Copper Harbor Kamikaze Style

It's funny how you can spend three days somewhere without doing much riding. I'm in the greatest place in Michigan for mountain biking and I didn't hop on until this morning.

A grrls' ride occurred a little after 10 a.m. this morning. It wasn't just a ride in the woods with smooth trails and plenty of warm fuzzies for all involved, no. They had me with them and I wanted to try something new . . . or something old.

No one likes the Kamikaze trail. It is one of the oldest in Copper Harbor and built before much was known about sustainability. I was told that there wouldn't be much riding during the second half, but I had to attempt this trail that is no longer maintained by the Copper Harbor Trails Club.

I set out with two friends, Amanda and Rachel, and we rode to the top of the Kamikaze trail and began a wild and fun descent. It was almost as if we were riding through undiscovered country, or rather forgotten country. The beginning of the trail is surfaced with large slabs of bedrock, reminiscent of the slick rock I encountered out west. It had that appearance. We rode down the overgrown one-and-a-half track that which was bordered by various wild flowers and large trees and ferns. The trail surface was predominantly rock and root systems. At one point, while I was leading, we came upon a steep descent that was nothing but loose rocks. It was long and I was quite verbal heading down. "Holy waaaah!" and other weird sounds came bursting from my mouth as I tried to keep my weight back behind the seat and take it easy on the brakes. No matter what I did, my bike was moving forward and the only thing I could do was keep it upright. I successfully completed the descent as Amanda wiped out. I told her that Paul's Plunge didn't seem like it would be much after doing that.

The Kamikaze hill that caught me by surprise. This picture only shows about two-thirds of the hill. Yeah, that's me owning it.

I personally liked Kamikaze, and so did Amanda. Our full suspension bikes made us adequately equipped to handle the nearly insane trail with much joy and wonder. We marveled at the beauty surrounding us as we rode along Lake Fanny Hoe. We're definitely hitting up this forgotten trail, again.

Copper Harbor Trail Day

It wasn't just a trail day, though. It was also the annual town party at the top of Brockway Mountain. We gathered there with legal beverages and cameras in hand and watched the sunset. Well, we kind of watched the sunset as we hacky sacked.


It's not uncommon to see the residents and friends of Copper Harbor kicking around a hacky sack. Beer doesn't really help with coordination.

Here is a short photo essay of the sunset view from Mt. Brockway.


Opposite the sunset, this is a view of the land through which a new ski trail will be built.


I'm guessing this is Lake Medora.


I'm guessing Lake Bailey and Agate Harbor in the distance. Lake Superior's stunning colors as the sun sets.


View of Lake Superior from Brockway Mountain Drive.


Lake Superior sunset over Isle Royale.


If you look closely, you can see Isle Royale where the sun is setting.

. . . or do I?

I know when to quit, or do I?

I spent the last two evenings experiencing the giant Houghton social scene at the Keweenaw Brewing Company. Last night, I was invited to party with my friends up in Copper Harbor, and I've decided to make a weekend of it.

If I receive a particular email prompting me to do so, I will head up tonight complete with mountain bike. I'll stay with some friends and we'll start Sunday the best way: Harbor Haus breakfast. Yum. Tomorrow also marks the first regular trail day. We'll spend about four or five hours out there and probably head to Zik's afterward. My plan is to stick around through Monday and get in some wild 'n crazy mountain biking. Oh yeah, baby! It's time to take the plunge with Paul and do some squirrelly Red Trail riding.

Oh, yes. Di will be happy.

Knowing When to Quit

Sometimes you just have to know when to quit. Tomorrow is the Ride for Glory in Ishpeming, Michigan. I never thought I would cut this race out of my schedule because it is only an hour and a half away. A large number of my team is going. I finally decided not to.

I feel a bit stretched. My car still isn't unpacked from Superior Bike Fest and I feel like I've been gone almost every weekend . . . probably because I have. I am getting a bit raced out.

Bear Meets Bear

I took the little wieners for a pre-breakfast walk to the end of the road, this morning. We turned to head home and I saw a large, black outline crossing the road ahead. At first, I thought dog, however this figure did not exhibit the movements of a large, annoying black dog left to roam freely sans owner. No, its back was rounded and its legs slowly swung forward as it made its way to my adjacent neighbor's property.

