Work and Play do Mix

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Molly

My time on Madeline Island is coming to an end. I've had a terrific week at the Madeline Island School of the Arts, taking a writing class from Catherine Watson. But it hasn't been all work and no play. I brought my bike along, and have used it to expore the island in the afternoons. After doing a lot of sitting in class, it has felt great to get out and move, and to enjoy some fresh air.

Madeline Island isn't very big. Fourteen miles long and three miles wide, with roads mainly around the perimeter. The good news is that the roads are all bicycle friendly, with bike lanes on the main road and little traffic anywhere. Unfortuntately, even when near the coast the lake views are mostly limited to sneaking peaks through the trees. The one stretch that has a good vista happened to be near my home base, so I passed it often and it became a favorite.

My first exploration led me to Big Bay State Park. There are some great rock formations that can be seen along the shoreline on Big Bay Point, accessible from a short path from the parking lot.

La Pointe is the only town on the island, populated with art galleries, craft shops and some good restaurants. I took in the Art Walk one evening with some fellow writing students and enjoyed browsing the local artists' offerings, followed by dinner overlooking the lake. Going for an early morning bike ride, the ferry harbor and marina were particularly pretty in the low sun.

I had grand designs to circle the entire island on my bike, but discovered that two long road were dirt. Worse yet, they had been freshly graded, making them difficult to traverse. It was rather slow going. I planned an out and back route to the opposite end of the island instead. Stopping in Big Bay Town Park, and spent time on the beach at the opposite end of the bay from the State Park. A long boardwalk paralleled the beach, and although I didn't have time to cover the distance, it appeared that there was a trail all the way back to Big Bay Point. Instead, I hung out on the beach for a while, watching the waves roll in.

By now I feel like I've covered all the important points on the island, just in time to head home. And I've made good use of my exploration time as well. I get a lot of thinking time when I'm cycling, which I've used to come up with topics for my assignments, and have just the right word I'd been seeking pop into my head for an essay. So it's been a good mix of work and play this week.

School Time

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Molly

Photo from the Madeline Island School of the Arts

I’m spending next week on Madeline Island. I’ll be staying in a pretty little cottage on a picturesque farm-like plot. I expect to be surrounded by creative and talented people. And I will be attending class. A writing class – my first ever.

It’s been over three years now since I embarked on this writing thing. Immediately after retiring, I launched this blog and submitted my first story for publication. Now 459 blog posts later and with 17 stories to my credit in Lake Superior Magazine I seem to have quite a bit of momentum. And yet, I know I have so much more to learn.

I found the class through the Lake Superior Writers, of which I am a member. The title alone was alluring, as it included the two genres that suit me the best: “Inner Journeys: Mindful Travel Writing and Memoir.” What clinched it was the instructor, Catherine Watson. She was the main travel writer and photographer at the Star Tribune during the same time that I worked there. Our paths crossed only long enough for me to purchase her book, Road Less Traveled, at an employee holiday craft sale. But it was enough for me to enjoy her writing and remember her style all these years later.

It took quite a bit of courage for me to actually sign up. The idea of opening myself up to the scrutiny of others is daunting. It would be easier to stay the course and continue to write on my own. But where would that get me? I convinced myself that it’s worth the risk to my personal psyche in order to grow and learn.

Also, I have yet to figure out where I really want to go with my writing. I’m looking forward to finding out what paths other writers pursue, and what might be rewarding for me. I’m fortunate in that it is only a retirement gig for me. I’m not dependent on the income (which is a really good thing!) and I can be choosy about what writing I do. And since I only write on a part-time basis, I want my efforts to be more focused.

So I’ve packed my bags soon and am heading to the Madeline Island School of the Arts. I’m looking forward to meeting interesting people, being challenged, learning and absorbing as much as I can, and being inspired by the beautiful surroundings on Lake Superior. Not a bad way to go back to school.

Newborn Showstopper

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Molly

New life. It’s all consuming and the rest of the world seems to fade away. From the moment we got the phone call that our newest grandchild was on her way into the world, it was hard to concentrate on anything else.

Never mind that it wasn’t me having the baby this time. It didn’t matter that my only responsibilities were to cuddle and admire. Once in that hospital room nothing else mattered. I couldn’t tell you what day it was, how much time had passed or what I had originally planned to do that day. Everything outside that space was immaterial.

