Tag Archives: Cycling

First Day Cycling – Idyllic

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We could not have asked for a better day to start our Trans-Superior Cycling Tour! Well, okay, I readily admit that it was a might chilly when we set off. A bank temperature reading confirmed that it was only 43 degrees. And I shivered and stiffened up during those initial miles. But the sun rose quickly and warmed our bodies and my attitude.

Traveling along highway 13 to Bayfield was a cyclist’s dream. The road surface was excellent, there was a good shoulder, and traffic was light. Add to that a perfectly sunny day, the wind mostly at our backs, and pastoral farmland scenery interspersed with forest and views of Lake Superior and you have a ride that can’t be beat. I might not have chosen to have the hilliest portion of the route in the last 20 miles, but even that could not detract from the experience. Probably the biggest drawback to the day was knowing that we could never replicate its perfection.

True to the nature of this tour, we made several stops along the way. An historical site with a Finnish homestead and windmill caught our attention, and proved to be beautifully cared for and well preserved. The first wayside rest with a view of Lake Superior demanded a visit. We couldn’t pass up the “Best Food on the Circle Tour” so we paused at Ruxy’s Cottage Cafe in Port Wing for a fresh cinnamon roll. The harbor in Cornocopia was a scenic diversion, with picturesque boats and little shops. And everything was enhanced by the beautiful sunny weather. Probably our most interesting stop came about completely by accident. I happened to spot the Lake Superior Binational Forum Symbol – the same one that adorns our cycling shirts – on the door or a roadside building. Returning to investigate, Bruce Lindgren stepped outside, and we soon learned that he is a member and co-chair of the Forum! He was pleased to learn of our association with the Forum and a lively conversation ensued, fueled by our mutual care for Lake Superior.

Arriving at our destination, the descent into Bayfield was a picturesque (and welcome) sight. Sailboats and other vessels dotted the deep blue waters of Lake Superior as the quaint buildings of this pretty town came into view. At the first available cafe, we deserted our bikes and emerged with lake berry breeze smoothies and consumed them in the warmth of the sunshine. Oh, were they good.

I would have to say that this was a most successful start to our trip. We’ve enjoyed a delicious and ample dinner and are now resting in our motel with a lovely view of the lake and the setting sun. We’re tired, but happily so. And tomorrow’s another day on the Tour.

Cycling Tour – Poised and Ready

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Tomorrow’s the day.  Finally!  I hate to think of it as wishing the summer away, but I have been looking forward to our Trans-Superior Cycling Tour all summer long, and now it’s here.  So how do I feel?

Ready – I’ve done the training.  We’ll see if it’s enough, but I’m confident I can handle the 500 miles of the trip.  I suspect my bottom will be more sore than my legs.  Our bikes are tuned up and we’re prepared for basic repairs, but hoping we won’t need those skills  much.

Excited – I can’t wait to be outdoors, do the cycling, meet people, see things along the way and stop for ice cream or coffee – depending on the weather.  And it’s vacation after all. It may not be everyone’s dream vacation, but to us it’s a great adventure.

Anxious – Weather probably holds the greatest unknown for me.  Now that the heat has broken, it looks like we will have chilly mornings, comfortable days and cool evenings.  Did I pack the right layers to be warm enough?  This is beginning to feel like the night before a marathon.  Only it’s a lot harder to predict 9 days than 4 hours.

Practical – I think I can take pride in my packing.  We’re talking bare bones – two sets of cycling clothes on the “wear one, wash one” plan.  Little in the way of civilian clothes.  And my iPad, of course.  I still have excess room in my panniers.  How did that happen?  The trick will be not to fill them up before our departure.

Curious – What will it really be like, cycling all day every day for 8 of the 9 days?  Will it really be “500 Miles of Love” as it says on our shirts?  Time will tell.  Starting tomorrow.

Cycle Tour Statistics

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We have had our route for the Trans-Superior Cycling Tour planned for months.  And Rich has mapped it out mile by mile.  “What about the elevations?”  I ask.  I’m curious.  We’ll be going through the Porcupine Mountains – doesn’t that imply some pretty impressive hills?  I kind of like to know what I’m getting into.  Not Rich.  “It is what it is” he says.  I agree that knowing ahead of time won’t change anything, but I’m still unable to leave it alone.  Gmaps-pedometer will calculate that data, so here it is:

Interesting.  The day in the Porcupines has one of the least elevations gains, and it is a net loss in elevation for the day.  It looks like Day 5 heading up to Copper Harbor is where I’d better be prepared for those hills.  Particularly since it is a shorter day’s ride – check out the average gain per mile, a measure of my own calculation.  Good thing we have a rest day following that leg of the trip.

