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.
