This will also make the roads slippery so I'll head to the bike trails. I'm really fortunate that I have both the Gateway trail and the Bruce Vento trails within 1 mile from my house. 

Where's my notes?

I was trying to jot down a couple things to post but now I've misplaced my notes! Oh well...


I've been riding the Gateway Trail and the Bruce Vento trail a lot this winter. The Bruce Vento gets plowed the Gateway does not. This gives me a fun ride through the snow on the Gateway and an easy cruise on the Bruce Vento. Last week while riding the Vento trail in Maplewood I spotted a beautiful hawk perched in a tree, numerous deer tracks frozen in the ice and watched one of the best sunsets so far this winter. 


The Vento trail is a great ride in the winter not only because it gets plowed but also because it's fairly flat and allows me to get to the book store, coffee shop and hair supply store with ease. 


The Gateway trail is fun because they don't plow it and I get a great workout. I can also get to the Credit Union, bike shop and movie theater using the trail. 


If you want to ride in the winter and not deal with cars I highly recommend both of these trails. Just remember to use the fat tires on the Gateway! 


Happy Trails! :)

Hit by a Mini Van!

I'm going to attempt to get back to posting on this blog and with the New Year just beginning there's no better time than the present. 


The New Year started with a bang!


Yesterday, January 1, 2012 I was hit by a mini-van while riding my bike. Both the bike and myself are fine. I was crossing at an intersection, a woman in a mini-van was stopped at the stop sign. I had the right-of-way. As I was passing in front of her she stepped on the gas and hit my back wheel with the drivers side bumper. It knocked the back of the bike one direction and the front another. I managed to stay on the bike and get out of the intersection. I put the bike down, turned around and shouted to the woman. It looked as though she was about to take off! A man in a car pulled up behind her; he had seen her hit me. The woman got out of the van and asked if I was alright. I shouted at her about talking on a cell phone, not paying attention and hitting me. She never once apologized! Can you believe that? I called the police to make a report. They arrived quickly and gave the woman a citation for inattentive driving and now she will have to go to court for it. I'm thanking my mountain bike skills for pulling me through this. If I hadn't ever ridden a mountain bike I believe I would have hit the asphalt. 


The woman acted as though it was such an inconvenience to her. If she had acted as though she gave a damn I don't think I would have even called the police. I was so pissed off all I really wanted to do was hit the woman. I hope the judge makes her pay a big fat fine. 


After work today I checked out the bike and made a couple adjustments; the handle bars were skewed and the seat was a little off. Other than that it seemed fine. I went for about a 5 mile ride tonight and everything worked great! Even though the temperature was below 20 degrees I worked up a sweat riding on the ice and snow. Riding in the snow is fun, riding on the ice is not. 


With Minnesota finally starting to feel like winter I'm ramping up my search for a face mask. I have a couple but they don't seem to work. I can't find one that fits my face, I think most of them are made for man faces. In any case I think that's about all I need for my winter riding gear.

HAPPY NEW YEAR pedal, pedal, pedal

The Road Less Traveled

And now I know why.

I pedaled a new route on my way home tonight; got misplaced 3 times and had to back track! The trail was bumpy, overgrown and twisty with lots of walkers; not sure I'll take that way again. But it was nice riding through the woods rather than next to traffic :) Distance wise it didn't make much of a difference, maybe one mile. 

I'm really enjoying my commute to work but the ride home is not as nice. The ride to work is quiet, not much traffic and it's nice and cool. The ride home can be like playing frogger getting across the busy hiways. I have to cross 55 and 110 both of which have long lights and lots of traffic in the afternoon. I find myself debating on a longer ride with less traffic and hills or the shorter ride with traffic and hills. Generally the longer ride wins. 

Who knows if I keep test riding new routes one of these days I'm bound to find a good one!

pedal, pedal, pedal :)

Heat index 110

Started my ride in the rain and ended my ride in the rain. I'll take this heat and rain over a headwind any day :) I discovered another bike path today; this one has bunnies, birds and wild flowers! Plus two big red barns!
as a side note McKnight is no longer flooded Day 108

People I Follow

I've been following Sarah Outen since she left London several months back; she has now arrived in China. Traveling around the world on human power!

Day 104

Whew, I really need to post more often. They've changed the look and I don't even know when it happened. 

Day 104 of 30daysofbiking. 

Todays adventure was brought to me by the St. Paul police!

Me: Do you know if the bike trail is still open?

Police Officer: Road's closed; ride at your own risk. 

To me this means I can ignore the road closed and do not enter signs! YAY! I had a fun ride through the construction area and the bike trail was still open  :)

I know everyone hates that the state government has closed down and it really sucks for all the state employees but it sure is nice not to have to deal with road construction. Everything has come to a halt.