Honeymoon - Depoe Bay, OR - Day 1

Up early again… 4:15am. Out the door by 5:00am for gas and to return the rental car. Everything went very smoothly and we were on our plane and flying toward Portland by 7:00am. Soon… time to relax! We arrived on time at 8:30am and got the next rental car. We used National for the wedding guests but this time found a great price on Alamo. But it was quite a ways from the airport on a shuttle (gotta remember that when we return!) and the clerk was in some competition for up selling that did not sit well with two overtired women who who still had their receipts from a very smooth rental the previous 5 days. She just kept arguing that we were wrong when we had our receipts. lol Moving on.

I brought my GPS to help us get where we needed to go. But we also needed some breakfast… preferably from a funky little Portlandish cafe. It's hard to look those up specifically so we were just going to settle for whatever we found in an area full of breakfast places. On our drive we ended up in the Montavilla Neighborhood and decided to stop at a place that looked like it fit the bill. And it did! The Country Cat Dinnerhouse and Bar was great! The food was great and there was plenty of it. But one of the servers also took time with us to look at a map (you know, that paper thing with lines representing roads!) of where we were heading and gave us some excellent suggestions where to stop along the way. On the same street (SE Stark St), was Bipartisan Cafe where we got coffee. Also a funky little place and some pretty good coffee.

We headed out of Portland toward Highway 26, which we took us up toward the coast. This is a much longer way to Channel House in Depoe Bay, OR where we'll be spending the rest of the week. But we thought we'd take the scenic route now in case we don't have time on our way back to the airport. Turns out we were both  a little more tired that we thought and needed to stop at a rest area for a little nap. That worked! Refreshed (sort of), we were definitely safe to drive and ready to move on. We basically circled around the Tillamook State Forest and headed south on Highway 53 toward Highway 101. This was definitely less along the ocean than I expected. But I really love driving through forest as well so it was totally fine. We went through Wheeler and then found a little Mexican Bakery Lunch Stop where we had an excellent burrito and Bozo bought a small loaf of jalapeño bread. I have no idea the name of the place. I took a photo of it but there's no name. Weird! I'd recommend it though! lol

We met a couple at the Mexican Bakery who recommended that we stop in Tillamook at the Cheese Factory for some samples. He said they also make ice cream that is to die for. But when we got there it was SO crowded that we decided to pass it up. We are planning on possibly going back up that direction for a couple different scenic stops during the week so maybe it'll be less crowded at that time.

By this point we were both ready just to be in Depoe Bay. We arrived around 4:30pm and got somewhat settled before heading back out to get some food and snacks to have in the room since we do not plan to leave at all tomorrow. Aside from it being our Honeymoon and that we're both exhausted from planning and having our wedding, I'll put up a photo that will show you why we have no intention of leaving for a day. We went to the little corner store and then got some dinner at BonePile BBQ, which was awesome. I don't know if we're just hungry or if the food we have been finding has actually been consistently excellent. I don't feel that hungry so I think we've just gotten really lucky with our choices and timing!

Back in the room for dinner and a movie, "So This is 40," while we waited for sunset over the ocean. At 8:30pm the movie was over and we were exhausted. So off to bed we went…

This is the view from our jacuzzi and one of the reasons we have no intention of leaving the room tomorrow:

Casini Ranch - DD-l - Day 1

Bozo, Satoko, and I were on the road by about 3pm today. Along the way, along the interstate, there was a brush fire right next to traffic. Scary! Things went pretty well most of the way but traffic got horrible at Hwy 37 and then again along the 101. After about an hour longer than expected we made it to Casini Ranch. Another line up... to get in this time. Finally to the campsite, we got both tents set up and at some dinner. I thought Rachel and Natacha might show up tonight but we eventually got a text that they would be here tomorrow morning. So we sat by the fire and relaxed.

We gave Satoko the option of sleeping in our big tent or having her own smaller tent. She opted for the privacy. So we gave a walkie talkie, showed her how to use it, and off she went.

Sly Park Recreation Area - Day 1

We left town around 2pm and made quick time up to Pollack Pines area. We did stop at a Starbucks in Placerville to grab some coffee for the evening. We were in the Sierra Spur Area of Sly Park Recreation Area in Site 63, which is a small area with sites close to and with a great view of Jenkinson Lake. The sites were a little slanted so it took some doing to get our tent in a position where we could at least sleep level. The rest of the tent was on an angle. Granted, we did use our REI "Queendom" Kingdom 6 so it's not a small tent to maneuver.

We got everything set up and Bozo pulled out the chicken fingers that she had prepared and a fresh salad. That definitely made things easier than setting up and then having to cook right away. It took us a little while to be able to relax but eventually we had the fire going and rested. We were waiting for Natacha and Rachel to get there knowing it would be a little later in the evening when they would arrive. Eventually we got a text from them that they were having car trouble and would be coming up in the morning.

The weather was perfect! It was in the low 70s when we got there and the low 40s at night. Perfect!

During our relaxation, a group above us on the hill became louder and louder. Eventually the music was so loud that they had to yell at each other to talk. I felt like I was at a bar instead of camping. Instead of hoping they would quiet down, which we often will do, I called the gate house and complained. They got to the group really quickly and things quieted down pretty well. But then through the evening people from the group would be at the bathroom near our site and would make comments. The ones I heard were, "Wah wah wah" and "Oh, those are the people that don't like us." So nothing really significant but I thought it was strange they knew who had complained. People can be vindictive so it didn't feel safe that they knew who we were. They continued to be noisy through the night off and on but nothing like the "bar scene." The best was "Shhhhh" periodically through the night. lol Oh... and these people were in their 30s! lol I guess we stereotyped and assumed they were 20-somethings. Sorry 'bout that!

Stayed up until midnight...  HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOZO!

When we went to bed, I listened to my iPod to help me sleep and block out the noise. But I made the cardinal mistake regarding listening to relaxation mp3s. I had only listened to them when I couldn't sleep and felt somewhat anxious. So I had trained my brain to feel anxious and wide awake when I turned on that particular music. I switched over to the book "Blink" and with the reader's calm voice, I was asleep very quickly!

Samuel P Taylor State Park - Camping

We needed to get a camping trip without Blue over with. Not the most pleasant way to plan a camping trip but that was the reality. So Saturday morning, we headed out to Samuel P Taylor State Park to see if they had any walk up sites. It was about a 90 minute drive and we intended to hang out on some beach if we couldn't get a campsite and then head home in the evening.

We chose Samuel P Taylor because of the Redwoods that were said to be all over the place and the trails everywhere. The reviews also said the sites were packed together and that seemed to be the case with most of the sites.

When we pulled up, the attendant gave us two choices. One was a non-reservable (Site 45) and the other (Site 31) had been abandoned because someone had gotten ill. Sit 45 was on a rise and was a decent size for a 4-person tent. But it looked directly over another site right next to it and then the road. The other site, I can't remember the number, had a very large group in it so that didn't seem attractive. Site 31 was very small with room for 2 small (maybe 4-person) tents on either end. It was basically connected to Site 32 and divided by only a wooden fence. So the two sites together would be perfect for 2 families to camp together. That actually seemed to be the theme for the entire campground... that you need a couple families or couples to camp together or you're in strangers' spaces. We chose Site 31. There wasn't anyone is Site 32 when we got there and that was nice. No one ever showed up to stay in that site so that was even better!

We got our 3-person tent set up then went for a walk through the Redwoods. Amazing! Just amazing! It was getting to the end of the day by the time we were out there so we didn't get to go too far. Back at the campsite, I kept thinking that it felt like it was going to rain. So eventually I put up my Kelty Noah's Tarp so that our chairs were covered such that we could still sit out by the fire. It did start to drizzly but it was very pleasant! The tree coverage also kept us from getting wet much of the time.

We went into the tent a little earlier than usual because the rain got a little harder. We watched "The Closer," our current series while listening to the rain. After awhile I started to worry that maybe the tent wasn't totally waterproof. I think it actually was waterproof but there was some sagging in the top and touching the mesh. I decided to go out and move the Kelty over the tent just to be safe.

As an aside, we haven't used the 3-person tent (REI Taj) in several years because with the two dogs we needed the REI Kingdom 6 ("Queendom") to have our side and also room to keep the 2 dogs separated. After Cacciatore passed away, we kept using the "Queendom" because Blue, as she got older, needed to wander more. So that tent gave her the space to do that. Without the pups, a) we didn't want to use the tent and not have them with us, b) we just didn't need that space, and c) that site would not likely have been able to handle such a large tent.