So far these are just abstract numbers.  Pretty meaningless, really.  Best to look at some of my training rides.  I’ve been doing hills, right?  Average gain per mile should be a good way to compare.  Hmmm…   Even my hilliest routes are below the “easiest” day of our tour.  This may be more challenging than I realized!  At least I know beforehand.  Just don’t tell Rich.

Cycling Trip Final Preparations

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We’re in the home stretch! The Trans-Superior Cycling Tour is  just 10 days away and we are checking off our final tasks in preparation for our trip.

We made a costly but necessary trip to the bike shop to get our bicycles tuned up and replace worn parts. It’s amazing how all those training miles can add up and cause wear and tear. I only bought my bike in February, but I have logged 2,500 miles on it already! While we were there, we found some additional gear we needed. Can you hear it? Ka-ching, ka-ching. A new foot pump, a traveling pump, repair supplies and a new pair of biking shorts all came home with us. I also invested in a rear-view mirror for my helmet. I find I just can’t look behind me without swerving into the road. So that expense was in the name of safety. I hope it works.

We have made our initial transport arrangements. True confessions, we are starting in Superior not Duluth. That saves us the tedious extra miles required to travel over the Bong Bridge and get back to our route. So our friends will ferry us and our bikes over to the Bong Museum and provide us with a proper send off. They have to be very good friends, as we requested a 6:15am pick-up.

True to form, I have a detailed packing list. I can’t go anywhere without a list. Space is very limited, so at this stage I’m more likely to strike items than add more. But I shouldn’t forget anything – assuming I do a final check on that list before concluding my packing.

Rich has created a 59 page PDF file with detailed maps of our route. It is annotated with daily mile markers courtesy of gmaps-pedometer, and he has drilled in to capture detail where we need to take turns. The idea is that we can review it before each day’s ride, and if we’re really in need, we will stop and pull up a copy already stored on an iPad.

Now it’s just a matter of time.  10 days to go, and it’s so hard to wait.

Bicycle Maintenance 101

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It started with a squeaky chain. My bike is still new, so it should purr and whir not rattle and clank, right? But I admit that I’ve been neglecting it. I knew virtually noting about bicycle maintenance. But I wanted to take care of my bike, so I returned to Erik’s Bike Shop where I bought it and was entitled to minor adjustments. It didn’t take them long to confirm that my chain was indeed dry and in need of lubricating. Nor did it escape them how dirty my bike was, and how low my tires were. My negligence was pretty obvious. I admitted not only my lack of care but also my desire to learn and improve. While they graciously restored my bike to its former glory, I received kindly advice and patient answers to my questions.

I’d already been thinking about taking a class in bicycle maintenence. Finding out that Erik’s offered such classes sealed it. I immediately signed up for the Novice Class. This past week I devoted my Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to this endeavor, and it was just what I needed.

My bike ready for maintenance

Although the class held up to ten students, there were only five of us, which made for a great ratio with the two instructors. We brought our own bikes to work on, and each had our own bike stand, work bench and extensive set of tools. Not only were we taught for the advertised 6 hours of class, but the instructors made themselves available before and after each class for as long as we liked. I’m sure I availed myself of at least 8 hours.

Since I’m not exactly handy with tools and mechanics, I had no illusions about coming out of the class able to do my own repairs. My goal was to understand the major components of my bike, how they worked, and just what the issue might be if something went wrong with it. That and how to repair a flat – while I’d been lucky to date, I knew the day would come when I found myself in trouble out on a bike ride far from home. Due to the diligence and patience of the instructors, I exceeded my objectives. We covered basic bike cleaning and daily maintenance, tubes and tires, wheel truing, chains, deraillers and brakes. I got advice on types of biking shoes and pedals, and an adjustment on my seat height. I changed my front tire three times… admittedly it took that many times to get it right, but all in the name of good practice. I confess to getting somewhat lost in the intricacies of the two derailler systems, but I did glean enough to make a necessary adjustment to the limit screws at home this weekend. What a coup that was!

Even though my husband is capable of making most of the repairs we might need on our upcoming Trans-Superior Bike Tour, I feel a lot better knowing I am more self-sufficient than before. And truth be told, when he was frustrated by having multiple flat tires this past week, I was able to give him some good advice on his repair process. And it worked!

