Come this weekend, my custom Ellis won't be the only one in town.

This weekend our local bicycle club is hosting the Split Rock Tour. I was excited to learn that Dave Wages, the builder of my custom Ellis frame is coming to town to ride the 100 mile ride. Not only will he be here riding one of his own frames he built, but another owner of an Ellis frame from La Crosse will also be here. Very cool!!

Now I have a confession about my own Ellis. I haven't been riding it much. I had an epiphany today about the reasons why. I've been lying to myself about why and have been making excuses not to get out on it. Why? There was at least 4 different things about the build and choices I made during the build that either bugged me, or I just plain hated. Over the last week I corrected all of those and made some significant changes to the build. I finished the changes tonight. I don't have any pictures yet, but I'll go into more detail once I get some pictures to show you. For now I'll give you one example.

I chose to go with downtube shifters. I rode with downtube shifters for years. They worked fine, never bothered me. Of course back then they were the only choice. So I thought I'd get a little nostalgic on this bike and try some downtube shifters again. You know what? I hated them, just plain hated them......and hate is not a word I use often because it is such a strong word. I can't explain why, but every time I went to shift gears all I could think is how much I hate reaching for those downtube shifters.

All I can say now is how much I can't wait to ride my Ellis again. The changes look great, I've got a fresh start and I feel really good about the changes.



On to other topics. Today was another CSA farm pick-up day. That meant riding the Blue Truck/Xtracycle again. Third time this week. I really can't imagine living my current lifestyle without that bicycle. Today we had a cold front come through. A morning temp of 50 degrees and for the commute home it was 58 degrees with 30 mph wind gusts. Are you sure this is July? It's July in Duluth. Even this is cold for Duluth.

It never really rained, except for a few isolated cloud bursts. But it was a grey day. I enjoy grey days as much as blue days. Just try to count how many different shades of grey you see in the picture above in the water of Lake Superior and the clouds. Fortunately the forecast for the tour on Saturday is calling for a bit warmer weather. Sunny and a high of 72. Sounds beautiful!

Hauling

The past two days I've ridden the Blue Truck/Xtracycle to work so I could do errands. I ended up doing 28 miles of commuting and errands yesterday. And what a gorgeous day to be doing it. Sunny and high 70's with very low humidity. I had a smile on my face the entire time.

Today was a totally different kind of day. A rainy day. Something that has been very rare around here. I can only remember 3 truly rainy days since the beginning of April. We are in near drought conditions with all the lawns turning brown and the vegetation looking wilted and limp.

The errand I had to do today was pick up 5 chickens. That's what I said, "Five Chickens". They were dead of course. Along with our CSA farm share, we purchased a poultry share. With it we get five chickens in July and a turkey in November. These aren't little hens. They are big chickens, 32.5 lbs worth of chickens. A perfect job for the Xtracycle. Not only was I riding along with 32.5 lbs of chicken in my panniers, but I was doing it in a summer downpour. The storms timing corresponded with me getting off work and making the chicken pick-up. Then later, I had to go back out for a meeting at a local restaurant and another round of thunderstorms dumped on me on the way there. And then another round of thunderstorms dumped on me on the way home an hour and half later. But I didn't care because we needed the rain so bad. Plus, for short trips like this, I really enjoy riding in the rain.

Perfect weather for an overnight bicycle camping trip.

I had Monday off. My employer gave us a special treat....a four day holiday weekend. Susan had to work Monday. I took the opportunity to head out for a short bicycle camping trip. My to-do-list is longer than ever lately. I almost didn't go because of it, but whenever I looked at the weather forecast I kept thinking, "How could I not go?" Highs in the low to mid 70's, lows in the low 50's, sunshine, dry with no chance of rain. Doesn't get any better.I loaded up the Long Haul Trucker and headed out around 10:45 am Sunday. The plan was to head north into the area of Minnesota State Forests and The Superior National Forest. I did a few trips into this area last year. This time I tried to find lesser traveled roads like the one above. Only five miles from my house, near the mall, but lesser traveled....like I said.
I took advantage of these toilets at an athletic field for my first coffee induced pit stop of the day.

