Delta Century - Training Ride 9

Distance - 96.16 miles > my computer measured differently than everyone elses! /=
Time Riding - 7.02.30
Total Time - 9.38.21
Avg Speed - 13.6 mph
Max Speed - 22.5mph

I needed a Century before ALC. I missed the registration for most of those I had heard about earlier in the year. Earlier in the year when I wasn't sure I would ever be able to complete a Century again in my life. So Friday night I did some searching at the various bicycle clubs around the area. The Stockton Bicycling Club was hosting their annual Delta Century. Flat. No climbing. What's that even mean?? I contacted them by email and found out there was still room. So that was the plan. I took Saturday off from cycling and hung out with Bozo in the morning then we went to "The Hunger Games" in the afternoon with LJ. The only reason this is significant to the ride is that for some reason I totally strayed from usual pre-ride routine. I ate more than my fair share of the large popcorn that we bought. WAY MORE! I drank more than my fair share of the Coke that Bozo and I "shared." Then after the movie we went across the street and shared Veggie Nachos (I ate more than my fair share there too!) and I had a Margarita. A margarita! What?? Then we went home, I got my stuff ready, and went to bed. I did drink a ton of water before I went to sleep. But still.

We woke up easily enough at 4:45am... well, as easily as I am capable of waking at that hour. That's why I get everything ready the night before. I am not "with it" in the morning. All of that went mostly as usual. But then I requested no tortillas for my pre-ride eggs. I generally like the tortilla but before a ride I feel like I'm gagging it down. No big deal except that this was yet another change to my routine and also gave me fewer carbs before the ride. Again, I drank a lot of water. But I was also drinking some Heed Perpetuem when I probably should have just been drinking more water. I'm just not sure where my mind was.

Jessie's Orchard Winery is where the ride started. Very cute! Roosters crowing while they hang out on the wine barrels in the old barn at sunrise. Idyllic! Bozo was dropping me off so we got prime parking. I was having trouble deciding what clothes to wear but knew it would get warm quickly so opted for shorts, short-sleeve jersey, and arm warmers. All set, Bozo took off and I headed to the outhouse. When I parked my bike I realized I had left my bottles in the car. Where is my mind?? Bozo came running over with them. Oh! That's where my mind is! lol Phew! After the bathroom I came out and Bozo was back. But this time it was because parking was really easy and she wanted to watch me ride out.

The exit took us through the vineyard! SO pretty! It was a bit like mountain biking with some gravel-filled  potholes. I liked that!

The rest of the ride is a blur. It was very windy and riding alone was pretty difficult. If you have read my blog in the past, you know that I have a love/hate relationship with the wind. But when I decided to do the Red Ribbon Ride in Minnesota, I knew that I needed to make peace with the wind. And I have. Not that I love it but it didn't mess with my mind nearly as much during this ride.

On another note, my legs felt like CRAP from the very beginning. At about mile 1, yes ONE, I was thinking I didn't know if I could complete this ride if my legs didn't get with the program. They were saying to me something like, "Popcorn? Nachos? Margarita??" and I realized that my will just had to be stronger than their valid argument. So I pedaled. And pedaled. Oh... and pedaled!

I saw beautiful vineyards. Who knew the Delta had vineyards? Honestly, I didn't even know there was a Delta! lol So everything was new to me. We rode along a Slough(?) on both sides, looked like a river to me. At one point the wind was so strong to my side that I was literally leaning to the left into the wind and holding my handlebars so tight my hands began to ache. The gusts would take the handlebar easily to the right if I didn't hang on. I also thought I might have missed a turn at one point. Each ride seems to have those long stretches where I don't see anyone else and I begin to question if I'm in the right place. As we got back on to the regular roads, I began seeing people again. Phew!

The rest stops were well-stocked with foods I tried to eat to make up for the night before. This is an AWFUL feeling! To hope that what I eat now will help me now and also make up for my stupidity the day before. I also tried to release the muscles in my left calf, which had been painful from the beginning. After each rest stop, the pain was just a little less and I began to think that my will was actually winning out! Before the last rest stop, we had to cross the Slough from the island we were on (I didn't know we were on an island!) on a Ferry. That was a relief. I wish it had been a little longer!

The last rest stop left about 20 miles in the ride. At this point I knew I would make it. It might take me forever but I wasn't going to get this far and then stop. After procrastinating, debating drinking a Coke (I didn't), and going to the bathroom twice, I finally got myself back on my bike and out on the road. I told a few people that I'd see them when they pass me and off I went. Sure enough, the same people who had been passing me all day came along. The leader of the 2nd group told me to jump on the train, to which I responded that I would if I could keep up. She said they would drag me! lol So I jumped on. And they did drag me. It was the fastest 20 miles I did all day and it felt great. The benefit of having a group of people to ride with... and a tailwind! I definitely miss having people to ride with in a group!

Back at the Vineyard... Bozo was waiting for me where she had dropped me off. Not that she'd been there all day! lol She took Blue home and hung out there before coming back to Lodi. But we missed the turn. I guess we were just going too darn fast! ha! So we came in from the main entrance and I snuck up on her a little.

A quick meal of pasta, salad, bread, and cookies before heading home. A well-run ride I have to say!

