Racing at night

A couple of days ago the Murphy night race took place, I came in DFL but I had a blast.

The whole day was really cloudy and windy which made it very chilly. I was not totally prepared for the weather but it was alright. The race started at like 6:30 and they gave us a few seconds in a staggered start. I decided to go last because I knew I wouldn't be a very strong rider. When I ride, I usually put in miles and almost never worry about speed. While I was out there I was running faster than usual and I was well beyond an anaerobic, I felt like my heart was going to flop out of my chest.

I've ridden Murphy once, but I did not do a lot of the course, I just kind of whisped around on a demo Cannondale bike. It was much different at night with one light. I found that I kept staring off into darkness. I believe another light for my helmet may be in my future. Everyone had a lot of fun and Freewheel provided some pizza and drinks for everyone. We had a little fire going but we were all sweaty and it was cold, so we were cold. No one hung out for long, we gave out door prizes and such and then everyone pretty much went on their way. All in all, it was a great night.

Last night I picked up a pair of Fasterkatt's. I am sick of cold feet and I hate booties with a passion, so I decided to bite the bullet and get them. I wore them around the house last night and they are on my feet right now as I write this. The weather actually seems like it is going to be pretty nice for the next few days and since I run a little hot anyway, I don't plan on using them this weekend but I am sure when it cools down next week I will put them to good use. When I get some good miles on them I'll write up a little review.

The CrossCheck is still down but will be undergoing some major surgery tonight. I've got some new Paul Engineering Components touring cantilever brakes and some new SRAM Red shifters I'll be tossing on there, along with new cables and such. My Rival shifters are soft and gummy. I've tried to flush them out but it did not help, well after I bought the new shifters I found that I could have just bought a rebuild kit. Oh well, live and learn.

I plan on doing a ton of riding this weekend and you should too. It will be the last hoorah of good weather I suspect. Get out there and enjoy it!

Hot diggity damn

This week saw the coming and going of my 31st birthday. I decided to pull the trigger on a mountain bike as a birthday present to myself. The titanium El Mariachi that I had my eye on was a little too rich for my blood, so I settled for the El Mariachi 2. I ordered it Tuesday and it showed up Wednesday. A couple of the guys from the shop helped me build it up at the Midtown location. The tires took a little work to get to seat up tubeless, but we got it eventually.

All together.

Yesterday I went down to the river bottoms with one of the guys from the shop. We first went east and then turned around and went down towards 35W. We probably rode roughly 40 miles. I was extremely happy with the bike, it is much more nimble and responsive than the fat bike. I was also blown away by having suspension, things that I could never ever do in the past were now an easy task. All in all I am really happy with my bike and I had a really good ride with my colleague. Afterwards we stopped off at Lucky 13 for a beer and some food. The rain held off until we made it back to my car and we got loaded up. It was a good day.

Muddy Mariachis.

A little bit of riding and a lot of mud.

I went out on a ride with a few folks from work last night. We are trying to set up rides for all of us to get together and do some mountain biking and such. Last weekend was the first official ride and it was raining, so we hit up the dog park. Luckily I had the foresight to ride the fat bike instead of trying to take it on the cross check.

Outfitted in full rain suits, except one of us, we bombed down into the dog park and made our way to the spot where we usually have a fire. It stopped raining for a few minutes and then it started again. We went sliding around in the mud while traversing the sketchy trails that lead this way and that around that area. It was a little dangerous but it was all fun. Everyone made it back just fine and we changed the location of the fire so that we had more tree cover. Eventually another fella from the shop joined up with us and we got the fire going and had a couple beers and made smores' and chatted about this, that, and the other. Good times were had by all.

Batonning my knife to split the wood, everything was wet.

Smore patrol.

Heading home.

Lake Itasca (Day 3/4)

I awoke the third day feeling refreshed and I proceeded to just lay in my tent and read a book for a little while. I eventually got up and made myself some breakfast and sat with my coffee reading some more. After my breakfast had settled I got dressed for a bike ride and took off on my fat bike. Fall was now in full swing by this time. Reds and yellows poked out everywhere between the greens, it was truly amazing.