Once I get up over the hill from Lake Superior and the hills of Duluth things straighten out quite a bit. Northern Minnesota is one of three things, either forests, bogs and wetlands, or lakes.

My first lake I passed was Fish Lake.

My first stretch of gravel only lasted 1 mile.

One nice thing about overnight camping is the amount of luxuries you can carry when you're using a full set of touring panniers. With my gluten intolerance, eating along the way is out of the questions. I carry all my own food. Energy bars get old really fast. So for the first day I carried real food. I knew there was a nice park on Island Lake about 25 miles into my ride. I packed a nice sit down lunch just for that spot. The Nalgene I filled with water the night before and froze. Buried in the bottom of my pannier, it keeps my food ice cold all day.
Above is the chunk of ice still left in the bottle 9 hours after leaving my house. I added water and had a cool refreshing drink with my dinner.

After the lunch stop I entered the Cloquet Valley State Forest. This is all there is for the next 15 miles, and there would be no services of any kind for the next 30 miles. Trees, lakes, bogs and mile after mile of roadside wildflowers.
Fifteen out of the last 16 miles would be this remote gravel road. It was some nice riding. I'm glad it turned out to be a well maintained road. According to my Minnesota Gazetteer road map book this is a paved road. That map book is never correct. I never believe it until I see it with my own eyes.

A lake along the gravel road.

I had spotted a sign for this campground as I passed by last year. I decided to make this my destination for this trip. I had never stayed at a Minnesota State Forest Campground before. I was pleasantly surprised. It had two small loops with campsites along a the lake. One loop, to my surprise had 5 walk-in sites. I, personally, wouldn't call them hike in sites, but tent sites. I only had to walk about 15 yards from the park road to reach the campsite I stayed in.
It had these old hand pumps that brought up some of the coldest, clearest well water. It was so good. I hadn't drank enough and was well dehydrated by the time I reached the campground. It took four water bottles full of cold well water to get me rehydrated. The dry air combined with a stiff wind apparently sucked all the moisture right out of me. I'm a heavy sweater and I didn't seem to be sweating that much. Most likely I was sweating heavily, it just happened to evaporate very quickly.

A view of Indian Lake from the shoreline by my campsite. It was a small, but picturesque lake.

My campsite.

At sunset the wind died down and it got very calm and quiet. I could hear every paddle stroke of this person in a kayak as he glided by my campsite not long after sunset.

I slept great, as always in a tent. I had a temperature reading of 51 degrees in the morning. The sky was blue and very crisp. A beautiful morning to emerge to from a tent.

I took Route 44 back into Duluth. I rode this road a few times last year. Each time it was nearly deserted. For most of the first 2 hours cars that passed were spaced at least 10 minutes apart.

It went on and on and on. Beautifully wooded, all around.

And like yesterday, the entire roadside was an endless field of wildflowers blooming.

Another lake along the way. I'm not sure the name of this one.

One of hundreds of bogs I passed.

And eventually the long descent back into Duluth begins.

It was a wonderful trip, I'm so glad I decided to go. Mileage was 57 miles for the first day and 50 miles for day two.

A ride with Susan on the 4th of July

Susan decided she would like to join me for a ride today. I always love it when she wants to ride along. She only gets out on a bicycle 3-4 times a year the past few years. Today we had perfect weather for a ride over into Wisconsin and out to Wisconsin Point.
A 33 mile round trip from our house. There were lots of people out on this national holiday. Lots of boaters out on the cold waters of Lake Superior.
Yesterday we did something we've been talking about for as long as we've lived here (almost 8 years). We made it over to the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua over on the Bayfield Peninsula. It's a big tent show that has all kinds of acts. Big name acts don't make it up our way too often. Last night they had The Robert Cray Band (a five time Grammy winner). We only booked our tickets a week ago and were fortunate to grab two 3rd row seats. I've seen Robert Cray a half dozen times, including the night he was onstage with Stevie Ray Vaughan, the night Stevie died. This was by far the smallest venue I'd seen him in. He put on a great show! It was worth the 90 minute drive through the north woods of Wisconsin to see him again!!

One of the best $9 I've ever spent!