Getting the Kelty moved in the dark and drizzle was a little more difficult than I expected. Bozo helped keep it steady and we eventually got it all worked out. With the tent covered and the hour late, we headed off to bed again to sleep in that beautiful rainy sound that I have missed so much since moving from Minnesota!

REI Taj with Kelty Noah's Tarp above

After a good night of rest, we woke up to a little more drizzle, which didn't last long. We mainly lounged by the small fire, walked around the campsite recording site reviews, then packed up and headed out. We stopped at Two Bird Cafe for Easter brunch. I'm not sure how well we fit in with our dirty clothes and smelling like a campfire. But no one gave us a second look so that was good.

Back home relatively early to enjoy our Sunday evening before returning to our weekdays. It was a good and easy camping trip. I wouldn't say that we enjoyed ourselves all that much as it truly was a "get it over with" campout.... being our first without either of the dogs. But it was relaxing to be out in the fresh air around such beautiful trees. Also, the people in the campground were all very quiet with only a couple spurts of music and no loud voices at night. Honestly, that's a first since we moved to Cali. I guess it will get easier but we are still in the stage of not wanting it to be easier... we want Blue back!

Thanksgiving Weekend at Petaluma KOA

November 21-24, 2012

We decided to spend Thanksgiving at Petaluma KOA this year in a cabin. They host a Thanksgiving dinner in which they provide the turkey and mashed potatoes while everyone else brings something to pass. It seemed like a nice opportunity to spend the holiday with people since we couldn't be with our families.

The RV area was quite crowded during the weekend. There didn't seem to be as many people in cabins though, which we liked. We walked into the cabin and immediately realized that there wasn't a heater in the cabin. That wouldn't usually be an issue except this time we brought our summer sleeping bags and less coverage for Blue. Eventually we found what we thought was the heater. Though it looked SO strange and was higher up on the ceiling. After a few seconds, we looked at each other and laughed because we realized there was a small flat screen television hanging above the door. Whoa! We have never stayed in a camping cabin with a television before! lol But that meant there really was no heater. Bozo called the office and asked that they bring us some kind of heater and they did end up bringing up a radiant heater with instructions not to have it plugged in while the television is on. AH! So that's why no heaters.

We spent a lot of the weekend lounging in the cabin. Thursday evening we took our bean salad to the main shelter and shared a meal with many families. In particular, we sat with a couple who is temporarily living at the KOA. Levonne has her own blog on that lifestyle as well. Her husband John works in or near Petaluma and they have a dog with them as well.

Petaluma is a city we have driven through a few times on our way to other places and have said that we wanted to check it out. On Friday we went downtown, got some food, put Blue in Cacciatore's stroller then walked around. I think we were both drained because as we were walking around, we certainly weren't as adventurous as we usually are. I haven't had much of a vacation since I started my new job so having 4 days to veg was a big deal. We stopped for BBQ at  Lombardi's BBQ on our way back to the cabin. Then went back to vegging.

Blue enjoyed sitting outside on the porch. The KOA is quite dog friendly so that made things much more enjoyable. Each cabin has a fire pit, picnic table, and grill. The cabins are a little close together so if they were all full, it might have been a somewhat different experience. The parking in front of the cabins was also too small. The back end of our vehicle stuck out. However, overall it was a very good experience.

Casini Ranch II and Goat Rock

Such a short trip only needs one blog post. This covers both Day 1 and Day 2.

Back to Casini Ranch for the weekend. We were planning a camping trip with D&D and trying to get to a slightly more remote location. But Bozo and I were a little worried about taking Blue someplace too far away from a vet. So we compromised and settled on Casini Ranch since it's right on the river and near a town with a vet. D&D have an inflatable kayak that they wanted to try out so that worked for them too.

We met there Saturday afternoon. D&D and I walked along the river a little and then we all hung out at our campsite until after dark enjoying a pretty big fire and some great company. Blue was an awesome little trooper. Of course when it's time for bed she let's everyone know. It got a little cold so we put her in the tent and wrapped her up in her sleeping bag. She was asleep pretty quickly. But a little while later, a little bark came from the tent. Lorrie left the warm fireside and went to investigate only to find Blue still completely wrapped up but reminding up with her little barks that it was bedtime! lol

It was Daylight Savings Time so we lost an hour by springing forward. That'll be worth it with the later sunsets though!

On Sunday, D&D pulled out there inflatable kayak and came by to pick one of us up.... it only holds 3. I was more than happy to let Bozo have the opportunity. I'm still not a big fan of water. Add an easily deflated piece of rubber and I'm even less interested. I'm sure the boat was sea-worthy but someone had to stay with Blue anyway and that sounded like good fun too.

After checking out of the campground, we headed to Goat Rock Beach to wander a little. It was beautiful! There were many signs explaining how dangerous the waves were and to stay well away from the water's edge. We learned later how serious those instructions were when we found out that 2 people has died nearer to San Francisco from one of these "sneaker waves" when one went after their dog that got caught in them and then the other went in after the first person. The dog got out on his own but the people died. Scary stuff!

No dogs were allowed on the beach so after a bit of walking Bozo and I made our way back to D'Azul and headed home. D&D were going to do some more exploring so we said our goodbyes.

It was a good first brief camping trip with new friends. I think we were pretty compatible and definitely all very easy-going. And they totally get our protectiveness of Miss Blue. We'll definitely take another trip with them!

Casini Ranch Camping - Day 1

I wasn't able to take the entire day off today but I was able to leave a little early so that we could get on the road to avoid putting up the tent in the dark. Paddam, our GPS, has some interesting methods for getting us places at times. We have figured out her weaknesses when heading up toward Bodega Bay and have learned ways to trick her. The drive was pretty uneventful... aside from a major 3-car accident that held up traffic for a little while and then precipitation from fog. Apparently this is different than drizzling rain. The nuances of liquid in various parts of the country! Oh... and fog holds in the heat. So the temperatures stayed pretty warm throughout the evening. Another learning experience for me.

We arrived at Casini Ranch by about 7:15pm. It was dusk so we had to put up the tent quickly to avoid the dark. It didn't happen. The dark came quickly. So here's the scene... this is an RV park mainly and that's who they cater to. We had chosen one of the non-electric sites next to the river... hoping for small crowds and beautiful views. Since it was dark, we couldn't tell about the latter but the crowd was pretty small. The ground was also VERY hard! lol I never even thought about that prospect since we usually park in places that cater to tents.

The reason we stayed at an RV heavy place was the group with whom we were camping... The Trailerettes. They are a Northern California group of women who own or would like to own small vintage camping trailers. You should see how creative these women have gotten with their trailers! And you can... at the any rallies we learned about over the weekend. I grew up around car and motorcycle rallies. Who knew they had them for vintage campers!??

We went over to say hi to the women that were gathered at the Chief Trailerette's (heheh) campsite... hors d'oeuvres and all! We didn't stay long as it was getting a little late and Blue was stuck in the car waiting impatiently for us sleeping. So we jumped into the Queendom and read before hitting the sack.

Salt Point State Park with DD-l - Day 1

I organized my first camping trip in a long time for a group. My first in California. I did organize a couple in Minnesota but it always ended up being Bozo, me, and Nancy. lol For this one, I organized through dd-l and had about 8 people interested originally. We had 5 people show up. Not too bad for my first effort!

Bozo and I drove up to Salt Point State Park with Emma Blue on Friday morning. I wanted to be sure we got two sites adjacent to each other and close enough that we weren't all separated. Morgan said she would be there around 3pm and Rachel and Natacha would be there in the evening because of work.

The drive was great! Not much traffic at all except over the Hwy 37 causeway. I still don't understand the stoplight they placed at the end of that! But otherwise an easy drive. No cows on the oceanside road this time!

We took out time looking at sites. Though my reservation was for Woodside Upper Loop, the ranger said we could choose a site on either the Upper or the Lower Loop. That worked out well as we found the perfect sites in the Lower Loop. Sites 51 and 53 are basically one large site. They have a U-driveway connecting them and no foliage between them. There seemed enough space for our monstrous tent made more monstrous by the "garage" I purchased as an additional vestibule.

We got everything set up and did a little pouting as this is our first camping trip since Cacciatore passed away. Blue seems a little weak too so we never know when her last one will be.

Then we built a fire, read, and just relaxed. It is very nice to be away! And even more nice to be in cool weather away from the valley heat!

Two O'clock came and went. We started wondering if Morgan was going to make it. We don't know her and didn't have a number for her so there was no way to check. But she did have my number... no service up there though. lol I put signs up at the entrance with our site numbers as well as a sign near the campsite post with a light pointing at it.