A Not-Quite Century Ride

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My friend has been a cyclist for ages. Now that I have taken up cycling, we've been talking all summer about going for a ride together, and today we finally made it happen. Our first hurdle was the start time. She informed me that my proposed time of 6:30am was the middle of the night. I retorted that her 9:00am suggestion was the middle of the day. We compromised on 7:30.

We chose to ride on the Munger Trail. Since the start of the trail was closed due to the flood damage, we drove to Carlton to start there. Numerous times I tried to pin her down on the distance. She was interested in a long ride, but I didn't know what that meant in the context of her cycling experience. So we set off and decided to just see how it went.

Munger Trail

While the start of the Munger Trail climbs out of Duluth, by Carlton it flattens out. We cycled for miles and miles in a long, straight, flat and smooth trajectory. There were few other cyclists on the trail, making it easy to ride side by side and talk the whole way. We have never been known to run out of material to talk about and today was no exception. And as we talked, the miles flew by. It turned out that our paces were perfectly matched, and we were loving the beautiful sunny day which was perfect for flying down the trail.

As the miles mounted, so did our ambition. It was an out and back ride, so we had to judge when we felt we'd gone half way and turn around. That's always tricky – how do you know when you are half spent? Should we set a max, I suggested? Nah, let's just go a little further. There's one hilly spot that's fun to ride – let's not stop before that. As the 40 mile mark loomed, a bigger question presented itself… Should we make this a Century Ride? It suddenly became soooo tempting!

Now I am rarely the one to hesitate when it comes to a challenge. But I have to own up to being the voice of reason this time. It was hot, we'd gotten a late start (!), and I had a husband expecting me back before dinner. So pledging to return for the full century ride soon, we did an about face at around 41 miles. It did give us time to take in a town festival at Willow River, and make the requisite stop at the Dairy Queen in Moose Lake. And neither of us complained when we reached the car at the end of 83 miles.

But next time we won't let that century mark elude us. Even if we have to start earlier to make it.

Cycle Touring

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I admit I tend to be a bit hard core. Put a goal out in front of me and I develop tunnel vision.  It becomes a mission.  I push to the max to reach that target or higher.

Preparing for our Trans-Superior Cycling Tour has been a bit like that. I’d never done long distance cycling before, but as soon as the snow melted I was out there training day after day, increasing my distances in rapid succession. Just like in marathon training, I like to press on. Mile after mile, no stops.

So when my husband, Rich, and I set out for a bike ride this weekend, I found my style challenged. Why does he keep stopping, I kept asking myself? Time for a photograph. Time for water. Time to take in a nice view. Time to slow down and look around while we cycle. Harumph – let’s get going!

We had selected a new route that would take us over roads we’d never traveled before. It’s always nice to see new territory, and we had a gorgeous sunny day on which to do so. We cycled inland from Two Harbors and around to Beaver Bay surrounded by beautiful farms and forest. Road surfaces were good, and the lack of cars made any lack of shoulder a non-issue. Not even the eight miles of unexpected dirt road in the middle could spoil the route. If only we could just keeping going. But I was informed in no uncertain terms that on our upcoming cycling trip, Rich had every intention of sightseeing and stopping along the way. Just get used to it.

Upon our arrival in Beaver Bay, Rich headed straight for The Big Dipper. Ice cream in the middle of the morning? Didn’t seem too outrageous to me – weren’t we cycling 50 miles on a hot day? The smoothies on the menu instantly appealed to us, and they were the best tasting ever! Hmmm, I began to feel my attitude shifting slightly. Perhaps this stopping thing had some merit? The remaining miles took us down the North Shore, largely on the Gitchi-Gami State Trail which kept us blissfully separate from the car traffic. Lake Superior was at its best, brilliant blue and sparkling in the sunshine. It was a glorious sight and eased my resistance to this new leisurely pace. Silver Cliffs provided a terrific view, and yes, we stopped, got off our bikes and took pictures. I even took the time to read the information boards. And enjoyed it.

I think I get it. The Tour in Trans-Superior Cycling Tour. I hope the scenery is good.

Trans-Superior Cycling Tour Update

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It’s just one month away! After all these months of planning and training, we are in the final countdown to the Trans-Superior Cycling Tour. Mentally, I’m ready – I’d be happy if we were leaving tomorrow. Well, except for the packing. I haven’t even started that list yet. The trick there will be what not to bring, as we have only 2 paniers each to fill for 9 days’ worth of travel. But since we are not camping, we need only fit in our clothes and a few personal items. Simple enough, right?

