Opmerkingen van de weg 2

We had tons of fun seeing, in order of appearance, Sam, Sarah, GiGi, Nate, Pat, Karen, Ken, Katie, and Micah in the Cleveland area. We are now en route to Syracuse, by way of Niagara Falls.

Stray thoughts: 

- I love talking bikes, books, and music with Sarah and Sam. I could spend lots of time with them. I think we need to do more bike rides together once Sarah builds her bike. I'm in awe of her for being able to figure it out. I just go to the Angry Catfish, but should do more myself.

- My Uncle Pat creates difficult crossword puzzles. He speaks of my grandpa (his father-in-law) using the most beautiful language, while my Aunt Karen pays homage to my grandma by wearing colorful shoes that belonged to her.

- GiGi and Nate are two energetic preschoolers that crack me up. I admire their parents, including Katie, who makes phenomenal spicy shrimp stuff as they do in Spain. Yum.

- Sam is a good running partner, who makes good soda bread. Sarah gives excellent hugs and is a good scrabble opponent.

- Micah picks good lunch spots, and is a good sport.

- There sure are plenty of classic rock radio stations in eastern Ohio, the chimney of Pennsylvania, and western New York.

- The no hitchiking signs we saw today were different. Hitchhiking is okay in NY, but, understandably, the State encourages you to not pick up hitchhikers near prisons.

- I saw a big turkey.

Observations from the road

In no particular order:

- Indiana is the first place I've ever seen a sign that conveys, by a hand with a thumb sticking up in a red circle with a line through it, that hitchhiking is prohibited.

- Indiana would hate the hitchhikers Stacy and I saw in Wisconsin on Saturday: four sort of dirty punk/grunge people with three big dogs. I don't know how they planned to get a ride for four people and three dogs.

- I eat total crap on the road: two jumbo cookies, a bag of salty, buttery popcorn, a latte. I can feel virtuous about the vegetarian Subway sandwich and the apple, I guess.

- Dan has an amazing ability to drive long distances. Music en route so far today included the Jayhawks, Don Williams, Waylon (?), Big Star, the Decemberists, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana,the Beastie Boys, Wilco, Matthew Sweet, and others I wasn't paying attention to because I've been reading.

- We are just did our longest day of driving (13 hrs) towards Vermont. Today is the Mpls to Cleveland leg. It's Dan's first time in Ohio.

- This cool video of my rowing team makes me excited for rowing camp. http://vimeo.com/73251903

- I was feeling nervous about 9 rowing practices (and other workouts/instruction) in fewer than 4 days, but I've been eating like crap. (See above.) I welcome exercise. At least today, while just sitting in the car and while my bike is in for a tune up.

- I saw a huge owl.

"Hey you, out there on the road... can you help me?"

The blog, as of late

Dear Maggie, dear, dear, Maggie -

I have found the password 2 edit me, your Blog, and have decided 2 leave U a message here, telling U 2 get your flippin' act together. I'm just sitting here in my sweatpants, wallowing in my sorrows, listening 2 Pink Floyd, drinking cheap liquor mixed with Mountain Dew while U galavant around town and neglect yer responsibilities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tejEluoVggk

Yer lucky U have me. Here's the photo U were supposed to show of  U riding yer bike with Mark on the Dinkytown Greenway on August 4 before U went with Matt on what U said was one of your "favorite bike rides of the summer." I'm so great, I even found a video of it. U and Mark are at 0:33-0:35.





And then what did U do? U skipped town! U went and played in the mud with yer friends. Happy yet?

Nice, U and Jennifer are just hanging out on this rope, laughing. Did U even try to run this course? And what's going on here? Why R U smiling?


I was asking around town and heard that you've been rowing more lately, supposedly to try to prep for yer rowing camp in Vermont in the first part of Sept. Next thing U know, U will claim that U can't get a reliable signal in the wilderness and stay in touch with your ol' friend Blog. Whatever. [Hiccup.]

I miss you. Love, Bloggy. p.s. Together we stand, divided we fall.

Viva la Dutch, and Muck Fest

Here is a great article posted by my friend Lizzie on Facebook about the Dutch and their bikes. I love the balance between cyclist rights and responsibilities. The only thing I take issue with is the lack of helmets. You can suffer a preventable, traumatic injury by falling off your bike without a helmet (or one that isn't on right). And if there really are hardly any collisions with cars, almost any bike injury would be prevented.

