Fortunate!!

 Last night we were blessed with about 3" of nice powder snow.  Add the current temp of 24°F, today would be a perfect day to ride.  That is all great, but it is the annual whitetail deer hunt here in WI.  Even though it is the week of Thanksgiving here in the United States, I have come to despise this week.  Despise would be putting it lightly.  One can not spend any time in the woods or trails without being dressed in blaze orange for the fear of wackos and stray bullets.  Even dressed in orange I don't feel comfortable riding a bicycle...I mean afterall, the bicycle is moving.  It shouldn't be that way.  I put a lot of the issues to the macho kill something mentality.  Brown it's down!!  Get that Big buck!!  That and greed!  Taking potshots at what they think may be a deer.  One of my cousins calls it hate your neighbor week...not too far off. Do not get me wrong, I agree with hunting.  Populations need to be controlled. And a meal of venison is delicious.  But the fact of the matter is the hunting tactics of many are something to be improved upon. Although this year seems to be safer than most.  

 A recent ride had me riding through the nearby Bird Sanctuary. 

 It is a very peaceful place. Serene.

 They have put in some new trails.  I am glad I had the fatty on this day!

 Nice remote trails.

 I was able to ride this ice...carefully.

 I snapped this photo a few days ago.  The geese were standing on the ice as the rest of the lake was freezing over.  Almost all of the lakes in our region are ice covered now.  

OK, after the opening rant, the best thing about this week is Thanksgiving.  Getting the entire family together to eat too much and shoot the breeze is PRICELESS!!  And I WILL eat too much. But that's OK!  I consider myself very fortunate.  Fortunate for family.  Fortunate for friends.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanks for reading and the comments!

As always...

Lets get outdoors and have some fun!!

It's all Fun

 If you do not know by now, the 9:zero:7 has been the bike of choice lately.  If I had to choose one bike of the many I own, this would be the one. 

 On one day, I used the bike to get a few geo-caches that were behind this gate.

 Oooopps, looks like somebody forgot to lock it. I can't help but wonder if it was done on purpose.

 I came to this beaver pond where the trail crossed the creek that made this pond.  It was too deep to ride through.  I walked the top of the dam but had to hop on and ride the last 25 feet or so.  Can you say wet feet. Yep!!  I managed to ride through it, but the water was deep enough to where the feet were going below the water surface while pedaling.  Bad news because the high temperature that day was 18°F.  It was ok because I only had about 3 miles left to ride.

 Geo-cache in that tree.

 The ice wasn't froze enough to ride over this day.

During the last couple rides, the temperatures have been unseasonably warm.  Thats OK too.  It's all fun. 

Lets get outdoors and have some fun!! 

Loving the Entertainment!

 I was out for a 3 hour ride this morning.  Mostly two rut trails.  The above picture is at the Whitefish Lake boat landing.  The lake is over a 100 feet deep and will be the last of the lakes to freeze over in our area.

 The little ponds were froze this morning.

 This young Common Mullein was covered with frost, but the frost was beginning to melt from it as I rode by.

 This little lake is one of many I rode past today.  The locals call these potholes. I wonder if that is common in other parts of the world. It was completely iced over, but I don't think you would want to try to walk across.   

When I left this morning the frost was thick and the riding brisk.  It didn't take long to get warmed up though. On another note, I am toying the idea of partaking in a 5k on Thanksgiving day.  (notice I said partaking, not running)  SO, this evening I went for a mile long run...uuummm, should I or shouldn't I?  It will be a short window to train and I haven't been running lately. Although, it may work out good for me.  There are other family members doing it that would no doubt beat me to the finish and they could be there to cheer me on as I cross the finish. Or laugh, hehe.  It wouldn't be the first time I have been the entertainment.  Speaking of entertainment, the riding as of late has been entertaining. Perfect! And I have been loving it!

Thanks for reading!!

   Lets get outdoors and have some fun!!    

The Tamarack Tale

I had loaded this story on my Facebook page and decided to share it on here also. It is a story from a book by Richard Wagamese.  the book is called One Story, One Song. The excerpt below is from the chapter "Birdman" 

 

 

In the Long Ago Time, before the time of the Human Beings, one winter grew especially harsh and deadly. The snows piled higher than they ever had, and Keewatin, the frigid north wind, blew long. the cold was so devastating that the sap in the trees froze, and their limbs swelled and exploded. Every where in the forest was the sound of popping trees. It was a haunting sound in the darkness.