Morgan arrived around 8pm after taking a very long scenic route with several stops. It was still light and she has a backpacking tent so it was pretty easy for her to find a little out of the way spot to set up. As we were chatting, Rachel and Natacha arrived about 9am. For them it was a dark tent set up. Bozo stood with them and held a light so they could see what they were doing. But I think they have a very good spot as well. There's is a 4-person tent.

Blue is acting a little strangely. She had a bit of a collapse while trying to poop and then stayed in her puppy tent most of the evening.

Not the most exciting day to blog or read about. But the relaxation and even some time for Bozo and me to be alone was definitely necessary. Some excitement tomorrow maybe!

AIDS/LifeCycle 11 - Day One

Cow Palace in San Francisco to Santa Cruz

Distance - 82.53

Time Riding- 6.10.04

Actual Time w/ Rests - 9.42.35

Avg Speed - 13.3 mph

Max Speed - 45.0 mph

Had a difficult time getting started this morning. Surprise! Eventually we figured out it would be more efficient for Bozo to go to Denny's to get my breakfast instead of planning to sit and eat it there. I just could not get moving.

We did make it to the Cow Palace with plenty of time. I turned in my gear bag. This is always scary the first time as I haven't gotten my system down just yet and it's more likely that I'll forget something imperative. I didn't forget anything and didn't bring anything unneeded. Phew!

Into the Cow Palace, I had wanted to leave some stuff by my bike and pump the tires. But we weren't allowed in until after Opening Ceremonies. So we went into the main area for the ceremony. It was fun, emotional, touching, exciting, and motivating all at the same time. The energy was palpable as people wanted to be in the moment for the ceremony but our minds were also out on the road and we were twitching to get started. They shortened the ceremony from past years apparently and we were soon released to get our bicycles.

Last time I did the ride, we all lined up and went out at the same time. Seemed like a cluster to me! Now they open the doors and let people go when they're ready. It spreads things out on the road a little fast and I think makes it safer as well. I needed to air up my tires so I got out after much of the first rush. That was good because I actually got to see Bozo along the side of the road. I'm not sure I would have if I'd gotten out with the big antsy group.

Lots of people falling in that first bit through the city as they got used to their clips. Mostly at stop lights where they just didn't clip out soon enough. None were injured and they all got up laughing and being teased by their friends. The energy was so good. Lots of stop lights, up and down, around for about 19 miles before the first Rest Stop. I ran into Kenny and Khoa from The Misfits (my unoffical team at ALC 5) at the Rest Stop and we rode much of the day together after that. Lunch was at San Gregorio State Beach again and it was just beautiful. Except the view of the climb we would have right out of lunch. It's not so much the climb but feeling full of food and also being able to see it the entire time we're sitting there that make it seem difficult.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful and I believe we had a tailwind much of the afternoon. We rolled into the traffic of Santa Cruz, which always seems to be a struggle. I would think they are bike friendly being a beach town but they really aren't. Fortunately we have great Roadies who direct traffic very well!

Being the first time into camp for the ride, it takes some time to figure out the system. Pick up your gear bag. My tentmate had the tent chip so I didn't get a tent right away. But when I got to our spot, there was no tent. So I went back and was given a tent to set up. I ended up with my own tent that night, which was very cool! Especially with my big ass hockey bag in tow! Once the tent was up, it was time for a shower. Off to find the shower trailers. Hey! No wait!! That's very cool! Back to organize the tent and then off to dinner. This is basically the system that works for me and seems pretty similar to others as well.

Dinner, evening program, then bed. I had trouble getting to sleep with no earplugs and lots of snoring around me. Bummer!

Thankscamping in Sonoma - Day 1

After a long arduous move and finally getting somewhat settled in our new home, it was time to go camping. It was PAST time to go camping! So we chose Thanksgiving. We got up and made our Thanksgiving meal at home... roasted chicken with stuffing, canned cranberry sauce, black olives of course, and pumpkin cake.

We had planned to make the chicken or turkey in the ground using coals then decided that might attract animals. So we opted to just make it all at home and do our best to keep it warm while we traveled.

We chose a campground in Sonoma County. Being our first time out since moving to California, we decided to keep it relatively close to civilization. Also, with the dogs getting up there in years, we wanted to be safe with them as well.

So off we went... in the rain, optimistic that it would clear away for us. It did. But it gets dark so early nowadays that it was already dusk by the time we got to our reserved site. Also at our reserved site was an RV neighbor with a television set outside and they were watching football. So we moved! Not our idea of "camping!"

After we moved and started getting set up, the ranger came around and asked where we are from. When we told him, he said the people across from us were students there. lol Well, better than a television I guess! But it would have been nice to totally get away from work. Then as we were preparing the tent, I saw lights coming toward us with the sounds of a language other than English. Because it was dark when we got to the site, we didn't really know what was behind us. But apparently this family of about 7 or 8 had gotten off a path nearby, which we later learned in the light was an actual road. They scared us at first but then, since we don't speak what I think was Japanese, we just pointed them in the right direction toward the road that we came in on.

Since this was our first time out in too long, things weren't as easy to find as usual. So I had to use the headlights to help us get the tent up. Ha... you guessed it! The battery died! But we got it set up and were ready for our wonderful Thankscamping Dinner!


As usual, we spent the rest of the evening by the campfire just beginning to relax. The first day of a 4-day weekend! Very nice! In the quiet of the night was the students' drunken voices. lol That's what we get for trying to stay nearer the beaten path. AND... in California more people are out this time of year than we would ever find in Minnesota! Go figure!

Yellow River State Forest - Day 1

Emma Blue prepares to get going (date is a month off)

Funny how easy it is to load a car with just 2 backpacks and a small bag with clean clothes for when we get back to the car. We dropped Tori off at the kennel. NOT an easy thing! Though it looked like she'd be in a nice quiet place and they promised she'd get some good social time. "She'll be fine" became our mantra.

We headed south toward Iowa. Yep, Iowa! The backpacking capital of the world. Ha! Well, it was highlighted in the 1996 Outside Magazine. So I thought we'd take a shot.

We drove east on I-90 toward LaCrosse. Our lovely GPS, whose name is Paddam, told us the wrong exit number at the right location. So we missed it. Oops! Decided to make lemonade our of lemons and had some lunch across the border in Wisconsin. Then we drove along the Mississippi on the Wisconsin side most of the way. It was beautiful though there was still some evidence of the flooding from last week. We crossed into Lansing, Iowa, which was the cutest little river town. At that point, we were only about 20 minutes from the parking lot. Awesome! About 3 hours drive time.

We got parked and everything organized. This is where inexperience reared its head. Just for a second though. We didn't have a great map of the area. The maps online and the map they had at backpack parking seemed to be lacking in some detail. And, if it was accurate, it would be about 4 miles to our first campsite. So we decided that I would drop Lorrie and Emma Blue off where the trail crosses the road and then walked from the parking lot to that point without my pack. So that's what we did. Turned out that was a pretty good decision. Though it also turned out that we probably would have had enough time to do the initial part of the trail as well. That's okay... I think it was better to listen to my gut. So off we went.

It took just over an hour to get to the first site, Heffern's Hill Camp. The trail was mainly fire road, gravel. We had one river crossing that was pretty low and neither of us got our socks wet. There was quite a bit of horse manure on the trail. Which is just gross anyway but even worse when you have a dog that likes to roll around in it! We were able to prevent that. This part of the trail allowed horses (obvious!) and bicycles. The campsite was at the top of a small inclined trail which allowed only human (and dog) foot traffic. No horses or bikes. There were 3 camping areas each with its own fire grate. At the 3rd site, there was also a warming shed for skiers. Though I considered putting our tent up in that just so I didn't have to use the rainfly. It was a little too far from the fire to go with that thought though. This 3rd site is probably the best for a larger group as well. The other 2 were big enough for small groups.

After getting everything set up, we decided to go explore. As we got toward the bottom of the hill, we noticed a group of men shooting their guns. We weren't sure if there was a shooting range or if hunting was allowed. Turns out that you can hunt anywhere in the Yellow River National Forest except campgrounds. Hmm, not too reassuring. No rule about shooting *toward* a campground. I saw nothing about seasons for hunting there so I don't know if this is something we would experience any time of year. If so, it's not someplace I'll be in a rush to go back.

