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| It takes a village. My brother Matt and S-I-L, Ahnna (taking the photo, I'm in the mask), are just two of many people involved in "The Great Haley Socialization Effort of 2021." |
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| Haley, looking like she's going into battle. She's muscular, but a lot smaller and less intimidating than she appears here. We were actually in the drug store drive-thru lane after running errands related to my BikeMS team captain role. |
So let's go over some highlights and key details, shall we? First of all, people have donated $2,225 so far for my BikeMS rides this year (I'm waiting for the MS Society to consolidate my donations and put them toward one ride, which is how I like to do it). This is really exciting! The May ride, the Twin Cities Ride, has been cancelled due to some logistical challenges related to COVID. I will still ride the same distance that same day. The MS150, normally a two-day ride of 150 miles (hence the name), will be a one-day, 75-mile ride in June. I for sure will ride 75 miles, solo or as part of the event. I may try to do 150 miles that weekend, nonetheless, like I did on my own last year. The Ride Across MN, normally a 5-day, 300-mile ride, will be a three-day ride of 50 miles per day. I'm still figuring out how far I'll ride this year.
A couple of weeks ago, I left home for a 30ish mile ride and ended up going almost 55 miles. Thankfully, I realized that the first half of a ride had a nice tailwind before I got to the point of uncomfortable return. Sadly, I ran over a small snake and probably killed it.
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| If you squint, it looks like a shiny palace, not an oil refinery. |
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| On an old historic swing bridge, jutting out into the Mississippi. |
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| A nice overlook by Inver Grove Heights, not too far from Hastings, which my friend Matt showed me several years ago. It looks a lot nicer when there are leaves on the trees, which would be now. I'll go back! |
The next day, I did my 30ish-mile ride and made myself find the hillier spots of MSP. So I rewarded myself with a very summery treat: a monster cookie and coffee on the patio at Fireroast Coffee.
So, what else? My morning "commute" ride - - the loop I did most weekday mornings last spring, summer, and fall apparently will have another detour this year due to construction (there currently is one detour due to a recurring landslide issue), so we'll see if I do the detour or switch up my route this year. I like this route because there is little traffic and few stoplights/stop signs. Plus, I saw a deer the other day and had to ring my bell to get it to scamper away.
This past Saturday, I rode down to Blackdog Lake (What city *is* that? Burnsville? I think so, even though I go through Eagan?) and took a new little trail alongside the I-35 bridge, and then took a beautiful new paved trail along the river toward home - - until it dead-ended. So then I went home through town.
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| The MN River from I-35. |
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| This is the actual view, but I had held the phone up between the bars. I think the people in their cars must feel like they're locked up while I'm out there riding freely next to them. Well, with a wall separating us. |
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| That darned dead end! The trail is so pretty and what a nice loop it would be if the trail went through! |
Then, on Sunday, I got a late start because I was glued to nature TV - - drinking coffee, looking out the front window, watching the opossum that Haley spotted in the crabapple tree, from half a living room away.
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| I wish I knew if it was a female with babies in a pouch. |
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| We each kept vigil in our own way. |
I ended up riding to the Coon Rapids Dam, where the sky was dark, but I beat the (not-too-heavy) rain. I kept myself amused for a while after I saw this sign, by thinking of YEARS ago when there was an episode of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me on NPR where they accepted essays of why people wanted to go smelting, and the winner got to go to Wisconsin for a smelting adventure.
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| I'd go, if it is outside. I should check on that. I'm so curious. I don't know that I'd eat any. |
I did see a big fat woodchuck - - not going hungry at all on my bike ride. It startled me and I thought that would be quite the story of falling off my bike. But, I didn't fall.
My goal this year is $3000 - - just another $700+ to go! https://mssociety.