I rode down the bike path some and it was fine, but the fat bike was not the appropriate bike for the job. I thought I might get to do some off road stuff but the park ranger I asked said I couldn't bike on the snowmobile trails that were not being used by anyone else. Well crud. I threw down about 8 miles of riding around lakes and such and started heading back to the camp site. I hit the registration office to register for one more night, I just couldn't leave. On the way back towards the camp area, I saw this random unmarked trail.

I shrugged unknowingly and proceeded up the steep rocky hill. I rode around a bend and found the poo lagoon, I wondered if the salamander I was holding the night previous came from here. I continued to ride, taking in all the colors, sights, and sounds. As I rode through the forest I saw an owl of some sort, it was far enough away that I really couldn't get a clear shot of it with my camera. It was also far enough away that I couldn't identify it. Along this unmarked trail I saw a lot of signs that bears were in the area. A lot of missing bark from trees, some smaller stumps or sign posts that had arrows on them, were all scratched up, there was overturned logs all over the place, and there were a few holes dug near big fallen trees. Upon further investigation of one I saw what looked like bear scat and there was some black fur wedged between the bark of one of the trees. I became slightly more alert, but mostly excited. I really wanted to see a bear.

Just as quickly as the path had come out of no where, it had ended and spit me out right into the campsite. Looking back at the trail head, there was a sign of a bike with a circle and a line through it. Woopsy.

I went back to the campsite, locked up my bike, and then headed to the showers. They had hot water at this place, I thought that was weird but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. After my shower I headed back to camp and fixed up some lunch. I sat and read my book for a bit while the food settled. I was out in the woods near my tent looking for some dry twigs for kindling for later when I saw a little sapling that had been felled by someone and then just left to sit on the ground. I took it back to camp and carved it up and turned it into a nice hiking stick.

I then drove to preachers grove and went for a nice long hike. I was breaking in the new walking stick and it came in handy more than once, the trail was on the side of a cliff and was fairly narrow and I am a clumsy jerk so it worked out really well. As I was walking around not paying attention to anything except the sounds and colors, I stepped on a rotten log and my foot went right through it. As I withdrew it something bolted out of the other end of the log and into some tall grass. I got a little apprehensive because I was worried it might be a skunk at first so I started backing up and then the culprit came out of the grasses, it was a porcupine. That made me even more apprehensive. I kept backing up and so did he, butt first, with his bacteria ridden quills pointing right at me. He had a pretty good top speed while going in reverse and I kept bumping into things and almost falling, I was running out of useful ground really fast. I didn't want to turn and run because I didn't know how it would react. I used my walking stick and flipped the little guy over and immediately tried to pass him but he flipped over pretty quick and started trying to back into me again. I backed up a good distanced, put the point of the stick on the ground and waited, when he was next to my stick I scooped him off the ground and flung him down into the ravine, I heard him moving around so he was okay, I proceeded to bolt out of there. I finished the hike and headed back to the campsite laughing at the experience with the porcupine.

I did the usually nightly ritual. I got the fire going, cracked open a beer and made some dinner. I was glowing with positive energy. I was thinking about all the stuff I saw that day and I may have gotten myself a little paranoid because of the porcupine and all the bear sign I saw on the trail that was very close to the campsite. It was windy that night and there were noises all around me. I kept turning on my headlamp and staring into the woods. There was never anything there, so eventually I stopped. About an hour later I had heard a bunch of noise just off in the tree line and I ignored it because I thought it was just the wind. The wind died down for a moment and the close noise continued, I flipped on my head lamp and there was the biggest raccoon ever. This thing was well fed. I stared and him and he stared at me. Then he just started entering my camp site like he owned the joint. I tossed a little stick at him and he took off. I got up to get another beer and when I sat back down I heard a noise in the woods, this time in front of me, and this time much faster. I turned on my head lamp and it was the same raccoon! He thought he would be slick by running off and then double backing for my cooler. I got a picture of the bugger then chased him off with the walking stick.