After the gunfire died down, the wind picked up and there were some rain sprinkles. We had chicken curry for dinner... freezer bag cooking. Lorrie gave it a 4.5/5 tents! Pretty good start for her first backpacking experiencing. Though the fire was keeping us warm, it seemed the rain was going to force us into the tent. It was still pretty early so we did some reading. I have chronic difficulty sleeping the first night backpacking and sometimes camping. It's VERY annoying! The longer I stay awake, the more I start hearing ominous sounds. You know... squirrels stomping, birds dive bombing, lots of things that aren't really happening. And then there's the one-armed man with a hook who just escaped prison. He's usually around somewhere come midnight. Another problem is that if I'm awake in such a small space, so is Lorrie. That's just how it works. Emma Blue was up a lot too. I'm not sure what her deal was. But I think she got more sleep than Lorrie or me. lol

Myre Big Island State Park - Day 1

We had planned to go camping on Friday, April 15th. But for some reason, the knowledge that it was supposed to get below freezing through the night deterred us. I think we both blame it on Tori... the blind elderly dog that we are so gentle with. But the truth is, she has so much hair that she'd stay warm in the Antarctic without shelter. And, she's got so much gumption that we never actually need to be *that* gentle with her. So. It's us. We. are. wimps!

So today...


I was up at about 5:45am feeding and emptying the dogs. We had wanted to get going early so I just stayed up. If I'd gone back to bed, I probably wouldn't have woken up again until 9am. Or later. As it was, with finishing packing, eating breakfast, showering, stopping at the bank, and stopping for coffee, we were on the road by 9am. Good job gang! We got to Myre Big Island State Park a little after 10am. We drove around the White Fox campground and also the Big Island campground before agreeing we wanted the same site from last year. White Fox Campground #89. It was very cold when we got here. I don't know the temp but I know I put on my big down winter coat for a little while before I warmed up as we set up camp. We got the Queendom up with little difficulty except deciding which way to orient it. Then I realized I had forgotten the vestibule. Oops! Once that was done, we (*I*, really) decided to put up our new Kelty Noah's Tarp 9. Now *that* was a challenge! Took between 45 minutes to an hour to get this "simple" shelter up. The main problem with the Nite Ize Figure 9 attachment thingie that makes tightening it a cinch. I had a Youtube video on my iPod with instructions that we watched over and over pausing, rewinding, fast forwarding until we could finally see what the heck he was doing. Just a suggestion... when making an instructional video, DO NOT cover your work by placing your hand between the work and the camera. Here are some instructions for the Figure 9. Once I got the knot thingamajig figured out, we had to work out the two poles. I'm still not sure it's right as the middle is a big sunken. And I had to support one of the poles with a tree. The other 2 corners are tethered to the ground and a tree. I'll have to practice with it at home. I'm just not sure how one person could put this thing up if there are no trees around. Once we got that up and everything into the tent that needed to be, we got a fire going and set about relaxing.

It was pretty windy but the temp got warmer and warmer. I graduated from my down jacket to my down vest then to a sweatshirt and finally just a t-shirt. That's my temperature gauge! We did some reading then I took a nap. Can it get much better?? My parents came to visit and for dinner around 5:30pm. Hot dogs and burgers over the campfire. Well, except for the 1 hamburger Lorrie dropped into the campfire! LOL Potato salad, fire grilled vegetables, sun chips in their new noisy compostable bag, and chocolate cake for dessert! My mom sure knows how to camp! (= We sat around the fire and chatted while we burned papers from my EPPP studies. That was fun! My parents have been gone all winter so this is the first time I've seen them since Christmas. They left when it started getting cold. Smart! It was a nice visit and great to be outside away from TVs and computers.

We stayed out just a little longer until about 10pm and then made our way in to the tent. Lorrie is doing some reading but I am too tired. We tried out the new REI candle lanterns and they worked great! Emma Blue is bundled up in her sleeping bag on a dog bed and Tori is in her big orange personal tent. Everyone seems content!

Superior Circle Tour - Day 1

Relaxing breakfast with Karen, Gary, and Yvette. Karen and Gary were heading off to Duluth so they left before us. Lorrie is a morning person and could easily be on the road before sunrise. I am not naturally that kind of person. But I would like to be. Any tips would be appreciated! I’ve tried lots of different things. But somehow I am always about an hour late in leaving. This is dicey when I have planes to catch… and a penchant for making early flight reservations. Okay, I digress! We got on the road around 11:00am EST and our tour formally begins! Canada Highway 1 going southeast to Eagle Canyon Adventures. On the way, we saw five women on touring bikes. But they had SO much stuff hanging off their bikes. Anyway, Eagle Canyon Adventures has 2 suspension bridges, one of which they claim is the longest in Canada. They also have a zip line, which they also claim is the longest in Canada. As soon as we got there… my sunglasses broke. Damn! They were cheapy $12 glasses that had lasted about 3 years with almost daily use. Bummer! After walking across the bridges, we stopped and watched people on the zipline. I decided that should be a bucket list item for me so I went back down to pay for it. Then we had to walk back up to the deck again. The real challenge was dodging the 4-wheelers with crazy drivers behind them. That was a sport in an of itself! Honestly, they are going to hurt someone. At the top, more people had lined up to use the zipline. So the wait was a lot longer. Slightly more than an hour. Enough time to get my stomach all riled up. Watching person after person go didn’t really help. It seemed like they would be silent at first, which I interpreted as “stomach drop,” and then would scream, which scared me too. There were a couple kids in front of me, one was too light so they had to add weight to his gear. I figured if he could do that without being scared, that I could do it too. Then there was a woman who looked the way I felt. And she did it. So I thought I could too. Lorrie was there trying to figure out the best angle to shoot my experience. She decided to stay up there at the deck to get it. [insert video] It ended up being amazing! It was pretty windy up there so the wire was swaying. Yikes! The operator said, “3… 2… 1… launch” and opened the gate. And I stood there an extra 2 or 3 seconds before lifting my feet and flying away. I screamed out my fear… and then it was awesome. There was no stomach drop at all. It was just a consistent downhill through the valley and over the river. At the end, I had been told to spread my legs so “something” could hit the seat and not me. As I was getting closer to the dock, the operator down there spread his arms wide to indicate I should spread my legs, which I did. What I didn’t expect was the major CLANG that happened when the mechanism on the wire hit the stopping mechanism. That was shocking. Then I heard someone say, “How was it?” “Awesome!” I said. And then, after looking around, “Where are you?” He said, “Down here.” lol He was below me pulling on a rope that had been attached to the stopping mechanism so that I could be pulled back over the dock to stand up. I didn’t realize how far above the ground I still was… at least 10 feet. And that was that. It was over! I’m so glad I did it but I wish I could do it again to enjoy the scenery just a little more! On our way out of the park, we saw those cyclists I mentioned before and they were just getting into the park. Some of them were walking their bikes up the last painful steep hill. Really, just too much stuff! Not that I could do any better! (= I’m sure the wind didn’t do them any favors either! Since we’d been at Eagle Canyon for four hours, we decided that we should skip Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park. But we can go back there another time.

Kept driving along Highway 1. It’s amazing how little there is along that road! And a lot of what was there in terms of motels and restaurants are now abandoned. That becomes a problem when you’re hungry! We started seeing signs for “Gus’ Restaurant” in Nipigon, which we thought might be a possibility. When we got there, it was very rundown… and it said “John’s.” We were going to skip it. Until I saw 6 motorcycles out front. Just a hint… cops and bikers know where to eat! If it had been a motorcycle cop, we’d have hit pay dirt! (= So we went in. It was run by a Greek woman who was very friendly with everyone! Lorrie and I each ordered chicken souvlaki sandwiches… she with fries and me with a Greek salad. Wow! They could not have been better! And the servings were huge! 5 stars for sure on the food! The décor is grungy… so close your eyes.

Make a note if you’re traveling in this area… there is very little gas on the North side of Lake Superior. So fill up when you can! Even if it’s expensive! Because it is all expensive!

We had planned to stop for the night at Pukaswa (sp) Provincial Park but stumbled upon Nays Provincial Park, which Karen had mentioned. She said the white sand beaches were incredible! We checked out the few free sites and settled on a corner site, which was the last one that backed to the beach. It was also right next to a major trail so that is probably why it hadn’t been taken yet. But it was awesome! We got the pups fed and got the tent up before taking Emma Blue for a little walk on the beach. It was full of drift wood… huge, like still trees, and small. Seemed a little dangerous actually. Lots of sticks poking up out of the ground. A child could fall on them… hell, an adult could fall on them. I was worried about Emma running into one so we kept her walking. Just something to consider if you’re traveling there. Once we were back at the campsite, I tried to build a fire and was relatively unsuccessful. It took forever to get anything really going. And once we did, it was pretty late and time for bed. lol So I just thought of it as ash for a fire tomorrow morning.

