Days 24 to 26 - 30 Days of Biking

Three more rides on the recumbent. Two were on the bike path around the perimeter of Hayward.

The bay in Lake Hayward where the Lumberjack World Championships are held is still partially frozen.

This small roadside park with a put-in to the Namakagon River is just a couple miles from our house.

Day-time temperatures have been in the 50s and 60s this week, perfect riding weather.

I saw my first woolly-bear caterpillars today, two of them. I always stop to help them across the road so they don't get squished by a car. Also saw a frog, but no sounds of peepers as of yet. I hope to hear them any day now.

Days 21 to 23 - 30 Days of Biking

Three rides on the recumbent last Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Two rides were to the end of Airport Road and back, with views of the Namakagon River.

There were a large number of Robins feeding along the edge of the airport on one of the rides. With no snow, it must have been a good place to find bugs or worms.

One ride was into town for icecream at West's Dairy, always a treat. West's reopened last weekend for the first time since last October.

The Library Nature Trail was still covered in snow on Sunday. Not for long now!

Day 20 - 30 Days of Biking

Another ride on the recumbent today. The Namekagon River is ice-free.

Saw four swans (Tundra or Trumpeter?) on the river (but it was hard to get a clear shot through the trees)...

...and a fly fisherman trying his luck.

The snow is melting fast in open areas but there's still lots of the white stuff in the shadows.

Day 19 - 30 Days of Biking

Nine days after spraining my ankle I finally felt ready to ride and rode my recumbent bike today. 

Riding a recumbent makes it easier to not put too much pressure on my foot and I think my ankle benefited from the movement.

It was a glorious day, with temperatures finally reaching the 50s and not a cloud in the blue sky. It felt so good to ride again!

April 15 - Winter Storm

Even though I haven't ridden my bike since last Tuesday, April 10, I wanted to record on my blog what it looks like outside today. We are still under a winter storm watch that began yesterday and continues until late tonight.

These photos are what it looks like right outside the house. An avalanche of snow slid off the roof this past week when temperatures got into the mid-40s.

A view out the side window, toward the marsh near our house.

Day 11 - 30 Days of Biking

Well, no ride today for the first time in the five years that I've been doing 30 Days of Biking in April. I badly sprained my ankle yesterday morning on the first day of a dance class. I rode home from the dance class after the sprain and had a difficult time, especially when I first got on the bike to pedal. I had x-rays taken this morning to make sure there wasn't a fracture. There is significant pain if I put any weight on it. Fortunately, it's just a sprain. The prescription for healing is ice, elevate, rest. I've been hobbling around, using my mom's cane for support. I didn't think a sprain could hurt this much. So, I will probably not be riding my bike for the next week or so. We shall see...  Maybe that's a good thing, seeing as how there is snow in the forecast for Friday and Saturday! :-)

30 Days of Biking - Day 10

A haiku for today:

Day ten and still cold

Short rides until warmth arrives

More snow is forecast

30 Days of Biking - Day 9

Today's ride was to the senior center on my all-purpose Marin commuting bike with handy grocery-sized bags and all-in-one handlebar/basket. I'm taking two yoga classes, a total body strength class and a fitness dance class each week into May. Up until now I've ridden the fat bike every day and I may soon need it again. The forecast for this Saturday and Sunday is for 8-12" of snow on Saturday and 5-8" on Sunday!

30 Days of Biking - Day 8, Seeley Pass

About a week ago it looked like the fat bike/mountain bike trails were going to be closed any day by the county foresters due to soft/thawing conditions.

Then, we got nearly a foot of snow on March 31 and several more inches of snow the following week.

And temperatures turned quite cold again making for great trail conditions.

So now, the trails may remain open until mid-April.

Today's ride was on the Seeley Pass Trail with Mike.

It was well-packed and a fun ride.

30 Days of Biking - Day 7

After another wonderful x-c ski early in the day, a delicious lunch, and a scrabble game with friends, I set out on my go-to ride in the late afternoon.

A 6-mile route that I rode on my fat bike once again because of patches of snow & ice still on the road. 

30 Days of Biking - Day 6

After a wonderful x-c ski this morning in almost perfect conditions, Mike and I rode our fat bikes on the Hatchery Creek Trail this afternoon.

The trail was last groomed on Wednesday. It snowed a few inches early this morning but people on snowshoes had packed down the trail fairly well.

After overcast skies and blowing snow this morning, the skies cleared to a beautiful sunny day by afternoon.

30 Days of Biking - Day 5

One of the things I like about 30DOB is that it motivates me to ride when I might otherwise just jump in the car because it's convenient and easier. Today's ride was once again to the local library for a book club meeting and discussion. The book we discussed was "The Home That Was Our Country, A Memoir of Syria" by Alia Malek. It's a deeply personal account of what is happening in Syria by a Syrian American who still has extended family in the country and whose parents were born in Syria and later emigrated to the U.S. before Syria began to fall apart. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to understand more about Syria.

30 Days of Biking - Day 4

I attempted to ride the Hospital Gateway trail today on my fat bike but, with the recent 2-3" of fresh snow and the cold, dry conditions the trail was too soft to ride. So I rode an alternate route. The photos are from a ride on the new Hospital Gateway trail earlier this year.

30 Days of Biking - Day 3, Yoga & Voting

The endorphins are beginning to kick in and my motivation was a bit higher for riding to yoga at the senior center this morning.

After yoga, I headed to the town hall to vote in our statewide election that has three items on the ballot: a referendum on whether or not to eliminate the office of state treasurer, a vote to determine our county supervisor, and a vote to determine a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. Remember to vote today!

30 Days of Biking - Day Two, More Snow

I had to muster all the motivation I could find to ride this evening to the local library for a meeting. It was lightly snowing when I left for the meeting and it was dark and lightly snowing on my ride home. But I did it and feel better for it!

30 Days of Biking - Day One

And so begins my my fifth year of doing 30 Days of Biking, on Sunday, April 1, April Fools Day and also Easter Sunday. The goal being to ride every day in April, no matter the weather, no matter the distance. Yesterday morning we woke up to 8 inches of snow that had fallen overnight, with some nearby areas getting closer to a foot. Oh the challenges Mother Nature provides...  Temperatures in the coming week are forecast to barely rise above freezing during the day, dropping into the single digits at night. And more snow is forecast for tomorrow.

I decided I had better ride my fat bike, not knowing if my chosen route might have patches of snow and ice. It did here and there but I could have easily ridden a road bike. But pedaling the fat bike kept my speed down, making the wind chill less as well.

I rode to the end of Airport Road, only a 6-mile round trip from my home. Multiple deer tracks could easily be seen as well as tracks of other critters in the fresh snow. It was nice to see that the Namekagon River is ice free.

If you'd like to join me and almost 5,300 other riders worldwide (as of 10:15 p.m. Central time), just go to this link. From the website: "30 Days of Biking is a pledge to ride your bike every day in April and share your adventures online with the hashtag #30daysofbiking.

Making the pledge is low-key accountability. When you sign your name, you're devoting yourself to biking every day in April and joining a worldwide community of joyful riders. Plus, by sharing your reason to ride — your bike story — you might inspire someone else to make the 30 Days of Biking pledge. How cool is that?!"