It started to sprinkle a while later so I pretty much packed everything up except my tent and then called it a night. I was laying in my tent with my headlamp on and reading my book when I heard some very slow foot steps. I turned my light off and just listened. I heard slow, dragging steps, walking around by the fire and picnic table. I heard the table move a little bit and then the foot steps were coming toward me, as they were I started to hear a weird sound almost like gravel under a tire. As the steps got closer I identified the strange sound as sniffing. Even though my light was off and I could not see outside the tent, I could tell there was something very large outside the tent. I don't think I've ever stayed so still in my entire life. Eventually the foot steps departed and I just closed my eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

The next morning I awoke and examined the area, sure enough there was big pad prints with little claw indentations all over the ground. I had been visited by a bear, I was bummed that I didn't actually get to see it.  I fixed up some breakfast and coffee then proceeded to sit and read some more while just basking in the warmth of the sun peeking out through some scattered clouds. Fall was in full swing now. Leaves were all over the ground and the colors were just crazy. After a bit more reading I packed up my campsite and headed for the hills.

I stopped on the way out at one last hiking trail, it was getting a little late in the day and I still have a few hours to get back home, but I did have a deadline, I had to be in class by 6. I couldn't resist though. The last trail I took was another interpretive hiking trail and it was amazing. There were giant pines that were rotten at the base and leaning over the path. I pondered my own mortality for an instant before I realized I needed to get away from that tree as it was still really damn windy. As I made my way down the path my thoughts got weirder and weirder, I started thinking about how noisy it was from the wind and how it might mask the sound of my approach to a bear. I would not want to accidentally sneak up on a bear. I grabbed a stick and started to hit trees on my way out and I began to whistle "The Entertainer" from the movie The Sting. I was in the throws of full blown bearanoia.

I eventually made my way back to the trail head and couldn't help but laugh at myself for how redicilous I had been. I got in my car and drove off into the sun set. During my time at Itasca I watched fall go full bore, I had crazy animal encounters, I got some good exercise, and I had a lot of time for reflection. My experience was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone.

Flowery fungus.

The hive sans occupants.

I'm lovin' it.

"Interpretive" hiking trail.

Those colors...

Poo lagoon.

Obligatory fat bike on ground shot.

300 year old tree.

Bastard.

Preachers grove, so awesome.

Towering giants.

This was two minutes from my tent.

Heading home.

Lake Itasca (Day 2)

I awoke Sunday morning to the sounds of birds and leaves rustling. I had an important decision to make before the end of the day.

I got up and started the coffee. Everyone started crawling out of their tents and we started making breakfast. We had the largest blucy's I've ever seen. I ate the whole damn thing like a pig and I regret nothing. We sat around and chatted about what we were going to do with the rest of the day before we headed back to the cities. I was sad at the prospect of leaving this place. After the rain and the cold that came with it the leaves had started dramatically changing color. Everyone started to pack up, it was then that I decided I was going to stay another night.

Everyone packed up except me and we all headed to the visitor center. We parked and hit some of the hiking trails to go around one of the lakes. Leaves were starting to fall at this point. The red and white pine trees were standing tall and proud. We hiked around Lake Maria, taking in the sights and sounds and capturing the memories with pictures. The colors were super vibrant and the pines across the lake were all in patches, it looks marvelous. Eventually we ended up back at the visitor center where we parted ways. I was in a hurry the day before to get back to the park and forgot some things I had meant to grab so I had to go back to town.

I got back to the campsite and it was early evening. I had a little snack and then outfitted myself for a little sunset hike. I was walking down one of the interpretive trails and it was amazing. I saw a mushroom that looked like a giant chalice, it was about 2 feet tall. I saw a wolf as well, it was way out in the distance and it looked at me. It was alone and I got a little bit too paranoid from all the stupid television and movies I've seen in my lifetime so I started heading back towards camp because it was getting dark and I didn't want to know where the rest of his pack was.

I got settled in for the evening and got the fire going and cooked some dinner. After I had fixed up some food I just sat by the fire relaxing with my eyes closed. The animals were all talking to each other in concert and it was fabulous. I heard owls, red squirrels (which were everywhere), and wolves way off in the distance. As I was relaxing I heard some rustling maybe five feet away from me at the end of the picnic table. I turned on my headlamp and there was a raccoon slowly creeping toward my cooler.

