30-30 and A Hint of Spring

 WOW...we hit 50°F today.  Just a hint of spring, because I hear we may have another snow on the way.  Along with that the 10 day forecast isn't showing anything near as nice as we had today.  It is weather.  It will be...weather.

 If you could pick them out on the picture above just over the top tube and upstream on the St Croix River were two Swan/Snow Geese.  I know last year I walked up stream and jumped some Snow Geese, but I am thinking these may have been Trumpeter Swans.  They were far enough away that I couldn't tell with the naked eye. I just went back and blew up that picture...I am going with Trumpeter Swan.

 With today's warm temperature, I needed to shed some clothes.  That is OK though.  That is why that back trunk rack is on there.

 Golf anyone??  I think it will be a late start this year.

  Those that know me know I do most of my riding alone.  Last year I was lucky enough to be able to ride with a couple new friends.  This is a road we would ride.  One of them called the other day to go for a ride, but it didn't work out for me.  I wish it had because I really enjoy the fun. BUT we will get out!!

Can you say wind.  I started out with a nice 5 miles right down the throat of mother wind.  I then sailed with her at my back for a good 15 miles.  And you know what that means.  Time to take it on the chin. Yep wind on the fixed gear can be rather challenging. But I am OK with that. 

 Lunch was served at the 30 mark today.

I chose the 30.30 mark for lunch to bring attention to this. The 30 days of biking http://30daysofbiking.com/pledge  It was the 30th of March when I did this ride.  I did not sign the pledge last year because I knew I was going to be out of town 2 days. But I did ride all the others.  I may sign up this year.  Really haven't decided yet.  I think the Garmin is probably more accurate at the 31.24 miles.  I may have to adjust that computer...or more than likely I grabbed the wrong computer. Click anywhere on this paragraph for a link to the 30 day pledge.  JOIN the FUN!!

Lets get outdoors and have some FUN!!

2014 Spring??

 HAPPY SPRING!!!  I think it will be a while before the snow pack is gone here in northwest WI.  In the above picture there are two good sized lawn chairs beyond the dock.  It may be a while before anyone sits on them. They say more snow on the way.

 I like the idea of having the daylight go into the evening hours.

 The temperature was near 40°F on this ride.  I could hardly believe the difference a couple hours makes in the ice melt.  The video at the bottom of this post was taken 2 hours later on the same afternoon.

 I will be watching the Moose River to see when it starts to open.  

 There are still some snowmobiles riding the trails.  In looking at the 10 day forecast, I would say the snowmobilers have those 10 more days and more, as there is no warm weather in the forecast.

 Like my mud guard?  I knew the roads were going to be wet in spots today.  So...a piece cut from an ice cream pail, couple drilled holes, a quick shot of paint, two zip ties and good enough for me.  It worked great. Hmmmm, those tires have some miles on them.

 As witness to the depth of snowpack we have is the top of this fence post.

 I saw these tracks that came from a vast open area.  I am not sure what critter left them, but I am thinking a Bobcat. The toes were round, had no claw marks and were about the right size. I know they mate in the spring..and TODAY is spring!!  As I said, I am not sure.

 The tracks came from out in the open. It walked up and checked out this tree that a deer had nibbled on earlier in the winter and then moved on.  

The house is gone, but the barn still stands.  Nice old barn! I noticed there is some hay stored inside.

OK...so another crappy video.  A lot of things wrong with it, but I loaded it anyhow.  The quality is poor.  The explanation of the fixed gear is poor.  Whatever! It's on here. 

Lets get outdoors and have some fun!!

Thanks for reading and any comments!

All of This and More!

On this day's ride the temp soared to the middle 40's fahrenheit.  Last week we had a temperature of -31°F and on Monday we reached +57°F.  That is a welcome change for the overwhelming majority of locals.  In the picture above, I had overdressed for the ride and needed to shed some clothes. That is goooood sign.

The roads are starting to clear off nicely.

The above spot was where lunch was served today.

I have been toying with an idea of getting a GoPro camera to use while on the bicycle and also the motorcycle.  Because of that I have been loading some videos up on Youtube. These have been shot with the Iphone.  I am trying out this video stuff but as of yet do not know if it is something I want to get into.

