Livin' La Vida Loca

Well, not exactly. But I sure have done a lot of biking this week, in addition to other things to keep me out of trouble. From Tuesday through today, I've ridden 223 miles. And, if you add in last weekend's rides, that's another 91 miles. I have about 2,300 miles in for 2021 so far, which is pretty much on par with last year when I rode shorter distances but much more regularly to stay sane during an unvaccinated COVID summer.

So, what's been keeping me busy since I last posted something here?

Well, I went to St. Louis for a memorial service and to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Then, I went to Wisconsin with my sister and niece to visit Beth (my stepmom).

I took my fat tire bike, rode with Beth,
and then rode to the state park.

We then caravanned (that looks weird, but I think it might actually be correct?!?) to northern Wisconsin and visited my mom and Terry. Terry took this photo of the ladies, but I didn't have their permission to post their photos and my niece had not yet put on her makeup for the day, so I redacted them from this photo. It makes me laugh. What is that face? Ha.

Well, hello.

I ate so many desserts on that trip that my clothes are still a little snug. Success! 

I did some bike rides with a couple of friends, went and saw the dancers at Irish Fair, met friends from the east coast for dinner on a patio, went to an outdoor concert with my brother and sister-in-law (compliments of my other brother who was unloading tickets for free), took a meal to a friend who is not well and had a nice talk with her, and took the dog for some walks and had a private backyard training session with the dog trainer (and the dog, of course).

Look at that tongue. She's so cute. I really like her.

I also, perhaps obviously, did some rides with the clubs I belong to.

There's a cooler shot of this background view
that I posted on Facebook, but I thought
 I should show some proof that I was there.
Someone on the ride had a flat, so we had this nice scenic break.  

The Major Taylor club, including me, eating a
Pearson's Nut Roll, provided support for
the Ride for Reparations. I rode at the back
with a walkie talkie and helped change
flat tires and things like that. It was a ride
to different sites in the city to learn about
the practice of restrictive covenants - a
form of structural racism with impacts
carrying over to today - with funds
raised going to organizations serving Black people.

I'm really trying to get better with the selfies.

I took this photo of the totally dry creek while
on the Ride for Reparations. We've been hit hard
with a drought, although the creek has some water
now - we got just under of 5 inches of rain this week.
That's more than we've had all summer.

This week, I did my third attempt at a 100-mile bike ride this summer and succeeded (for the second time)! I rode up the river to the Coon Rapids Dam, rode over to Elm Creek Park, and to the city of Maple Grove. I met up with some members of the Twin Cities Bicycling Club and rode to places I'd never been. Who knew there was a Rockford, Minnesota? There was a pretty river that we rode by and, unfortunately, there were a lot of dead turtles on the road. I then navigated my way home through Plymouth (I think?) and some other western suburbs and around the lakes and back home. 

The Luce Line trail - - still about 15-18 miles from home.
I almost ran over a snake in this area.

Then, this weekend, I rode with the Major Taylor club and, after that, we met up with another group that was hosting a ride to help a diverse group of inexperienced riders get more familiar with riding. I hung in the back, transporting someone's water bottle that kept falling off her bike and then providing moral support to a guy who was changing his flat tire. 

I never really knew what
I looked like from the rear.
This is the bridge really close to my house.
I rarely ride over it, but I walk over it
nearly every day.

The outreach ride.

Then today my friend Matt and I did kind of a crappy route. The scenery was good (I didn't take any pictures - doh!) but the traffic was not ideal. And there were a lot of dead snakes, in addition to other roadkill. But it still was a great day of riding. 

So, on the fundraising front - - people very generously donated $4,800 ($300 and $4,500) to the MS Society in support of my riding/fundraising, and I am so appreciative. https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2021

Technically, I have met my end of the bargain - I did TRY three 100-mile rides this season. But I only did two. It seems like I really need to still do that third one, so stay tuned! 

35+59+6 = 100!

