“We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination”

Apparently this is quote from Paulo Coelho, the author.

I can't find the many actual photos I've
taken of detour signs when biking, oddly.

After finishing the TRAM on July 31, I can describe my biking attitude as, "Let's GOOOO!" I knew that I'd have to take a few days off for my planned varicose vein surgery on Monday, August 10. All went well with the surgery, and I was dutifully lying down with my legs elevated on Monday and Tuesday.

The mummy

I took the bandages off, and things were not remotely as scary under there as I had imagined. A lot of big bruises and a lot of teeny, tiny cuts. No problem. Wednesday morning went well and I was feeling good. From the beginning, I hadn't needed any of the pain meds they prescribed (Tylenol was good enough) and I had figured out how to get comfortable for sleeping. So I was thinking about easing back into a bike ride the following weekend. 

Wednesday afternoon, I thought, "well, that right upper calf area/back of the right knee sure does hurt... kind of like when I had a blood clot in 2010." You can see where this is going, friends.

The clinic had already planned to do an ultrasound on my left leg on Thursday because, based on the procedure they did, it was the one where logically and scientifically a clot would be expected to be if one were to get a clot (even though they did stuff on both legs). 

Presurgery, the surgeon took a purple
marker to map out his plan

This eventually wore off, after the 
bruises took their place

Long story short, it took some convincing (very oddly, and also disappointingly, considering that I've had a clot before and learned then that I have a genetic predisposition for clots), but the first second they put that ultrasound roller thing on my right leg, they knew that I was right. (I actually have 3 clots in that leg.) I obviously caught things right away, so I'm just hanging out, taking injectable blood thinners and not doing any vigorous leg exercises (or engaging in risky activities that would be bad if one were on blood thinners; they cautioned me not to use a chainsaw, which made me laugh). Once an ultrasound suggests I'm good to go, I'll be good to go. 

Haley and I had a great walk at the wildlife refuge
this past weekend

On the bright side, the blood thinners alleviated my leg pain pretty quickly. I had an ultrasound last Friday that shows that things are better, but not resolved, so I'm just kind of waiting. But better is better.

On a bike ride, I don't usually follow the detour signs - I just plow through the closed off area until it is completely impossible or extremely unsafe to continue. I kind of have to follow the detour this month. I'm a little impatient (especially with this beautiful biking weather!) and feeling a bit too self-pityish, but shouldn't be for a few reasons:

1. The surgery itself went really well and the pain was not bad. The people at the outpatient surgery center were FANTASTIC.

2. I knew what a blood clot felt like so I didn't waste time like in 2010, letting it get really, uh, established.

3. I have medical insurance.

4. I have been taking nice walks with Haley, my dog, and mostly at the level before.

5. I am not scared of needles.

6. I had to advocate for myself when they said, "that's virtually impossible." And now maybe they know not to pre-judge situations. 

7. I'll be totally fine.

8. I'm mapping out my fitness plans for the winter, with this extra downtime.

9. My neighbor gave me flowers, without even knowing any of what's been going on; they were a thank you for watching their cat.

10. I'm thinking about next summer, with this extra downtime, and the fact that I cannot do the BikeMS TRAM next July because we have a big trip to Europe planned next summer. So I need an alternative biggish thing for my fundraising for the MS Society. This is the planned and good type of a detour!

The surgery team and pre- and
post- op folks sent me a get
well card - that's nice!

Flowers from my neighbor,
from her yard

So, my friends, stay tuned for what I end up doing next year instead of the TRAM. I have a good idea of what it will be, but need to think about it a little bit more. In the meantime, trust your body, trust your instincts, and if you know something is not normal, keep on pushing to get it figured out.

p.s. The MS Society is still accepting donations toward this year's ride, if you wanted to donate, but didn't get around to it - https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/Go-Maggie-Go.

Hot Summer Streets

Those Gen Xers among you will recognize the sage words of Bananarama:

"Hot summer streets and the pavements are burning

I sit around

Trying to smile but the air is so heavy and dry

Strange voices are sayin' (what did they say?)

Things I can't understand

It's too close for comfort, this heat has got right out of hand...