A small chickadee who was nearly frozen hopped along on top of the snow until he came to the base of a small tamarack tree. The wind was gusting mightily. As the little chickadee huddled close to the trunk of the tree, he begged the tree to lower its branches to shelter him.  At that time, all beings could speak to one another, and the world was filled with their lively chatter.

But the tamarack was young and proud. It revelled in its fine shape and refused to lower its branches. So the little chickadee gathered his strength and hopped on through the snow, clutching his wings about him to stave off the cold. Eventually, he came to an old pine tree and moved close to the trunk. The chickadee asked the same favor of this tree. Seeing his plight, the pine tree dropped its lower branches to shelter the small bird.

Creator watched the drama unfold. She asked the tamarack why it had refused the small bird. The tamarack replied that it did not see the need to surrender its beauty to shelter a bird who would likely die anyway. The Creator asked the pine tree why it had decided to help the freezing chickadee. The pine tree replied that it had felt the bite of many frigid winds and knew how lonely and terrifying that could be.

As a sign of the pine tree's compassion, Creator allowed the pine to keep its dropped lower branches from then on. Creator allowed the tamarack to keep its magnificent shape, but because of the tree's vanity and selfishness it would henceforth lose its needles every fall. The tamarack would always face the winter naked and cold, as an indicator of its lack of mercy and compassion.

 

 

Lets get outdoors and have some fun!!

Click for Big

 It is the time of the year when the Tamarack gets its glow on.  They are without a doubt beautiful.

 Lake Nebagamon is a nice little community about 30 miles north and was the destination today.

. 

 Most of the golf courses are closed for the season in this part of world.

 Along with the golf courses being closed, the leaves that once adorned these trees are now either on the forest floor or floating down stream to who knows where.

 As some of you know I ride past the Moose River quite often. Near as I can count, I crossed 18 streams today.

 IMO...A great little sign.  I think it is a great setting.

This is the Bois Brule River.  This is looking upstream from Douglas County Highway P. Not far from this bridge, it starts its 44 mile journey to Lake Superior. 

Although it was 36° when I left home, it was warming up fast to a high of 49°.  That meant I needed to shed a layer. I am not complaining. 

We have a family tradition in which we usually have a meal when a birthday comes up. This is what was waiting for me in Lake Nebagamon.  Nuuuuuummmm.  I can tell you one thing with all certainty, my niece and her boy friend can really cook. WOW is all I can say.  Every time we go there...oooh weee!!  Of course, the company is also great. One more thing, I have leftovers. hehehe

As always, a big Thank You for those who read...and comment.  And for those that may not know, click on the pictures for a bigger version. 

Lets get outdoors and have some Fun!!

Quality

 I got out this morning to enjoy the little snow we did get.  I rode mostly two track trails and also mixed in some not so tracked trail.

 Some of the downed trees I could ride over...and some not.  Made for an adventure as there were a couple miles of this.

 IMO, these trails are the best riding we have close by.

 This kind of thing is rare, but it does occur much too often.  Three microwave ovens here.

Just a little further down the same trail, a refrigerator/freezer.  I can say this, because I try to keep this blog family friendly, this kind of thing really torques me.  I mean really!!  Are you kidding??  What kind of person does this?  I guess the good thing is, it is rare.

 I guess after all that I got heated up and needed to shed a Layer from the top.

 The bike was a mess when I got home, but a quick spray with the hose...parking it by near the wood stove to dry...a shot of lube...ready for the next ride.

Very peaceful lunch spot today.  

 Lunch was a CAD secret recipe energy bar.

 Although I wasn't lucky enough to spot it, I shared the trail with Mr/Mrs Black Bear today.

I do not think these geese will be around much longer.  I was out for over 3 hours today, but only racked up about 20 miles.  But they were quality miles. Quality vs Quantity...in this case I choose quality. 

Lets get outdoors and have some FUN!! 

Weakness for the Fatty

 Fall is more than in the air around this area.  Do not let the oaks pictured fool you.  Many of the leaves have fallen.  The tamarack trees, which are the last to do their color dance, are now starting.

    

 I rode a lot of small rut trails today.

 I have stopped at this spot for years...since the early 70's.  A nice grassy area with a great view, although my cheapo camera doesn't show it.

 Anybody else like ginger cookies?  I have a weakness for them.  The cookie along with a p&b sandwich was lunch today.

 Ummmmmm, I wonder.  Is that sign showing what is coming up...or where I've been?

 I was out for over 3 hours today and about 20 miles. I did not see one person...neither walking, biking, atv'ing or in a vehicle.  I wonder why?  

Yes, I also have a weakness for the Fatty.  Great fun!!

Lets get outdoors and have some fun!!