I'm glad to have gotten the Century done before AIDS/LifeCycle. It definitely affirmed that a flat century can be much more brutal than climbing. There are no breaks like those in the descents and it's monotonous. Riding alone, I had a lot of time in my own head... with the wind. But it was definitely an achievement and I'm glad to have done it.

Cantelew - Monticello - Cardiac - Oh My! - Training Ride 8

Distance = 68.89
Time = 5.26.34
Max Speed = 36.5mph
Avg Speed = 12.6mph

We started out from Three Oaks Community Center in Vacaville again. Went the opposite direction from the first time we left from there. There was also a festival happening at the community center so it was tempting to just stay behind and hang out there. As is typical, I don't know exactly where we went but the map is below. What I do know is that we climbed Cantelew, which I've been wanting to do for awhile now. It's another one of those named climbs that make them seem so much worse than they actually are. We stopped at a bar (haha!) before turning toward the climb, which always makes it seem that much worse. Not the bar part... the stopping part. Like you have to stop to prepare yourself for what's about to happen. It ended up being not that big of a deal. As usual. Not that it wasn't difficult. It certainly was. But it was gradual at first and there was actually a slight descent right in the middle. It's the last little portion that I think freaks people out. It's definitely steeper AND it's a switchback. Not many people enjoy a switchback! Maybe my mountain biking history has helped me handle switchbacks comfortably. On this particular switchback, it was easier to stay on the outside even though the inside is the shortest distance. On the inside, once you get past the turn it became even steeper so that some people had to stop. On the outside it remains more gradual. Thankfully no cars came because I was going against traffic. Everyone stopped at the top until we all finished. That was nice and not something we often do on our training/team rides.

There are a few of the faster guys that I usually see at the start and then again at the start of the next ride! lol By the time I finish, they are long gone. But this time I got to hang with them a little more. I liked that! I rode alone much less than usual and I enjoyed that too.

We also stopped a lot! This made the day a lot longer but also more manageable. I think I prefer fewer stops though. One rider's husband was our SAG for the day. He was AWESOME! He hung back a little, then went ahead to be ready for us at the next rest stop. And their cute dog was with him so that helped!



After Cantelew we made our way to Monticello Dam and Cardiac. I've done both those before but I've never continued on past the top of Cardiac. There's a great descent and then a gradual ascent that I didn't expect. I had a moment riding with Kevin where there were no cars and it sounded strangely quiet... very nice!

I got left behind at the end because I went to the bathroom in a fancy white table cloth restaurant. Ha! I caught up to a couple of people and then just hung out with them the rest of the way. By the time we got there, nearly everyone was gone. Many of them are doing one of the Chico Wildflower rides tomorrow so they needed to get a move on.

My only complaint for the day was that it was billed as an 80-mile ride initially and then got changed to 70-miles at the last minute. That's the second time that's happened to me for one reason (my mistake) or another (they changed it). I'm trying to get up to 90-miles and a Century soon, before ALC, so I need those extra 10 or so miles.

Bozo came to pick me up afterwards and we picked up an ice cream from the Ice Cream Man! Perfect ending... with a Drumstick!!

Orinda and Climbing All Over Creation - Training Ride 7

Distance: 74.83
Time: 6.52.32
Average Speed: 10.8 mph
Max Speed: 34.0 mph

Started the day at 5am. That, in and of itself, is a feat for me! I headed south toward San Francisco and met up with a large group of ALCers at the Orinda BART station. Mary, the ride leader described the route... or at least that's what I thought she was doing. But really she was just telling us the turns. There was no indication about the hill climbing I had gotten myself into!

We started out climbing Wildcat Canyon out of Orinda, which was very pretty. I got some beautiful views of "some city" and "some body of water." No time to ask about such things. We headed through Tilden Park, up Grizzly Peak and along Skyline to Redwood, Pinehurst, to Moraga, and back to Starbucks in Orinda where we had the option of calling it a day or going on to the second half of what I now know is "Mary's Adventure!"

The ride was billed as 80 miles. I, however, took a shortcut at one point and knocked off 5 miles. A normal person would be happy about this fact but I was actually quite bummed as I really wanted to hit 80 today. I left the first rest area with a guy who wanted to follow me because I had a ride sheet. That should have been my first clue! But he said he also knows the area pretty well because a friend lives there. Long story short, he convinced me to go one way when I knew that the ride sheet said there was supposed to be a stop light. He seemed so sure so I went with him. I realized it once we got to a corner where we could only turn left but the ride sheet said turn right. Darn! He was very apologetic and I know he meant well. But... DARN!

For those of us who decided to brave the second half, we were in for a long hard HOT day! I don't know what the temperature was all day but there were times I felt my lungs were burning. And not just from riding! lol Anyway, we climbed Pig Farm Hill, which was so short and so steep I felt compelled to yell an expletive when I got to the top. After a brief downhill, it was a gentle climb up Franklin Canyon. After a yummy lunch at Velona's Deli and Market in Crockett, we returned to Orinda via Hercules, Pinole Valley, Castro Ranch, and San Pablo Dam Road.