The city is crowded, my friends are away

And I'm on my own

It's too hot to handle, so I got to get up and go..."

(Audio and video available here, I think!)

Last week, for the Bike MS The Ride Across Minnesota (TRAM), the summer streets were definitely hot, pavement was burning, the air was heavy (but humid), and those of us doing the ride had to get up as early as possible and go! 

I spent a good chunk of last Saturday packing my bags with camping gear, riding gear, toiletries, Alleve and my inhaler, biking accessories (lights, helmet, etc.), clothes to wear and snacks to eat after riding, a battery operated fan for in my tent (essential this year), and - of course - jumbo Icy Hot patches to apply each morning, although I placed mine more vertically than horizontally, from my left glute up into my left mid-back.

On Sunday, I walked the dog, watered the garden, put my gear in the car, and my bike on the rack and rode up to Menahga, Minnesota, a place I've never visited before. It was quite toasty - in the mid-90s with a heat index over 100.

I rendezvoused with my friend Steve, who was coincidentally dropped off in Menahga by my husband Dan, after their annual guys' trip to their friend's cabin. About 10 miles south of Menahga, Dan and I passed each other on the county highway. I felt like we should have had an official relay baton.

Then, our friends from another team (MS is BS) joined us as we sat by a little lake, and then they came and hung out with us by our tents. They took advantage of the open Menahga HS gym's air conditioning and camped inside; I didn't think I'd get any sleep inside a gymnasium with 200 snoring people rustling around on their camping pads, so I stuck with my tent. There is only a Subway restaurant in Menahga, other than a family restaurant that isn't open for dinner. The family restaurant was enlisted to provide meals at the high school on Sunday night, for a fee, which was great. I was able to get a surprisingly good salad, hoping the whole time that they wash their lettuce well.

L to R: Steve, Jeff and Jess from CO,
Gregg and Kellie from Mpls; Jess and Kellie are sisters

You could tell we were in the part of
the state where a lot of Finnish people settled,
due to names like this

The route for the week - 277 miles

We rode just under 52 miles the first day. At the first rest stop, Steve played horseshoes while I stretched. The second rest stop was in Nevis, home of "the world's largest tiger musky." A musky is a fish. It was toasty, as evidenced by our red faces.

We ended up at the Hubbard County Fairgrounds in Park Rapids, where there was no shade. I had brought a small tarp and some rope and we rigged that up, along with parts of the others' tent flies to create some shady spots to sit in. (If you want to see a photo, let me know and I can share the link.)

I really want to know
what Troy's real name is

I think Steve and I split a pizza at a brewery that night for dinner. Despite the floodlights at the fairgrounds, I slept pretty decently because it was quiet. The next day, we rode just over 62 miles to Wadena. Wadena is a city where we've camped on the TRAM before, so I was looking forward to getting there. It is a bit bigger of a town than the other two we'd been in. About 1/3 of the way into the ride, I was hurting. My shins hurt, my hip hurt, my back hurt, etc. I stretched a lot and managed to pop my SI joint, which relieved a lot of pressure. I felt pretty good by the time we finished. 

(Note, I stretched at every rest stop, every day. I also stretched every morning because my friend Harvey texted me to remind me to stretch every morning. I used my foam roller every afternoon to work out the kinks. These steps, along with taking Alleve each morning, using Icy Hot, and going slow and steady (with Steve's help and friendly reminders to slow down when I was going faster than I said I had wanted to go), were key to my being able to do the ride.)

A family that donates generously to the ride, creating those fundraising matches in honor of their wife/mother who had MS and died a few years ago, had donuts for us at rest stop 2. 

Day 2 - I got a lot of compliments on
my MN flag shirt - - a lot more than last year; I
think a lot of riders are feeling proud of Minnesota
and the response to ICE tormenting
our neighbors

In Wadena, Steve and I went to a brewery and I took advantage of their veggie tacos (and nachos) offered on Taco Tuesday. They were pretty decent, but I wouldn't drive all the way to Wadena just for those. I also was hoping that they wash their lettuce well, too!

