30 DOB - Day 22, Week Three

Today's ride was short and simple, to pick up our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share from North Star Homestead Farms. Besides a dozen eggs and spreadable Quark cheese with chives from Springbrook Organic Dairy, the produce share included:

• Baby Mixed Greens
• Bok Choy
• Eggplants
• Summer Crisp Head Lettuce
• Mixed Roots: Radishes, Carrots, Daikon Radish
• Kale
• Frisee Endive
• Fresh Sage

It was another cool and windy day with a dusting of fresh snow on the ground this morning. Here are a couple of haikus for today:

Tired of wind, cold
Bring back last week's weather please
Then I'll ride happy

Cycling on Earth Day
Honors the environment
Equals low impact

30 DOB - Day 21

Snow flurries all day
Wind blows, snow blinds, and hail stings
Thought Spring had arrived

Light snow fell last night with little accumulation. Despite the snow and colder temperatures this week, green shoots are beginning to appear.

This is what the weather radar looked like all day today, with one squall after another blowing through northwest Wisconsin.

The coffee shop seemed like a good destination on a day like today. I headed to Backroads for a bit of reading time.

I've read all of Barbara Kingsolver's novels except for two, The Lacuna and The Poisonwood Bible.

After leaving the coffee shop, amidst snow squalls, I rode to each of the Hayward schools to put up more posters for the Bicycle Film Festival at The Park.

30 DOB - Day 20

The clouds looked dark and heavy as I rode along Mosquito Brook Road toward Seeley in the late afternoon today. The temperature had dropped down into the 30s from a high of 43 earlier in the day and snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Quite a contrast compared to last week's weather.

My destination was the Sawmill Saloon where I joined about 20 others to paint wine glasses for "A Toast to Art," the theme for the Cable Hayward Area Arts Council's annual event in May. We painted about 100 glasses that will be sold at the event as "bottomless" for a set price.

30 DOB - Day 19

Another ride late in the day, just as a few sprinkles and then light rain began to fall. My favorite "short" ride is down Riverside and then over to Airport Road, off of which there is a quiet little park that borders the Namekagon River with a couple of benches, a picnic table and a path down to a small dock on the river's edge. Thanks to the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program for this park.

I rode the Peugeot again today. A few detail shots of the bike follow, the first being a bell from France with the trademark Peugeot lion. Mike did a post on his blog about building up this Peugeot for me and converting it to a 650B from a bike that originally had 27" wheels. He found the bike on eBay from a seller in Poland.

A mostly metal (rather than plastic) Simplex derailleur.

A French-made fluted seatpost painted to match the gold pin-striping on the lugs.

These 650B tires are the most comfortable tires I've ever ridden. And even though they're wider than the tires on my other road bikes, they don't sacrifice performance.

I've been wanting to take a closer look at this old railroad bridge that crosses the Namekagon River and is accessible from Airport Road. So today was the day...

I thought about riding over the bridge, a la Danny MacAskill, but then thought perhaps I'd better practice my trials skills a bit more... :-)

30 DOB - Days 17 & 18

Day 17 of 30 Days of Biking ended with an early evening ride around a couple of lakes, including Lake Namakagon, as the sun was getting close to setting. Day time temperatures had been in the low 70s so the evening air was still pleasantly warm and the golden light was beautiful.

Lake Namakagon, north of Cable, is one of the few lakes in the area that has a road along at least part of its shoreline, allowing for a ride with a view of the lake.

Before the ride, I put more bicycle film festival posters up around Cable, including one at the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival (CFTF) office, one of the sponsors.

A collection of old bikes adorns the walls of the CFTF building.

Day 18 of 30 Days of Biking began with an early morning search for Sandhill Cranes as part of the annual crane count in April. Iras and I managed to see three cranes, two in the photo below.

Today's bike ride was mostly on a gravel road, beginning near Nelson Lake, with friends, Iras and Tysa. But before the ride began, we had a few false starts. First, we had a tire low on air but no working pump. We drove back into town to retrieve a pump that fixed the problem. Then, we had a set of shoes with the wrong type of cleats for the clipless pedals on the mountain bike Tysa was riding. That was quickly solved by Iras having an extra set of bike shoes that fit Tysa and with the correct cleats. Then, I discovered that the cycling shoes I was wearing also had the wrong cleats for the pedals on the Peugeot I was riding. Argh! Once again, I had to drive back to town to get a pair of shoes that were usable. Finally, with all problems solved, we were ready to ride!

About halfway through the ride we stopped to see a friend of Tysa's who was working on a building project. The owner of the building just happens to be passionate about collecting and restoring vintage Fords of a certain era, 1957 to be exact.

One of the buildings on the property that houses restored vehicles.

A 1957 Ford that is not yet restored but that had less than 4,000 miles on it when acquired.

Inside this building are the restored vehicles in the above photos.

I rode my 1963 Peugeot with 650B wheels on today's ride, a wheel size that is a bit smaller than 700c and that allows for a wider tire to be used, a tire that is very cushy and comfortable on pavement and that is wide enough to negotiate dirt/gravel roads.

The 1963 Peugeot with the 1957 Ford.

A "display" of vintage Fords along the road to the property.

Besides seeing vintage Fords, we also saw a bunch of wolf scat and some wolf tracks on the gravel road we were traveling.

Grateful for another great day for a ride, especially because rain and possibly snow are in the forecast for the next few days.

30 DOB - Day 16

After yoga class this morning, I spent a little time exploring a trail that appears to encircle this pond behind the Senior Center. I walked my bike along the trail and discovered a small bridge that crosses the stream outlet from the pond.

As I continued to follow the trail, I walked through a small, grassy clearing and then back into the forest as the trail went up a small hill.

I followed the trail a bit further and saw that it branched off in a couple of directions, one that led back to the pond and along the shoreline. I decided to turn around and come back with my mountain bike on another day to see where the trail goes.

I love little explorations like this where I discover something I didn't know existed. It's part of what I like about 30 Days of Biking; it makes me slow down and look at the world with a bit more attention, allowing me to see things I might never have otherwise noticed.

After returning home, I rode the Marin back into town to pick up posters for the Bicycle Film Festival in celebration of 30 Days of Biking at The Park Center on April 25 and then spent the afternoon riding around Hayward putting up posters.

30 Days of Biking - Day 15, Week 3

The Wednesday Group

Every Wednesday, throughout the year, a group of outdoor enthusiasts from the Cable/Seeley/Hayward area, most of them retired, meets to either bike, hike or ski together, the activity depending on the season. During the summer and into early fall, it's either a road or mountain bike ride.

And during the warmer months, there is a riding group that meets almost every day of the week in the Northwoods, whether it be the New Moon ride on Tuesdays, the Chequema Mamas on Thursdays, a Saturday ride that departs from Cresthill Resort, or the Riverbrook ride on Sundays. This is amazing for an area that has a relatively small population. It seems this part of the Northwoods has become a gathering place for silent sports enthusiasts.

Mike and I joined about a dozen others for the Wednesday group ride. Like a couple of weeks ago, most of us rode a 21-mile loop that began and ended in Cable and that included Lake Owen Drive.

Along the way, we passed this historical sign that describes a portage route used for centuries. 

Afterwards, we had lunch outside in the warm sunshine at the Brick House. Another glorious day for a ride.