I stopped.

"That's a bear!" I thought to myself. "No, it can't be. Yet, I surely know perfectly well that it could be a bear." I decided it was a bear. It was a bear. It was a bear.

Ok, now that that was established, I turned to call my dogs toward home, but stopped as I saw Marji taking a poo and decided to simply stop and think for a moment. "Do I really want to head in that direction without a bike and with two obstinate wieners following? Not really." Then, I thought I really had no choice unless I wanted to walk for two or three more hours around my large, country block. I could've cut across the back of my property, but that was clearly where the bear was heading, and even worse, that is where millions of ticks could reside. I headed straight for home. I also stopped to look for bear tracks, but I really didn't know where the bear crossed and it was difficult to find footprints on my gravel road.

The wieners and I made it safely home and curled up on the couch together to read the other half a novel we started the night before. Actually, I read the novel. Cori and Marji just slept, barked to go outside, stared at me, and ran toward the walls whenever the vicious squirrels ran across my wood siding.

Kryptonite

Sunday marked a rather unmemorable event for me. It was the last day of Superior Bike Fest and the mountain event, my best event, was the order of the day. After Saturday's road event, it was no surprise that I was less than eager to begin this race.

My legs were stiff, although soreness wasn't really taking effect. They were heavy and energy failed to renew with the changing of the day.

One mile in, I decided that my only goal was to finish the race. This is pretty sad considering it was only sixteen miles and I've excelled at distances longer than this. The pack lost me right away. By mile three, I was seriously considering a big DNF (did not finish). By mile seven, I pretty much confirmed that I was going to DNF. Sure, I kept telling myself that I was almost finished with my first lap and that I could survive another one, but the truth was that I couldn't climb hills without getting off and walking. My legs were dead. It was almost like I was Superman, force-fed kryptonite.

The final decision came at the end of the lap and I headed straight for the finish with a final "F-YOU" to the Marquette Mountain course that I loved so much on any normal day. It was a sad, sad day – my first DNF.

Superior Bike Fest: 35-Mile Road Race

My first real road race. We had an easy roll-out led by a beautiful, red Corvette. After a couple miles, the Corvette took off and the real race began. The riders immediately separated and I stuck with the lead peleton only for a couple minutes. We were headed up a long, very gradual hill and I was losing speed. Before I knew it, I was leading the second peleton and they invited me to drop to the back to take a break. We headed for the hill in front of Marquette Mountain and split apart. I led the downhill and the long, steep climb began. Riders began passing me and we all spread out to the point where I thought this was it: we were riding alone.

Mid-climb, I began feeling better and my cadence picked up. I shifted into a harder gear - twice - and caught up with the gal in front of me – Sarah. I passed her and noticed my new friend, Janet, up ahead. I said to Sarah, "Work with me to catch up to Janet."

"Ok," she said in reply. We quickly moved up and I yelled for Janet to pick up her pace and jump on the back of our newly forming peleton. We proceeded forward and picked up another gal. The four of us worked together for quite some while and we picked up riders and dropped riders throughout the race. Janet primarily led the climbs as she was better suited for this; I led the downhills. I could get really low to make myself more aerodynamically friendly and I was able to really pick up speed. We found ourselves speeding up quite a bit even though we would be coasting. We hit 38.5 mph in front of Marquette Mountain on the return trip.

As we headed to the finish line, I knew I had to plan my breakaway. The time came when we were nearing the end and I took off. I didn't know it, yet, but Sarah was hot on my trail, er, road. We were heading for a strong wind and I selfishly asked her if she wanted to lead the way a bit. She said, "sure," and helped me regain my energy for a final sprint. I don't think she knew what she was doing, but I sure appreciated it. We rounded the corner bringing the finish line within view and I took off. I was the first of my peleton to finish and it wasn't a moment too soon.

My legs had been hinting for the last several miles that they were ready to strike. They had it. My adductor muscles (upper inner thigh) were tightening immensely and immediately halted my ride so I couldn't do a roll down on the bike. I stopped, in great pain, and managed to finagle myself off the bike. I didn't really walk – I couldn't. I merely shifted my hips to get my legs to move in such a fashion that would produce a forward motion. I used the bike kind of like a walker, although it was more of a burden at this point.