Something we both noticed about Canadian campers was their creative use of tarps! MONSTROUS tarps! I know it’s been rainy in the area for awhile so if they’ve been camping for awhile, I can understand using so many. They had these huge tarps spread out above their entire tent sites. They wrapped tarps around the ends of their pop up campers. And they’re very good at getting them up. Some are like origami… with lights and everything. Maybe you saw the photo of my first attempt at tarp hanging! LOL

Superior Hiking Trail - Day 1

Steps = 16,163
Mileage = approximately 6.4 miles (per my pedometer, Pam thought it closer to 5.5)
Camp: Hazel Campsite

I didn't sleep much at all last night. I wasn't feeling nervous at all but that doesn't mean I wasn't. We did go to bed pretty early so that may have affected me. I am more of a night person. It didn't get dark ever really but it got most dark around 10:30 or 11pm. The last time I saw was about 3:30am and then woke again around 6am. That didn't seem to affect me too much on the trail though. It was just frustrating.

I also woke up with a mosquito bite on my left eyelid. So I look like I've been in a fight or something. I find this one funny. But it's a reminder to put the bug repellent on first thing!

We got on the trail around 10am. I know this is late for hardcore people. And I'll try to do better in the future. But I, as those close to me know, am a futzer. Unintentionally. Though with this situation, I don't believe I am actually futzing. I believe that I am still learning what needs to be done and how to do it. And therefore should get some slack regarding the amount of time it takes me to get ready. lol Pam was very patient and seemed to be trying to pace herself with me. But she knows what she needs to do and when so I'm sure that was hard for her!

The hiking is hard! Surprise! lol Emma Blue is doing SO great!! Milo, Pam's dog, a retired sled dog, leads us, then Pam, then Emma right on Pam's heels. And then I come along about 20 yards back. I stop to take photos and am being extremely mindful of my steps. There are a lot of roots and rocks hidden under high grass. Pam stops about every hour for a break, which works great for me. The first stop was at another part of Carlson Pond where Emma and Milo could sortof play in water... though mainly it was mud. We refilled water bottles even though the water wasn't the greatest source. But out here you never know when you'll get another source. Pam has tablets to treat the water and I have a filtering system. So we are okay even if we have to drink this water. The dogs drink freely. We didn't stop too long. Though I did take time to put a mole skin on a scar I have on my foot that seems to be rubbing or something. Nothing major but I don't want it to turn into anything major either. Off we go again... same order.

Lunch was at yet another side of Carlson Pond, which had a campsite. It was nice to have someplace to sit and eat lunch. There was also nicer access to the lake so we got rid of the other water and filled up with this water instead. If nothing else, at least we have more for the dogs before it gets treated. For lunch I had a curry tuna wrap. Once I had everything out and was adding the curry, I realized I'd had curry last night. I'll have to make a note to spread that out so I can enjoy the spice a little more. I like not having to think about my food though. It's already prepared. I just have to reach in the appropriate meal bag and pull out one of the freezer bags.

After lunch, I'm not happy to be putting that pack back on. I haven't gotten used to it yet. However, my hip flexor's seem surprisingly happy about this new movement and maybe even the weight. I find that interesting and enjoy the feeling for quite a while. Maybe they have missed cycling more than I have! I make a mental note to get back on that bicycle as soon as I get home and recover.

I am starting to notice my enjoyment of this quiet time. I can see why people who spend so much time in the outdoors and alone write so much. Not saying that I'm coming up with brilliant world changing theories or anything like that. But I think about my life and the direction it's taking. I think about my personality and how it affects my interactions with others, which of course affects my life in general. Most of it is good but there are places I think I could make some changes. I realize, yet again, how much I love being outdoors. Then I start analyzing why I don't spend more time out here. And I have this epiphany that, for me, it is just as important who I am with as it is where I am or what I'm doing. I've done a lot of things on my own. And I've enjoyed them. But the things I have enjoyed the most have been with others. This confuses me... as I've never considered myself a people person. Not anti-social in the slightest. Just more introverted. And I do enjoy quiet time alone and with Lorrie. I conclude that I could never be one of those adventurers who goes away from family and friends for extended periods of time on a regular basis to pursue the next adventure. Unless my family was with me... then I'm off to Everest as soon as we can get the gear together! (=

So, this is backpacking. Walking. With a heavy pack on my back. Thinking. Stopping periodically to look around and take photographs. I like all of it except that heavy pack. Though I know I can decrease the weight of this pack with some experience.... or I could just buy a smaller pack! lol

We walk up a Sled Dog Training Trail. Pam says that Milo flinched and started moving a little quicker to get away. lol He is a retired sled dog. He didn't like it. He won a lot and apprently was quite talented. But he was miserable. So the owner gave him to Pam so that Milo would be happier. And I'm sure to make room for another dog that actually wanted to sled. (= We rest along the road, have some water and a snack. It's a little hotter and I think I'm about ready to be done for the day. We turn off the double track to more singletrack and in another hour or so are in camp. By 4pm. I didn't think that was too bad.

Basically the same routine as yesterday. Got my tent out and set that up right away. Then started emptying some things in there. But I was hungry so everything else was put on hold while I got my water boiling. I got Emma Blue fed though she was much more interested in Milo's food than her own. Pam gives him venison with his protein-heavy kibble. Emma thought that was fabulous. So she got some venison in her food too. Funny thing about dog nature, Milo was more interested in Emma's kibble. So we did some mixing and matching and both ended up happy. They are perfect travel companions. Neither of them likes dogs who are in their faces and sniffing them all the time. They leave each other alone for the most part though seem to check on each other periodically. It's relaxing for me not to have to worry if Emma is going to snap at him or not. She just doesn't seem inclined to.

At each camp there is a "Bear Cord" sign. Yesterday we did our own (I should say, Pam did our own) bear lines and hung the food. Today she saw that "Bear Cord" meant they had hung strong cord or wire or something across the trail to make it easier for us to hang our food. Awesome! It took less than half the time to get everything hung tonight.

I have been a little worried about water. Probably with no reason. But my trips like this have mainly been in the Boundary Waters. Water was never an issue. So I'm not sure how low we can get before we need to be careful. Pam checks out the map and sees a "Reference Point" a little beyond our campsite. She thinks it may be water so we take a walk toward it. It ends up being a nice cool creek. So she fills some bottles and break out my Katadyn Basecamp and we fill that up. With the water from that we are able to fill up my hydration pack, and 4 or 5 other bottles. I am relieved! I also learned an excellent lesson about reading maps after we've stopped for the day and going beyond the campsite to check for water.

We again don't stay up late after we eat. I need to determine if this is what I like or not. It's Pam's preference and I'm certainly not going to try and keep her awake to entertain me. But I might have liked to build a small fire. As it turned out, I have been laying here reading and writing. Then Emma perked up. She didn't look startled. Curious maybe. So we sat there a moment and listened. Nothing. So I let her out of the tent to explore. She went over to Pam's tent and said hi to her and Milo. Once I was decent and had shoes on, I peeked out. I don't know if it's what she was sensing, but one of the half-burned logs left on the fire from previous inhabitants was smoking. There was no flame and no risk of anything that I could tell. But my pup would not know that. So I put it out and she came back into the tent. Interesting.

Still not dark. But we are going to try to get out of camp earlier tomorrow morning. 9am is the goal. And yes, again, I know that is not kosher for the hardcore. By now you should have figured out that I am not hardcore. (=

Later in the night, or maybe it was still evening, there was a surreal howling/barking... pretty close by. And then definite howling... a little further. And then more definite howling... even further. Emma sat up and listened. Then laid right back down. I figured if there was any danger Pam or Emma would let me know. Turns out the first "noise" was sled dogs barking. Apparently Milo freaked out a little by that sound! lol Poor guy! Pam knew it was sled dogs because they all sounded different and were not in sync. The other 2 were wolf packs... definitely in sync. It was amazing to hear... though a little disconcerting. We are definitely in the wild now!

To see all the photos, visit flickr.com/photos/twotiredoc

Devil's Track Lake Campground - Day 1

Long stressful day! Up at 5:30am, which is WAY early for me but becoming more usual lately. Out of the house with dogs and gear by about 6:30am. Good job! We hit some rush hour traffic in The Cities but for the most part the drive was smooth. At this point, it’s all about avoiding I35 and the numerous closures. We made our Dunn Bros. stop in Hugo, just north of St. Paul. No samples out yet in the grocery store yet. Darn! Lol Back on the road. We made it to the US/Canadian border around 3pm. Lorrie went into professional mode and I just did what told me. We parked on the U.S. side so she could go in. I had a muzzle ready for Emma Blue in case an office came to my car. No one did. Lorrie came out about 20 minutes later and said we needed to cross into Canada and then come back. Well, she needed to. I didn’t. But we decided I should drive since it’s my car. That’s when I started getting nervous. I hadn’t prepared to cross so all I had with me was my driver’s license and no birth certificate. Lorrie explained what we were doing so he let us go with a warning to me that I need more ID to get into Canada. Then crossing back to the U.S., the officer gave me a hard time again until Lorrie explained. He told us to park and that our IDs would be inside with the officer Lorrie was working with. All this time Emma Blue was sitting quietly in the back with her muzzle on. Not a peep from her. That was totally God’s spirit holding her back! She didn’t even try to get the muzzle off. Weird! So, in my camping clothes I went with her to the office. He asked a few questions for each of us and obviously had some things on the screen about her. He asked me what I do for a living and when I told him, he asked if I could stay for a little while. Lorrie had warned me to just answer the questions and do what they want. So, of course, I said I would. He said, "Yeah, there are a lot of people here who have issues!" So the ICE officer was joking around with us! Interesting! Then he took what seemed like a personal call, while probably listening to us on a speaker. He was definitely watching us. Anyway, long story short, we did well and she got her TN status in her passport. Now she can start working again at the beginning of August. A major relief!!