Four weeks ago, a day before I set out on a six-day bicycle trip, I spent nine dollars and some change on a kickstand for my Long Haul Trucker. While researching tips on self-supported bicycle camping, I had been noticing many people recommend having a kickstand. I've never bothered with kickstands. Always seemed like extra weight one could do without. But the past two years I've been riding my Xtracycle. And of course it has a kickstand and I often carry big loads with it. I have to say one of the best parts of my Xtracycle when it's loaded is the kickstand. I can't imagine the Xtra without a kickstand. I liked it so much on the LHT that it is staying and I'm considering an upgrade.

It's the last day of June and I rode to work with an air temp of 49 F degrees. The ride home was a bit warmer at 56F degrees. Ahhhh....Duluth in the summer. (I don't care for hot weather, so I don't complain one bit about temps in the 50's)

Susan and I were gone over the weekend and returned yesterday. So I didn't do any riding over those three days. We went on our annual Spring Green, WI weekend. We've done this the past 13 summers. The last 12 have been with my parents. We drive down from Duluth and they drive over from Michigan. We camp, us in a tent and my parents in their trailer. And then for two nights we see performances at The American Players Theatre. It's an outdoor theatre situated on a wooded hilltop. You walk a wooded trail up the hill to the theatre. The theatre has theatre seating (armchair like theatre seats) and puts on classic plays. Usually William Shakespeare and other classic playwrites. This time we saw A comedy of Errors and A Winter's Tale, both by William Shakespeare. The former was the best production I've seen there in all thirteen years. It was highly entertaining and just plain fun.

End of month summary: June miles: 502 miles, YTD since March 17th: 1,723 miles. I bicycled to work everyday this month.

Changes in my riding habits

Since returning to the bike on March 17th, after a four and a half month recovery from the broken arm, I've felt like I've been on a bicycling vacation. How so? Well the past three years have been all about the miles. In 2006 and 2007 I put in 7500-8500 mile years. It's what I felt I had to do to properly prepare myself for my two attempts at the Arrowhead 135. In 2008 I wasn't planning on entering the 2009 edition of that epic race, but I kept putting on the miles. Out of habit, I think. My strategy was simple. Never go straight home after work, and I rarely did for three years. And put on at least 50-100 miles on the weekends.

Fast forward to 2009 and my return to the bike. I forced myself to ease back into the riding. My arm wasn't strong enough for any thing more than my basic commute. And it hurt all the time...still does. I wouldn't call it pain, just chronic soreness from doing everyday things. I started to realize how relaxing a 15 mile round trip could be. With no pressure to go long. No tired legs from 700 mile months.. or more during my peak training months. It became an absolute joy to be out on a bicycle everyday. I've even done some "no-biking" weekends. I've learned what it's like to get up on weekends, laze around all morning, enjoy a good strong cup of coffee, spend some time outdoors hiking or working in the yard. It's been a very nice pace for me, my recovery and my mental health.

As much as I hate to admit it, I am a creature of habit. I tend to take the same routes to and from work. Or do some variation of the same loop rides. Rarely turning down a never before or seldom ridden street. That has changed. Not returning to the fixed gear, my main commuting bike for the past 3 years has created a new perspective on my riding. With the hills in Duluth I would carefully select the hills I would ride up or down. I limited myself to the hills with a more gentle grade. Now that all my commuting is on geared bikes, I started to vary my routes. Even taking the steepest of roads to get to and from work. Today I took a route I had never taken before. The above picture is taken on 4th Street West looking back towards downtown. Normally I would drop down to the lake level when in the downtown area and take a virtually flat route home. Today rather than go around this hill, I went straight up and over it. I got some views that were new to me. And it was stunningly beautiful with an 88 degree day, dry air (a dew point of 50 degrees) and very blue sky. One of only a few 80 degree days so far this year.
Thursday is the day we pick up our farm share, so I have the reusable plastic bin on my Blue Truck/Xtracycle. I drop off the empty one and pick up another filled with freshly picked veggies.

There were some great views of the lift bridge between houses and other obstructions.

I parked the bike at a park and walked about a hundred yards through a baseball field and down a partially hidden path to get this vantage point. The lift bridge is part way up as a sail boat navigates the shipping canal.
View of the sand spit stretching towards Wisconsin.