I had been planning for yesterday to be my second attempt at a century ride. (You may recall that since I can't do a 5-day, 300-mile BikeMS ride this week like in past years, I said I would try to do 3, 100-mile rides this year. I've never done three centuries in once season, so it is a formidable goal. For me, anyhow.)

I got a nice route suggestion from this great woman Jean but ended up scrapping it when I saw a 51-ish-mile ride pop up on the Twin Cities Bicycling Club calendar for yesterday. I thought that I'd do 50 solo and 50 with the club. 

I ended up riding 35 miles to the start of the club ride, leaving my house at 7 a.m. 

[Observations: I never realized that in the Belly song (I was listening to music on my solo stretch), "Super Connected," there's a change at the very last part of the chorus at the end and, instead of Tanya Donnelly (who all the slightly alt-ish frat boys looooved in college) asking whether your heart strings are connected to the wings you've got slapped on your back, she asks whether your heart strings are connected to the poison coming out of your mouth. I like this twist. Also, I can confirm, again, that there are a couple of Cloud Cult songs that I just 100% love and feel are relevant for life.) Where was I? Oh yes, I rode 35 miles to the start! I stopped in one disgusting biffy by Harriet Island Park. Gross.]

Because I wanted to make sure to not be late for the club ride, I planned a route for closer to 27 miles and then rode back and forth on pretty Lilydale Road a couple of times, watching the rowers on the river. The club ride was great. It was generally some of the same areas where I've ridden before in Bloomington (13, Black Dog, etc., which Facebook reminded me was an area where I rode exactly one year ago) but with a twist. And then we rode in one area I've never ridden before: the huge boardwalk 9-Mile Creek Trail out by Edina. I didn't realize it went that far west or was so winding. 

A woman on the ride stopped and took photos
of people as we went over the 35W bridge.
That's me, on the right, in my BikeMS team jersey.

A much-needed water break on a very hot day.
And that's me, stretching in the back.

That's me, in front of the tandem. I assume this
was in Edina, but I thought we were all more 
spread out by that point, so I'm not sure.

The very kind Linda asked me whether I wanted to do the alternate ending (like a choose your own adventure book!), so she, another woman whose name I can't remember, and I tacked on 8 more miles than the rest of the group by swooping up a little further north before heading back to the ending point. This was mostly familiar territory but one cool new trail to connect from Theo Wirth park to downtown Mpls. I'm not sure how I never noticed it before.

[Note to self: This would be a good trail ride for a brewery tour ride (that I always talk about but likely will never do) since it goes by Utepils and La Dona breweries.]

I stopped back at the ride start, met up with some of the other riders on a patio, had a celebratory beer, and then backtracked back the six miles home, for a total of 100.25 miles. My motivation to get home largely stemmed from a mysterious text from my husband: "There's a treat for you in the freezer." I couldn't resist eating half of it before dinner. 

Showered and ready for that treat!

A DQ oreo blizzard that held up in the freezer
pretty well for several hours.

I've lagged in my general updates. First, a funny story. Last weekend, Kim and I planned to ride 50 miles around Prior Lake/New Prague. Thankfully, I forgot my Garmin with the 2018 route on it and had to download a free 30-day trial for Ride with GPS to do a very recent alternate route that had been posted by the Scott County cycling club. If we'd used the old 2018 route it would have stunk because everything was under construction. Nonetheless, due to some operator error, I wasn't sure how the Ride with GPS navigation cues worked at first (causing us to go an extra 5 miles) AND I did something that made every single app on my phone open and tweet a photo of my dog. (It wasn't even a recent photo of her, so I had a slight panic attack wondering what else I had accidentally posted on social media - nothing - - - I think!)

Also, here's a photo someone posted from a Tuesday night club ride from about a month ago. Riding with the bike club has been the best decision I made this year. 

I'm on the right, wearing my vintage (okay, old) PBR jersey
on my old bike while my better one was in the shop.
The guy in the yellow jersey joined us for the first time that night.
He's really nice and we mostly stick together on Tuesdays.
He sent me a list of all the best international restaurants
within 15-miles of my house, along with his family's
top recommendations of what to eat there.

