Cycling into Hefty Headwinds

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Molly

Day 2 - Wabasha to La Crosse 72 miles

We said that this trip was to be a test for the longer cycling tour we are doing later this summer. We're trying out carrying the gear and clothes we think we will need for two months. So far so good on that account. Today it was the weather that tested us. After waiting out yet another thunderstorm before setting off this morning, we finally hit the road and ran smack dab into 25 mph headwinds! Since we were cycling through largely open countryside, there was no where to hide from the winds. All we could do was put our heads down, shift down to embarrassingly low gears and pedal like mad.

The only thing worse than cycling into the wind was doing it on an empty stomach. Early on we passing up a breakfast cafe that offered views of a lock and dam but had a waiting line. We should have known better… The following towns had nothing to offer, and our reserves began to run low. I found myself pressing into the wind, counting down the miles to the next town, harboring hopes for a cafe and missing the scenery.

When we reached Fountain City we found a wonderful Irish pub with a delightful upstairs patio. Settling down at a shady table for lunch, we soon learned that we were to be well rewarded for the wait. The food was incredibly fresh and well prepared, including the proprietor's grandmother's recipe for potato soup. And boy did it taste good. After that stop, our outlooks improved significantly, the scenery became visible again, and we even tolerated the wind better.

Despite the fact that today's ride was largely over flat terrain, the wind took a huge toll on our forward momentum. The hours passed by and our destination continued to loom far in the distance. The day turned from cloudy to sunny once again, and heated up into the high 80s. But good fortune arrived in the form of a bike trail. After a grueling 50 miles on the road, we headed onto the Great River State Trail. Not only did it shelter us from the wind, but the shade brought welcome relief from the heat. A great combination!

The early section of the trail passed through a National Wildlife Preserve. There we were in the backwaters of the Mississippi, surrounded by wetlands and with tree branches meeting overhead. Birds were in great abundance and the scenery was just beautiful. That gave way to dryer land but continued to protect us all the way to the north edge of La Crosse. What a godsend that was to our weary bodies!

Bolstered by a stop at a handy Dairy Queen for cones, we made our way across the city – once again counting down the final miles. Nothing ever looked so good as the site of our humble motel for the night. Even better, there was a great vintage restaurant right across the street. We couldn't have asked for more!

I think we passed today's windy test. Regardless, we're not interested in a re-take.

Cycling – From Thunder to Brits!

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Molly

Day 1 - Prescott to Wabasha 56 miles

We woke up to the sound rain falling. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed while we packed up the car. We drove to our starting point in a torrential downpour. It was an ominous way to start our week-long cycling trip. But as we neared Prescott, Wisconsin the weather gods smiled down on us, we drove out from under the clouds, and were able to set off without delay. Whew!

Following the Great River Road in Wisconsin, we had beautiful pastoral scenery and ample views of the river. Since leaves have not yet come out in Duluth yet, it was a delight to pass through countryside painted with that bright spring green. Seeing brilliant tulips and daffodils blooming added to our pleasure. It was definitely a day of cycling up and down rolling hills as we travelled through bluff country alongside the Mississippi.

We hadn't gone far when we came upon a number of other cyclists. Only these folks were decked out in classic English garb, and riding all manner of old bicycles. We had stumbled upon the Pepin 3-Speed Tour – a 2-day bike ride fashioned after cycle touring in pre-war England, strictly riding English 3-speed bikes. We happened to share the same route for the day, so we had ample opportunity to stop and chat with many of the 118 adventuresome folks on the tour. Not only were they passionate about their bikes, but they were up for good old fun. Many bicycles sported wicker baskets and the occasional baguette. Tin cups hung from leather trimmed bags, and we spotted a flask or two making the rounds. And I overheard some sore cyclists applying “sticking plasters” to their blisters. It was clearly a highlight of our day!

By mid-day, the weather had improved significantly and we basked in the sunshine on an outdoor patio while eating lunch. By the end of the day, we both sported sunburns. It was the first summery day of the year, and it sure felt good!

Our destination was Wabasha MN where we had our first stay in a Warm Showers home. We were told we'd know the place by the teepee in the yard, but that in no way prepared us for the gorgeous home right on the river with a pool and enormous deck next to the water. What a treat! We are accompanied by at least 5 other cyclists on various trips, some on 3-speeds, others on rides longer than ours. Trading cycling stories was a must before all bedding down for the night.

Day 1 of the Upper Mississippi River Cycling Tour – we're off to a great start!

