That girl on that bicycle showed great interest in all the icicles in the neighborhood

This weekend probably was a good weekend for riding. I don't really know; I was in Wisconsin. I went to help one set of my parents pack up their house as they finalize their move to the north woods. 

Things I learned: 

• The Chicken Palace is a good Mexican restaurant (I assumed it would be Chinese, since many palace restaurants in strip malls tend to serve Chinese food).
• My parents have been holding my college food service tray which doubled as a sled for going down the hill by the athletic fields my freshman year.
• One household can acquire a significant amount of paint, sealant, stain, and the like over nearly three decades.
• Crawlspaces can be not creepy and, if I'd lived in that house as a young child, I would have made the crawlspace my fort.
• The Wisconsin DOT employs someone without the best spelling skills. ("Leave yourself room to break." Oh, don't worry about that.)
• Bones and Elementary are decent enough network TV shows. The Love Boat hasn't aged well. (Their cable has been disconnected.) 
• I should give my other parents, who live out in the country, ice skates for Christmas so that they can get to their mailbox across the glare ice that is their road.
• And this isn't something I learned, but I was reminded of it: While Minnesota is (without a doubt) the better place to live of the two states, Wisconsin is prettier on the whole.

The driving was easy, which is good, but I daydreamed the whole way about how nice those roads would be on my road bike, rather than in my car, and started thinking about some longer rides I'd like to do in 2017. 

I pulled into town in advance of the forecasted freezing rain, unloaded the dog and car, grabbed my helmet, and tooled around the snow-packed streets and paths in my part of town, hitting the places where I like to stop in the summer, to compare the views. I am proud of myself for not overthinking the ride and what to wear, and just getting out there before dusk. 

I rode to the falls, but didn't take photos there. It was packed. The ice was a cool color and there were neat little spots where water was spraying out of the frozen falls, but apparently not hitting all the people breaking the park rules and crawling down on the ice. 

I then rode up River Road for a little bit, and turned around to see what I could see by the Lock & Dam at Ford Dam. The observation deck is closed for the winter, which is too bad. The ice piles up in a cool way by the dam. I stuck my bike by this wall when I wandered around and then noticed that it was under a nice array of icicles coming off some rocks at Minnehaha Park.

I rode to the Fort to see how the Mississippi looks right now. I take a lot of pictures from this spot each year, but mostly during the summer and fall. Downtown is off in the distance. A short distance from here, I saw some really fluffy, large deer. They were just a few feet away from me and looked super soft.

Moving around helped get rid of some of whatever I've got going on, and is a good way to head into a week of work. MS150-wise, I need to start mapping out team rides for the spring, which is a good diversion, and also need to plan the trivia event. There's no shortage of things to keep me out of trouble.

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

How far might we go?

About a year ago, one of my posts mentioned Juliana Buhring, an endurance cyclist with an amazing story: not too long after leaving the super-abusive cult (although aren't all cults abusive in some way?) in which she was raised, she decided to take up cycling and set a world record for cycling the world.

She then was featured in the Inspired to Ride documentary, which is where I first learned of her.

Last year for Christmas, I received the book she and her sisters wrote about the cult. This year, her book about cycling around the world.

The book mostly discusses the things she encountered on her ride, but includes some reflections. You can thank tonight's added meditation at yoga, perhaps, for my improved mood and calmness, which makes me think I should share this quote:

"Who am I? Nobody important, nobody special, nobody especially talented or athletic. I would never have known that I could cycle at all, much less cycle around the world, had I not gotten on a bike and tried. I often wonder just how much human potential lies unrealized and untapped, how much we are limited by our own fears as well as by social, cultural, religious, and self-imposed limitations. If we can break through those, how far might we go as individuals, as a species?"

I asked her a question, via Twitter, about a complimentary comment in her book about Americans, and she replied that human kindness is everywhere. Indeed, Juliana.

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

Funkytown

Well, I talk about it, talk about it
Talk about it, talk about it
Talk about, talk about
Talk about movin'

After riding on the nicely groomed Afterglow Resort trails in Phelps, Wisconsin last Tuesday, I felt somewhat empowered to try the WinMan Trails in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin on Wednesday. It was discouraging at best.