Our reward… camping!

We drove back down the way we had come. Toward Grand Marais about 40 miles. Then we took Gunflint Trail, the same road we took to Camp Menogyn for our first BWCA trip. A little bit, maybe 7 miles or so, down the road we took a left on CR 8, which took us to Devil’s Track Lake Campground. It’s a small state forest campground with only 16 sites. We were hoping since it’s mid-week we could get a good site. The campground is on Devil’s Track Lake (surprise!) with 12 of the 16 sites on the lake directly. All 4 of the inland sites were available. Surprise again! One after another the lake side sites were taken. Until 14, which was open along with 15. We took 14, though I wasn’t happy about it at first. There were some pretty steep steps that went down to the water. I could see us falling down them in the dark or one of the dogs falling down them. And with Lorrie’s bum ankle (still from canoeing the Blue Earth), I was worried about her getting down there. I was wrong! It was a great site! We set up the tent near the stairs as it was the only place it would fit. But the door faced away from the stairs! lol

The view being above the water was gorgeous! We got everything set up and I got a fire started so we could start our lounging immediately. We had stopped at the Co-op in Grand Marais to eat dinner, so we were set. The dogs were pretty happy just to not be driving anymore! (= The campground was very quiet, even with all those lake sites full. There were motorboats on the lake and some float planes. So it isn’t totally peaceful.

The sky is light and we’re already heading for bed. The sky stays lighter longer up North and it’s before 10pm. But we’ve been up since 5:30am and it’s been a stressful day!

Red Ribbon Ride - Day 1

Route - Mall of America in Minneapolis to Lake City

Distance = 76.78 miles
Time = 5.35.11 ride time (about 8 hours total)
Average speed = 13.7 mph
Max speed = 29.0 mph
Odometer = 3203.3 miles

We got about 4 hours of sleep last night. Yikes! Took me awhile to get packed. But I finally did. It was hot as hell in the house so it took me awhile to get to sleep. But when I woke up, I was pretty awake. Lorrie woke me before the alarm so that was a nicer way to wake up. Took Cedar all the way from home to the mall. (This is only significant to those who live in the area and know what a mess I-35 has been lately.) On time! Most of my team was already there so it was just a matter of waiting for the Opening Ceremony and for the ride to get going. Jean and her partner Rose put airplanes on top of our helmets for the theme, "I believe I can fly." Cute! Opening Ceremony was nice. Andy Ansell, from our church, spoke and Reverend Robyn Provis, also from our church, blessed us on our journey. After about an hour or so, we were off. About 8am. I felt tight. But that's expected. Rode with my team awhile and then I made a light that they didn't so I went ahead for a little while, knowing they would catch up. They did eventually and passed me up. I think they are generally about 2 or 3 mph faster than me at most times. Pretty basic ride most of the way.

Rain was in the forecast so I had my jacket with just in case. Good thing! It started sprinkling about 30 or so miles in. Then it became a downpour. No big deal. Except there was lightening, both horizontal and vertical. Scary! I passed up the Burritobago (Chipotle's suppoprt RV) thinking I should just make it to lunch. The next pit was a church in a little town. By the time I got there, it was pretty bad. They ended up closing the road to us so we had to stay at the church. We only had access to the parking lot originally. But the custodian at the church called "The Boss" and asked if he could let us inside. We ended up staying there a couple hours. It was pretty cold since we'd all come in wet. First aid offered milar blankets for us to share. Those things TOTALLY work! I'm getting one for our camping gear!

The first plan was to start sweeping us (putting us in and our bikes on cars) to get us to the lunch stop. Most of us suggested they go pick up the food and bring it back to the church. That seemed the most reasonable to me since we had such good shelter. It also meant we wouldn't lose out on any mileage! (= So they did bring us lunch, chicken caesar wraps and pasta salad. Yum! They also made a ton of coffee for those who wanted it. That is the spirit of a ride like this! I'm sure they did not want to clean up after a hundren wet smelly cyclists. But they did and they were smiling and having a good time with us!

It seemed like a whole new ride once we got started again. Though my socks, shoes, and chamois (the big pad in the crotch of the shorts) were still wet when we were released! The next pit stop was on the Cannon Valley Trail, which was supposed to be lunch. This is about 10 miles from my home! The theme was the Flintstones and it was VERY cute! Then several miles down the Cannon Valley Trail to Red Wing, which was an awesome part of the ride. Smooth trail, slightly downhill. I was also excited because Lorrie was supposed to be waiting for me at the pit stop in Red Wing! And she was! It was very good to see her though it didn't last long. Twenty miles to camp from there. She stopped along the way to cheer with her cowbell along with some other people. That was great! The last 20 were hard! Headwinds made even going downhill difficult. I hate that! I rode with a woman named Jody for a lot of it but then couldn't keep up after about 15 miles. Then she stopped so I rode the rest alone. Seeing Lake Pepin was SUCH a relief! It still took a little while to get to Hok-Si-La campground. Definitely a welcome sight! Lorrie was there cheering again with my teammate Rand.

That was a hard day for me. It's good to be "home!" Typical routine follow: grab gear, set up tent, shower, eat. It's a beautiful campground with a wonderful view of Lake Pepin, which is really just a part of the Mississippi River. Dinner was grilled meats. Lorrie stayed until about 8:50pm and took off after giving me a massage. Hopefully I will sleep tonight! Though at the moment my neighbor is snoring very loudly. Argh!!

BWCA II - Day 1

Travel - Entry Point 14 > Little Indian Sioux River > portage *60r past rapids > portage 40r > Upper Pauness Lake > portage 40r > Lower Pauness Lake > portage 160r > Little Indian Sioux River > East Loon Bay.

Sometimes I get lazy and just make a list for the day. This is one of those days...

• Got up to wet
• Sue was packing the food into her new toy food barrels
• We took awhile to get organized
• Me = irritable
• Lorrie = Angry face at me that I did not like at all!
• Lots of mosquitoes at entry and during portages
• Lots of zig zagging in the canoe while Lorrie learns to steer we get used to paddling
• Lorrie lost her had in the first river )=
• Lorrie slipped while walking to the waterfall
• Some guys from Youth for Christ helped haul our stuff on the long (160r) portage
• Lunch on some rocks - salami & cheese on tortillas (yum!)
• 4 portages total, 5 if you include the entry. Which I should. 5 portages total
• Got the campsite that Sue wanted, overlooking the river
• Hamburger with green peppers, potatoes, carrots, and onions over the fire for dinner.
• Tired!
• We all sat in front of the fire waiting to go to sleep... at 9pm.
• It's still bright out
• Spotted 3 deer
• No moose yet
• Lorrie and I did lots of bickering this morning (nerves?) but we got much better in the afternoon.
• We swam after we got to our campsite, which was COLD! But felt great!
  

r = rod, which is basically the length of a canoe (e.g. 40 rods = 40 canoe lengths)

Boundary Waters (Day 1 - August 7, 2007

We left Northfield about an hour late because I had to finish packing and take the dogs to the kennel. MY BAD! /= It was a nice drive but took about an hour longer than expected because the camp is in the middle of nowhere! We thought it was closer to Grand Marais. Another oops! Needless to say, we were later in our arrival than expected. We also stopped in Duluth for some lunch and to take a quick drive through Canal Park. We have driven past the place so many times without Lorrie having the opportunity to show it to me, we just had to stop. It was also the first time I could actually see what it's like coming into Duluth. It has always been night, foggy, or raining like crazy when we've gone up North! lol

When we finally got to the camp, we followed the directions and then the signs along the gravel road. All this time, Lorrie has decided that she isn't going to talk anymore for awhile. If you know her, you will know that this is a significant and very strange thing. I actually handled it very poorly because I'm used to her running commentary on how beautiful everything is. We stopped and took some goofy photos... and still she was quiet. Then I started getting a little irritated, which she found funny. Arrgh! lol She finally did say something once we were on the end on the dock looking at the scenery. And it was back to normal! That was a stressful 5 minutes! lol

We ended up at a boat launch! Weird! So we went back and stopped at the caretaker's house to ask him what to do. He explained that the little boathouse down by the launch had an intercom and that we were to use that to call across the lake to the camp so that someone would come over in a pontoon and pick us up!! Ha! Very interesting! So that's what we did. Then we went up and started getting our stuff out of my SUV so that it would all be down there when the boat arrived. Apparently it's a short trip because our guide, Amy Teadecki, was up by our car in no time! She helped us get our stuff to the pontoon and then across Bear Skin Lake we went! I was so excited at this point. I could not believe that my Boundary Waters trip was actually happening! It seemed unreal. And then it started to settle in and I began getting a little nervous. lol

We got to the camp and went to the room where we'd be staying. Then Amy took us upstairs to the dining hall. We were just in time for dinner. Typical!! lol It was a typical camp-type cafeteria... totally full of teenagers! Ha! The kids at Camp Menogyn go on 8-40 day trips... backpacking, canoeing, and rock climbing. It's an incredible operation!