Pre-Cycling Trip Jitters

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Molly

It’s always the unknown that gets to me. This is now my second long distance cycling trip, so I’m feeling a lot more comfortable than the last time around. I know what to expect in terms of cycling day after day. I am looking forward to experiencing the countryside close-up and meeting interesting people along the way. And I’m even ready to enjoy Rich’s deviations from the path to see something wacky. Basically I’m ready for our Upper Mississippi River Cycling Tour.

The uncertainty that looms over me is the weather. Spring is a fickle season. And this spring is crazy! With the long lasting winter, I’ve been revisiting the cycling clothes I’ll need, planning to squeeze in an extra layer for warmth. But today, now that we’re just 2 days out from our start, I can look at the advanced forecasts. And lo and behold, I see 80s! Really? With lows in the 50s, maybe I won’t need the extra clothes after all. Maybe I should trade them for one sleeveless shirt. What a quandary!

And then there’s the rain. Last trip we had so little, it never mattered. This time I sense we are guaranteed to get wet. Nearly every day has some chance of rain and thunderstorms. We have invested in good cycling rain jackets, so that’s a start. And I insisted on fully waterproof bags for our sleeping bags. I’m not arriving at a campground to sleep in a wet bag. For the rest, heavy duty freezer ziplock bags will have to do the trick. It makes me wonder, why didn’t we get waterproof panniers?

I’ve cycled through rain, but only on relatively short day-rides. On a cycling trip, the necessity to get from point A to point B in a day rules out a bit of flexibility. But our distances are reasonable enough that we could probably wait out the worst of it, if necessary.

I’m sure we’ll be able to deal with whatever Mother Nature throws our way. And it’s always the adverse conditions that leave the most lasting memories, right? Not that I’m wishing bad weather on us. Just trying to put a positive spin on it. To soothe my jitters.

Retirement Speed

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Molly

“So, what’d you do this morning?” It’s a new phrase that has cropped up in this recent phase of our lives. Two retirees at home, putzing around. (Oh man, does that make us sound old! We’re not.) We’re pretty independent types, so we can easily go about our own business, each following our individual agendas without being very cognizant of the other’s activities.

I’ve been at this a year already, but Rich is only two weeks into it. And being home together is definitely different. I’ve already figured out just how easy it is to fritter time away. And how I can still pack a lot into a day, if I want to. It all depends on the mood, the weather, the day, and my plans. Rich is still in awe of the idea that “there is always tomorrow.”

Being us, we can spend hours on bike rides, running, skiing and other outdoor activities. But it’s still hard to get over that feeling of needing to be productive. It doesn’t take much these days to meet that definition – balancing the checkbook, ordering something on Amazon, and baking cookies all qualify. It’s enough to say we’ve done something.

This morning I decided to fulfill my quota by doing some sewing. By 9:00am I had produced a laptop case – actually a “commission” project for a friend of Karen’s who admired the denim iPad case I made for her. So in exchange for a Caribou gift card, I made another slightly larger model. Once on a roll, I moved on to making a case for my iPad photo connectors. Talk about a frivolous project! But designing and completing it was rewarding. And useful.

I’m not sure what Rich achieved this morning. But I’d say I accomplished a lot! Now it’s time for that bike ride.

A Mississippi Preview

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Molly

We’re under a week now, until the start of our Upper Mississippi River Cycling Tour. I was in the Twin Cities for the weekend to spend Mothers’ Day with my children and grandchildren, so I decided to head over to the Mississippi River as a warm-up for our trip.

We have a favorite cycling circuit we call our “Sunday Morning Route.” Typically, we do it in the very early morning hours, before the rest of the world wakes up. But with the chilly spring weather (plus a delicious Mothers’ Day breakfast with my son!) I waited until mid-morning to start.

I enjoy taking the Greenway into downtown Minneapolis, and cycling under the Twins’ stadium. From there, it’s not far to the river – the Mighty Mississippi. After following the river through the populated areas downtown, the path became quieter and the river spread out into a more pastoral scene. I could then start to imagine our trip.

We’ll be following the Great River Road for major portions of our trip through Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, so it was pleasing to see the signs appear on my route. We won’t usually have a bike path like Minneapolis does along the river, and we’ll be schlepping a whole lot more gear than I had. But it will be the same river.

Looking for tips on weather and temperatures for our trip, my sources said that the air was cooler near the river. I definitely found it to be true – just like “cooler by the lake,” the river threw off chilly breezes from the late spring runoff. Note for packing – an extra layer may be needed.

