Waconia's Beaver Infestation

Today, I went for the first time to Waconia, the MN Ironman bike ride's new location.

It was 43 and sprinkling when I drove there, and sleeting when I took my bike off the roof of my car. It sprinkled for a while longer, then rained in earnest while we fought a formidable North headwind (which actually was scarier as a side wind when we headed East). My frequentish riding partner Matt and I noticed a highly unusual number of beaver dams, which makes me wonder if Waconia has an unusually large number of beavers, or whether it has a normal number who are unusually industrious.

I am tired, I think from riding in the cold wetness more than from warming up with a beer at the Waconia Brewery.

I am glad I did this ride, which served as a reminder that I can survive rain and was a good test run of my rain gear (which is old and needs an upgrade, I learned).

Yesterday, we had our first group training ride for our team, but only a few people braved the 40-degree temps. I took a selfie to better demonstrate my gear. The photo serves as a reminder that I wore the base layer all weekend long (well, 36 hours straight, and for two bike rides), which probably is a gross thing to do, but I can't just share complimentary info about myself, you know.

On the way to the start of the team ride yesterday, I rode through the Fort Snelling historic site and realized that they very recently changed all of their signs to say "at Bdote." That's the Dakota word for the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. I really appreciate the MN Historical Society's recognition of the fact that the Fort was built on a site that was really important to the Dakota.

Friday, I won a hat from my friend's brewery while at a fundraiser for Engineers Without Borders, a cool organization. Who knew we'd need to wear stocking caps in the beginning of May??!?

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2017

I know a girl named Party, Party Girl

Obviously this is autobiographical.

I haven't provided an update since Easter because, well, dang those haikus were lame. Where does one go from there? Up, presumably, but one can't be sure.

So, after that windy ride, I did some decent commuting, resumed dance class (my teacher and I shared a look of surprise when I sort of understood what I was supposed to be doing), spent a chunk of time getting my teammates squared away with the few hotel rooms we have for the overnight stop at the bike ride, tried out my new bike capris again (not good for rides over 55 degrees or longer than 40 miles, and apparently the butt is not resilient against the roughness of my seat), showed two teammates a new-to-them route, did a multi-leg bike trip to yoga and then my teammate's bowling fundraiser for the MS Society, answered some cyclists' questions, mapped out a group training ride route, talked to the bowler guy about some of our teammates' hesitation to fundraise, and talked to a bike shop about teaching our team how to fix a flat tire.

So, yeah, party girl.

There's a lot going on. It's all in motion. It will all work out.

I also spent some time reflecting on a few things that inspired me this week. First, that bowling fundraiser and all the work, for months, that it took Andy to pull it together. He doesn't have to do that, but does. He is super successful with it due to his passion and demonstrable commitment. I'm really impressed.

I also attended a fundraiser for my friends' son's charter school for autistic children. The stories told by the teenage students and their parents about their hopes and dreams always grounds me a bit. I have such respect for how that school is giving the families the opportunity to hope and dream.

The other thing that really inspired me is hard to describe, and it isn't my story to tell. To make a long story short, I have a  friend who had a traumatic health event in the fall. He is working so hard on his rehab, day after day. The progress is real, and good, but not as fast as he had hoped. He did an MS walk on Sunday, really going beyond what he's done so far, to support a family member with MS. Sure, he had a goal for himself, but this story demonstrates how good people are - wanting to support each other, even when it isn't easy.

These things bring me great hope at a time when I am still very confused about our present and our future. And for that, I am a grateful witness.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2017

Haiku Heritage

Facebook memories

indicate April 16th

is my haiku day.

Friday: rainy grey

explored new park with nephews

on Mississippi.

Knitted plants show roots

in proportion to plant tops - 

pretty crazy stuff.

Island in river

houses a big bald eagle.

We saw a beaver

Came home to find nest

being built by a robin.

Same place as last year.

Today was perfect.

60, no clouds, but windy.

View from Fort Snelling.

65-miler

all around the Twin Cities,

then walk around lake.

Moving in nature

brings me joy, peace, and comfort.

I love my city.

Selfie was horrid.

Dug this up from weeks ago.

A bit less scowly.

 At 60%

of my June fundraising goal.

Thank you for your help!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2017

New isn't always better

This morning was a little cool, the afternoon was going to get warm, and the day was windy throughout, so I dressed in a few layers. This photo reminds me that I had a shirt similar to this one when I was in grade school and I was told by my friends then that my clothes always clashed. I guess I have never really cared too much about what I look like.

Can you see my cool arm warmers
under my top shirt's sleeves?

Matt and I met at the fort, and decided to skip the more heavily traveled routes in the city due to the nice weather. We rode up the river to the Coon Rapids Dam, and headed over to Elm Creek Park Reserve. Once we got there, we decided to try to find a new way home, so that we didn't take the same route back. It is a goal of mine to learn some new routes this year. I thought it might also end up being a good route for our team when I lead them on some training rides later in April and in May.

It was a good idea, and maybe it would have worked if we'd followed the path we'd originally decided on when we were standing at Elm Creek. Instead, it was a pretty "meh" ride through Maple Grove, Plymouth, Golden Valley, Crystal, and surely some other suburbs, passing through some construction zones, ignoring some "road closed signs," and appreciating the wide shoulder on Hwy 55.

So, all in all, this wasn't what I'd do again, but it still was a great ride - 68.5 miles and definitely the furthest I've gone since the fall. Despite being out of biking shape, I am really impressed with my body's muscle memory and the fact that it could handle just jumping back in as well as it did, especially with a decent headwind. I learned some other things, too. In addition to realizing that I really like my arm warmers and that I probably need new biking shoes this year, I also found out that the biking commuter pants I bought this winter aren't really good for this type of a ride in these conditions. 

I guess I'm on track for training for my summer bike rides, all of a sudden, which is good since there are a lot more moving parts to being team captain this year. 

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2017

Trivia Answers

Gary Madonna The Big Bopper Lake Michigan The Mediterranean Sea Persia Horace Slughorn Mongoose Shakespeare Vitamin D Spain The FBI Thomas Jefferson Black Knights 6 Jockstrap Charles Birdseye Bumblebees 60,000 miles Henry Kissinger

How do you rate?

So, I'm just going to assume that you're following along at home.

After arriving home from Texas, losing sleep to care for my sweet pup, and getting sick in the process, I threw together the MS Society trivia fundraiser. I am thankful that I kept good notes each year! We raised $2,256 for the MS Society on the 31st, which is super great. Thank you to all of you who made it over to Ol' Mexico. 

In between the rounds of trivia, we do some fundraising games, including heads and tails. Here's a fun video to give you a sense of the suspense surrounding the flip of a coin. 

For those of you who couldn't join us, maybe you'd like to test your knowledge?

I signed up for 30 Days of Biking, which hopefully will get me on my bike more, and in the habit of riding. All that time out of town kind of messed things up a bit. Trivia helped with my fundraising goal (I split the proceeds with the other volunteers), but I've still got some more work to do on that front. I've proposed a challenge to my teammates, which allows them to qualify for prizes for doing solid fundraising. As the organizer, I don't qualify, unfortunately.  But ending MS is the real prize. If you haven't been able to help and want to, here's the link: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2017.