We returned to an icy Minnesota, where I opted for a spinning class that was rather unlike the week's bike rides, given that it featured excessively loud George Michael music, was in a 120-degreeish room, and I was in very close proximity to about 75 other people.

I then spent some time reading This Road I Ride by the admirable and always inspiring Juliana Buhring, which helped me decide that I should stick a bottle of vodka into my solid winter riding backpack and ride to my friend's New Year's party, rather than drive.

I drank water. The vodka was a gift.

I discovered a new little bike route in St. Paul.

I found some cool, super old (for here) houses.

It was a good recalibration for a new year.

Gotta move on
Gotta move on
Gotta move on

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

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieTRAM2017

Do North

After a great Christmas visit with the bulk of my family, we headed north. Dan and I accidentally learned of an old timey resort with newly groomed singletrackish fat bike trails, and checked them out. We were two satisfied customers.

Lessons learned on my first fat bike ride of the season:

- Don't wear baggy snowpants and remember to cinch the bottom of longer jackets so that when you start falling, you are not so much one with the bike.

- If you have to put a foot down, do it on the groomed part of the trail, so that you don't sink to your one knee while straddling your too-big bike halfway up a hill.

- You can wear toe warmers with heated insoles.

Afterwards, Pipey and I took our traditional walk down to the river. Well, I walked. She scampered and slid around on the ice-coated snow while wearing her little boots. I discovered that I always reach for my camera to photograph her at the same spot on the path - regardless of season.

It was a great day outside, regardless of mode of transportation. I am looking forward to these types of bits of winter.

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

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieTRAM2017

Slackerville

In 2016, I biked more miles than in any other year of my life. 

Despite being pleased about that, I confess that I'm pretty disappointed about my December biking (and, frankly, exercise in general) "progress," especially today, the third anniversary of the purchase of my fat bike.

I rode my bike once this month. On December 1st. Granted, I had some big work obligations, including out-of-town travel. And we had some cold, cold temps and cold, cold wind chills - - about 60 degrees colder than today and far below my winter biking threshold. Regardless, I had hoped to finish the year off much stronger than this. 

Oh well, I need a goal for 2017, right?

Speaking of 2017, we've got a bunch of new riders, I hope to put together some nice new training route maps, and Stacy and I are putting our heads together for another trivia night. Stay tuned for details! 

Thank you for all of your support in 2016, even if December was not worthy. I suspect that 2017 will be another chart-topper.

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

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieTRAM2017

Xmas Intruder

'Twas two weeks before Christmas and all through the home, the human was entertaining herself with a crossword and beer while eating dinner, and the dog slept all alone.

Blah, blah kerchief and cap, blah blah clatter, what was the matter, and I ran to the door because our bell is super annoying.

What did my eyes see there? Jay from work, in his winter gear. Holding a huge Norfolk pine. Similar in size to the one I acquired from my Grandma, and we moved here 20 years and 12 days ago (exactly) from our apartment when we bought our house.

Where was I?

Oh yeah. Some decorations were hung in random places last night without much care, but now we have something like a Christmas tree in our hair. Thanks to the fundraiser for the Minneapolis Youth Chorus, for essentially bringing the holiday right before us.

Life is Better with a Southern Accent

Apparently, "Life is Better with a Southern Accent" is either the motto of or a popular saying in Little Rock, Arkansas.

I know that I heard a camo-wearing woman in the Flying Fish restaurant (where the salad I ordered came in a huge, metal mixing bowl with two pieces of spicy catfish on top) speak with pretty much the best southern accent I have heard. Three of the walls were covered with Billy Bass signs (plaques? devices?), many of which had scarily non-decomposed French fries in their mouths.

The catfish was good though.

I was concerned about having dinner the next night at another "flying" restaurant: The Flying Saucer. Was it going to be an alien-themed place? Oddly, and reassuringly, it just had decorative plates on every wall - and the ceiling. The beer list was impressive.

This was my second quick trip to Little Rock, and there's a lot to see that I didn't see. I came home determined to go back for a vacation with my bike (and my husb).

Meanwhile, I tell you whuut, I'm fixin' to git back into winter ridin' here, start figurin' out springtime things for my bike team, and send out my fundraising links, ya'll.

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

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieTRAM2017