Sounds pretty innocuous when I'm writing it here. At lunch I talked to a man who has done ALC 15 times. This is his 16th. And he said that this is the hardest day of riding he has ever experienced. After I finished the ride with Kathy, a Training Ride Leader, we were talking about today's ride and she said, "OH! You've never been on a 'Mary's Ride' before?? Well if you can ride with Mary, you can do any part of the ALC!" Good to know!

There were supposed to be 2-3 SAG vehicles but there ended up being only 1, unless someone else joined later in the day. I was actually in front of it all day so I don't really know what they were doing. But they did have water and food. The water I could definitely have used at one point. It was just nice to know that if I decided to call it quits and sat down on the side of the road, someone would have come to get me and Hi-Ho. 

I also have to note that I haven't suddenly gotten into so much better shape than I was before. Though I actually have gotten into better shape. Running and spinning have helped. But the other thing that helped me be successful today was that I took my bike in to have them check out my derailleur and such because I wasn't able to get into the big ring on that last ride.... and then not into the middle ring. I also asked them to just go ahead and do a tune-up. So they replaced all the cables, cable covers, the brake pads, and the chain. I had forgotten what it was supposed to feel like when I shift gears. I had just gotten used to the poor performance.

So it was a pretty incredible experience. I have to admit that much of the time I was climbing toward the end, I was questioning whether I even want to do the ALC this year. I keep going back and forth. Why would I want to be so miserable and why would I want to use so much vacation time to be miserable and spend so much time away from Bozo? It also doesn't help that I haven't even raised $1000 of the $3000 required.

Regardless of what I decide there, this day has shown that I am a tough ass! (=

Benicia to Morgan Territory - Training Ride 6

Distance = 58 miles
Time = 5.13.19
Avg Speed = 11.1mph
Max Speed = 35mph (while braking like crazy!)

Time to get in some distance. The ride was billed as an 88 mile lollipop loop through Morgan Territory Park. My goal was to hit at least 60 miles as I have not ridden that far this season. We started out around 8am and it was pretty cold so I had arm warmers and a jacket on. I'd forgotten my gloves so a teammate loaned me hers. I have ridden without gloves before and don't mind it but with the cold morning, I was thankful for the loan.

The ride started out with a really quick little downhill, which is always a fun way to get going. Then, of course, it was a slight uphill to get the legs going. We went through an industrial area bobbing garbage and glass all along the way. Is there a rule that industrial areas have to be dirty like that?? Then we headed off on Bridge Bike Path, which took us over I-680. By this time I was well behind the rest of the group. A position I am getting used to!

Passed Connie, Lauren, and Scott on the side of the road as Connie had a flat tire. I'm not surprised with all the crap along the road. It made more sense for me to keep going since I am the slowest in the group rather than to be a 4th person to help with one flat. So off I went. Scott also left and met us at the first rest stop but again it made more sense for me to keep on truckin'.

Along the way my big ring stopped working. It just wouldn't shift up in that gear. Not such a big deal with climbing being the main focus on the day. But at time between the climbs or going downhill, it's nice to have that big ring to keep momentum going. I need to get a tune up before the ride anyway, this just means getting it in there sooner.

After a longish climb and a stop at a Peet's Coffee in Concord, the real climbing began. Connie and Lauren made it to Peet's before we left so the entire group headed out together, which I thought was nice.

There were a few sections of slightly more level road than others but basically, according to the map,  it was about 6-8 miles of climbing with lots of switchbacks that would get steeper the last 15 yards or so. These last few yards gave me an opportunity to stand and climb or there were some of those last inclines that I might not have made. It was very slow going but I stuck with it and rode the entire way. I stopped one time to get a bite of a Clif Bar, I couldn't do it while climbing as slow as I was! lol The good news was that I didn't cramp at all nor did I "pre-cramp." I was just fatigued from it being more climbing than I've done in a long time. That was encouraging! The drink I've been using is Camelbak Elixir. I only have one tablet left and then I'll have to decide if I'm going to stick with that (the tablets are VERY convenient) or go back to Accelerade, which I like very much!

Finally at the top,  I missed the rest stop! Oops! The ride sheet said the rest stop was at the top of the climb and since there was more climbing, I didn't realize I was there. The main problems with that were 1) I was a little low on water and 2) my teammates may have been there waiting for me and the other 2 who were out on the road still. They don't usually wait too long for the slow pokes in the group so that wasn't the biggest worry. The water became more of an issue later as I was going through farm and ranch country with no gas stations or other places to stop. The downhill on the opposite side of the climb was described as "screaming" in the ride description. I'd say that was accurate. My risk-taking has decreased quite a bit so I was braking much of the way down, especially on the blind curves. But I still hit 35mph. I need to find out from my teammates how fast they got up to. Some of those guys are crazy!

I made it to the Starbucks in Danville where Lorrie and Emma Blue were waiting to see how I was doing. I got some water and spent some time debating whether my legs had enough in them to complete the last few miles to hit 60 as indicated by the ride sheet to the Lunch Stop. I decided to give it go and Lorrie planned to hang out a few minutes so she could pass me and see how I was doing. It turned out to be mostly at a slightly downhill angle so I made it to Domenico's Deli in Danville in no time. I ended up getting there before anyone, which made me worry about how long the guys may have waited at the top of the climb for me. They are an easygoing bunch but I hate the idea of holding up their ride because of my mistake!