Leaving the river, I returned on the Midway Greenway. It’s the bridges that are the highlight for me on that portion of the route. First, the cycling bridge with its single support and soaring cables. It reminds me of the bridges in Rotterdam. That is followed by the sequence of road bridges overhead as the bike path travels below street level through the city. The parallel structures spanning the distance make a pleasing display. And down below, it must be warmer as I found blossoming tulips to brighten the spring day.

Covering only 4 1/2 miles along the Mississippi River on this jaunt was definitely only a small preview. That leaves a whole lot more to discover next week.

Up with the sun

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Molly

Actually, I was up before the sun. I had to be – I wanted to capture the sunrise.

Yup, you guessed it, I’m practicing my new photography skills. And what better subject than a sunrise over Lake Superior. The forecast was for a mostly clear morning, so I roused myself in the early hours of the day. I could see the first pinkish red hues in the sky as I hustled down to Brighton Beach, wishing I hadn’t lingered for a few extra moments in bed.

I arrived to find a few clouds in the sky – perfect for reflecting the sun’s rays. And thankfully the sun was still far enough below the horizon to allow me to set up my camera. Soon it all began happening so quickly, I had little time to think about all the camera settings and different adjustments I should be testing. It was all I could do to capture the rising sun and its brilliant colors.

Enter sea gulls. They were flying everywhere, in and out of my pictures, and I quickly realized that I wanted them IN! But they weren’t exactly cooperative. And I wasn’t always fast enough on the trigger. So I ended up with a lot of pictures just after they flew out of my viewfinder. Oh well, RAM is cheap as they say, so I just kept snapping away. Thank heavens we are not using film any more. But the one I did get with the gull over the clouds is my personal favorite.

There was something magical about being out there in the crisp morning air, with no one else around. The placid water had a calming effect, and the sun’s growing warmth was very welcome. What a wonderful way to start the day. I was no longer practicing photography. I was enjoying nature and the outdoors. It was well worth getting up before the sun.

From Crafts to Photography

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Molly

For some time now, I’ve been thinking of taking a photography class. But that’s as far as I’d gotten on the idea. Until I went to the Nice Girls of the North Marketplace. There I saw a flyer for a photography class, on the table where I was admiring beautiful photos that were being sold on greeting cards. That spurred me into action, and a few weeks later I gathered with a small group of students in a photographer’s studio for class. What a find! We had three professional photographers to seven students, and six weeks in which to absorb all the skills they so enthusiastically shared.

After two weeks of lecture, and trying to absorb massive amounts of information about using our cameras, we had our first field session. Gathering at Lester River, we set up our tripods and were given assignments – setting up the scene, getting the lighting right, framing the picture and other basics of photography. The hands-on experience was invaluable, particularly paired with close oversight from our cadre of instructors. In fact, the woman photographer from the craft fair came to assist as well, and became my personal mentor for the evening.

With her help, I moved down river and worked on capturing the moving water. First we focused on stopping the action of the water. While the photo itself may not be all that interesting, I was extremely pleased to see the splashing water drops caught in mid-air. After many shots, camera adjustments and gentle tutoring, I finally got it.

The next assignment was to blur the water. I enjoyed that even more. The camera settings actually began to make sense as I manipulated them time after time and could see the resulting effect. And I ultimately achieved the milky whiteness I was after.

Who knew there were so many techniques to explore in photography? And I’m only just starting. I’m so glad I decided to go to that craft market.

Test Cycling “Fully Loaded”

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Molly

Today we tested cycling with all the gear we will bring on our upcoming Upper Mississippi River Cycling Tour, including camping gear. We’re pretty good at packing light for a long distance trip, but adding tent, sleeping bags and sleep mats was new. So we thought we ought to figure out just how we were going to carry it all on our bikes, and find out what it will be like cycling with it.

We each took one sleeping bag, and divvied up the rest – the tent to Rich, and the sleep mats for me. Strapping them down over Rich’s panniers was not too difficult. At 6’2″ his seat is so high it easily cleared all the paraphernalia with room to spare. For me, at 5’1″ the trick was to leave room to sit on my bicycle seat without being impeded by gear. But we ultimately prevailed.

Walking the bikes or getting them to stand up on their own was a challenge. They were awkward and heavy, and very tippy. But once we started cycling, we moved along easily, barely noticing the extra weight once we were rolling. Hooray! I admit we picked an easy route for the test. We rode up the North Shore to Stony Point and back. With little traffic, flat terrain, no wind and nice big shoulders, we had few worries. Add beautiful sunshine and a sparkly flat blue lake, and it was easy to forget we were toting all that equipment.

