Looking out my window it is grey and rainy. I don't buy that it is going to snow but stranger things have happened.
I have been eagerly planning my first little camping tour for the season, It will be from May 22nd to the 24th. The route I am thinking about is from Minneapolis to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. It is roughly 60 miles one way. My plan is to load up and head out in the morning. I'll probably catch lunch in Farmington as it is the half way point. Then I'll have to make a stop in Northfield to pick up some food for dinner/breakfast and lets not forget the booze. I would like to spend the next day exploring the area and relaxing/drinking. Tentatively I would head out in the AM but the reality is that it will probably be closer to noon. I am pretty damn excited. I had a lot of fun on the last one and it was one of the things that helped me make it through the long winter. My goal this year is to try and do at least one of these a month throughout the summer. Right now I am making an experimental gear list. I am also working out the route and making cue cards so we don't get lost like last time. I will admit that getting lost last time was part of the fun, but I'll also have fun sitting at the camp roasting a marshmallow and crushing a cold beer.
I've also been thinking about my bike purchase for the year. There are so many fun bikes out there right now that I would not mind having. I am trying to figure out what I would use the most and make my purchase accordingly. Right now I am kind of leaning towards a road bike. My thought on this is that I could use it for both commuting when I wanted to get somewhere quick and I could ride it recreationally. As far as road bikes go I am thinking about two specifically. It has come down to a Cannondale CAAD 10 or a Trek Domane. I really like the Cannondale CAAD 10 and it really likes to get up and go, but the Domane is just so damned comfey and is also super stiff and thus also likes to go. Obviously the biggest thing between the two is one is aluminum and the other carbon. I am still not 100% sure I want to own a carbon bicycle. I don't feel like I am careful enough. The other type of bike I am leaning towards is a mountain bike. Something like a Flash from Cannondale. It is a hard tail with the lefty fork on the front. I will never fully utilize a full suspension mountain bike so I don't need one. The problem with this is I can only think of one use for this bike. It is a great riding bike, I tested it last year at Murphy Hanrehan and it was boss. It ate up the rock gardens, the suspension was super stiff and worked great, and the wheels stayed in contact with the ground even with all the little bumps so it felt really fast. I am just not sure I need a mountain bike right now, I don't do a lot of single track, I like single track, I just don't find myself drawn to it as much.
School is pretty much done right now so I'll be going back to the bike shop full time next week. I am excited to jump back into the fray and do what I love. This job is the best job I've ever had and I could see myself there for a long time. I am almost done with school for good so this will probably be my last summer at the shop unless I have a hard time finding a job after college, which I don't think is really going to be a problem. I wish I could stay in the industry somehow but bike industry jobs are far and few between and are highly coveted so it would be a pretty hard sell to get into one of them. Not a big deal, I am sure I will love where I end up at. I just have never had this kind of experience at a job before in my entire life.
Well hopefully this weather clears up soon. I already miss those 70 and 60 degree days.
2 comments:
It seems your future is not in question, as far as this story is concerned. It's good to hear people are successful, regardless of the type of job they do. Best of luck!
Thank you for the encouraging words. Life is a pretty fantastic journey, my worry is ending up somewhere that I forget that lesson.
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