Even with two grandchildren already, I had forgotten how engaging those little people are. Isabel managed to captivate me with the way she scrunched up her little face and the barely audible squeaky noises she made.

It was difficult, but I did share this little bundle. And it’s pretty obvious that she kept us all quite entertained. I will shamelessly include some of my favorite photos.

Welcome to the family, Isabel. You’re quite a showstopper.

Cyclists Hosting Cyclists

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Molly

We start out as strangers. When we request lodging from a Warm Showers host while on our cycling tours, we know only what a brief profile and some feedback provide about our potential hosts. And yet, more often than not we part the next morning as friends. The common interest in cycle touring and shared experiences quickly breaks the ice and opens the door (quite literally!) to a warm welcome and lasting memories.

We hit it off immediately with Charles and Marthe on our first long cycling tour in the Canadian Maritimes. They knew just how to make us feel comfortable in their beautiful home, giving us plenty of space, showing us to the washer and dryer and even outfitting us with cushy robes so we could wash absolutely all our clothes. We had fabulous meals, as they understood better than we did how much food we really needed. And they took us to nearby Kouchibouguac National park which we would have missed on our bicycles.

But it was their manner that was so engaging. We easily moved on from cycling stories to share tales of our lives, our families and our interests. There was no shortage of conversation and we felt a close bond. Charles and Marthe disclosed their dream of retiring soon and cycling the four borders of the US. Apparently seeing us newly retired and touring was proof it could be done. We fervently wished them well on their goal and left with a sincere invitation to return the hosting favor.

Two years later, when the email arrived we immediately recognized the names. Charles and Marthe were setting off from Vancouver to cycle across Canada to their home in New Brunswick. We instantly replied with entreaties to dip down into the US in order to pass through Minnesota. Knowing the Trans-Canada highway stretch over Lake Superior was treacherous for cycling, we strengthened our argument by offering a safer route below the lake. It worked.

Before long we found ourselves cycling out from our cabin in Northern Minnesota to meet them. Sharing an ice cream together on the return trip brought back so many memories – touring, seeing new places, local folk astounded over the distances traveled, and how sweet that treat tastes after pedaling so many miles.

This time it was our turn to introduce these friends to our world. We celebrated the 4th of July cabin-style and they happily jumped off the boat for a refreshing dip in the lake. We easily picked up where we left off, as if no time had passed in between. And as they set off once more, we promised to meet again.

Okay, so that wasn’t too far fetched as we returned to Duluth just in time to host them again a day later! We celebrated Marthe’s birthday with dinner overlooking Lake Superior and strolled the Lakewalk to get ice cream cones as it drew dark.

It was harder saying our farewells the next morning. But I have no doubt these cyclists will host one another yet again. We are no longer strangers.

Love those Lupine

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Molly

Not being much of a gardener, I find wildflowers especially appealing. They voluntarily spring up along the roadside, in the woods and wherever they find a hospitable habitat. No cultivating required. This spring we planned our whole bike tour around the bluebonnets of Texas, and reveled in the seas of blue we found populating the Hill Country. The petite spiky plants were as irresistible as they were attractive. We never grew tired of seeing them.

That was in early April. At the time, northern Minnesota was steeped in mud season, not even close to spring yet. But that was actually to our benefit, because we were able to experience spring all over again when we returned home in mid-May.

With the arrival of June came the return of one of our favorite wildflowers, the lupine. These tall spiny flowers grace the North Shore, mainly in shades of purple with occasional pink and white blossoms sprinkled in between. It’s no accident that they bear a strong resemblance to the bluebonnets – those Texas beauties are actually of the “genus Lupinus” so belong to the same plant family. What I find especially humorous is that in this case the Minnesota version far bigger than that of Texas. While bluebonnets grow to be 12-24 inches tall, our lupine reach 1-4 feet high. Not everything is bigger and better in Texas!

Although technically considered an invasive species, and therefore shunned by purists, we chose to introduce lupine to the natural (read “wild”) landscape of our yard. Rich painstakingly harvested seeds last fall and sowed them among our grasses. This spring they actually came up, and the initial blossoms are now gracing the view from our windows. The hope is that they will increase and multiply, some day yielding our own personal field of purple rocket flowers. Whether large or small, Texas or Minnesota, we love those lupine.