I faced a not so friendly wind when I headed it back towards home.

There are some whitetail still around,

Every indication is that the Whitetail Deer population is going to suffer a large mortality rate as of a result of this years severe winter. The record breaking snows and cold are taking its toll on not only the deer but other critters too.  Humans included!  

For these deer the walking was easy for them on the river.

In the area where this picture was snapped, the roads are also getting hit hard.  I believe this is a result of the type of soil along with the very cold weather.  Because of very cold winter, the frost levels went deep in the areas that were cleared of snow, such as the roads. We live in the sand country and the frost is usually not a problem. But in this particular area, the soil is heavier containing more moisture than the normal for our area. This road above is running along a river bottom and through some very wet soil. Similar to freezing a can of pop or a bottle of water, when water/moisture freezes, something has to give. 

This entire stretch of road is like this and these cracks are huge.  You DO NOT want to drop a bicycle tire in one of them. We are fortunate as I only noticed these cracks only along the river bottom and not on the numerous other roads I have been riding.

The days are getting longer.  The sun is heating us more.  The rivers will start to open. The buds on our hardwood trees will also be opening.  The sap will be running. The birds will be moving to and from. The raccoons and skunks will start to make appearances. All of this and more in the VERY near future!!

Lets get outdoors and have some fun!!

Fun Comparison

 Daylight savings starts this weekend.  Whoop!  I am a fan!  I wouldn't mind if we used daylight savings year around.  

 This has been a record breaking winter for us in northern WI.  The frigid temperatures along with a huge amount of snow has caused difficulties for some. There have been roof collapses in the area with some of them being business's. Along with some of the human population suffering, the critters are suffering also.  The whitetail deer, turkey just to name a couple. Along with the creatures above ground, the ones below the ice are also getting hit hard this winter. Some of the lakes are suffering fish kill due to freeze out. I know this to be true because I witnessed it first hand. 

I was on a five mile snowshoe hike on February 2nd when I snapped this picture. This is a spring hole near shore on one of the area lakes. The fish in the lake were running out of oxygen.  The hole was full of fish squirming like a can of worms or a snake nest. Freeze out is what locals call it. This happens because the weeds provide oxygen to the lake are dying this winter from the lack of sunlight..  The sun usually can penetrate the snow and ice to keep the weeds alive during most winters.  This year we had a small layer of ice and then we were smacked with a heavy snow which caused a layer of slush, which then froze another layer of ice and more heavy snow on top of that. No sunlight to the weeds...weeds die...too little oxygen in lake...fish die. Disclaimer, I am no expert, but this is what I understand happens.

OK...just a little fun comparison here.  The pic above is from a recent ride.

hehehe...Same spot earlier this fall.  

It is another great day here in the northland! 

Lets get outdoors and have some fun!!

Thanks for reading

A Stripper!?!?

 This was the warmest day of the year so far. We had a high of about 40°F and a slight wind from the WSW.  After riding thru the recent colds we have had this year, I knew I couldn't pass this day up. Excellent riding in these warmer temperatures. I dressed a little warm, so I was stripping clothes today. BUT, I didn't mind!

 We had about 6" of snow this last weekend.  That meant the snowmobile trails by us were not packed, so I stuck to the township roads. They are perfect to ride on.  

In the 2 plus hours I was out today I saw one truck...two times. 

Still trying this video stuff out.  I don't know whether to keep messing with this video stuff or not.

Let's get outdoors and have some FUN!!

Enjoy the Weather

 I recently have packed the trails on our property with a snowmobile.  It works well, but I had planned on making a type of groomer to smooth it some.  That was last summer/fall...fail...never did it.  But it has hardened up nice with the cold we have been having. They are nice to putt around on. 

 The trees above have fallen victim to the heavy snow this year.  

  

 It has been a good year for the snowmobilers this year.  I try to stay off the trails Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but during the week they great fun to ride.  I do not want to get in their way. But there are not many sleds out during the week, so lets play.

  In the picture above a snowmobile climbed this log pile along side of the trail.