I attempted to stretch these muscles, but found that any stance, other than feet together, called upon the necessity of these muscles for stabilization. Simply put, I was screwed. I took about thirty minutes simply moving. While I chatted with my team mate, Pat, I marched in place. This seemed to help a bit. I wasn't able to stretch until later. Sure, I could've lain on the ground, but then there was the issue of getting back up. It wasn't happening.

I showered, stretched, and headed to a party with the Chocolay ACE Hardware team for some beer, brats, and bugs.

Superior Bike Fest: Twilight Criterium

I was nervous. It was my first crit, and my first road race. I worked a twelve-hour shift, Thursday, so I had no time for preparations that day. Friday morning, I packed up my bikes and my dogs. Unfortunately, it took much longer than I expected and I didn't arrive to Marquette until 4:00 p.m. I had very little time to get my packet, get ready, and start my race.

I started strongly. I hopped out in front, as racing articles said to do, and I lead the pack for the first lap. I took corners at top speed, leaning my bike into it while maintaining stability and grace that I only possess on the bike. The end of the lap met some difficulty as we hit a hill. I slowed and the rest of the pack went by. Unfortunately, most of them were just as fast as I on the rest of the course, but they were good climbers, so they dusted me.

The second lap brought a lot of pain as my chest burned from my deep, intense breathing. I was racing. My climbing got slower and it took longer for me to get up to speed on the straightaway at the top of the hill. By the third or fourth climb, I had to slow down for a bit and regain some of my breath. When I caught my second wind, I began climbing more strongly and the pain eased up only a bit.

I finished in tenth place that night. I was last. However, I noticed my riding skills were superior to some of the other girls as they braked like crazy into the turns and coasted down the hills instead of picking up speed by pedaling. I will continue to work on my climbing and I will come back to next year's crit with a vengeance.

While Visions of Mountain Bikes Rolled in Her Head . . .

Yesterday's weather was less than desirable for toasty mountain biking. Of course, we haven't really had any toasty mountain biking in the Upper Peninsula, yet. We're beginning to wonder if the Fourth of July is going to be comfortably warm for back woods camping, or is it going to be uncomfortably numb?

My fellow Red Jacket, James, and I set set out for a full-Tech ride. We did all the old trails and quite a bit of the new trails. We did about 18.5 miles in three hours. I'm tired. My body is tired. I will sleep well. Ow.

We ended the ride at the dirt jumps where some people were doing a little freeriding on their "little" bikes. It's pretty sweet. I love watching those guys. They're nuts. I didn't watch long, however, because I was becoming the ever-so-tender meal to some skeeters (that's "mosquitoes" to those of you who prefer "proper" English). Yum.

I threw my bike in the Pathfinder and made way for Dairy Queen. Oh, yeah. I've got the bug. I'm really glad they don't have a DQ in Marquette since that's where I'll be this coming weekend. More tough riding ahead. Tomorrow, I'll have a rest day, at least where cycling is concerned. I have a 12-hour shift at the hospital and will most likely be quite busy for most of it. I will dream about my mountain bike, I'm sure.

Keweenaw Chain Drive Recap

Di (left) enjoying her second place age group finish. Photo by Sean Evans and edited by Di.

I realize I rushed through my Keweenaw Chain Drive commentary. I didn't really say anything except, "Here ya go!" . . . basically. One of my team mates started a thread for Chain Drive recaps and I decided to do my race play-by-play. Here you go! ;-)

After realizing how well I did in O2S last year, and doing a few wave starts this year, I realized I needed to start up toward the front. My starting position was going to make a huge difference in the results. I was right. I was able to keep up with the guys until we got to the further side of Hancock and started the little climbs. I'm a better climber this year, but I still have lots of work to do, and I most certainly will not be able to keep up with the front runners, so it's not like that was a huge loss for me. I knew I was still in front of most of the pack.