Meanwhile, Lauren, one of the other women on the ride, bonked hard! She and Connie called the ranger in Morgan Territory (I'm not sure I would have thought of that!) who took them to the Starbucks also. Fortunately they ran into Lorrie and were able to get a ride to the Deli. Most of the guys were there by the time Lorrie brought the other 2 women. We were all glad to be there safe and sound!

I made my "at least" goal and didn't feel like I should push it any further. I was tempted though because I did feel good.... sitting there! lol The good thing about aging is that I actually am wiser about listening to my body. So I ended it there and was very happy with my accomplishment! Lauren also made the smart choice to stop there after bonking so hard. And Connie decided to go along with her. So back to the starting point we went, leaving the boys at the deli to fill their bellies before completing the last 20 miles.

My only achy areas are my quads and my lower back. The quads are easy for me to get in better shape. I need to start making a concerted effort to improve my lower back and upper body in general.

Here's the entire intended route, though I stopped Danville:

Rancho Cordova to Fair Oaks - Training Ride 5 (sortof)

Distance = 13.2mph
Time = 1.15.19
Avg Speed = 10.5
Max Speed = 21.5 (I have no idea where I would have gone that fast!)

I am in study mode so there isn't much time consuming training happening right now. We met up with Natacha and Rachel to get a little ride in with the goal of having lunch in Fair Oaks at Sunflower Drive-In and Restaurant. We met up at River Bend Park, which used to be called CM Goethe Park but was changed because of Goethe's alleged Nazi history. We rode about 6 miles east on the American River Bike Trail toward Fair Oaks where we had to ride around a little to find the Sunflower Drive-In. I had only been there once before on a training ride and was following the entire way. Fortunately it's a small enough village that we found it pretty quickly. I thought this would be a great place to take N & R because Rachel is vegetarian and they have never had the Nut Burger at Sunflower. Plus, the roaming chickens are very cute to see! After lunch and some good conversation, we headed back to the cars. It took us a little while to find the trail again after having gotten ourselves confused in looking for the restaurant. I was voted to go up and down the hills to check if we were going the right direction so no one else would have to climb as much. That was the extent of my "training" for the day!

Winter to Dam Cardiac - Training Ride 4

Distance - 26.88
Time - 2.19.05
Average Speed - 11.5mph
Max Speed - 33.5mph

I just needed to get a ride in and wanted to climb. I didn't trust my mind to be totally present for too long because of my thoughts of Tori. So I got a ride to Winters then took the short way out to Hwy 128 where I climbed up to Monticello Dam and then Cardiac. It was a little later in the day than I prefer so there were more cars out than I usually experience. Most were fine. Though a few were very fast and I imagine them being surprised by seeing me there.... even though this is a very popular cycling route. But the rudest person was a motorcyclist. That surprised me the most. He had the big wide handlebars that felt WAY too close when they passed. Which is funny because what did he think would happen to himself if he caught with me with those handlebars?? I know! I know! Front wheel flips to the right and his unhelmeted unretrained large body flies at about 60mph into the falling rock wall next to us. Sounds fun... and well worth the risk! Whatever. I'm definitely grumpy!

Here's some information about the route. Though it looks like my gps didn't catch the end of the ride for some reason. Basically just an out and back.

A Tribute to TORI the EXPLORER: 1997-2012

It was a dark and rainy early morning in Houston in 1999 when Tori came into my life quite by accident. She was approximately 2 years old. After 13 years of adventures together, she left this life at 2:41am as we held her on a dark and rainy Leap Day morning at the age of 15.

Tori was a peace loving, adventure seeking , gentle soul who gave and received love without effort and made everyone smile who had the joy of meeting her. Despite a dislocated patella, diabetes, one eye, blindness and colitis, she was always ready for the next adventure. As soon as it seemed that we were preparing to leave for anywhere other than work, you could find her sitting facing the door, lying on our shoes, or next to the car outside so we would be sure not to forget her.  How did she always know exactly where the car door was when she was blind??

Tori was the most forgiving and patient being I have ever had the pleasure to meet.  Two and a half years ago, Tori nearly died when she lost her eye in a remote area of Canada. She survived that crazy incident like the stubborn girl she always was and in the process developed an incredible bond with Lorrie that can only come out of a shared trauma. They were soul mates.

She has left a hole in our lives that can only be filled with the incredible memories we have of her and the life lessons only she has been able to teach us. I feel so incredibly blessed that she came into my life and that she was willing to spend 13 years claiming me as her Human!

Vacaville Winters Loop - Training Ride 3

Distance - 37.31
Time Riding - 2.54.34
Actual Time - 3.38.22 (or a little less because I forgot to stop my watch)
Max Speed - 31.5mph

There were about 12 of us today. We started out from Three Oaks Community Center around 10:30am or so. That seemed really late to me. But then I also don't like getting up too early! lol

I'm starting to get a better picture of the area. From Vacaville we were on Pleasants Valley Rd, which is also the road I turned right on out of Winters during my Training Ride 1. The headwind was against us this direction so that was another great training opportunity. The hills were low rollers. So they rolled but there wasn't a lot of elevation gain for them. There was an "possible stop" at Lake Solano Park that everyone was at when I got there. But when I came out of the bathroom, everyone but one of the ride leaders was gone. That's a weird feeling! I wish I had just kept rolling to Winters, which was only about 3 miles away, for our main rest stop. They would have caught me anyway.