Since returning to the bike on March 17th, I've ridden to work every single day. I have not missed one. I essentially picked up where I left off. At the time of my accident on November 8th I had a 13.5 month streak of riding to work every day. It's not that I think about this or force myself to ride everyday. It's just that it has become my lifestyle. Most people get up in the morning, get ready for work and then go out and get in their car to go to work without thinking about. I do the same thing, but instead of getting in a car, I ride my bike to work....without thinking about it. It's how I get around...it's become a part of my lifestyle. I couldn't think of doing it any other way.

Despite taking the "short" way to work and home most days, I've managed to log 1,700 miles already this year. When you ride everyday, even short distances, the miles really add up.

Back to my summer routine.

Summer is a relative term. Both my commutes today were in 50 degree weather. Today is what I consider the official beginning to summer....it was our first CSA delivery. Lots and lots of greens....yum, yum.

It was our participation in this CSA that motivated me to get my Xtracycle over two years ago. As a one car household, and Susan being the one that uses the car for work, she had the responsibility to pick up the farm delivery every Thursday. It wasn't possible for me to pick it up by bicycle prior to having the Xtra. But my work hours are set and hers aren't. It was stressful for her some days to try and get finished in time to pick up the food. The Xtracycle solved it all. I've been picking up the farm delivery ever since I finished the Xtracycle build two summer ago.

I stopped at our local Co-op to do some shopping and then picked up the farm delivery. That's been my routine for the past two years on Thursdays during the summer. I was so excited for it to start again. It just feels so GREEN!

Gentlemen's Tour 2009 picture dump

The Gentleman's Tour was largely conceived and planned by Jim Thill. I was fortunate to get invited along. I was concerned I wasn't ready for the miles of loaded touring. I was proven wrong. The pace was leisurely and the company was superb. We met on Sunday May 31st at Hiawatha Cyclery Headquarters. Five of us loaded our bikes and gear in the Hiawatha Cyclery trailer and headed for Red Wing, MN where the tour would begin.We had great weather for most of the ride. We experienced only one brief rain shower the first evening. Not enough moisture to bother putting on a rain jacket.

Other trips reports are here and here and here.

Day 1 May 31, 2009 Red Wing, MN to Merrick State Park, WI, 65 milesUnloading the bikes in Red Wing, MN

L-R: Sean, Mark, Jim, Kevin, Me

Approaching the bridge over the Mississippi River to enter Wisconsin.

Approaching our fist stretch of gravel sonn after leaving Red Wing. Each day our route included either stretches of gravel, unpaved bike trails or bike trails. Sometimes more than one of these.
Route 35 along Lake Pepin contains quaint towns, many with pastry or pie shoppes. We stopped at several. My biggest challenge of the trip was to sit and watch others eat great food and pie. There was little I could eat along the way with my Celiac Disease. I carried most of my own food. Thanks to all on the trip who helped carry a portion of my supplies. I couldn't have made it without the help!

The bluffs along Lake Pepin (the Mississippi River) were breathtaking.

The first day we camped at Merrick State Park, a Wisconsin state park. Lanny joined us at the park. He couldn't make the start of the ride. His wife drove him down. It worked out good because Mark was suffering from some knee pain and couldn't continue on with us. Lanny's wife was able to drive Mark back to the city.

Day 2 June 1, 2009 Merrick State Park to LaCrosse, WI, 48 milesJim became our personal barista with his new espresso press. It worked mighty slick and made some excellent coffee. This was repeated on at least three more mornings.

Our first night's camp partially packed up.

The campsite was situated right on a Mississippi River backwater inlet.

A Wisconsin vineyard near Fountain City.

Quiet roads greeted us on Monday morning. The heavy Harley Davidson traffic from Sunday had evaporated.

If we hadn't stopped at a bicycle shop along the way we would have never found this trail access. This was the only sign marking the entrance. Sixteen miles into our day we left the paved roads behind. This trail would take us through the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge and connect up with the Great River Trail. This trail would lead us all the way into LaCrosse WI, our destination for the day.

Trail through the Refuge.

Bike parking outside the Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center.

The Great River Trail leading to Trempealeau, WI

A stop was made to sample the foods at the Trempealeau Hotel. A well known restaurant. I had been there twice before.