Thank you for your donations of $4,310 for the MS Society for 2021. I'm not exactly sure when I'll try to do a century ride again - - I have some weekend plans in the upcoming weeks to see assorted family members, so it will be one of those "hey, that's a free day and the weather looks decent" decisions. 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2021

My Teeny Triathlon

Somehow (not many hours of sleep and most of it being of crummy quality?!?), between going to bed last night thinking, "I need to leave here at 9 to be able to bike to the start of the ride by 10" turned into, "I need to be there by 9." This then turned my thought of, "I'll take Haley for a longer-than-normal walk before the ride" to "I'll need to run with Haley to get in some decent distance." And thus, my friends, the foundation of today's triathlon was established. After running and biking, I thought, "I should swim, too," but I also need to get home soon. So, I waded in Haley's pool. That technically is a water sport, right?!?

Straight off the bike, sunglasses on my forehead.
And no, that is not a gremlin holding my leg.
That's the shadow of a milkweed. Also, my
legs look uneven because the wind was
blowing ("like a smoke machine") to the side
my non-bikey shorts I rode in. In which I rode.

Granted, none of my distances are the types of distances you'd see in an official event. But they are mine, uniquely all mine.

I stopped and started my Garmin
three times on the bike ride.

Astute readers may ask, "But wait, so what happened when you got there an hour earlier than intended?" I actually got there 75 minutes earlier than intended because it didn't take me as long as I'd budgeted. The ride start was at Urban Growler Brewery, so I ended up riding around the U of M St. Paul Campus which is so pretty and shady. I sure enjoyed taking classes there as an undergrad. I had to use a bathroom, so then I went to a cute little neighborhood by campus (where there was a 5k run, but the little neighborhood 4th of July parade had not yet started), and got a coffee and a cookie to pass the time and to justify my use of their bathroom.

I picked a chocolate cookie with powdered sugar that ended up landing all over my shorts. 

I then rode to the start of the ride, saw the Urban Growler owners who said, "Too bad we're closed today - this would be a great place to have lunch and a beer at the end your bike ride!" Then another rider rode up and said, "Did you see the ride has been cancelled because the brewery is closed?" What? Anyhow, four of us were there (including the ride leader who had officially cancelled so no one had false hopes of the brewery being open), and we ended up doing the route, but in reverse, so that we could stop at the Como Park Pavilion for some lunch and a beer before heading home.

Nothing played out exactly the way I had planned, but nothing bad happened. And it was a good day. A hot, good day! 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2021

The Rain on My Parade

Okay, so I didn't actually have a parade scheduled for today (although I did see a Tilt-a-Whirl in Wisconsin, ready to be assembled for a Fourth of July event). However, you may remember my parting words at the end of my last blog post (and if you don't, seriously?? was it not memorable??): "I'll figure out something to do as a substitute and keep it interesting!"

I was talking about the fact that I can't do the Ride Across MN this year (a two-day ride, rather than the normal 5-day ride). Well, I recently figured out what my plan would be: three, 100-mile bike rides this summer. I don't think I've ever done more than two in one year. I haven't mentioned this plan to anyone, including, until about mile 50 today, the people I was riding with on what was intended to be Maggie's 2021 Century Ride #1.

I recently scheduled today as a day off work so that I could ride. I decided this weekend to ride 20 miles to the start of a Twin Cities Bicycling Club ride that was listed as a 63-mile ride, and then ride home afterwards. I was a little nervous about it because I hurt my hamstring running with the dog this weekend. But I got my bike all fixed up last week (new chain, new hub), and had the foresight to realize last night that Google Maps' idea of how to ride to the ride was not the best way for me to get there. The forecast called for some rain, but not until later in the day and with some not-too-crazy rainfall amounts.

This morning, I checked the weather over breakfast (more rain, more thunder, a bit sooner), and headed out on my bike at 7:10. I got to the Caribou Coffee in White Bear Lake at 8:40 - - 50 minutes before the group ride started and had a cookie, a beverage, and applied my sunscreen very diligently. I knew two of the ten other riders (all of whom are retired and expressed their condolences at the fact that I still work a full-time job). These retirees are no slouches. This was the fastest, hardest 62-mile ride I've ever done. It ended up being a mile shorter than advertised... because of a construction detour?