After Winters, the wind was mostly at our backs or not a factor as we headed back toward Vacaville. There were more rollers on this side of the loop. They seemed little higher in elevation... or perhaps I was more tired. Either way, it was a nice ride. Car drivers were mainly courteous. One pickup truck driver actually drove behind me up a hill since he couldn't see what might be coming his way down. I appreciated that one in particular!

During one of the climbs on the way back, I finally heard my heart in my ears! This seems significant to me because it meant that my legs were able to go fast enough to get my heart working a little harder. That's what I'm going for right now. Both the cardio and the muscular need work! (=

Good training ride! It'll feel better when I'm not spending quite so much time alone. But, for now, if I'm going to listen to my body, that's where I am.

Here's the route:

Folsom Cycling - Training Ride 2

Distance: 34.3 miles
Time Riding: 3.13.04

Time Overall: 4.32.05

Avg: 12.2

Max: 37.5 mph

To see the map of the ride:
Folsom Cycling - Road biking trip - Spot | SpotAdventures

This was my first "Official" AIDS/Life Cycle Training ride with a group, mainly Team Sacramento, and where we had to follow the rules... helmet, stopping at stop signs, using turn signals, etc.

Started at Folsom Bike in Folsom where everything seems to be named "Folsom _______" lol We started out riding along Lake Folsom where there is a huge dam called, guess? Folsom Dam! This was the hillier section of the ride. I prefer to start out with the hills first so this worked for me. I can also tell that I'm doing better regarding wind because there was a head wind going uphill and not one cuss word came out of my mouth. Maybe that was why I needed to live in Minnesota for a little while... get used to flat and wind.

You can see from the map where else we went. Mainly rolling hills after the initial incline. But those were pretty challenging for me at this stage of my training.

In the ride description, it read, "Say Hello to the chickens." I figured that meant we were going rural. Turns out there's a village called Fair Oaks that has chickens just wandering around on the streets. Urban free range? I read a flyer on the window where we ate that indicated the chickens are becoming a problem and that no one is taking care of them. The main problem is their lack of access to water.

In Fair Oaks, we stopped at Sunflower Drive-In Restaurant, which is where we saw most of the chickens. But it's a vegetarian place so at least they aren't serving up the chickens. I had a Peanut Butter Banana and Honey sandwich that I shared with Samantha, one of the ride leaders.

After that there was no major climbing but many more rolling hills. I dropped my chain not long after we left the restaurant so Connie and I got pretty far behind. She did a good job dragging me back up to the group. Good patience on her part!

With about 5 miles left, I started with the pre-cramping. That is a difficult feeling to deal with. One wrong move and there's the cramp. But if I don't push on the pedals hard enough, I won't get anywhere. I used a Gu and kept drinking my Camelbak Elixir, which generally works in those situations. But I just kept pedaling, which miraculously gets me closer to the finish! And that I did.

What I did well: I rode my ride. I was at the back the entire time and way off the back much of the time. But I know my current fitness level and how much I could push myself and I listened to that without letting my ego get involved.

What I'm happy about: Though my legs need quite a bit more work, my cardiovascular fitness is much more advanced than I thought. My heart rate went above "the zone" a few times in the climbs but I didn't hear it in my ears and I didn't feel it trying to beat out of my chest. And when we had a rest stop, I never felt fatigued aside from my legs. Because I was farther back, a couple of the leaders kept asking me how I was doing in that tone that says they can tell I'm in pain. But I always felt really good. So I'm happy about that!

Looking forward to: I'm looking forward to my legs being stronger and continuing to build my fitness so I can rock those climbs!

To work on: I still need to lose some weight to make climbing that much easier. Definitely not going overboard with that but I need to be realistic about getting down to "fightin' weight."

Go Team Sacramento!

First Cali Hill - Training Ride 1

So I've started training for the AIDS/Life Cycle Charity Ride. And because there is a lot of climbing during that week, I thought it might be a good idea to ride a hill or two before I start the ride in June. So off I went to Monticello Dam and a little beyond to the Marina. It was a great day! Seemed much colder when I started out than it actually was so I quickly took off my jacket. The hill was also a little more manageable than I expected. So a good entre into some climbing for the season. And by season, I'm not sure what I mean since it's still winter in Minnesota and I wouldn't be able to think about cycling at this time usually.

Distance: 26.82
Time: 2.12.07
Max: 32mph
Avg: 12.1mph

The Town Loop

Took a leisurely ride around town on a path made for just that purpose. Not much traffic and a good way to see other areas of town that you wouldn't otherwise.

Distance - 13.03 miles
Time - 1.28.58
Average - 8.7mph
Max - 20mph.... though I'm not sure where! lol

Thankscamping in Sonoma - Day 3

Day 3 - time to go home. Everything was wet when we got up. So we took our time hoping that things would dry out. But they didn't really so we'd have to hang it all up at home to let it dry thoroughly.