The Mississippi River outside the hotel. Looking at the Minnesota bluffs.

The Great River Trail was magnificent and shady. (Photo by Jim Thill)

The trail took us right into Onalaska, WI where all our bikes magically turned into the Dairy Queen without any help from us.

We made our way to downtown LaCrosse, mostly by paved bike trail, and with a little help from locals to get us to the hotels on the riverfront. We got rooms at the Marriot Courtyard for the night. The rest of the evening was spent in local drinking and eating establishments. I had looked up a local coop and we stopped by there for some shopping. That's where Jim bought the infamous bag of dried plums. When it comes to dried plums, more is not always better.

Day 3 June 2, 2009 LaCrosse, WI to Lanesboro, MN 55 milesThe morning of Day 3 started off cloudy, but later cleared. This bridge over the Mississippi River was right out the side door of our hotel. It was our route back to Minnesota.

On the bridge.

The view of the river from the bridge.

We found the roads had some major hills, but nothing as bad as most of us were expecting.

After 20 miles of roads we reached the small town of Houston, MN. Once again we would leave the roads behind. This time we would take the Root River Trail to Lanesboro.

Another nice discovery was this little coffee shop in Houston. We spent a long time on the patio sipping coffee and talking with the friendly local townfolk.

The scenic, paved Root River Trail as it leaves Houston, MN.

Most of the trail was shaded and followed the Root River.

Another stop in Rushford at this Creamery, recommended by several of the locals. I talked an employee into pulling a tub of ice cream out of the display cooler so I could read the ingredients. To my surprise I was able to eat some. Yum, Yum!

We camped at the 250 Campground just yards from downtown Lanesboro right on the Trail. We would spend two nights here. It was midweek and we would have most of the campground to ourselves.

Lanny got some serious relaxing in. The campsite was a few feet from the bank of the Root River.

Lanny was our "go to guy" for firewood. Ten feet branches from a brush pile? Not a problem for him and his Trucker.

Day 4 June 3, 2009 Free day in Lanesboro, MN, 27 miles

Day 4 was to be our free day. Four of us headed out to see some more of the Root River Trail. It was 11 miles to the trails western end at Fountain, MN. We took a relaxing ride minus the panniers.

In Fountain we found yet another small town restaurant with pie and ice cream.

A local told us we should not miss the local museum. We were surprised to find an amazing small town museum with decades of town memorabilia and antiques.

Their latest pride and joy was a new barn displaying 40 Oliver farm tractors.

The return back to Lanesboro. We spent the rest of the afternoon at a local restaurant and pub with riverside patios. Then back to camp and another great campfire.

Day 5 June 4, 2009 Lanesboro, MN to Whitewater State Park 31 milesDay 5 was a shorter day. Only 31 miles.

It was started with breakfast at the Pedal Pushers Cafe in Lanesboro for most of the group.

I made my way down the street to a small coffee shop for some good coffee and some of my own homemade muffins I had brought along. After breakfast we had a long climb out of the Root River Valley.

The roads this day and the next would alternate between beautiful river bottom valleys and farm country.

And of course, the now common "Pavement Ends" sign.

We rode some really nice stretches of gravel.

Jim's custom Curt Goodrich all-rounder against the Bucksnort Park sign. I was disappointed that there was no longer a town here like the map led us to believe. Just this nice little park.

Another small town, another small cafe. This time in St Charles, MN.

Jim had gotten a call from Mark while at the restaurant. Mark who had left us with a sore knee back on Sunday. He was joining us at the State Park and had already got us a campsite. Since there was no food for me at the restaurant, I went on ahead alone the last 9 miles to the park.

This time Jim managed to secure us some firewood. I don't think Curt Goodrich envisioned this scene when he built this bike. The evening was spent around the campfire. Mark had the guys well stocked. He had also caught some trout during the day and grilled that up for us. I was able to enjoy some of the days catch.

Mark had planned to stay the night, but couldn't. Once again this worked out for another member of the group. Kevin had developed a sore knee as well. Today it was swollen. He opted to end his ride and return to the cities with Mark. Wise decision considering the last day would have the most climbing.