The 20-mile route from my house to the ride.

We weaved (wove?) our way east through little neighborhoods and farms, crossed into Wisconsin, stopped at the site of an old toll bridge (now causeway) on the St. Croix River, rode up the river to Houlton, and crossed back over to Stillwater, Minnesota on the "new" bridge - the bridge that is just a few years old. It was still hot, humid, and sunny and we were glad to have a shady trail leading out of Stillwater. Then, not too long after, there were ominous clouds to the north, but we were going west! and south! and fast!

Today's winding route from WBL into WI

The causeway is what appears on the left
of this old photo. It once was the base of
a toll bridge into Minnesota, that 
apparently was hard for old-timey cars to navigate.

The new bridge. So pretty. (From the Internet.)

So, against the advice of the other riders, to whom I had revealed my century ride plans by now, I was going to continue to ride home, since I'd be going southwest. Well.... we finished the group ride and it looked like crap everywhere and it started to drizzle. I thought if it just drizzled, I could do the 20 miles home, but there was lightning in the (not too far) distance. So, I accepted the offer of a ride home, in a car, much to my own chagrin and disappointment. Not 2 minutes after we left the parking lot, it POURED. Buckets and buckets of water, so much that you couldn't see more than about 15 feet ahead. I was so grateful to not be riding on the county highway I had planned to take back to Minneapolis, drenched and likely to get hit by a car with no area to seek shelter.

So, I didn't get 100 miles in, but I got in 82 fast and hilly miles. The farthest ride I've done in 2021. And I'll ride 30-45 miles tomorrow, which I think counts more than a 100-mile ride. I'll still aim to do two more this summer. And next time I'll take some photos with my own dang phone. 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2021 

A steamy bunch o' days!

For those of you who don't live in Minnesota and think it is perpetually -30 degrees (perhaps because I tell you every day of the winter how cold it is), it can get hot and steamy here. A streak like we've had this month is pretty unusual for June. We've had temps in the mid- to high-90s and high humidity pretty much every day for two weeks, except yesterday, when I think it only hit 87. 

Yesterday was, of course, this year's modified MS150 bike ride - a one-day 75-mile local loop rather than a 2-day 150-mile ride from Duluth to the Twin Cities. My former riding partner for nearly a decade, Matt, flew back from Seattle for the ride. I ended up getting in 150 miles over the three days of riding with him. When you ride with someone roughly 100 to 150 miles per week for nearly a decade, you get to know them. It sure was nice to catch up with my good friend as we pedaled around, stopping frequently to reapply sunscreen.

I skipped work for a bit Thurs morning so we could ride.

Which bottle had more in it,
and would accompany me on the ride?

Me, at the end of the MS150. I realized,
when putting my bike in the car,
that I had no photos of me from the day.

I get weird heat rash sometimes.
Thankfully it feels nothing like a sunburn.

Yesterday's route.
I have never ridden in Blaine before.
It was a nice route,
with some familiar territory on the east side.

Before Matt came to town, I realized that I needed to ride more regularly, find new routes, challenge myself, and meet new people. So, for the last month or so, I've been riding with both the Major Taylor Bicycling Club and the Twin Cities Bicycling Club when I haven't been spending time with our crazy canine, Haley, or running errands by bike.

My last longer solo ride, in May - Grey Cloud Island.
I rode here so much last year, the group rides are
a nice change of pace.

Scenic rest stop at Grey Cloud Island in May. Ha. I was
wearing a buff. It wasn't boiling out then!

On a TCBC ride, I wore my capri rain pants and somehow
rubbed off a little circle of skin on each knee.

I also had a flat tire on that rainy TCBC ride, and
ended up replacing the rear tire a few days later.

The Major Taylor ride where I didn't get caught in
a freak thunderstorm riding to the start of the ride.