 This was the side he exited.  I wonder how that went for him.

There seems to be a lot of talk of the weather as of late.  Not only locally, but throughout most of the States...and the rest of the world for that matter.  We have had our share of cold and snow, but parts of Australia are calling for 45°C.  That is 113°F.  Ummmmm -20F at night, +10F during the day...or...113°F.  Which one for you?

I have been playing around trying to load some video to Youtube.  It is a steep learning curve for the old guy. All of the video I have loaded has been with my Iphone, but I have contemplated getting a action camera. With what I have seen so far, I don't think that will be happening. I think it is probably best to just scrap making the videos.  

Weather, Weather, Weather...it is the talk of the World.  One would think we have never had weather before.  It always different.  And...I am guilty too!! Thanks for reading and the comments:-)

Lets get outdoors and have some fun!  ENJOY the weather!!

           

Snow and Cold...but Fun

 Hey hey hey, a ride with temps above the 0°F mark. 

 A little lake I rode by on todays ride.  The lakes have a very deep layer of snow on them.  I am hearing that it is deep enough this year to possibly have an effect on the fish. When the snow depths get high on the lake, it cuts the amount of sunlight that gets through.  Not enough sunlight getting through means the oxygen levels falls and that in turn affects the fish.  

 A lone snowmobile track down the powerline.  A case could be made that this winter has been rather chilly, but with all the snow, I think it has been a good year for the sleds. 

 I see there are few ice shanties showing up on the local lakes.

I have been riding mostly township roads today...and they are perfect!!

I decided to blog today only to show off a gift I received in the mail yesterday!!  Fantastic!  As much as I like winter biking, I would like to playing that hole right now...and that ain't no lie!

Another shaky one handed cell phone video loaded up.

Lets get outdoors and have some fun!!

Thanks for reading and comments!

Any Day is a Good Day on the Bicycle

 It was nice to get out for a couple hours today.  The temperature was a very nice 8°F...that is 8 above fahrenheit.  Sun out!!  Very little wind!!  Awesome!!  The bike is a size large.  As you can see in the picture above, we have some snow this year. If I am only going to be out a couple hours in the colder temps, I carry the water bottle pictured on the bike.  I fill it with warm water and it doesn't freeze in that amount of time.  Must stay hydrated...a must. 

 I started to ride some recreation trail, but I didn't get too far and met a couple snowmobiles. On the weekend the snowmobile traffic picks up considerably, so I decided to bail at the next road.  It didn't hurt my feelings as the conditions were not the best on the trail. It was doable though.

 That put me on to the town roads.  They were excellent!!

 I was the first track across the road pictured above.  They did a very nice job.  Groomed perfectly. hehe

It was nice to see some dirt, even if it was frozen.

Even though they are of poor quality, I am loading the videos I have taken with the phone on the Youtube.  I may invest in a action camera.  I am thinking a Gopro. As always, Thank you for reading and also a shout out to those who take the time to comment. It is great to hear that some people still check the blog out.

Old Fashion Winter

I haven't posted in very long time, so I thought I would load up a quick one tonight.

This had been what a lot of people from our region are calling an old fashion winter. I guess for some reason or another, we think this is what the winters of old were.  I do know this much, our media, whether knowingly or not, promotes weather fear.  It may be that is what sells.  Anyhow, back to our winter. Our snow level is butt hole deep to a Giraffe.  We have had several days this winter that the high temperature for the day hasn't gotten above the 0°F mark. I heard rumors of 14 days in December alone, plus a few have come in January.  And lows around the -30°F.  Then we have had piles of snow this year also. So yep...it has been winter this year.  My lovely daughter snapped this picture above that was from a day where our morning temp was -28° and it didn't come close to 0 that day.  Note...I do wear goggles with these cold temperatures.  

I snapped this picture of a bald eagle.  The conditions were not the greatest for snapping this picture, but I wanted to load it up. So I did.

This was a video I took from that cold day ride.  We had a warm spell these last few days, but I didn't get out for a ride.  I worked on vehicles, researched and shopped for some supplies we are going to need.

Lets get outdoors and have some FUN!!