After dinner we went to see the fleet of canoes. We talked to a guy who graduated from St. Olaf that builds and maintains a lot of the canoes. Very knowledgeable. And now I can't remember his name either! Arrgh! He was recanvassing a wood canoe, which is apparently a pretty detailed process. It was amazing to see how that all works! We picked out our canoe, Amy put her name on it, and we were set. The they had a fireside thing, it had a name but I can't remember what it was. "Last word" or something like that. Afterwards we spent time going through the clothing we had brought to make sure we didn't take too much and that everything would be useful. I took some things out of my pack but actually had done quite well... for a terminal overpacker!! Lorrie and I put all our clothes into 1 dry bag and Amy used a smaller one for her stuff. We left raingear, camp shoes, and some other things out of those bags to be stuffed into the Duluth Packs for easy access. We also carried 1 daypack for raingear, sunscreen, first aid, etc. That together, we got ready for bed, did some reading, and then were asleep by 10:30pm or so. Wow!! We slept on bunkbeds in "Spring Room!" Isn't that cute!?

TRAM (Day 1 - July 23, 2007)

Walker to Park Rapids, MN

Distance = 52.23
Time = 3.44.36
Max speed = 26.5
Avg speed = 14.0

We got up early... about 5:30. We wanted to be on the road by 7am so that we could miss some of the worst heat. That first morning is always difficult. Getting our system down would take a day or so. We woke up, got into our cycling clothes right away. I even put a sweater on for a little bit! That was nice. We got our bags ready for the most part but left the tent up to dry a little from the dew. We had decided to have our first breakfast in the park rather than go into town like the others. The Moose Lodge or something like that was providing the breakfast... for $5 each! It was just eggs, toast, hashbrowns, and some juice. Nothing special, but enough. While there, I made our Accelerade mixture so that would be ready. Then back to take the tent down. Lorrie was a little nervous because everyone was leaving when we got back there. I kept reminding her that they were on their way to eat downtown so we were doing fine. We got the tent down, had everything packed up, and took it all over to the equipment truck. You know how in movies the action scene, usually sex, starts and the music coincides? Then the phone rings or something and the music skids to a stop? lol That's how I was feeling! Except it wasn't sex! /= We were getting started and then I had to stop and fix my shoe... bwzzzip. lol Then we were really on the road. We started on a trail, which was very nice. The only problem is that many people on a 4 foot wide trail can be a little dicey. We just took our time enjoying the cool air, the scenery, and the people. Yeah, the people. For now anyway! lol At some point Heidi and Tim passed us. Heidi said, "Hi Ladies. HEY, those are our ladies!" lol Then Daryl, Bill and Jeanie passed us. So we had left in good time. (= The trail was windy and hilly. Lots of people braking suddenly on those descents. Damn them! I'd go way ahead on the descents and then Lorrie would catch up on the flats or the climbs. It worked well. As you can see in the video, the day also started out somewhat foggy. That was a little eerie at times. When we got the the first rest area, I had to use the bathroom BADLY! lol She didn't so I told her to just go ahead. Then I could see how fast I could go and catch her. (= The line was pretty friggin' long so I was there awhile. I hate that for a first stop. Oh well! Back on the road, people started spreading out some because of the stop. That was nice. I don't know how fast I went but it was fun. I kept playing catch-up with an older man who had a radio playing polkas and such. It was cute at first and then I was done with him. lol So I sped up just a little more to get away. I got to the second rest area just as Lorrie was parking her bike. Good timing. This time she had to get into the bathroom line. So I grabbed water and food for us and stood with her. What I thought was funny was that they were serving PBJ sandwiches! lol I'm SO glad I decided not to bring that stuff! We stretched a little and were off again. It was still early and still cool enough so we didn't want to be standing around too much time before it gets hot. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful except for the heat. Lorrie drinks a lot of friggin' water, which is a good thing. But it always makes me nervous when she is close to running out so often. She needs a monster bottle! I'd recommend a camelbak if it wouldn't be so hot on her back. We finished the ride on another trail and got into camp, I think, around 1pm. I don't have a great concept of time. All I know is that it was very hot and we still had all day to hang out. We parked our bikes and started walking around trying to find Daryl et al. I called on my phone but he didn't seem to have service again. We found them by a pavillion, which was very convenient for the shade!

Back to get our bikes. Then back to get our bags. Ha... they had 4-wheelers with trailers that would take us and our gear to our campsites! Awesome!! Marked a spot for the tent in a nice shady site and then went down to the lake to cool off. *That* was awesome!! We swam around for a little while in our cycling clothes! lol Then went back up to set up the tent in the shade. We sat for a few moments and chatted with everyone. They had all showered already so were heading to the beer tent and various other places. The plan was to meet at 4:30pm for dinner since Brian had his van there temporarily. We headed over to the shower truck and got in line. Holy crap was that hot! The info tent was right there and they had ice water readily available. Good thing! I noticed on the shower door a poster for the AIDS Ride with the same logo from last year. That made me a little nostalgic! (= The shower felt great! I washed my clothes at the same time. Of course Lorrie took about half the time I did so she was outside when I got out. Sweetheart that she is, she waited for me since we hadn't said what the plan was. That was considerate! AND she brought me more water. How lucky am I? Back at the tent, we finished getting ready then Jan and Brian showed up around 4pm. Turns out everyone had gone down to a local bar after the beer tent so Brian was going to pick them up rather than meeting up at the tent site. I'm a little curious what would have happened had we not been there at 4pm since it was 30 minutes early and we easily could have explored the park more. No biggie. We were there so we went with them to pick up the bar folks. We headed out of town to a restaurant called Goose Crossing. They weren't open for another 30 minutes but let us into the bar early, which was where we ended up eating too. They had a free drink for any TRAMmers deal going so they were all happy. Lorrie was double happy since she got mine too! lol We split one of their big meals plus a hamburger! Both were good but the chicken was awesome! We were there for several hours just talking, dancing, laughing, and staying cool. The servers were great. At some point Brian requested that the chef come out to our table so we could thank him. He got a nice round of applause and seemed grateful. Eventually it was time to head back to the park. We had to stop at a liquor store so Daryl, Bill, and Jeanie could get more to drink. We headed downtown, I can't remember why, and ended up getting out to go walk around. We ended up in a bookstore where Bill bought a Garrison Keeler joke book, which he read out loud the rest of the evening. lol Lorrie and I left them to go to their bar and we went to the drugstore to get some anti-itch cream for my millions of bug bites! We also got some cool drinks that were not water! lol Vitamin water though. ha! We walked back up to the park and listened to the music that was playing on the stage. We could hear it from our tent so we didn't have to stay down there. We read a little and just relaxed some before going to bed. It was still pretty hot and we had yet to take the sleeping bags out of my messenger bag. We just laid on a sheet that Lorrie brought and when it got a little chillier in the middle of the night, we would put it over us. That seems to be working pretty well so far. Another early morning tomorrow!