Not too exciting... but just another day to relax. This is my first time having more than a 3-day weekend so I needed to recover from the quarter. And then I still worked! lol But it as worth it! I think we all needed the fresh air.

We got home while it was still light out. AND... another day off tomorrow. THAT is awesome!!

Thankscamping in Sonoma - Day 2

It was cold! But we slept great! We used an air mattress then had our Therm-a-rests on top of it. So it kept the ground chill away. The dogs slept pretty well too! We definitely go to great lengths to keep them warm.

The day was spent lounging. I brought my running gear. But didn't run. The students across from us went mountain biking. That made me jealous! We did take the dogs for a walk using Blue's new stroller. I'm sure that doesn't look weird... 2 dogs, 2 strollers!

I actually did some work. We are selecting interns for next year so I had applications to read. Not the most fun thing to do but what a great environment for it. Most of the stuff on my lap and the side stuff on a cooler! lol What a great office! Lorrie was able to read and relax. It was nice... in the best way, nice!

The evening brought organic Mac-n-Cheese! Yumm! This is the only time we eat that stuff! And we just kept relaxing. The students were less drunk and therefore quieter. That made me happy. I also went over to the bathroom, which was by our original site and found there were a couple large very loud groups over there. SO glad we moved!

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!

Taking a Dump in the Boundary Waters

We've done the Boundary Waters twice now being led by others. We decided it was time for us to take the lead ourselves. So we invited Bozo's sister and her sister's friend Lisa to check it out with us over a weekend. Just one night out and 2 days of canoeing. Easy breezy!

We did great in our planning! Really. We gave good advice to Bozo's sister... including not bringing nice smelling lotions, you don't need traveler's checks in the woods, and bring gloves. When we got to Ely on Friday night, Bozo's sister and Lisa were already there so we dumped some stuff off and went to pick up the bits of gear we needed to rent and then headed out for food.

Back in the hotel, we had them dump everything out of their bags and removed anything that seemed unnecessary. Bozo's sister had an unmatched set of gloves, which worked great. Funny part that one of them had rhinestones! heheh Otherwise everything was pretty good... just too much. We all know that I am very guilty of that myself so I cannot judge.

We got a good night's sleep and woke up bright and early to meet our shuttle to the lake. The plan was to put in at Lake One then tour through the numbered lakes until we found a campsite, preferably on an island, for the night. However, Lisa woke up with a migraine and was not feel well at all. So we had to slow down the plan to see if she would be able to go. Our options were to go without her and leave her to sleep in the dark in the hotel all day, none of us go, or we all go and hope the headache subsides. We compromised on not going out for the night but just for the day instead and that we would all go.This is where our lack of experience came into play...

We didn't need all the stuff we had packed up on Friday night so we started removing things and replacing things so that we had one Duluth pack to carry with everything we would need in it. Somehow in the rush of everything, we didn't use the proper waterproof bags and forgot to bring some basic gear... matches. Of course we didn't know that until we were about to get on the water and a nice couple gave us a couple of the matches and some fire starters. Phew!

We got the canoes on the water just fine. Canoeing was great! Neither we nor the Outfitter could figure out if there was an opening along the Canadian Border into Lake Two so we checked that out first. Nope! So back we went past where had put in and toward our first short portage. Angie and I were in a canoe together and Bozo was with Lisa. The portage was so short that we just lugged the canoes with the stuff in them. In Lake Two we spent some time trying to find the correct portage. There were two and they were pretty close together and also close to some small rapids. I finally spotted the one we needed, which was on the other side of some small rapids and sortof hidden away. Angie and I got near it but were at an awkward angle so we went back to try again. Bozo and Lisa went upstream and made it to the portage. I decided to just cut across the last little bit of the rapids and off we went. And then we were in the water! The water was moving pretty fast and carried me away from the canoe and everyone else... though I held on to my seat pad Nalgene bottle, and the map! Once I took a deep breath and calmed myself, I was able to swim toward the canoe and just rested on that. Of course we all had our life jackets on. That made it much more comfortable. BUT... we were surrounded by cut rock and no way to get out of the water. The canoe was slowly sinking a little deeper into the water with all our stuff attached underneath.

So we kicked and Bozo and the friend tried to push with their paddles. Eventually (read: 40 minutes later) we were able to get out of the water on a small ledge. There was just enough foot space to be able to stand pretty sturdily. I was able to get the bag out of the canoe and hand it to Bozo and Lisa. In retrospect, that wasn't a very good choice as the weight of the bag as I handed it to her could have capsized them as well. Thankfully that didn't happen.

Then Angie and I spent several minutes working on getting our canoe righted. We'd get some water out and then it was slide back down. Eventually we were able to get it to a point that we could lift it. The water had made it too heavy to lift. So we lifted it and flipped it right side up. We got back in and began heading to a portage site that would take us back toward home. Angie started shivering pretty quickly so we needed to get her dry and warm and also try to get me dry and warm before I started shivering too. She had gotten her hair wet while somehow, much to Angie's chagrin, I was able to keep my hair dry and not lose my sunglasses in the whole process. On our way to the portage site, Angie and I took a detour to pick up a Nalgene bottle that was floating nearby, which Bozo had just given to her yesterday. That was funny!

