I’m pleased to say that with rest and medication my back is strong again. But after having taken a week to recuperate I was worried about the loss of training for our long bicycle ride that’s fast approaching. I did a test ride a few days ago and things seemed fine, so this weekend we were “cramming” our rides: 30 miles on Saturday, 40 miles on Sunday, and 50 miles today. I’m happy to say we succeeded (and we’re still standing too!). But our weekend brought a little bit of everything. The last half of our Saturday ride was finished in a torrential downpour. Although we waited out the thunder and lightning in a Subway store, we couldn’t wait out the rain and we arrived home looking like the proverbial “drowned rats”. Sunday’s ride was in 90 degree temps with high humidity and a 25 mph headwind. And today’s ride started with a 10 mph headwind and temps in the 70’s, but we turned the headwind into a great tailwind on the return. We’re fortunate to have access to some wonderful bicycling trails here in Minnesota. Sunday we rode on a segment of the Gateway Trail which originates in Saint Paul. Today we started our ride in Faribault and rode the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail through the woods and pasture-lands of the central area of the Minnesota. This area was once part of the “Big Woods” of the state and provided some welcome shade and beautiful surroundings. Being able to experience the landscape and surroundings on a bicycle is one of the best ways to see an area, and this week we’ve seen a lot!
Photography
Batting practice
On a beautiful late-spring afternoon I was lucky enough to have tickets to the Minnesota Twins baseball game against the LA Angels. Even better was that I got to go early to see the Twins’ batting practice. The sun was warm, the sky was blue, and our hopes were up for a win that night. After the Twins’ batting practice was over the Angels came out for their warm up. As the sun was moving lower into the sky it created dark shadows from the stadium deck that stretched across the outfield. For awhile it seemed most of the action was anywhere but in left field, as these three players seemed quite content to rest on their bats, soak up the sun, and cast long shadows over the green turf. In the end, the Angels beat the Twins. But I’ve learned that baseball isn’t just about wins and losses – it had been a beautiful afternoon and night for a baseball game.
Sasquatch sighting in Minnesota
I spent 30 years living in the Pacific Northwest with its rain forests, mountains, and snow-filled valleys. Never once during that time did I ever see a Sasquatch. They were reported many times over the years, but there was never any photographic evidence of its existence. So you can imagine my surprise when yesterday I spotted a Sasquatch right here in my very urban neighborhood in Minnesota! And to top that off, he was even ready to go celebrate Cinco de Mayo – sombrero in place, a great black moustache, and maracas to keep the beat! I hope he enjoyed the festivities and the celebration as much as I enjoyed finding him around the corner in my very neighborhood.
Lilacs
One of my favorite flowers of spring are the lilacs. Throughout Minnesota you see them everywhere — as small bushes, fences, and even tall hedges. They can be trimmed to remain small or they can be allowed to grow to the size of trees. They line the sides of many of our highways and roads, and when they’re in full bloom (as they are right now) they are beautiful. They range in color from white to pale purple to a deep, dark shade of purple – almost burgundy. And if you’re lucky to be riding your bike alongside a hedge of lilacs their scent will descend over you and fill you with the smell of the very best that spring has to offer.
Spring-time cycling
This year we are planning to do the Bike Across Kansas (BAK), a seven-day, 475 mile ride from the western border with Colorado to the eastern border with Missouri. It’s a great adventure filled with the beauty of the Kansas plains, the hospitality of the small towns that we stay in, and the camaraderie of 800 fellow cyclists. We are now in serious training mode. We headed out on our bicycles yesterday morning with chilly temperatures in the 40’s and overcast skies, hoping to get a ride in before the promised rains that were on their way. As is common in spring-time in the upper midwest, the weather can change at any time (and usually does). The skies were gray and dark to the north, but occasionally the sun would peek out long enough to give us a bit of warmth. Unlike our fellow-cyclists living south of Minnesota who are now logging rides of 50 miles and more, we are just unthawing from our winter weather. Our ride yesterday gave us the chance to test multiples layers of clothing along with full-fingered riding gloves to keep warm. Eventually we will pare down to single layers and cycling shorts but that time is still ahead of us. Yesterday’s ride was filled with the scent of blooming lilacs and the spring-time colors of the ornamental trees. All this, including the rain holding off until the afternoon, made our ride a delight and a joy.
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