Sunday, April 14, 2019

Days 8 to 14 of 30 Days of Biking

This was another week of mostly short rides to town as the weather was not very inviting, with temperatures mostly in the mid 30s during the day. After riding to my morning strength training class on my trusty Marin on Day 8 of 30 Days of Biking, I rode to the end of Airport Road in the afternoon. Snow still lines the north-facing side of the road.
Day 9 - A short ride into town to run errands, first to the bank...


...then to Art Beat to check on tickets for the Glenn Miller show and to buy tickets for the Northwoods Humane Society's wine & cheese tasting fundraiser...
...then to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription...
...and finally to Caken' Me Crazy to order cupcakes for a CAMBA event.
Day 10 - A ride to The Park to make some arrangements for the upcoming
Couderay Waters Film Fest.
Day 11 - I was expecting to wake up to a white blanket of snow on the ground on Thursday morning. A Winter Storm Warning had been predicting 8-12" of snow, then 5-8" and then 3-5" beginning on Thursday at 1:00 a.m. If I had ridden earlier in the day, I could have avoided the snow. Instead, I waited until the afternoon to ride after a couple of inches had fallen. I'm grateful that we received only about three inches of snow.
Day 12 - It snowed off and on for most of Friday making for wet roads but not much accumulation.
Day 13 - I expected the roads to still be icy and snowy so chose my fat bike for Saturday's ride to the intersection of Hospital Road and Hwy 63 to check on the construction status of Hwy 63.
Not much happening yet.
Day 14 - The sun finally shown today after a week of overcast, beckoning me out on a longer ride. It was still a bit chilly, with a brisk wind. Spring Lake is still mostly frozen but open water is beginning to appear along the shoreline in places. I took my Wilier out for a test ride with loaded bikepacking bags.

I saw Ospreys today for the first time this Spring! They have returned to their nesting site.
One was in the nest and the other landed on the top of the pole with a fish in its talons.

I wish the Ospreys well and hope they are successful in raising a family.

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Seven Days of 30 Days of Biking

Day 1 - Morning strength class at the senior center.
Seven days of 30 Days of Biking have passed. I've ridden every day, not very far, mostly to run errands.
Day 2 - Election day. In addition to voting, I was an election worker.
My longest ride, a road ride, was 15 miles. The mountain bike trails are all closed until the frost comes out of the ground and there is no longer a risk of damaging them.
Day 3 - Spring Lake is still frozen
The lakes are still frozen but the snow is disappearing, especially today when it warmed up to the mid-50s and rained hard in the late afternoon. Glad I went for my ride earlier in the day. I can't believe the long-range forecast is predicting up to 15" of snow Wednesday thru Thursday!
Day 4 - Three short rides. First, to the dentist for a crown.
Day 4 - Ride #2, to the library for book club.
Day 4 - Ride #3, to Out of the Woods Winery
Day 5 - More short rides. To the bank...
...and then to pick up some groceries.
This year, I decided I wouldn't post something each day. Rather, I'm doing a compilation of my rides. I find that when I get on the computer, it becomes a time suck and I almost invariably spend more time than I originally intended sitting in front of it. And this is a waste and makes me feel icky.
Day 6 - To the drugstore to get the Shingles vaccine. Ugh!
Day 6 - Ride #2 to get cupcakes!

I like writing haikus to go along with my rides. My haiku for the first six days:
Six days of biking
Errands, here, there, everywhere
A mix of weather
Day 7 - To the end of Airport Road