Put in a run your tail off day at work...then came home and cut a load of firewood...and then...Janice and I rode the Univega tandem for an evening cruise. We stopped at a park down the road from the house and lounged around for a while. This one is for CAD...don't show this around and remember click for big...and notice last years left over firewood still covered in the background. I could not get a good picture.
St.Croix River

Path down to the river

Our lounging spot

Lake Gordon

Janice and I were going to ride Sunday morning, but she did not feel well. I waited thinking she may start feeling better, but with the temp around the 80 mark, a strong north wind and just a few threatening clouds, I headed out by myself around noon. As long as going alone, I took some inspiration from Jeff at Road and took the fancy ride down from the garage rafters. It was the first ride on it this year. I used to ride it a lot, but this year the fixed gear, mountain bike and tandem has taken priority. It was good to get on it again. I did 45+ miles at a good pace. At 33 miles in I was at 17.8 avg thanks to the wind that went something like this...cross wind, helping wind and cross wind...which brings us to the last 12.5 miles of head on wind trying to bring it on home. I finally just dropped a ring, relaxed and still came in at over 17, which for me is not all that bad.

WARNING: What I consider bike porn.

Ready for take off.

This is a stump where I stopped. The rocks must have flown there from the snowplow this last winter.

Another good ride in the books.

It looked to rain at any time but we went anyway. We took the Univega tandem and rode the Little Circle ride. There were a lot of deer out this evening with the temperature just like porage, not too hot and not too cold. Ended up to be about 15.5 miles and a good effort put in by all.

On a side note: If you haven't in the past, please keep the Fat Cyclist and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Can you tell, we live in Sand Country.

Makwa Trail

We headed south to Menomonie to ride the Red Cedar trail this weekend, but that was not to be the good riding. Sunday's riding on the single track Makwa trail near Hayward was the weekends highlight. I was last there on July 4th and today, two weeks later, 1.3 more miles of indescribably excellent trail had been made. Janice and I rode 16.5 miles of the skinny. Janice did very well...until the technical stuff started up. Bad news... count'em...for, 4, fore and IV, which added up makes four crashes. Fortunately, all limbs and body parts are fine, just badly bruised. She was scaring me, but I have to give her credit as she finished out the ride. We forgot the camera, probably a good thing.

Oh, and if she has a doctor appointment this week, she will have to take over the blogging stuff.

On another note, we have a house guest for the summer that works at Amnicon Falls State Park. Today she had a couple come into the park that are touring on a tandem recumbent. She said she had a nice visit with them and they have traveled over 3000 miles so far this summer. This is a link to their blog spot... http://bikerbeans.blogspot.com/

Makwa Trail

Finishing up the Tremp Weekend

We finished the ride up at Sparta about 1:00 in the afternoon with both us feeling the effects of the heavy bike and all the gear. It did teach us something...we have to do that again soon! This was one of the roads we traveled on in the Marshland Access.
The Butterfly-Weed is a friend of the Monarch Butterfly.

One of the many bridges on these trails. One of them, not this one, I measured at .3 of a mile long.

At some places the many trains we heard and saw are nearby, so we decided to snap a picture at the last minute when this one was passing. Modern day camera's are amazing, as I took this picture with the train moving one direction and us moving in the opposite with one hand on the bar and the other shooting the picture.

One of the many stops we made on this trip.

Finished up back at Sparta with 107 miles and a fine way to spend the weekend together. We would highly recommend this type of entertainment for couples...or anyone for that matter. It isn't that you need to go great distances, it is just getting out and doing something.

Camping

When we pulled into Perrot State Park to camp, a car pulled up to a STOP sign on a road that was joining the road we were on. He was looking the other way not paying attention to us coming towards them. At the last minute he saw us and we were already hard on the brakes. I hit the brakes so hard that it popped the front cable from the hanger and with as heavy as we were rolling, it also rolled the tube up in the back tire...tube shot. I changed that out, set up camp and we went for an evening cruise. We headed north out of the park to what is called the Marshland Access. We were in the exploring mode...something that I do enjoy. This was a Muskrat house we rode by. You can see what trails they are using.