Chasing RAAM

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Molly

Race Across America. We would never have heard about RAAM if it hadn’t been for a rain storm and some great hosts on our cycling trip. Stan and Misti insisted we stay a second day to wait out the storm, then entertained us with a delicious dinner as as watched a cycling documentary. Bicycle Dreams was captivating, following the thrill, pain, determination and tragedy that the cyclists endured as they raced across the country in a mere 10 days. Cycling day and night with little sleep, encountering temperature ranges from frigid to desert conditions, supported by dedicated teams and even medical professionals, they pushed their bodies to the limit.

It was pure coincidence that we happened to be in St. Louis just months later when the race was to pass through the area. We couldn’t resist this unique opportunity and we set out to see the race. Thanks to a race app, we could see the locations of the racers on a map as they advanced, and toted our own bikes to the route. While we’d hoped to see a number of cyclists, only the leaders were nearing the Washington MO time station, so we targeted rider #431 in third place, Anders Tesgaard from Denmark.

Doing the math, we started cycling about 25 miles in front him and calculated that we should meet up in about 45 minutes. It was exciting knowing we were cycling the actual race route, and kept constantly scanning the stretch ahead to spot the cyclist and support van. The further we went, the more the excitement grew. Would he be around the next corner? Will we see him over the next horizon?

Our plan had been to stop and set up shop with our cameras in advance. But the town of Linn got in the way. We knew we had to be minutes away from the encounter as we rushed to get to more scenic countryside. Then suddenly, there he was! As we rounded a corner to descend a steep hill, the sudden jerk of Rich’s head gave me a moment’s warning. It was just enough to stop and pull out my camera to take some hasty shots. Rich called out “Go Anders!” and the astonished cyclist turned to give us a grateful grin as he arduously completed the uphill climb. Since the race is virtually unknown, and cheering sections non-existent, we figured our personalized cheers had to count for a revitalizing shot of adrenaline.

Quickly crossing the road, we reversed direction to follow in his wake. The town’s congestion seemed to mitigate his progress somewhat, and we were able to keep the van in our sights through that stretch. But once he reached open country again, Anders quickly lost us. How humbling, that after we’d covered a mere 10 miles we could be so easily outpaced by a cyclist who was on his sixth straight day of nearly non-stop cycling over 1800 miles!

We were nearly back to the car when I was surprised to spot the crew again. There was the support van on the side of the road, Anders snoozing under a tree. He does this, the crew explained – taking only about 1 1/2 hours to sleep at night, Anders would snatch brief naps during the day. We stood by to watch as he quietly retrieved his bike, consulted with his team members and returned to the road. Soon far ahead of us once again.

It wasn’t too hard to catch him one last time with the car. We pulled ahead to get some final photos of Anders cycling, and were rewarded with a small wave. We couldn’t help but feel the thrill of being part of a RAAM rider’s journey.

At the end of the day, the race drew us back once more. After seeing 5th place cyclist Henning Larsen on the road, we misjudged where he would turn and lost him. It turned out to be a fortuitous flub, as we chased him down at the Washington time station where we could observe more of the logistics of the race. Henning was already there, flanked not only his support van but two RVs filled with additional equipment and personnel. While he was checked over by his medical team, changed clothes, was shaved and took a short rest, we visited with Vicki, a volunteer. Armed with a Danish flag (yes, he was another Dane!), pom-pom and cowbell, she dedicates 7×24 hours of the entire race to time station duties. But her passion is cheering on these amazing racers. She was full of fascinating tales and details of the race from her years of involvement.

By the time Henning left the time station it was fully dark. The night brought some relief from the heat and hopefully lighter traffic. And he would cycle on, 1100 miles yet to go. In an air conditioned car, with our bikes strapped on back, we headed for a soft bed in a motel. We were done chasing RAAM and our brief brush with some amazing athletes.

What are the odds?

Posted on June 20, 2015 by Molly

It was a month ago that we decided to do a cycling trip in Wisconsin. Having just returned from St. Louis in early May, the thought of repeating that long drive again in June for a family wedding was, well, not the most appealing. The solution? Stop and bicycle, of course!