We just so happened to have another person join the group on Day 5. Eric, one of the co-owners of Banjo Brothers and Minnehaha Bags parked his car at Red Wing and had ridden down to join us for the night and the return ride on Firday.

Day 6 June 5, 2009 Whitewater State Park to Redwing, MN (I continued on to Canon Falls, MN alone to meet up with a friend.) 82 miles. This would be the hardest day for me and maybe everyone else. It was the day with the most climbing. Plus we had a pretty good wind for most of the ride.

This cafe was recommended by the locals in Plainview, MN. I wasn't able to eat anything, but the consensus was that they served up some of the best burgers anybody had had in a long time. They even made their own buns on site. They sure smelled good!

Eric rolling along through farm country.

One of the river valleys.

The long drop back to Lake Pepin and Lake City, MN. Much longer descents than we have along the ridges of Lake Superior. I had already been going downhill for over a mile when I stopped to snap this picture.

Rest Stop in Lake City. The hills had gotten to me. I was fading quite a bit at this point.

Eric snapped this picture about time I was hitting bottom for the day. I spent the next five miles eating and drinking as much as I could. It paid off. I ended up feeling strong on the last big climb before descending back into Red Wing. Another day, another stretch of gravel that Jim knew about. It kept us off the busy Highway 61.

Everyone else's trip ended in Red Wing. I had made arrangements to meet a friend in Cannon Falls. Red Wing and Cannon Falls is connected by the Cannon Valley Trail. A rail trail 22 miles in length. I enjoyed this ride a lot.

Another shady rail trail.

It even had large rest stops.

My trip would end at the Cannon Falls trailhead at the actual falls. I think that's the falls above. Not much to see.

This trip was amazing and I had a great time. The great weather combined with some interesting people is what made this trip one of a kind.

HC League Tour

The Hiawatha Cyclery League's six day Tour of Southwest Wisconsin and Southeast Minnesota ended on Friday. It was an extraordinary group of gentlemen with extraordinary weather. I had a great time. I'll do a more thorough write-up soon once I sort through all of the pictures I took. Above is the group of five that started the ride. Although we had five people riding everyday, a total of seven people took part in the ride. Try to figure that one out?
That's me on day 6 right after the last long climb of the day.

Today it's back to work and a morning commute with 45 mph winds and temps in the 40's. Gotta love Duluth in June!

Packed and ready to go!

Very early tomorrow morning Susan will drive me to Minneapolis to meet up with a group of like-minded cyclists. We will be hitting the road for what should be a very enjoyable six day tour of Southwest Wisconsin and Southeast Minnesota. I'm really looking forward to this. It will be my first bicycle tour longer than 3 days. I started bicycle touring, or bicycle camping, two years ago and have been building my skills towards much longer adventures. It will be nice to share the logistics and on the road decisions with others on my longest bicycle trip to date. From what I've heard there will be six of us.

The forecast is mostly favorable. As you can see (above) in Northeastern Minnesota we are still having spring. The leaves have only been fully out for two weeks and the lilacs and other blooming trees are just starting to burst.

Ridge to Ridge ride

This is what I really wanted to do this past weekend. Lay around in the sun like Ciro the Cat. But alas I have a week long bike tour planned starting next Sunday. Having only 1,000 miles on the legs, with few long rides, I am a bit concerned about my ability to do the planned 65-85 mile days. I felt the need to do a "training" ride this weekend. I had tossed around the idea of doing at least a 70 miler on Saturday. Well Friday night some friends from Minneapolis showed up with little advance notice. They stuck around until 10:00 in the morning on Saturday. It was a good time. Then we had a wedding to attend at 3:00. So I didn't get any rides in. To be honest, I've been enjoying my low mileage days as of late since coming back from my broken arm on March 17th. I'm never tired out and enjoy all my bike time. Quite a noticeable difference from the 7500-8500 mile years the past three years. I always seemed to be recovering from one ride or another. I always felt like I never had fresh legs when doing that kind of mileage.
Sunday morning I puttered around house getting things checked off the never ending list. I managed to finally get out on a bike around 1:30. I decided to take the LHT, instead of the new Ellis, mainly because I only have two rides on it this year and it's the bike I'll be loading up next week. I headed over to Wisconsin for one of my favorite 50 mile loops I call the Ridge to Ridge ride. There is a ridge that runs the length of Duluth (and the North Shore of Lake Superior). I live near the bottom of that ridge. From that ridge you can see a low ridge about 15 miles south of Superior WI across the river. The above picture is that low ridge as I approach the short climb up to it.
This excellently restored Ford Model A is at a home along the top of the ridge. This guy always has some antique Ford sitting outside on nice days.

