T-Bone

Great 50-mile ride this a.m. I may be OK for BroFest yet. Bob and I got out early and timed it perfectly between last night’s rains and those expected later today. Pretty strong throughout, and the double espresso got me to the finish. Bob and I make a good team.

Up along Saint Anthony Parkway some stoopid broad raced out from a gas station on the left. Right in front of us. At first I thought she was only going to side swipe us. But no, straight across the road to another driveway. Talking on her cell the whole time, in spite of our not-so-mild protestations. I had to crank on the brakes hard to avoid it. And Bob was 15 feet in front of me. If he hadn’t been on top of things, he’d have been T-boned dead on. On his new ride no less. As it was, he very nearly T-boned her.

There are some really distracted, moronic drivers out there. Be careful.

Eve of Destruction

We made it through Elko Speedway's Eve of Destruction surprisingly unscathed. Barb's brother Bill was visiting with Megan and Dustin. Friday eve we decided to head out of town to check out the local speedway. In spite of monster trucks, Figure 8 races, motocross jumping and all sorts of other mayhem, surprisingly little actual destruction was seen. The following day was also just another Saturday. We’re seeking refunds.

WeeStrom

It’s now or never. And I do need a fallback if my knees finally do give out and keep me off the bicycle. I bought a 2005 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom. Used are tough to find. You see more ads for “one wanted” rather than “one for sale” – a good sign. So while in MKE we nipped down to Chicago for the morning and snagged a good used one. 3,400 miles on the clock, not too long-in-the-tooth. Thank you professor John! I’ll get those Illinois plates back to you pronto.

Of course, this meant I went from putting around a parking lot in Motorcycle Safety Class to negotiating the tollways through the heart of Chicago in, ooooooohh, one step. But all’s well that ends well. I’ve also gotten to ride in 40 degree weather, through rain and over endless miles of superslab to Minneapolis. Can it get any better???

Thanks to bro-in-law Bill for the tour to Holy Hill outside Milwaukee this a.m. I haven’t been there since I was in kindergarten. And thanks for the missing bits of warm clothing I needed. Now back in Mpls..I made it.

Milwaukee Escape

While Barb was spending quality time with her siblings and Mom in Millenium Park, bro-in-law Jerry and I decided to escape Milwaukee and bike the friggin’ epic backroads of Wisconsin. We (OK, mostly me) need to keep up the training before BroFest 2007.

Oh yes, epic backroads. We road all ‘round the south unit of Kettle Moraine State Park. Roads had just the right mix of hills, curves and blacktop like butta’. And nooooo traffic, we could go miles without seeing a car. Of course, a steady west wind helped keep us honest. I largely found shelter behind Jerry’s Lemond.

Nice to see some more Klussendorf stomping grounds. Distant cousins have long made North Prairie, Eagle and environs their stomping grounds. Have to look them up someday soon.

Started and finished the ride at Lagrange General Store and Backyard Bikes. For twenty years, they’re combined bike shop, good coffee, beer of course and earth mother sandwiches. Walnut burgers all-round!

Recent Sightings

I chased around Wood Lake last week, trying to spot an Ovenbird. Typically, the bird was singing wildly and on the brushy ground. Also usual, it was circling me with a radius of about 30 feet. Sing for 10 seconds and then move to a new spot. Eventually making complete circles around me. I looked for five minutes and never saw it fly or run or twitch. Not a sign. They’re really spooky that way.

Then a few days later, Barb found a gift at our back door. A dead Ovenbird! I suspect, being a secretive bird of dense woods, he didn’t ram into our door. More likely, a neighborhood free-range cat left us a prize. Keep your damn cats inside.

Back at Wood Lake recently, a dark and windy day had all the leaves moving and all the birds in silhouette. Nonetheless, we tracked down a Black-Throated Blue Warbler. Rare this side of the Big Muddy and our first MN BTBW. Mostly just dumb luck. But a real highlight for the session.

Warblers are coming through thick and fast. Got to get out again pronto.