Action is the bridge between thought and reality.

Today was supposed to be the day of the BikeMS Twin Cities Ride. Like the day on which this was held last year, today rained a lot - all day. Unlike last year, I didn't ride today, fix a flat tire, and eat tons of donuts. Instead, because this year's ride was a #VirtualBikeMS ride, I did a 45-ish mile route yesterday, on my own, in much isolation. And I ate rather healthily, to boot.

Because my nicer road bike is in desperate need of some new shifter cables (scheduled to be replaced later this week), I took out ol' reliable - - the bike I bought when I first started doing MS fundraising bike rides 11 years ago - - my red Giant. I stuck a pannier on it, threw some snacks and some rain gear in the bag, plus some food containers to drop off on the deck of my brother and sister-in-law (a couple of weeks ago she made me some homemade Scotch eggs with eggs from their ducks) on the way home. 

This is not the bike I rode yesterday,
but I did ride with a bell, my Garmin, and
a speaker. I listened to the radio through
my phone. It was a nice change of pace.

I took the approach one would take with a BikeMS event - slow and steady, a few breaks and photos, enjoying the day and the scenery. It was grey and cool, which means it was a decent day for riding. 

I went to Mendota, over the 494 bridge (no turtles sunbathing, alas), past the Minnesota River Valley wildlife preserve, and stopped to take off my jacket by one of my favorite little oddities - a lamb farm on the backside of the Mall of America, overlooking the Minnesota River. The land is always for sale, but I hope they never actually sell it. 

A working farm, by the Mall of America.
My bike helmet was particularly
off center all day on Saturday.

I rode to the Bloomington Ferry Bridge, where no one but me was wearing a mask (decidedly different from a few weeks ago), and I went and found a place of sanctuary to eat my snack. 

A little tiny spur of the Minnesota River,
which is in the background.

Proof that I was there, and that
I didn't pull the photo off the
Internet. I was wearing my favorite
BikeMS jersey - the one
from last year's ride in the Bay Area.

You could tell the water receded not that long ago.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' song Under the Bridge came into my mind, but none of the lyrics actually relate to my ride or, frankly, my life. I found these bridge quotes.  

“Compassion removes the walls of mistrust and builds bridges of hope, trust and beliefs.”
― Amit Ray, Walking the Path of Compassion

“Action is the bridge between thought and reality.”
― Richie Norton

“Not everyone is placid enough to build bridges over. Not everyone is submissive enough to allow dams. Some are meant to be free. Flowing.”
― Nitya Prakash

OOOH. That last one is a bit of a zinger.

It was a good ride, but my allergies were in full force. I took this photo the day before, by my house. Everything is in full bloom and smells miraculous.

While I haven't been riding my bike as much as in some prior years, a look at my, ahem, (snobby tone) historical records tells me that I'm pretty much where I was in the 2018 season as of May 17. That sort of surprises me.

Because I keep track of things, I guess, I can tell you - with precision - that these photos are from two weeks ago, when I did a quick 20-mile Sunday morning ride (the day after riding 62 miles - in 2020! it is possible!)

The Mississippi River in North Minneapolis.
Still, the signs of a decade-old tornado are obvious.

So, my goal for this year was to do the distance of the three MN BikeMS rides roughly during the time I would have done them if we were doing the rides as a group. That's one of the three under my belt! It will take some creativity (and, perhaps some padded shorts) on my part to get 150 miles in over the second weekend of June and 300 miles in during the third week of July, given ongoing social distancing, but I welcome the challenge.

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