Molly looking out over the Wisconsin River

Rich picked the route, and since he does 99% of the planning for these adventures and is very good at it, I tend to trust his work and show up when the time comes. In my defense, I did ask him where we were going, but I got only a vague answer. I probably asked when he was preoccupied with editing his bird photos. I should know better. By the time we left, I knew we were going to cycle along the Wisconsin River.

Meanwhile, our two sons decided to meet up for a weekend of canoeing. Since Erik lives in Minneapolis and Carl is in Milwaukee, they chose somewhere in Wisconsin halfway between them. They were about as communicative about their plans as Rich was. In fact, I first heard about their trip from our daughter.

It was only after completing our cycling trip that I thought to ask the boys where they were going. “Oh, somewhere on the Wisconsin River,” Erik replied. When I pried the details out of them, I had to laugh. They are about to cover a good share of the same stretch of river we just did!

The boys' entry and exit points circled in green

As Erik put it, the Wisconsin River must have been calling to the Hoegs this week. What are the odds of that happening?

Credit Card Cycle Touring

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Molly

I thought that cycle touring reduced life to its simplest elements. But I've just discovered an even more streamlined way to cycle. Have credit card, will travel.

Rather than loading up our panniers and schlepping camping gear, for this tour we used only our day bags and brought minimal goods. A change of underwear, toothbrush and t-shirt and shorts were the basics. I threw in a cycling jacket, which I was glad to have for the cooler mornings. The bulk of the weight came from the camera, smartphone and tablet we each carried, and a few bike tools. That – and our credit card – was it.

This approach is best suited to short trips, so Rich came up with a two-day out-and-back route along the Wisconsin River for this inaugural voyage. Starting in Bridgeport, near Prairie du Chien, our destination was Spring Green, 60 miles away. We had our choice of roads on each side of the river, and sampled some of each. While it would have been nice to make it a circle tour, we quickly learned that some roads were best avoided and others bore repeating. So we sashayed across the river and back.

Logistics were super easy. Staying at the Captain's Cove Motel in Bridgeport before and after the trip, gave us a place to leave our car. Not only that, but they allowed us to leave all our non-cycling gear in the motel room, and even offered to come get us should we have problems en route. True hospitality. At the other end, a motel room awaited us in Spring Green. In between, all we had to do was cycle.

As usual, Rich picked an excellent route. Not only was it scenic, but the roads were good for cycling. It helped that we were traveling mid-week, reducing the traffic. Although we followed the Wisconsin River, there were actually limited sections in which we could see the river. But even away from the water, we rode through beautiful farmland with prosperous looking farms and healthy green crops. This is called the “Driftless Area” because the glaciers missed it when moving through the rest of the Midwest. So it is largely rolling with long tree covered ridges and bluffs.

With so little gear, packing and unpacking took only minutes. We were able to hit the road by 6:30 each morning with ease. Following our preferred style of cycle touring, we put in a good 20 miles before stopping for breakfast. Our favorite venue was the Unique Café in Boscobel, which was filled with memorabilia and still kept its old style charm. We were impressed with how vibrant all the towns were along the river, offering interesting places to explore or pretty parks where we happily rested.

For the most part, the cycling was fairly easy. We had one big hill at the start of the first day, which I managed to block from my memory until our return. The second encounter was far worse, coming after 50 miles already and when the sun was very toasty. That was one long incline I was glad to complete. Rich liked it even less. My favorite stretches were on the small back roads. Armed with my favorite paper map in front me, I spotted a quiet alternate road on the way back. It stayed at the base of the hills and wound through quiet woods and farmland. That was a good find.

Our early starts and rapid progress gave us plenty of time to explore along the way. Naturally, Rich had his eye out for birds, but I was actually the one who spied the Trumpter Swan family. He still got the best photo, though.

No cycling trip would be complete without at least one “purple cow” – I made friends with this crazy cyclist along the way.

I couldn't go to Spring Green without visiting something belonging to Frank Lloyd Wright. So while Rich rested in the motel room I set out on my bike once again. Not having the time for a house tour of Taliesin, I made do with the visitor center that he designed, and tried to get a glimpse of his house from the road.