I guess I also have become a supporter of lycra (technically, I suppose, it is a supporter of me!), which the Dutch aren't. I don't wear it all the time and don't need the padding my shorts offer for short trips, but it is really nice to have shorts that don't go for their own ride during my ride to work and to have jersey-like/breathable shirts, since I am a sweaty person and it is humid in MN. 

We are headed on our way to today's MS event: the mud run. This is event number three of three for me for this year. I guess when I am done, I'll get ready for rowing camp.

Info about the event:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMuckhoney2013

Biking on the brain

Last night I had a dream that I woke up this a.m., looked out the living room window, and saw a tent in the street with a sign, "Jim's Cycles." I walked out, in my pajamas, and noticed about a dozen cyclists out there, grabbing their bikes from people associated with whoever (whomever? I never know... I think it is whomever, because I can say "associated with him," right? I'll resolve that later.) Jim is.

It turned out that the cyclists ride on Jim's team and were riding in a  Minneapolis bike tour that started on 43rd Street - the street at the end of my block.

There were a lot of mundane details to this dream: conversations about the team, the bikes (in my dream I was super knowledgeable of brands, styles, and components), the riders, etc. I went around and followed the team and saw them ride by parts of the city that don't actually exist. I also gave them some Gatorade.

When I woke up, it took me a minute to realize it wasn't real.

I might have dreamed about biking because I'm biking to my friend Marcy's house today and we are biking to the movies. I was thinking about the route before I went to bed. And then I'm going to the grand opening of the Dinkytown Greenway tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing the mayor speak. He's a big supporter of bikes/bikeability. I'm going to miss him when he leaves office.

"I want to thank you for your generosity"

"You've been so kind and generous

I don't know how you keep on giving

For your kindness I'm in debt to you

For your selflessness, my admiration

And for everything you've done."

- Natalie Merchant

Thank you, friends, for your continued donations to the MS Society to show your support for the fundraising bike rides that I participated in this summer! As of tonight, you've contributed $5,141 - more than I thought would be possible (especially with no corporate sponsors and people with average jobs)!

So, what are you doing on Sunday? 

Want to join me on a bike ride? This will be part of my planned route:

Noon - Bike ride begins: Riders will meet near the corner of Carter Avenue and Eckles Avenue in Saint Paul, on the campus Lawn. We will ride the U of M Transitway west towards the Dinkytown Greenway. 

12:20 p.m. – “Pit stop” at Malcolm Ave. SE: We'll meet up with Mayor Rybak and hear a brief presentation from Omar Ansari, the founder of Surly Brewing Company, about development plans along this route. 

12:45 p.m. – Grand opening celebration: Gather at the corner of Oak Street SE and 5th Street SE, next to TCF Stadium, to formally open the Dinkytown Greenway. 

After the celebration, the bike ride will continue along the new greenway, through campus and across the Mississippi River to the site of next year’s Bluff Street Trail project, which will complete the trail connection to downtown Minneapolis. 

Monday, Monday

"Monday, Monday, can't trust that day. Monday, Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way. Oh, Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be."

Oh, actually you did, when I put my hand through the plastic bag when walking the dog this morning. Nevermind.

After coming home and scrubbing my hands for about 35 minutes, I got on my bike, rode down 42nd Street to 42nd Avenue, followed a truck through the green light, and ran over something that popped my rear tire.

Since I got a lot of practice changing this tire on the 4th of July, I wasn't too bummed to get that sucker changed in no time at all. Tire off, old tube off, new tube on, tire on, and... my pump, which stinks, was not cooperating. I pumped, and pumped, and pumped. It was hard to get a good seal because I have a screw-on adapter for my Shrader (sp?) valve pump to work on my presta valve tires. I pumped some more. I tried to have a Zen-like attitude. I pumped. For a long time.

And then a guy across the street opened his garage and I yelled across, asking if he had a floor pump. Indeed.

I got it pumped up, rode home, showered (had planned on doing that at work), and went to the bike shop. Today's purchases? A delicious, large latte, two spare tubes, one new Continental Gatorskin tire, and one fabulous, small hand pump made for presta valves.

I could have real problems.

And as a bonus, I got to answer all of the bike mechanic's questions about how the TRAM went, and think again about what a great week that was, and then spent some peaceful time tonight in the garage, putting on my new tire, cleaning my chain up, etc.

Monday, Monday... So good to me?