I used my roadie skills to get an edge. Everyone would pass me on the climbs and I would blow by them on the flats and downhills. Crazy how that works. We reached cemetery hill and some guys went by me, but I actually had a very good climb at a personal best speed. I popped in front of Bruce P at the entrance of Iron Ring and we moved forward rather slowly. I used special superhero techniques (near trackstands) to allow people to get ahead of me so I could maximize momentum on the uphills while my competitors worked harder than I. Some people behind me weren't too happy with me, but Bruce knew what I was doing. Hey! I know the course! It hurts! Don't waste energy on the first couple miles.

We reached the doubletrack and I seriously opened it up while navigating the rocks - you know, the trail with a couple of dirt spots in it. ;-) We reached that first nasty, nasty hill and I walked up the middle of it to avoid blocking the rider line. For the rest of the race, I pretty much just got down to business.

The end was like every other race: some lady got behind me and made me super nervous, but I really couldn't push that much harder. Being an uphill, the end is a great place to get the best of me. I had mixed feelings when I saw who was passing me.
1. Relief - it was Tammi, fellow Red Jacket, and she is not in my age group.
2. Hurt pride - it was Tammi and she was finally going to beat me in a mountain bike race this year.
3. Camaraderie - it was Tammi and I was happy that I was crossing the finish with a fellow Red Jacket - who also happens to be the same Red Jacket who usually finishes within seconds of me even though we never really ride together.

I got to the finish and several people came up to me and chatted and congratulated me and asked me how the race went and we compared stories. It was awesome. I absolutely love the social atmosphere of riding in the Keweenaw, and this year's Chain Drive was peak happiness.

Lesson learned: avoid aid stations, even when you're trying to be efficient. If I didn't dally trying to get some fluid in my mouth at the aid station, I most likely would've beaten Tammi. ;-)

A Di Day

We live in such a society where it is beyond the understanding of many that God simply wants us to slow down. In such a society where multi-tasking, economy, efficiency, and so on are paramount to our role as citizens, we have no idea how to not do anything. Even when we are completely wasteful of our time, producing absolutely nothing besides excess fat, we consume our minds with stimuli from video games, televisions, phones, and iPods. How many people actually take the time to notice how a sunbeam on an ordinary brick wall can bring a smile to their face and allow their heart a little leap of joy?

If you haven't already noticed, I have had a very special day. I decided to make it a "Di day." Sure, I've done this in the past, but none have been quite as successful as today. Even while climbing the last, brutal hill homeward, I found myself smiling as an audible giggle slipped out. Cycling does this to me.

I set out at 2:20, with a backpack containing a pair of sandals, a long-sleeved shirt, if needed, a cycling rain jacket for the predicted scattered showers that never occurred, a phone, money, camera, and hairbrush that was never used, but already in the bag.

Like many of my fellow citizens, I am quite focused on the end and hardly ever notice the means. Today, I chose to somewhat blindly head to Houghton in search of something to do. I really didn't know what. I took my time riding to Hancock. It was very windy all day and I wasn't in the mood to fight it, so I lollygagged a little on my ride. The direction of the wind allowed me to coast through Hancock while braking because the traffic was going slower than my bike. I actually considered passing the cars, but chose to hold my course. I rode around Houghton for a while and meandered over to Michigan Tech and up Sharon Avenue in search of a twist ice cream cone at Dairy Queen. For the first time, ever, I patiently sat in front of the DQ, slowly circling my tongue around the ice cream as I ate it slowly, taking the time to taste it. I felt calm as I enjoyed the view of the sun shining against the strip mall on the green hill across the street.




Michigan Tech and Houghton from the Hancock side of the canal.

Life is short. Eat dessert first. That's exactly what I did. I repeated my roundabout course as I rode back to Michigan Tech only to reverse direction and head back to downtown Houghton. I locked up my bike across the street from The Library and headed in for a long dining experience. I special-ordered a small basil and tomato pizza and drank a few cups of coffee as I slipped into a trance produced my leisurely eighteen mile ride. I said my goodbyes to The Library staff and slipped back onto my bike and headed for the Portage Lift Bridge to journey homeward.



Views of Mont Ripley and Hancock from the Houghton side of the canal.