And just to prove that we actually were near the river…

We both agree, this was a most successful experiment. We brought just the right stuff, enjoyed cycling without heavily laden bikes, and appreciated the freedom. We're not ready to give up our long tours, but we'll be credit card touring again, for sure.

Recalculating…

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Molly

What else would you want do for a 60th birthday but go on a 60 mile bike ride? When my friend Myra proposed it, her birthday idea seemed totally reasonable. Perfect, really. Clearly we think alike. It’s great having a friend as committed to fit activity and the outdoors as I am.

It was a great day for cycling. Warm inland and as always, cooler by the lake. We chose a route that started on Seven Bridges Road, going up, up, up to start and then leveling out once we were on top away from the lake. The farther we went the less traffic we had on the roads, and we were able to cycle and talk as we usually do. Puttering along was fine with us.

Once back down at the lake, we stopped for a bit of a break and refreshments at the Mocha Moose, always a favorite of mine. Feeling good, we continued down the shore. Until just past Knife River. There we were stopped cold – Myra’s rear tire was flat. She had no spare, and although I had one that would fit and the necessary tools, she was reluctant to even try to change it. I couldn’t blame her, neither of us has done it on our own. Surprisingly calm and unruffled by it all, Myra proposed the only solution. I would bike the 13 miles home to get my car and return to rescue her. Meanwhile, she’d continue walking her bike.

With a tailwind and mostly flat terrain I fairly flew down the Scenic highway. The scenery barely registered in my brain as I zoomed along, and at one point I happened to notice was was going 18 miles an hour. After all, I was on a mission. As I approached the intersection with the expressway, with just a mile to go, there was Myra – cycling toward me! Huh? Someone had come along and offered to transport her home with her bike, and rather than stopping to inform me as they passed on the road, she told them, “Oh no, I want to freak her out!” She certainly did.

It never occurred to either of us to abandon our ride, in light of the circumstances. Myra has a fleet of bikes, so she had just hopped on another one and we were good to go. We headed back up the shore nearly to the scene of the flat and back again, to perfectly complete the 60 mile ride – for Myra anyway. I logged a total of 71.

It wasn’t quite what we’d planned, but there was little harm in the outcome. In fact, it delayed us less than an hour and solved the problem of where to cycle for our final 13 miles. It just took a bit of recalculating.

Role Model Grandma

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Molly

It’s been almost four years since my mom died. And still the large boxes full of her photo albums lay untouched, squirreled away in our storage area. It seemed such a massive task to go through them all and decide what to keep. But finally this week I took the plunge.

Opening the first box I reached in and pulled out the top album. Before long, I was drawn into the pages, reliving memories as I perused each photo. I feared that I would end up in the attic forever, pondering every last picture and feeling reluctant to let any of them go. But in time I developed a process. Soon I was surrounded by piles of photos, pulling them out of albums and picturing the delight of family and friends who would soon receive them in the mail. Most were just fun photos, designed to solicit a smile or even better a good laugh at the memory of happy times past.

I was right to expect that it would be a big job. But it turned out to be far more enjoyable and entertaining than I thought. And I was left with some surprising takeaways. Many of the albums were from the later years, after Dad died and Mom was on her own. It was heartwarming to see just how prominently my family figured into Mom’s collection of photos. There she was at all our kids’ major events. She never missed a play, a concert, a graduation or any special occasion despite the miles between us. And we made plenty of trips to visit her in Duluth.

But this particular photo spoke to me more than any of the others. I haven’t a clue what the game was. It must have been invented by Karen, at about age three. And Mom was right there in the thick of it. Perfectly willing to lay on the floor, obviously enjoying the moment immensely. It’s what Mom did best as a Grandma. She got down and played with the kids. She always had time for them. And they held a special place in her heart.

I’m now a Grammy, with two and a soon-to-be third grandchild to treasure. Little did I realize that within Mom’s photo albums lay a wonderful lesson. I now know that I have the perfect role model for this special relationship. And I’m taking the “play” message to heart.

Superior Footprints

Life and the Outdoors in the Northland

Work and Play do Mix

School Time

Newborn Showstopper

Cyclists Hosting Cyclists

Love those Lupine

Chasing RAAM

What are the odds?

Credit Card Cycle Touring

Recalculating…

Role Model Grandma

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