This unrestored Ford is also in his yard.

A picture of the LHT when I stopped for a nature call off in the trees.

This is the drop off the ridge going back towards Superior, WI. In the distance is Minnesota and the ridge along Lake Superior. Temps where perfect for me, I don't like hot weather. Low 60's near the big lake and mid-70's when I got away from it.

I have a bad habit of taking the same routes all the time. I went "off-route" for a few miles through the Superior Municipal Forest on this wonderful gravel road. I'm glad I made the detour. It was short, but much more scenic. Hard to believe I was in the middle of a city.

The above road is what it looks like when the gravel returns to pavement. This also is only a few miles long.

Soon I was back down to the St Louis River and ready to head home to Minnesota across the bridge.

It's quite the thrill riding this walkway across a high bridge with a huge drop-off just over the railing.

All in all I was quite pleased with my ride. Total distance was 54 miles. It was a beautiful day to be outside. I managed a leisurely 15.4 mph average pace. I was feeling tired when I got home, but thankfully I wasn't cooked. I'm thinking I can do the tour, but expect to have some tired days since I'll be loaded with camping gear and food.

New goodies for the LHT and Dash gets skunked!

Today was a picture perfect spring day with temps right around 70 and very dry air. Almost too dry for this time of year. Riding home from work I passed a faint trail that crosses Skyline Drive above my house. It reminded me how long it's been since I hiked up the hill from our house. I had the urge to hike up to the top of the ridge when I got home. Susan has been busy all week and hadn't walked her dog much. I decided to make Dash Riprock's day and take him for a walk up on the ridge.

First we had to walk through the abandoned rock quarry.

A raptor of some type was soaring above us, perhaps looking for some critters to catch for dinner.

After a quick short climb we were on the rim of the quarry. We continued up the hill through the woods and crossed Skyline. At one point Dash lost the trail and veered off the side of the trail. He then suddenly changed directions. That's when my nasal passages were assaulted by an extremely powerful scent.

I looked over to the side of the trail where Dash had been a few seconds before and spotted a very large skunk (the one you see above). I instantly realized my plans for the evening would be changing. I would spend most of my evening de-skunking the dog. A mixture of 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and dish soap is supposed to do the trick. I washed him down with the mixture. And left the guy outside to dry. Susan eventually came home and gave him a second treatment. He's better than before the treatments, but is still pretty stinky.
He handled it okay. I think he got hit square in the face. His mouth would not stop salivating. The sad thing is, as smart as he is (he's part boarder collie), I think he'd approach a skunk again if he saw one.

Before heading home we finished our walk along the ridge where the Superior Hiking Trail makes its way through Duluth. I don't get up there enough. It's very beautiful.


If you enlarge the picture above you can see a road winding it's way through the trees just below the bluff I'm on. That's Skyline, part of my daily commute. I love my bicycle commute.

I have a 6-7 day bike tour coming up in a little over a week. It's a tour around southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin. I'm joining a group of people for some scenic bicycle travel along the Mississippi River. I'm nervous about the mileage, but I didn't want to miss out on this opportunity. I upgraded my front panniers for this trip and added a handlebar bag. I purchased them from Wayne at TheTouringStore.com.
I had planned to upgrade all my panniers later this year. But did it sooner when I found out about this trip a few weeks ago. I kept my old rear panniers for now and I'll upgrade them next year. They worked fine for me last year.
I probably have more capacity than I need for this trip,but I want to try them out. They may be half empty, especially the rear ones. But I'm gearing up for much longer trips in the future. I also have a new alcohol burning stove I will be trying out.

Also, check out my hiking blog for a new entry from this past weekend. It was great to be out hiking again. The first time since breaking my arm last fall.