30 Days of Biking - Day Five

It was sunny and relatively warm today but I decided to take the fat bike because, after the recent snow storm, I didn't know what conditions to expect on the roads. The main roads were clear of snow but the quieter side roads I prefer had wet, slushy sections. It turned out that I could have ridden with a road bike with skinnier tires but I might have had to get off and walk a bit in a few places. I rode about 18 miles today.

A friend rode her mountain bike to meet me part way on my ride, and then we rode together back to her place. Her three dogs greeted us and I gave them some treats.

Emma, Ida and Jack

The route to my friend's house goes along one of my favorite roads with a view out over this meadow. The snow-covered foreground is a pond that attracts sandhill cranes and other waterfowl in warmer months.

 

On my way home, I stopped to photograph a few cows getting fed.

Signs of spring - I spotted a pair of Common Goldeneyes on the Namakagon River and a Great Blue Heron that flew off before I could get a photograph.

30 Days of Biking - Day Four

Those of you in warmer climes are probably getting tired of hearing about our snowy weather. This graphic seemed especially appropriate as we awoke to about 9 inches of new snow on the ground this morning with more in the forecast. We got about another three inches before the day was done.

This is what it looked like from our front door this morning.
Much of the piled up snow was pulled off the roof early in March.

And this is what the backyard looks like.

I had to shovel a path through the berm at the end of the driveway before I went on my ride today.

Without the fat bike, I don't think I would have been riding today.

End of the ride and another look at the backyard.

When I was putting some seed in the bird feeders this afternoon, I noticed what looked like a kind of woodpecker on the trunk of one of the trees. It turned out to be a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, the first one I've ever seen.

And, to end this post, a haiku:

Spring has sprung they say

But a blanket of fresh snow

Buries hopes of spring

30 Days of Biking - Day Three

Winter storm is brewing
Snowflakes on the ground
Have to get my ride in
Before the sun goes down

 

Signs of spring - A flock of male Red-wing Blackbirds, along with a few Grackles, arrived early this evening to partake sustenance at our bird feeder. And yesterday, I saw my first male House Finch at the feeder.

30 Days of Biking - Day Two

Winding roads make for the best cycling.

Sunshine and temperature about 38F on my ride today. Rode for about an hour, to Spring Lake and back, approximately 8 miles round trip.

 

Spring Lake is still snow-covered. Will see how long it takes before the melting snow reveals the floating dock.

There is a winter storm warning in effect beginning late tomorrow afternoon, with a 100% chance of snow and eight inches to a foot or more of snow in the forecast.

30 Days of Biking - Day One

April 1, election day. Rode the fat bike to go vote, the perfect bike for today's weather conditions. It was about 20 degrees colder than yesterday, and windy, with a bit of new snow.

After voting, rode to the end of my road and back, just to get in a little more distance.

Signs of spring (maybe) - Saw a small flock of juncos and one grackle today. Have heard reports of Robins being sited in the area.

Fat bikes and a road ride

I recently let Mike talk me into getting a fat bike. I decided that if the snow is going to persist into spring, maybe I should have a bike that will let me easily ride in snowy conditions, whether on the road or on trails. The Hayward/Cable area recently hosted the first official Fat Bike National Championship, the Fat Bike Birkie. It was the second running of the Fat Bike Birkie on the American Birkebeiner trail system and the number of riders increased from 300 last year to 525 this year. A fat bike club has formed here and some of the single track trails are being groomed for fat bikes. There was even a Midwest Fat Bike Grooming & Access Workshop in Cable in January.

My fat bike arrived last Thursday and on Friday we went for a ride on a nearby snowshoe trail. The nearly 4-inch-wide tires gave me good floatation but the narrowness of the trail made it a bit difficult to negotiate, especially on some of the tight turns along the way.

 On Sunday, the temperature reached 50F and, with some of our favorite roads clear of snow and ice, we went on our first road bike ride of the season. There is still lots of snow on the ground and the surrounding lakes are all still snow-covered, but at least we got in a road bike ride before April 1.

We stopped at a horse ranch along one of our favorite roads and said "hello" to our horse friends, Jo and Noah, and another horse we call "Gray."

 On the way home, we stopped at the Namekagon River where open water has recently appeared.

Tomorrow, April 1, begins 30 Days of Biking and I'm planning to ride every day in April, no matter the weather. From the website:
"What is 30 Days of Biking? Very simply, it’s a pledge to ride your bike every day in April, however far you want, no matter the weather! Next, you share your adventures online, with #30daysofbiking. That’s all there is to it. 2014 is the fifth year of this pledge, and thousands of people from all over the world have taken part. Join our community of joyful cyclists!"

This year, 30 Days of Biking has begun a  Free Bikes 4 Kidz program where, for every 30 pledges to ride, they will give a free bike to a child in need.

First day of spring

We went x-c skiing today on the first day of spring. Two springs ago we were riding bikes by now and the temperature was 78F on March 18. Last spring, my first ride was on March 27. The past two days brought a storm that dropped 8-9" of new snow. The trail we skied on wasn't groomed but we could see just a faint indication of where the previous tracks had been set. The way back was a little easier, retracing the trail we had already broken.