Perfection

I'm not claiming to have achieved it, rather just having witnessed it.

On Friday, I took the day off and rode from my house through St. Paul to the Gateway Trail, which I followed to its end: Pine Point Park. The fall scenery was beautiful, and I saw some really cute fluffy cows. I had planned to stop and take some photos on the way home, but got a text from a friend that she needed the sleeping pad I borrowed for the TRAM, and within about 90 minutes for her to go on a camping trip.

I was 30+ miles from home and there was no way I could get home in time. I rode my bike as fast as I could for about 18 miles to get her house, got a ride home, and handed over the pad. Procrastination doesn't pay, people, especially when returning borrowed goods!

Despite the rushed ride, I got to see some beautiful stuff before going to a sleepover (you read that correctly) at another friend's house. After a relaxed Saturday, I decided to go to yoga this morning and follow it with a bike ride.

Matt and I rode to Hopkins, through the tailgating Vikings fans at TCF Bank Stadium, up to the capitol, and along the river. I didn't take pictures, but found these photos of the Cedar Lake Trail and the Mississippi that are pretty much identical to what we saw. Fantastic.

90 miles over the weekend is a bit lower than I was aiming for, but I sure made up for anything resembling disappointment in the unparalleled scenery.

Non-traditional Biking Gear

I travel a fair amount for work. I snag the cheap shower caps from hotels and stick them in my biking rain coat. When riding for a long time in the cold rain (say, for example, the entire first day of the MS150  this past June), putting one over your helmet to keep the rain from infiltrating your helmet can make a big difference.

And then, of course, I carry one of these little horns.

Minneapolis' Finest

After returning from the funeral of a very great, spirited and generous woman, I decided to cram in a bike ride before sunset.

I often avoid the creek and lakes because they are so crowded, but tonight I risked it because I wanted to experience beauty. It paid off.

The little kid I met biking on the parkway, the view of the sailboats on Lake Harriet, the energy around Lake Calhoun, the calm of Lake of the Isles, the clear, open path on the Cedar Lake Trail, and the view of the Mississippi were fantastic.

No Spring Chicken

Once, after buying a chicken with the intent of roasting it only to learn that I bought a stewing chicken, I realized not all chickens are equal. So, based on what I learned, I can say I'm not a broiler or a fryer. Those clearly are spring chickens.

I'm no spring chicken. After getting very little exercise the previous week and then rowing and doing a little mountain biking yesterday (thumbs up on the Elm Creek beginner trails, which were significantly easier - and confidence boosting - than the other two places I've tried), my body feels as flexible as a plank of wood.

Hopefully I'm not in stewing chicken territory yet; yoga today maybe put me back in the roaster category.

Odd alternatives to biking

This past week at work was pretty intensive, and I couldn't make myself commit to anything for Saturday morning.

So despite feeling like I should have been feeling guilty while people like Matt rode in a 100-mile gravel race and my rower friends did the 13-mile Pike Island Challenge, I slept in, read, and eventually took Piper to a distant and nice off-leash dog park. And then I scraped together Minnesota sports clothing, let myself into my neighbor's house while she was out of town, and took photos of her Bucky badger statue in the MN clothing, to send to my neighbor while she is on vacation.

Today was going to be a biking day, but instead I got to spend time much-needed time with my in-laws. It looks like a good week for some bike commutes to work, which will be good.