And there were other distractions. Apparently, the Kamloops rainbow trout were running. Approaching French River, we could see an army of fishermen lined up across the mouth of the river. The photo opp was too good to pass up, and worth the added effort of getting our bikes balanced.

We unanimously declared that we passed the test. Tomorrow I intend to take it to the next level, and load up for a longer and hillier route. Here’s hoping I can make the grade.

Upper Mississippi River Cycling Tour Plans

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Molly

It’s under two weeks now until our next cycling trip, and our training continues to stagnate. If skiing counts, we’re in good shape. We just may not quite be ready for eight days in the saddle. But the preparations continue, regardless.

Rich is our master planner. He avidly reads cycling journals on Crazy Guy on a Bike, the premier website for bicycle tourists and their journals. That’s probably his best source of trip ideas (and their viability). He researches the roads, taking Google Maps down to street view to check on road conditions and make sure they are not dirt roads. He calculates mileages, and researches lodging options. And he makes the necessary reservations. It’s like having my own personal cycling travel agent! Here’s a map of the route he’s planned for this trip.

We’re trying a few new things on this trip. First, Rich found a great organization called Warm Showers, a world-wide community for touring cyclists and hosts. It is built on the premise of reciprocal hospitality. By signing up, we agree to host cyclists traveling through Duluth, and in return we can request lodging with other members in cities on our cycling routes. It seemed like a win-win situation – not only would it save us money on lodging, but we would meet interesting people who share a common interest in long distance cycling. We are eager to try it, and already have two Warm Showers homes set up for this trip. We are also looking forward to hosting our own guests.

Second, we will be doing some camping. We have a 2,000 mile, 2-month trip planned in the Maritime provinces of Canada later in the summer, and know that some nights a tent will be our only option for lodging. So this is our test run with camping gear. On last year’s Trans-Superior Cycling Tour, we had the luxury of staying in a motel each night. So lugging extra gear and sleeping on the ground between cycling days will be novel. We plan to carry minimal equipment – 1 lightweight tent, 2 small sleeping bags and 2 short sleep mats. That’s it. It’s lodging only, not cooking. We plan to test packing our panniers this week to see how it all fits. We’ve added handlebar bags too this year. I can already see this is going to be a bulkier trip. And if spring doesn’t arrive soon, we’re going to need more layers of clothes as well. I think a few fully-loaded test rides will be necessary.

This year I’ve added cycling shoes and pedals to my gear. After a year with “mousetraps” I was ready for the real thing, and Santa delivered. I’ve been practicing with them the last few months and had my first requisite klutzy fall when I didn’t unclip fast enough. But I’m already sold on them.

Plans in place. Gear purchased. Reservations made. Training in progress. Bring on the Tour!

Embracing Life

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Molly

I shouldn’t still be writing posts about skiing. We have a cycling trip coming up in just over two weeks, and by now I’d planned to blog about our route, our plans and preparations. But the snow just doesn’t stop coming. And my husband, Rich, is all about embracing it. He figures we will probably never see another winter as long as this in our lifetime. (And part of me sincerely hopes so!)

So today when I saw a video on Facebook of the Piston Bully grooming the Birkie trails, we both had the same reaction – Let’s go! With Rich in his first week of retirement, that’s all it took. What luxury to be able to be so spontaneous. So off we went.

With the latest snowstorm missing Duluth, it seemed silly to be loading up skis and gear surrounded by brown ground. But as we neared Hayward, snow was in abundance. The trees were draped in it, and a good 14″ lay on the ground. And sure enough, at the Birkie trailhead at 00, we found 5k of groomed trails.

What more can I say? I think photos tell the rest of the story better than words can.

Molly at the Birkie trailhead at 00

Molly and Rich on the Birkie trail – May 2

Schussing uphill… Skis a bit sticky, Rich?

It’s never too late to work on technique!

Superior Footprints

Life and the Outdoors in the Northland

Author Archives: Molly

Cycling into Hefty Headwinds

Cycling – From Thunder to Brits!

Pre-Cycling Trip Jitters

Retirement Speed

A Mississippi Preview

Up with the sun

From Crafts to Photography

Test Cycling “Fully Loaded”

Upper Mississippi River Cycling Tour Plans

Embracing Life

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