After portaging a half mile or so, we were back in the water heading to a campsite we'd seen on our way out. We stopped there, got a fire going eventually, and started removing clothing. I ended up in just a rain jacket and someone else's shorts, Angie had a sweatshirt and some dry shorts. Another learning experience... we should have been more adamant about fast drying clothing. I think because it was such a short trip, we were lazy and wore too much cotton.

Finally dry enough to get moving while still wearing our strange outfits, we took off again to the last portage before the put in. All went without incident. But we were very early in our return. So we asked some people who were returning to Ely if they would stop at Voyageur and let them know we were there in case they could come early. They did! Voyageur has cold beer and cold soda in a cooler for people when they return to civilization! We hadn't been gone that long but the coke still tasted good! It started to rain a bit while we were waiting for the shuttle but rained even harder once we were in the vehicle. Phew again!

Back at the hotel, they didn't have our room available anymore but we got a suite with 2 bedrooms and a separate bathroom. That worked out well so we had more space to spread our wet clothes and things away. Lisa went to sleep while Bozo, Angie, and I went to get some food... and drink.The next day we were tourists in Ely, which I had always wanted to do. That was fun! Did some great shopping and then headed home at a reasonable hour.

Items damaged by my dump into the water included my cell phone and solar radio and charger. I was able to get them both replaced free because I had insurance on them. (= My Spot was under water for a little while and it turned out just fine. What I learned from that was I should have it on ME not on the pack! I'd rather Search and Rescue find me than my stuff! Especially if it's at the bottom of a lake! lolI'm glad we all made it home safe and sound! Bozo and I learned some really good lessons. The main being that if plans change and equipment needs to be rearranged, take our time and do it right for the environment. Doing that could have made things a whole lot less stressful! Though it wouldn't have kept us from capsizing... that was mainly just lack of experience on my part.

Yellow River State Forest - Day 3

We woke to frost on the ground. Whoa! I told you it was cold! Lorrie got up and got the fire started again. That certainly helped. Emma Blue had drunk most of the rest of our water through the night so we decided to just pack it up and head out to the car where I could make breakfast with the water we had there. Of course we had to sit and enjoy the fire for a little while first. And we had some dried fruit and nuts to keep hunger at bay. We were able to pack up pretty quickly though the tent was still pretty wet from the frost. Then I shook the rainfly and accidentally got the sleeping pads wet. While Lorrie was in the tent. Oops!

We were out of there around 10:30am. We walked back toward Ash Trail but then took a left toward "Headquaters." lol I love signs with misspelling! Must have been made by someone in New Yawk! Not a statement on New Yorkers' spelling abilities... just say "Headquaters" out loud and you'll understand.

So the uphill singletrack we did yesterday became downhill singletrack today. Yay! That was much easier. Though I know eventually downhill can become very difficult and painful, it did not this time. We made it out to the car in about 45 minutes. Not bad! When we got there some people from the other campsite that we'd waved to as we left were sitting at their car. Apparently they had taken the Fire Tower Road and it was much quicker. But we weren't looking for quick as we wanted to draw this out as much as possible. As we were changing clothes and getting things put away, the group of girls with their leaders also came out. They were very excited about being back at the car and were very cute about it!

Back on the road toward home, we stopped at a cafe along the river in Lansing, Iowa for some lunch. There were still many signs of the flooding from last week apparent. On the road and home. An awesome first backpacking trip for Lorrie and a great Birthday Backpacking Trip for myself!!

Yellow River State Forest - Day 2

My birthday! What a great way to wake up... in the woods! It was cold and overcast! Not what the forecast had forecast. Oh well. Got the fire going again. Breakfast of rice and dried fruit for us and kibble for Bear Bell... Emma Blue's trail name given her by Pam on the Superior Hiking Trail.

We slowly started packing things up to get moving. Of course it takes us a little longer because we're not that experienced. But I feel like we have packed well. I was worried that we might overpack... especially me! But it doesn't seem to be the case. Off we went down the single track toward more double track. On the way out of the camping area, we spoke briefly with a couple and their 2 large dogs who had camped in the first area. Not about anything in particular... just a quick good morning chat.