I’m feeling good about my preparations so far. I’ve logged over 2,000 miles of cycling this year. I cycle nearly every day of the week (okay, I still consider myself a runner and can’t resist running now and then). I’ve done a number of 50+ mile distance rides, and have been out in cold and rain as well as hot humid weather.

As far as logistics go, our itinerary is set and we have made all of our lodging reservations. We did discover one important detail – the ferries between Isle Royale and Grand Portage only run on certain days of the week. So we had to shift our start date by one day in order to make it work. It pays to do one’s homework on these things. There is no wiggle room on this trip – hotel rooms and ferries are not flexible! We’re in for the distance each day, no matter what the conditions.

So, what’s next? I think it’s time to attach and fill my paniers to get used to riding with the extra weight on my back wheel. That will be entirely new to me. And I have signed up for a bicycle maintenance class at Erik’s bike shop. This week I will spend two evenings in the Novice Class working on my own bike learning to do basic repairs. I figured it was time I learned more about my bike and how to take care of it. Not to mention recovering from the inevitable breakdown on one of my rides.

The only thing remaining between now and our trip is time. And more training miles!

Nature Lessons

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Being at the cabin is not like home.  There is so much more to experience, particularly outdoors.  This past week we were able to indulge our love of nature in many different ways.

Watching the loons and hearing their hauntingly beautiful cry was one of them. Seeing baby loons in early summer is always a treat. Looking for the bald eagles is a favorite. Going over to inspect the eagles’ nest in the next section of the lake is a ritual. Over the years we have watched numerous baby eagles peering over the edge of the enormous nest, and seen some of their earliest flights. Sadly, this year the tree that was home to their nest has finally succumbed to its awkward angle and fallen into the lake. But fortunately, they are not the only nesting pair on this lake. One evening, I saw an eagle in the distance swoop down and catch a fish. He brought it to a tree not far away from where I was kayaking, and I was able to get close enough to watch him devour his meal.

This cabin week we were treated to one of the sunniest and warmest ever. Every morning but one, as I gradually gained consciousness I could peer out our bedroom window to see the sun coming up over the glassy calm lake. Sometimes I caught a beautiful red sunrise. The sunsets were equally spectacular, particularly when I had enough energy left at the end of the day to kayak out to see it from a better vantage point.

On one of our bike rides around the area, my husband and I cycled through a swarm of butterflies!  Shortly after we turned onto a little used road, there were thousands of Red Admiral butterflies perched on and along the side of the road.  Most of them were lined up just to the right of the white line.  As we approached, each one took flight until they filled the air around us and occasionally careened into us.  It went on for well over a mile, and then ended as abruptly as it began.

It’s the nature of a cabin to bring the outdoors into close proximity.  And we love the first-hand lessons that come along with it.

I’ve Been Bridged!

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I could see it from a distance. The red light that meant the bridge was up. Being on the Park Point side of the Aerial Bridge when the roadbed is raised means staying there until the boat passes through. There is no other way off the narrow strip of land that forms the Duluth Harbor.

Most people don’t mind. They know that when going over to Park Point there is a distinct possibility they may need to wait for the bridge in order to return. And today I was solidly in that camp.

I’d chosen to do an easy bike ride instead of a hard workout. It was one of Duluth’s finest days, with sunshine playing off Lake Superior and comfortable warm temperatures. Cycling along the Lakewalk is by definition a leisurely ride, as it is shared by numerous runners, walkers, dogs and tourists, and winter has provided more than a few heaves in the pavement. Besides, it is prime territory for just looking out at the lake.

Cycling down Park Point and back is easy going. It’s flat and straight, with plenty of shoulder. I love looking at the jumbled assortment of houses along the way, from tiny cabin-like homes, to huge modern structures built high enough to see over the dunes to the lake. They are wedged close together and sometimes one in front of the other, all trying to get a piece of the prime beachfront or harbor shoreline. And there always seems so be an abundance of flowers. The area must be a magnet for zealous gardeners.

So approaching the end of the line of cars waiting for the bridge, it was an easy choice to swing onto the pier and just take it all in. It didn’t matter that the bridge was only half way up and that it was the Vista Queen tour boat going under instead of an ore boat of foreign freighter. It was an opportunity to slow down, take a break and have a closer look at what was around me. Like the bridge coming down, right over me. Like the view of the bridge, from below. Like seeing the bridge from the harbor side – how often do we look at it from there? No need to rush back and cycle over when the bridge was back down. After all, I had all the excuses I needed. I’d been bridged.