View from my tent in Sunnybrook Park
in Wadena; there was a lot of goose poop, but it was worth it

On Wednesday, we rode 64 miles to Pequot Lakes, where we spent two nights. Thursday was a loop day ride in the P.L. area. I was CRANKY when we got to Pequot Lakes. It was hot, there was little shade, the shower truck was far away, and there was confusion about where to get drinking water nearby. I got the water situation figured out, showered before I even put up my tent (which is not my normal routine), and got Steve and I iced coffee drinks from a coffee shop about a block away from our tents. Whew. Recovery.

My friend Harvey, who didn't ride Monday or Tuesday, did an abbreviated ride on Wednesday and it was great to see him. Steve and I had dinner at one of the two restaurants downtown. It was okay. I had a salad with Walleye on it, hoping that the state and local health departments educated restaurant owners on how to wash their lettuce. A random guy from town joined us at our table as he participated in the meat raffle contest because the restaurant was so crowded, and then Harvey came over and joined us, too.

The loop day was about 45 miles and it was a little cooler. The roads were in great condition, many of them having recently been resurfaced. The shoulders weren't great at all points, but there wasn't much traffic. Because we didn't have to take down or set up tents that day, I got coffee for Steve and me for breakfast and then we went back to the coffee shop for lunch and had really delicious sandwiches. 

We went to dinner with Harvey and his friends (some of whom came just for dinner and had big cars) at a brewery a few miles out of town. I just had this hummus platter thing since my lunch sandwich was so huge. The dinner was great - the people were terrific, including a boy and a young man who are grandsons of two other riders. It was great to see the love and relationship between the grandsons and their grandpas, especially the young man who provided a lot of physical support to his grandpa, who has MS and needs some mobility assistance (but rides a recumbent bike and has a walker).

Thursday - that's me; Steve took it

Pequot Lakes - the water tower is a bobber

I got Steve and Harvey to
take my favorite kind of picture

Thursday night is my favorite night because it is team contest night. Teams can participate in the t-shirt contest and in the team song competition. It is so much fun and people get to know each other over the years and really support each other in the competitions. This year was a bit different in that the volunteers from Rest Stop 1 each day had "team t-shirts" and competed in the shirt contest. Also a first: the two bike mechanics from two different shops who support us all week, every year had a "team song." They didn't actually sing, but used AI to make a song about bike mechanics and then changed some flat tires on stage to the beat of the music. There's this team called Cycleops (timely with the Odyssey movie that is out!) that always has fun team songs and this year did not disappoint. The second part of their 3-part medley was very funny. (I have video clips of the team contest stuff in my album, if anyone is interested.)

Friday, I was up before 5, listening to the rain on my tent, and checking the radar. 

I could see there'd be a lull in the rain from about 5-6:30 a.m., so I began packing up at around 5, getting on my bike at 6:30, which is a record for me. We could see that we were on the edge of a storm system that could produce thunder and lightning. We lucked out - just a cold steady rain all morning, but no harsh winds and no thunder or lightning. 

At the finish line, we were greeted by Harvey, as well as our MS is BS friends.

Harvey, me, and Steve -
Harvey has such a positive attitude!

Miss Sebeka (1st Princess), Junior Miss Sebeka (1st and 2nd Princesses),
and Little Miss Sebeka (1st Princess) were at the finish line.
Steve and I talked to them to learn about what it takes to become a
Miss Sebeka (Sebeka is a city 10 miles south of Menahga).
They get scholarship funds - it is a little bit of a beauty pageant,
but more about how they do in an interview and things like that.

We had pizza at the finish line, showered, and headed home, after we took my photo showing that I was the 11th highest fundraiser last year. 

As of right now I'm the 9th highest for 2026 - - https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/Go-Maggie-Go. I hope to stay in the top 10! 

Thanks for all of the donations and words of encouragement - especially during the ride! I really appreciate it.

The MS Society has made more breakthroughs in research in the last decade than in the previous several decades. The Society also engages in advocacy for health care coverage for people with MS, and provides services to people with MS. This has never been more important, given all of the ongoing uncertainty at the federal level. On a personal level, I have friends with MS who are doing well, friends with MS who are doing okay, and a friend with MS who has stopped treatment due to seeing no progress and experiencing bad side effects. On the ride, we meet a lot of people with MS, and people whose loved ones have MS. This cause means a lot to me, and it is a privilege to be able to do this ride. 