The Great River Trail


Marshland Access.

We spent some time here watching the wildlife. A word to the wise would be...For sure check it out, but be careful where you sit. Bird's shit too...outside and anywhere they want.

The forecast was for no rain, so we decided to sleep without the rain fly.

Nice total for the day, considering the bike and gear weighed in at about 140 lbs, although a few of those miles were minus trailer.

We made a bicycle camping trip this last weekend. We drove to Sparta WI to ride the La Crosse River trail and The Great River Trail. It ended up to be 107 miles. A good way to spend the weekend. We started at the Sparta trail head. We figured the bike, water and all gear added about 140 lbs...note to self, must go lighter next time. With the first day at 63+ miles, a good work out.
These are WI State Park trails and a trail passes are required.

The La Crosse trail crosses a lot of farm country.

We stopped and watched some of a Legion baseball game in Bangor

The main street of Rockland, WI

More of Rockland

Most of the trails are grown in and very scenic.

This is the trail split.

The Great River Trail follows the great river...The mighty Mississippi

Purple Cone Flower's

Will post more when time permits

Weekend Bicycle Camping

We had very nice weekend ! ! !

I went for a ride after work Wednesday up the Munger Trail to Carlton and then back thru Jay Cooke State Park to highway 23 and back into West Duluth. It was perfect weather for riding. Guessing, I would say in the low 60,s up there...maybe. I hit it hard by my standards. I am starting to think the time I have been spending on the tandems has made me a stronger rider. Could be wishful thinking. This is my normal rest stop when I ride up this way.

Mill at Carlton

Very nice ride through the park. Smooth road with traffic moving slowly most of the time.

Oh yeah...Good Time

Breaking News

O.K., not really breaking news. After further review, my golf game STILL sucks.

Evening Ride

There was a notice in our local paper wanting to get people together for a bicycle ride Sunday evening at 6:00 pm. I had given thought of trying to get a group together in the past and now a notice appeared, so Janice and I checked it out. The only people that showed up were the two people that put the notice in the paper. They were on mountain bikes, so Janice and I waved them on because we had our tandem. We did have a nice conversation, I think because fellow cyclist are easy to talk to. It seems as though they had a lot of people interested, but they all seemed to have something else going on. I have noticed that it is very hard to get people to commit to a riding day...so it goes. To all those out there that have a group committed to riding...you are very lucky, enjoy it.

We went by ourselves when we got home. It was a very nice evening ride. Very little traffic with many deer out and then add in a perfect temp with a very slight breeze. It was late by the time we got started, so it was only an 18+ mile ride...18 superb miles.

Some of the roads we rode this evening.
We stopped to photograph deer...too sloooooww. The road had to do.

Janice, I and the Univega tandem. On a side note, steel rides much, o mucho better than aluminum. The Univega is steel.

Annual July 4th Ride

July Fourth in Gordon WI brings the biggest crowd this little town sees all year. A lot of the people that were raised here and now live elsewhere, come back to Gordon for this celebration...there are others from nearby towns that come...Then there are cabin people and tourist. Mind you this is a very small town...as far as population goes. There have been estimates of over 10,000 come to this celebration they call, "Gordon Good Neighbor Days." For the past few years, I have been a good neighbor by leaving town, therefore leaving room for someone else. I usually do a century ride on a bicycle path somewhere. I was due for a change of pace, so this year it was mountain biking. I drove to Hayward and started at CAMBA's Fish Hatchery trail head. I then hit the Makwa trail and rode that also. They have added length to Makwa this year by a few miles and the new stuff is very good, if not the best I have ridden. It is fantastic. I just do not think it can get much better then the new stuff they added. If you are in to the mountain biking, I would suggest trying to check it out. I rode for 3 hours 40 minutes today, over 25 miles, and all of it single track...well except for 100 yards. I do not think that is enough to count. Some of the new Makwa. I think it is the best flow trail I have ever ridden.
The CAMBA trails are very well marked