We went back to the entrance to the equestrian campground then turned left to cross the bridge over the river. We followed that double track with cornfields on the right and the river on the left. It was really quite beautiful with the changing of the colors. This road became somewhat hilly... rolling I guess they're called. Eventually we passed a turnoff to what looked like singletrack to the Fire Tower. About 2 miles in or so, there was a turn off toward Brown's Hollow Camp. We took that and were soon in the middle of that campground. Again 3 fire pits but a very large open area not separated by anything. It was about 12:30pm by this point so we needed to decide whether to go on, eat lunch and go on, or just stop here to camp. We decided to eat lunch and go on. There were already 3 tents in one area and it seemed a little too open for our liking. Of course, we had no idea what the next sites would be like but we decided to chance it. For lunch, chicken with curry on pita. Different than what was for dinner. In fact, until I just wrote that I had forgotten we'd had chicken with curry for dinner and lunch. Got everything packed up again and were on our way. More rolling doubletracks. Not far from the campground, an older couple asked to take a photo of Emma Blue because she's just too damn cute for words with her pack on. Up and down a bit more until there was a sign for Ash Trail to the left. The trail was totally covered by leaves such that I wasn't really sure it was even a trail. But I could see another sign ahead and according to the map there were no other turnoffs to the left like this. So... down into a steep ditch and back up to singletrack almost entirely covered by leaves. This was the steepest part of the trip so far. The trail ended up being relatively easy to follow. Periodically we would stop and look for a sign further ahead to indicate we were going the right direction. We always were so the markings were adequate. We eventually got to the other end of that Fire Tower trail that we had passed and ran into a group of about 10 young girls with 2 women leaders. Cute! They also asked to take photos of Emma Blue. Her head was getting almost big enough to fit her big ears at this point! ha! Another 1/2 mile or so and we were at the entrance to Camp John Schultz. There was only 1 fire ring and there were already 3 tents in the space. So we worried that the other site might have been better. Then Lorrie realizes there is another area. That area has 2 fire rings and no one is camping there yet. So we grabbed the one we liked and got set up. Got the fire started right away in case it started getting cold like it had the previous night. It got colder!! While we were finishing setting up, 3 young guys showed up and took the other fire ring. Stereotypes popped into both our heads about the noise and such they would cause. Aside from some early loud F-ing this and F-ing that, they were great campground companions. Gotta watch those stereotypes!

Dinner was salmon couscous. Yummy!! Then Lorrie brought freeze dried cheesecake with chocolate chunks for my birthday cake. YUMMY! My gifts were an eton Scorpion (orange) , travel National Park Yahtzee, and an iTunes card! Awesome! I guess my other gift was that Lorrie carried them all in a gift bag the whole time. lol So we took out the Yahtzee game and started playing on a log. While I was shaking the can at one point, a family of hunters were "sneaking" by. They jumped and looked at us like we'd scared away their game. But we'd seen no "game" except Yahtzee! lol Good thing they weren't twitchy!! It would suck to be killed by a hunter in the woods on my birthday. I have to say, it was very strange to be sitting in a campsite with hunters walking by with rifles. It didn't feel terribly safe to me. As it got darker, it got much colder. The forecast called for low 50s. I have no idea. But it was cold! So into the tent we went where we watched "Get Him To the Greek" on my little iPod Nano. lol An amazing thing! Interesting movie... combination of very funny and very very disturbing. I'm not sure I would recommend it.

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

Jesse James Bicycle Tour

Distance - 48.75 miles
Time - 3.35.47
Max speed - 39.0 (Sogn Valley Road. Whoa!)
Avg speed - 12.5

It was a cold morning so I had a really difficult time knowing what to wear. Lorrie woke up early with me and rode to the Middle School in Northfield with me. So it wasn't like I could take a bunch of stuff and then choose. Though I did request that Lorrie carry a backpack with a little extra stuff. Spent some time in the school waiting for Daryl and Jeanne as well as getting my photo take with the Jesse James Gang (cutout).

Once we got everything ready and were on the road, I was very happy with my choice to keep my long sleeves on and my knee warmers. It was COLD! I was a little nervous about riding with Daryl and Jeanne as they ride much more frequently than I do, longer distances, and usually together. But we all stayed together pretty well. They were doing the 100 mile while I was doing the 40-mile, which turned into 45-mile somewhere on a later form and then at the start was billed as a 50-mile. That made me a little nervous too! lol

The best moment was flying down into Sogn Valley at 39 mph. Sorry Mom! lol I was ready to do the uphill part of that road as well and was really psyching myself up for it. But then we turned right at the base of the climb. I had simultaneous feelings of relief and disappointment. I was ready for that damn hill! Couple rest stops along the way and eventually I turned back toward Northfield while D & J headed further out to do the other half of their ride. That moment was relief with no disappointment!

Lorrie and Emma Blue were waiting for me at the Middle School when I got back. This was the longest ride I've done this season. But it's a logical next step with the build up I've been doing. The weather seems to be getting colder so I'm not sure how much more I'll be out. We'll see!

I'm glad I finally did this ride! It's funny that I haven't done this ride in my backyard in the 3 previous years that I've lived here. I can't remember why! Probably something to do with my back. Arrgh! My only complaint is the limited rest stops... especially the length to the first bathroom stop. There are a TON of sponsors for this ride. Where is all that money going?? Otherwise it seemed like a well put-together event. Maybe next year I'll be able to do the 100-mile.

Cannon Valley Trail from Red Wing

Red Wing to Cannon Falls to Red Wing

Distance = 39.12
Time = 2.52.45
Max speed = 21.0 mph
Average speed = 13.6 mph

Suffice to say... popular trail on Labor Day. lol In other words, if you want to go at all fast, don't do Cannon Valley Trail on Labor Day! It was a good ride but there were SO many people and I never knew how common it was for children to ride in a zigzag pattern!

STILL SO CLOSE to 40 miles but not quite. I was supposed to meet Lorrie at Caribou in Red Wing, which would have given me 40. But she was nice and met me at the trailhead. Arrgh! lol Guess I'll have to count on the Defeat of Jessie James Days ride for my 40 miles!