The home stretch, with lots of stretches

I've been riding most days in July, other than when I was in Wisconsin earlier this month with my Aunt Marianna from Kentucky to visit Beth, my stepmom, and my brother and his family. As always, it was a treat to take my dog to the nearby Sniffspot (private dog parks you can rent out).

Haley wasn't too impressed with the horses, but the chickens...

Beth bought Haley a new toy and
I hilariously got a photo featuring her tongue.

I rode pretty regularly in June, too, and I'm pretty happy with the frequency of rides I've been doing, even if they haven't been super long. 

The pinch flat I got riding over a pothole.
Thankfully it was very close to home so I could just walk home
and fix the flat at my house rather than on the side of
the road on a hot day.

Nevertheless, my back, hip, and neck led me to go for two massages this month, which makes me wonder why I'm so hesitant to go do something like that before things get super annoying. If I'm going to end up spending the money when I'm in pain, why not do it sooner to try to prevent the pain? Anyhow, I went to two totally different places and they each were good in their own way, so I'll go back to each person again (and I scheduled one appointment for shortly after I get back home after the TRAM).

This weekend, I rode 45 miles each day. The wildfire smoke subsided enough to make that a possibility and the heat index was around 90 each day (an improvement from earlier this month). I realized that I think my best strategy for the TRAM is to go a little slower and in a little lighter gear. It will take me longer, but will be more pleasant. This was my M.O. for the rides this weekend and overall they were pretty comfortable in real time.

The dog loves the heat, until all of a sudden she doesn't.

Until it recently got really hot, I'd been riding
with these very, very attractive compression
socks that oddly match my sandals. 

The other day, I re-rewired the headphones
in my helmet. The other headphones I'd
recently used as replacements were too
protective of the ears and didn't play my music
loud enough. These work great.

Yesterday, I rode to Como Lake and Lake Phalen, along Battle Creek, and along the Mississippi. I lost my rear light along the way at some point, unfortunately so had to get a new one. 

Today, I rode along the Minnesota River at various points. 

MN River Valley

MN River - it looked prettier in real
life, although it definitely is a brown river -
very silty

I'm so lucky to live by both these big rivers, and so many lakes and creeks. And I'm also lucky to have really good biking routes along them all, too. 

So a week from now, I'll hopefully be peacefully asleep in my tent on the grounds of "the public school" in Menahga, Minnesota. It isn't clear to me whether there's one K-12 school or if it is just an elementary school or what, but that's where we will park, camp, and then take off for our 5-day ride. I learned from Wikipedia that the booming town of Menahga (1340 residents in 2020) was platted in 1891 and named for the Ojibwe word miinikaa meaning "there are [many] blueberries."

I was looking for restaurants for dinner and the options are Subway and a couple of gas stations. It's that kind of town! I'm curious, though, to find the Blueberry River. And maybe some actual blueberries?

Until I go, I'll be doing some shorter rides around town, running my packing errands, and getting some chores done. And working, trying to get things squared away before skipping town... 

Thanks for your support everyone! Wish me luck! 

https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/Go-Maggie-Go

http://maggiemsbiking.blogspot.com

Ridin' Through the Heartland

I didn't do any bike rides in Northern Wisconsin, when I wrote my last post from the couch at my mom and stepdad's house. But Dan and I took our dog and my parents' dog for a nice (albeit buggy) walk in the woods before we headed to a beer tasting festival. This is my favorite place to walk. 

Since then I've been prepping for the 5-day BikeMS TRAM ride by trying to ride as many days as possible, even if I'm only riding for 15 miles. My biking friend, Laura, who lives 0.5 miles from me has been a willing 7:15 a.m. companion on several weekdays. If it were up to her, I think we'd leave earlier, but I like coffee and breakfast, and am a putter-er. 

