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| The mug I bought in Portland last week |
As I sit here drinking some tea, waiting for it to get a bit warmer outside before I head out to ride in the western suburbs, I thought I should share some photos from last weekend's ride. I mostly update my blog on my phone, which means all the text is at the top and the photos are at the bottom, which isn't as fun as an integrated blog post. The problem is, once I work all day, I'm not really wanting to get on the computer at home to post more stuff. At least not when the days are getting shorter. I find it hard to stay motivated at this time of year, due to the shortened days.
Last weekend, Dan and I went camping. I really am enjoying our camper. It was pretty cold out - high 20's one night - so it is nice to have a bit more shelter, somewhere you can make tea and coffee in the morning before even going outside.
We went to Banning State Park, on the Kettle River. It is one of the nicest state parks, in my mind. (Don't all flock there, now, and make it crowded.)
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| Our sort of messy (due to me) campsite at Banning |
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| Bike trail in Banning, leading to the outside world |
Banning State Park is a 10-mile bike ride from the Munger Trail, the trail that we ride on for the first day of the MS150 bike ride each June.
It is really quite different to ride on an empty trail when it is 40 degrees outside, compared to riding on the trail with 3,800 other people in June when it is anywhere from 65 to 95 degrees out.
I thought I would juxtapose the difference with these photos. The one with me when I had long hair is June 2012, when I really thought it was quite possible that I would pass out from heat exhaustion. It was in the 90's and we were at about mile 55 of the 75-mile ride. The one that I took of myself last weekend is after I removed some layers from getting warmed up when riding my bike. It is at the same place, in Finlayson.
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| June 2012 - hot as hell |
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| October 2013 - about 40 degrees, after I replaced my stocking cap with a bandana |
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| In June 2013, we were stopped here for quite a while when they shut down the trail to remove an injured person by ambulance. It was sort of a somber break in the ride. |
I also saw the part of the trail where last year we saw a lady flip upside down in the air and land on her head. It was sort of unsettling. I think 3,800 is too many people for the Munger Trail.
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| The Munger Trail - Oct 2013 |
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| Goofy picture of me on the Munger Trail (October 2013) - this is earlier in the ride, when I still had my hat on. I rode about 42 miles that day. Not even close to 150 miles! |
It was really interesting to be there alone. It's a totally different vibe. A good one, just different. Not quite as much adrenaline, and no one to offer me snacks and the use of a biffy!
Time to get my bike ready for today's ride.
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