ALC/LifeCycle 5 - Day One (June 4, 2006)

I got up at 3am without a problem, got all my stuff together. Again made sure I had my helmet, computer, and pump. I decided to carry my riding shoes and wear flip flops. Not a problem… unless I forget to change them before sticking my bag on the gear truck! lol People were pretty awake for the early hour. I’m sure the other guests were not thrilled with our early rising! LOL There was coffee and fruit in the lobby for us… no thanks! That was nice but I can’t eat either in the morning. That was actually something I had worried about… what would I eat that first morning. I knew all that would be available would be bagels, muffins, Clif Bars, juice, coffee….basically no protein and nothing substantial. But there was nothing I could do about it so I just went with the flow. Ate what they had and figured I’d catch up at lunch with a meat sandwich. Again, *these* are the kinds of things one worries about in “ALC Reality.” Not generally a huge life issue, ya know??! Got to the Cow Palace and it was still dark. This is when it started hitting me what I was actually about to do. Before that, people had been asking me if I was nervous and I never really was. I wouldn’t say that I was even nervous that first morning…it just hit me. I was definitely excited and wanted to get going. This was a feeling I would have to get over QUICK! With the number of people involved, there is waiting. In general I’m a pretty patient person but if I don’t know WHY I’m waiting… I don’t like to wait. As we waited, I think I went to the bathroom about 10 times… literally. *That* was how I knew I did have a little nervous energy. It reminded me of lining up on starting lines in track and feeling like I was going to pee my pants even though I had just gone. My nerves were kicking in. So, though I didn’t feel nervous, I knew my body was feeling something. A bunch of us stood in the main area and watched as people entered. The helmet ornaments were crazy! LOL But it was fun to see! I also noticed that people wore their team jerseys or logo jerseys… not many were in plain colors. ::sigh:: I was! Good thing to know for next time! There were also red helmet covers left on our seats that we were all to wear. So it would be a big red blob representing blood traveling along the road. Opening ceremonies started and we were so far back that I really couldn’t hear anything. So we just cheered when everyone else did! LOL Apparently Chris Cole (ED of the LAGLC) came out as HIV+. That was a pretty huge deal! I wish I had heard more of what was said as I’m sure it was poignant. But I didn’t. At some point people turned to head out toward their bikes. We were in the front at that point!! YAY! Off to the bikes we went. I had already gone and worked out the whole bike pump thing. All was good and there were no issues! Phew! I met up with my friends by our bikes so that we could ride out together. I know now why they chose the Cow Palace…we were definitely a bunch of cattle trying to get through the little doors. Apparently they had split us by LA and SF riders out of convenience so we exited from big ol’ garage doors on opposite ends of the building but then ended up at the same exit to the street. Not a bad idea! When we got outside, it had started to get light. We got out there… and stopped. It was hilarious…the starting and stopping. We’d get all excited that we were moving and would go about 5 feet. Fortunately I didn’t see anyone fall with their feet clicked in! I’m sure it happened and I’m sure it happens every year. But I didn't see it… and more importantly, I didn’t DO it! Once it was clear we were going to be standing for a little bit while some kind of staging was being done… I decided I should put some chamois butt’r on. So out there in the middle of all those people, this conservative chica sticks her hand down her pants and starts rubbing in the butt’r! Of course there are pictures! In case you don’t know, Chamois Butt’r/Butt Balm is put onto the chamois (pad) of your tights and/or directly onto the skin in your nether regions to prevent blistering, chapping, rubbing, redness, and basically any kind of skin discomfort you might expect from being on a tiny little seat for several hours a day. Let’s just say the boxes and boxes of Butt’r became our very close friends… and we were all happy to demonstrate in public our ability to apply! I will say that after that day, I would *generally* apply in the porta pottie! But if I forgot… no qualms about hand down pants! So Day 1 was just a total day of firsts. My first ride, my first day on the ride, my first rest stop, my first lunch stop, my first camp, my first dinner… everything! To me, the most important first was my first realization that I had actually trained enough and that I was having a good time climbing the hills. At some point my adrenaline totally took me over and I could not stop myself from going faster up the hills. Not saying AT ALL that I was the fastest person out there… but I learned that I could climb like crazy. My main fear was that I was ruining myself for the next few days by pushing too hard. But it didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard. Remember… “ALC Life” not “Real Life.” No one cares about that crap in “RL” but I had 6 more days to deal with my legs and I couldn’t risk wearing them out on the first day. But then, I had also decided that I wanted to see what I was made of. So this is what’s going through my mind as I’m passing people on the climbs continuously saying, “On your left.” I decided to just go with how my body felt at the moment and deal with the aftermath…well... after! (= It was nice getting to the first rest area before my friends ( <-- Khoa in the photo) so I could take some pictures of them as they rode in. We hung out a little and then they left while I had a picture taken of me. I continued my fast pace most of the day. We all met up for lunch on a cliff overlooking a beach. That was nice. And the lunch was quite good actually. I took everything they offered but only ate the sandwich and chips. I gave back my chocolate chip cookie! Can you believe that!?? I also took back 4 other cookies because no one had enough room to eat them! LOL Off we rode again. Nothing really significant except that I kept my pace. There were 6 of us loosely riding together… meaning we would regroup at the rest areas. So one of them would come out with me and ride then s/he would go back to the group and another would come out with me. It was fun and I got to go fast! I have to mention "The Pie Ladies" who are an unofficial rest stop along the beach free-peddling their wares. I was still full from lunch and all the other rest stops but I could not say no to homemade pie (the piece of pumpkin in the picture was in my stomach within minutes after Jeero's photo was taken with it!). They had cherry, apple, marionberry (which I wanted to try but they were out), and pumpkin. Yummm! Just one example of the wonderful things people did all week to take care of us and, dare I say, coddle, us! (= Getting into Santa Cruz was cool. We had to maneuver through the city a little so the anticipation of being done kept slowly building. There was one point where a car whizzed past us and then honked at a car in front of him going slowly because of us. One of the roadies yelled at him to slow down! (= I thanked her for sticking up for us and she got a little embarrassed… maybe ‘cause she yelled at him. I thought it was cool! And it was a good example of how the roadies would take care of us for the entire week! Remember this is my day of firsts! So getting into camp for the first time was interesting. It’s like a whole different world! And so it began. Where to park the bike? Over there? Okay then. Um... how do I get my bike under that bar?? Brainiac! Now… where is my gear truck? Wait… which one is my gear truck?… look at my necklace and see that I am truck E. Okay, where the hell is truck E? Our bikes are parked on a baseball field and the trucks are beyond 2 fences in a parking lot. How do we get there?? I think we took the longest route to get there… but we got there. I had to carry my tent and drag my huge suitcase across the field to find Section E and the little ground marker with my number (097) on it. Sounds easier than it is… and remember I have just ridden my bicycle about 80 miles! Once I found it, someone, I think it was Elaine, came over and helped me set up the tent. Very nice! Got my bag, pad, and sleeping bag all in there and then tried to figure out what I needed for the shower. Did I need to do laundry? Yes. Got everything together for the shower. Then… where the hell is the shower?? I don’t even know what the showers look like! So I ask… and then I see the signs reading, “Showers this way” with arrows. So across the field, across the street and into a parking lot I go. The showers are semi-trailers turned into locker rooms. The showers are individual but the dressing areas are communal. Not a huge deal although I was slightly more modest on this day than I would be the rest of the time. I realized it just took too much damn energy trying to preserve my modesty. After I got dressed, I went outside to brush my teeth. Yeah, outside. There were stands with 8 sinks, 4 on each side, with little mirrors so we could brush our teeth or whatever. It was actually quite nice. I don’t know what they would do if it was raining. After I was smellin’ fresh, I decided to try my hand at bucket laundry! LOL Buckets, garden hoses, my liquid detergent, and my dirty clothes. I’m sure you can figure out the rest. Drying was interesting. I had brought clothespins, a trousers hanger, and binder clips so I’d have options. I just hung it all from my tent and hoped it would dry… including my brand new camp towel/chamois. (A “different” kind of chamois! lol). Back at my tent, trying not to totally take over the whole thing while still figuring out my system. My tentmate wasn’t back yet so I wanted to make sure I respected her space… even though my bag was monstrous!! Next item on the agenda… FOOD and DRINK! I was very thirsty and definitely hungry. Where’s the food?? Another sign… and just follow the smell. When I got there, it was another thing to figure out. Which is meat and which is veggie? Where’s the end of the line? How much can I take? What can I drink? How the hell do I carry all of this? Where do I sit? Reminds me of the first lunch of first grade!! LOL But a couple of my friends were already there so I got to sit with them. The big hit was the Vitamin Water…. mini-sized. I think we each drank 4 of them! Plus my nalgene bottle of water. Apparently I was thirsty! I was trying to do everything possible to make sure I could do well the next day too. I was still worried about having pushed too hard the first day. Time will always tell. After announcements and some jokes, it was time for bed. I had been instructed to bring my wet clothes and towel in because of the condensation at night. So I hung them from a flap inside the tent. I had a book and a journal to read and write before bed. HAHAHA! It was about 9pm and I was OUT....