It has been a while since I posted on my blog. From Grand Marais we traveled to Hayward to ride some of the trails and hang out. Rock Lake trails were amazing! They had been worked on since we had ridden them last. Really fun twisty singletrack with plenty of rocks and some expert sections of trail. We also rode some of the ojibwe trail - one of our favorite trails. We were pretty tired after putting in time riding, hiking, playing tennis, and kayaking. We borrowed some friends home-made (from a kit) sea kayaks. They are made in a fashion that the boat doesn't need a rudder. We got a lot of compliments. We spent most of our days out in the sun (and its been HOT!), so we have been pretty tired the past week or so.

I tried to race the MNSCS race at Red Wing, but DNF'd. It was partly the heat, but I felt really slow. I got back to my car, and realized my front wheel wasn't turning. (It spun fine before the race). I really fried myself with the combination of the heat and the extra peddling resistance. I finally rode again today (sat). I am surprised that my legs feel really tired after todays ride. We rode some great trails close to our house. I will probably take a little more time off next week. I don't have my usual zip and enthusiasm to ride, which tells me there is something not right with my body. My next race will be the ore to shore - three weeks away.

I have been riding our new motorcycle - learning to shift and stop/start smoothly. I didn't grow up riding motorcycles so it's going to take a while before I feel comfortable riding on the road. Scott gave me a ride to work last thurs on the bike - it was really fun! It's hard not to smile while riding. I hope to take my riding test soon and get my endorsement.

Tomorrow VeloDuluth is putting on a fundraiser ride for Courage Duluth. It starts pretty early - registration is from 6:30 - 8am - and riders can choose 35, 50, or 100 miles. If we can get out of bed we'll go. Lately, I have felt the need to sleep in as long as possible - especially on non-work days. I'll probably road bike tomorrow either way.

Here is the latest edition to our family: a Suzuki drz 200. It was either spend $$ on plane tickets out to the national in california, or buy a motorcycle to save money on commuting to and from work. Obviously, we chose the latter. Scott is still not feeling super well, but has perked up some since this latest purchase. Last week we headed up to the north shore to do some riding, play some tennis (we both are pretty terrible at tennis), play some mini-golf, hang out in the sun, and stay at nanaboujou lodge up past Grand Marais. Nanaboujou lodge is pretty cool. (Scott is walking toward the lodge in one of the photos). No phones, tv, or cell service. We hiked in Judge Magney State Park: the upper and lower falls and Devil's Kettle. Devil's kettle was pretty cool and worth the hike up. (see photo) We also rode our bikes at Pincushion trails. The locals are making a nice new section of singletrack for their race that will be held at the end of august. The races starts in downtown Grand Marais and then heads up to the pincushion trail system from there. Unfortunately, Seeley Hills and WORS cup are also that weekend, so we won't make it back for their race.

Back at home we have been riding some of the local trails and had a great long hike from our house to Ely's peak and back yesterday. The weather has been just great this past week, with yesterday and today not so hot, so we can recover a little from some minor sunburn and gear up for the hot weather that is supposedly headed our way the rest of the week. We hope to get down to the hayward area to ride some of the singletrack trails down there yet this week, as well as, partake in more minigolf and tennis. We also have harvested some of the lettuce we have been growning in our garden. It definitely tastes and smells better than store-bought. That may be all we get from our garden this year, as the deer have been feeding in the rest of our garden at night. We plan on putting up a fence next year to keep them out. It is so dishartening to wake up and all our plants are just stubs.

I don't have a green thumb, but I am pleased I didn't kill this clematis. I was feeling pretty bad last week. I only rode three days, including the Mont Du Lac race. This week I am feeling a bit better and was able to ride more consistently. My energy levels have been really poor and my stress levels at work pretty high. I have been gardening instead. Scott and I hauled in three truck loads of rock we used as a border to our new garden. It's about 40'x 40', but I built walkways between the rows of dirt. It was fun to build. So far, we have only lost a few plants to the large rodents that rome the neighborhood (i.e. Deer). I read an article in the paper that said christmas lights are the best way to keep them away. I use irish spring soap in my watering can. Let the water lather it up and then pour it around my garden. Deer are not supposed to like irish spring.
Scott is still feeling really tired. He hasn't riden his bike in a week, and doesn't feel like riding, which isn't like him. Typically, by this time he would be going nuts if something kept him off his bike this long. He has been busy instead fixing our cars and VW van, along with some house projects. As good as it is to have all that work done, I'd rather have him able to ride his bike. Tomorrow is the eau claire wors race. A friend of mine and I are driving to Brainard instead to see a friend of ours from xc racing in high school. I'll be cool to see her again. It's been 14 years. It'll be nice to finally meet her two boys.