The raccoon looked right at me and it could see that I had seen it. What did it do? It started walking toward my cooler a little slower. I talked to it. "Get out of there." I said. The raccoon just looked at me and slowed down a little more. This time I raised my voice a little "Hey! Get out of there." I commanded. The raccoon maintained its course. This time I yelled at it "GET OUT!" it ran to the cooler and put a hand on it. I stood up with the fire poker and waved it at it and it finally left. It did not run away, no. It waddled away as casual as your please as if to say "I didn't want your stupid food anyway, dick.". The raccoon didn't have any genitalia that was determinable to me, but it had balls never the less. A few moments later I heard more rustling directly behind me, I leapt out of my chair and turned my light on, knife in hand. I couldn't see anything. I thought I was getting paranoid so I laughed at myself and then turned the light off and sat back down. A few moments after I sat down I heard it again, right behind me! I got up and turned the light on high and started looking around. I still couldn't see anything. Then as I was looking back and forth something shiny caught my attention on the ground. It was a Salamander! I scooped him up and he just chilled in my hand for a bit. He was not slimy though he looked it. I named him Rufus, then put him in the woods and sent him off in the direction of a large puddle I remember seeing in the woods.

With that I tossed the cooler in my car, washed my hands, and retired for the night.

Moldy age rings.

Wow.

Fall, for sure.

Lake Maria.

Lake Maria.

I see the pad but no frogs.

Erosion control.

'Merica.

My buddy Rufus.

Giant shroom cup.

My non-bike adventure at Lake Itasca State Park. ("Day" 1)

At the end of September I went up north to Lake Itasca. My friends, I have to say it was amazing!

Originally the plan was to go up to the headwaters for the Headwaters 100 ride and to camp for two nights with a bunch of people. As the time came close for the ride the forecast did not look favorable, everyone bailed except the initiators of the plan and myself. I was looking forward to camping regardless of the weather. So I went up there Friday afternoon and little did I know that I was about to have the experience of a lifetime.

First of all, the drive up to Itasca State Park was absolutely amazing. The further north I got the more colors were present. The leaves were still all intact, but the changes had begun. I arrived at the actual camp site about 6 pm and got my tent set up and a fire going and cooked myself some dinner. The others still had not arrived and didn't until about 10:30 or so. We hung out for a while and got told to be quiet by one of the park rangers, some people have no volume control.

I awoke Saturday to the sound of rain and it made me have to pee really bad. So I got up and went out into the woods to water the trees. It was raining pretty good and I was groggy and tired and didn't feel like messing around with the camp stove and what not, so I hopped in my car and drove to town. I picked up a cup of coffee and headed to the local bike shop, Northern Cycle. I met the owner and chit chatted with him a bit about this and that. It is a very nice shop and if you ever get up that way I recommend you stop in! After the bike shop I hit up the grocery store to pick up a couple supplies I forgot and headed back to camp. On the way back to the park I saw a bald eagle fighting off some crows for a spot to perch. I got to the park and it was still pouring out so I stopped in at the visitor center and chatted with the park's naturalist. My main question was "What do I gotta' do to see a bear?" at which point she advised me that I would most likely not see one because they are getting ready for the big sleep. Fine. I hung around the visitor center and chatted up some of the cyclists who were braving the rain and doing the ride anyway. I started to chat with a couple from Bismark, North Dakota. They attend many rides in Minnesota and have even been to our shop before. After a fun conversation they took off to finish the ride... because it finally stopped raining.

I got back to the campsite and everyone was up and moving about. They had a fire going and everything. I got my stove up and made a pot of coffee. We sat and chatted about what we were going to do and we decided to go on a hike. We made some delicious lunch and then headed out. We marched from our campsite all the way up to the headwaters. It was a strange feeling to see the beginning of the Mississippi river and reading the marker that states that it's 2552 mile journey starts there. By the time we reached the end of the trail that loops around the headwaters, the clouds had parted and the sun shone. It was as though we were being welcomed, it was truly beautiful. We headed back to camp and cooked up some dinner and had some drinks. The first full day was a success, it would have been nice to do the ride but I like the way it turned out anyway.

Shamlock Holmes

Headwaters

Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the depression.

This is where the Mississippi starts.

The path to the headwaters.