Last weekend, I rode with my friend Steve, who will be doing the TRAM with me, up to the Coon Rapids Dam, where I haven't ridden for quite some time. I think I may have skipped it entirely last year. Anyhow, they have a great new visitor center area by a kid's splash pad, which means that there are good bathrooms and water now. On the way home, we rode through the brand new Upper Harbor Terminal park in North Minneapolis, which was pretty cool. We spent some time checking out the swings. 

My back and hip have been bothering me, so instead of riding the next day, I did a lot of yard work, including spending a lot of time on my hands and knees cleaning all the weeds out of these bricks. I love how fresh and clean it is now. However, this did not at all help my back and hip.

I distracted myself from the discomfort by obsessing over Mr, Tiny, who I was crayfish-sitting while his family was out of town. I love this little guy. He is oddly captivating!

This weekend, Dan and I packed up the camper and dog and went to Pike Bay, on the south side of Cass Lake. Friday afternoon and evening were great. 

I did a 54-mile ride on Saturday, the first 39 of which were rain-free, and the last 15 were more refreshing than anything. 

The campground essentially connects to the Heartland Trail, which is the first railway that they converted into a bike path after our Legacy Amendment passed, dedicating money to trails and the arts. Last year, I did an out-and-back on that trail and wasn't as interested in that this year. 

So, I tossed the dice and rode west on a county highway to the Paul Bunyan trail. The county highway, in Cass County, had bumps every fifteen feet, where they purposely had gaps in the pavement (probably for expansion and contraction), yet also had a small, but paved, shoulder. I had lots of blinky lights on the front and back of my bike (and me). The road had rolling hills and a lot of beautiful scenery. It felt like a road we'd ride on for the TRAM. It got nice and smooth when I crossed the county line into Hubbard County, but a short time after that, the shoulder disappeared. Thankfully I was not too far from Nary, where I picked up the bike trail. Also, there was not much traffic and each car/pickup that passed me went fully into the other lane, which I greatly appreciated. 

So, I took the Paul Bunyan trail down to Walker, got on the Heartland Trail, and rode back to the campsite. It was harder than it should have been due to my back and hip (which woke me up in the middle of the night the night before), but I stopped a lot to stretch, played music and sang along to it, looked at the scenery, and tried to be grateful to be on a bike and hurting versus not being able to ride at all.

Nary, MN - apparently there are vending machines!

From the Paul Bunyan Trail

Proof that I was there, and didn't just pull that
off the Internet

After getting back to camp, wading in the lake with the dog, putting on dry clothes, and waiting out the next wave of rain, I made a PT appointment, two massage appointments, and mapped out my PT and stretching plan for the week (including some quality time tonight). I'll figure it all out before the ride. At least I'll figure it out enough. I saw this little critter. He made me smile.

So, I have a month before the bike ride and some more riding to do, some body management things to do, but it is all coming together!

https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/Go-Maggie-Go

Slow and steady

I tend to be a pretty steady rider, so my speed for a 15-mile ride and a 50-mile ride tend to be similar. I've been doing a steady rotation of 15-mile rides before work and 20-mile rides after work, with a couple 35-40 milers (one with my friend Laura, where we sought out the hills) and a 50+ mile ride where I fortuitously ran into my Thursday night crew for the last 17 miles.

 

I have been opting for frequency over distance, but will need to increase the distances as I prep for the BikeMS ride.

Thanks to you (conversely!) fast and furious donors who responded to my call so I could benefit from match opportunity. I haven't done the exact math, but that spurt added about $2400 to my fundraising goal. I'm a couple hundred away and am confident we can get there in the next 6 weeks or so until the ride. 

I heard this spring from a woman who has been donating for a while; she told me she has been donating because she has a family member with MS. A friend told me his friend's youngish daughter was recently diagnosed. Another friend with MS told me that her treatment isn't working, so she is stopping treatment. That was hard to take in. Another friend with MS is having good luck with her treatment. All of this is to say that your donations matter. They support services, research, and advocacy - a perfect trifecta! 

I was in California last weekend, seeing my sisters, and am in northern Wisconsin now, stretched out on my mom and stepdad's couch. I am looking forward to riding the next couple of weekends!

You can donate here!

https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/Go-Maggie-Go