In May, I had a good streak going of getting Haley to
Fort Snelling State Park for an early morning or late afternoon hike.

My S-I-L gave Haley a little pool. She's been
taking advantage of it on these hot days,
and isn't as scared of the water since we
went camping and my younger sister and I
tried to teach Haley how to swim.

She did well on her first camping trip, although
she must be tied up/leashed at every moment.

Amusing myself in the pharmacy drive-thru
on my bike, waiting to refill prescriptions
when on a circuit of errands around the city/'burbs.
Hot night!

So, I now have two of the three 2021 BikeMS rides under my imaginary belt. Imaginary because I don't usually wear a belt when biking, except that one year when I was in really good shape. (I currently am... squishy.) I realized on the errand day, when I went to pick up my MS150 registration packet, that I had forgotten to move funds from one bike ride to another to cover the minimum fundraising amount. I ended up just paying the minimum amount for the MS150, so that I could stay close to hitting my goal for the Ride Across Minnesota in July. That strategy paid off - - people kindly donated this weekend and I have hit my July goal (it is a little lower than normal this year because things are still a little weird, so of course donations are still accepted).

Anyhow, it turns out that I sadly can't do the Ride Across Minnesota (which has been cut from a 5-day to a 2-day ride this year) in late July because I need to attend a memorial service out of town. I'll figure out something to do as a substitute and keep it interesting!

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2021 

Animals, animals, galore

Well, hello, it's been a while. This is due to a pretty potent combination of rain, my languishment (is that a word?), and working and dogging a lot. In other words, I've been riding, but when I've done something interesting to tell ya'll about, either I'm feeling uninspired or I'm legitimately busy with being responsible for a 45-pound, hairy ball of energy and/or trying to catch up on some work and think, "I'll do it tomorrow." 

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."

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.

If you squint, it looks like a shiny palace,
not an oil refinery.

On an old historic swing bridge, jutting out
into the Mississippi. 

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. 

The MN River from I-35.

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.

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.

I wish I knew if it was a female with babies in a pouch.

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.

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.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2021 

A glimpse of summer!

Today was unseasonably warm, even in our new climate-changed era. I like to do a springtime Bloomington Ferry Bridge ride each year to check out the Minnesota River. Since I had walked along the river just a few miles east of there yesterday with my dog, my friend Andrew, and Andrew's ADORABLE dog Wallace, it was a little anticlimactic, but still lovely to see the undeveloped river doing its thing and take a little break on the bridge. (I can't wait to go back when the mulberries are fruiting. It is a great buffet.) 

Some good things about today's ride: 

• Hardly anyone was on the few paths I rode on. 
• Hardly anyone was on the roads I rode on. (Easter, I think.) 
• I took a couple of small wrong turns and they were really good decisions! They helped me iron out some of the parts I wasn't fond of on this route. 
• Lots of bird noises, spring peeper frog noises. 
• I stopped to sit on a patio and have an iced coffee and a scone when I was close to home and it was really delicious because I was really hot and hungry.
• I saw two guys and two kids on my way to the Bridge and on my way back, when they were carrying bags from a grocery or convenience store. We all madly waved to each other the second time we saw each other and the cute young girl and I gave each other extra waves and smiles.
• My physical therapist recently gave me a tip about my biking posture and it totally seems to help reduce my recurring back pain. 

What wasn't perfect: 

• Some weirdo honked at me just because I was riding on the road. 
• Winter made some potholes. 
• I accidentally took a weird photo of myself (maybe this is a good thing, because it is funny?) when trying to take a photo of a really, really sad evergreen tree by the coffee shop.

Nice chin diaper, as they call it
on South Park. 

I feel really bad for this evergreen.

Anyhow, I guess it was my longest ride of 2021 so far. I will be in good shape to do my BikeMS rides in May, June, and July. They're scaled back because of COVID (if I do the organized rides, which I may because I will be vaccinated by then), but of course I'm thinking of ways to make things more interesting and challenging for myself (and, let's be honest, for the donations), in which case, I'll want to keep adding on miles. 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2021