As I crossed the ridge, a black car with a bike rack, heading for Hancock, honked and the driver waved to me causing me to smile. I have no idea who was in that car. All I saw was a hand. However, they left me full of pride and joy. How fortunate I am to live in such a community. Every time I commute, someone recognizes my bright, green Jake the Snake and they honk or yell my name. Having lived in communities where people were less than eager to greet one-another, or welcome a new member into the community, I absolutely recognize the grace God has given me by placing me in such a warm community where so many people have a strong bond with one-another simply because of a simplistic invention called the bicycle.


Portage Lift Bridge and Hancock.



Quincy mine.

I happily rolled home, and even enjoyed my long climb up White Street and US-41 – the dreaded Quincy Hill – without failing to notice how the sun shone above the cities creating a beautiful, lush appearance around the deep blue Portage Canal as waves thrashed about in the wind.

The newly-formed leaves on the trees created a spectacular view as I rolled closer to home. I felt strong, accomplished, happy. I continued to smile. My heart did flips.


The road home.


This is what I came home to.

2008 Keweenaw Chain Drive

Di racing her heart out.

It couldn't have been any better! I had the pleasure of meeting new people, chatting with familiar friends and acquaintances, and putting forth a great effort on a course that was in great condition! Last year, the course was so dry; my face was black from the sand and dirt. This year, it has been raining off and on, and the trails were dampened enough to keep anything from flying up. My snot wasn't even that black afterwards!

I raced hard beating my time last year and reaching my goal of less than an hour and thirty minutes. I placed second in my age group, twelfth for the women, and in the top fifty percent overall.


The Red Jacket - Bluesky Health Team after the Keweenaw Chain Drive.

Bridgefest

Friday was the beginning of Houghton/Hancock's Bridgefest celebration. One of the longest parades you'll ever see is here. Lasting at least a couple hours, the parade traveled through Houghton, crossed the Portage Life Bridge, and ended on the far side of Hancock.

After a pre-race spaghetti dinner at the Temple Jacob in Hancock, the Red Jackets rode in the Houghton part of the parade and had to bail before the Hancock part. The parade went pretty late and we all had to get home in preparation for the Keweenaw Chain Drive the following morning.


The Red Jackets waiting to parade through Houghton.

Anticipatory Housework

I got quite a bit done, today, including a drivetrain clean and lube. I've been doing a lot of cleaning, some rearranging, and some unpacking from last year's move. Lots needs to be done. Until last week, my screened-in porch was more of a storage area than anything. Now, it's being transformed into party central for the post-Keweenaw Chain Drive Red Jacket party. My house still needs some work, and it's almost there.

While I was running around, finding a home for this and that, Cori was chilling out on the couch like a typical dachshund. Life is so hard. Her only real exercise was when I hopped on my mountain bike and I rode out the mailbox, dachshunds in hot pursuit.


Unlike me, Cori doesn't snore when she lies on her back.

I have a group ride scheduled for 10:00 a.m. I get to rush home, clean some more, shower, don my race kit, and head off to the Red Jacket spaghetti dinner followed by the Bridgefest parade. The Red Jackets are following the Trekkers, the local cycling club with which most of the team is involved, in the parade.

I hope I get everything done!

Gone To The Dogs

Today was another cold and windy day in the Keweenaw. The weather has not been nice. Instead of doing anything with my bike, I spent most of the day playing a video game. Now, it's late evening and I'm settling into the chores I should've done earlier.

I took a little time to mess around with my cell phone and explore the possibility of posting some videos of different things to my blog. My camera takes much nicer videos, but I need to find some software I like that will allow me to do some video editing. Today's video is just a quick bit I played with.

I heard of Vimeo from Ali's site, Dirty Picasso Ride, so I decided to check them out when the username Moronacity was taken at YouTube. It was free at Vimeo, so I snatched it up. The following is a video of my dogs. Marji, the black one, is yipping. Cori, the little red one, is howling. Yes, I taught my dogs to howl. There is a story behind that. Marji was not in the right mindset to do it correctly. She actually gets camera shy. Go figure!


Marji and Cori Barking from Diane Ursu on Vimeo.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

There is usually something planned every day for the Keweenaw cyclist. Monday night Trekker's rides, Tuesday night friendly time trials, Wednesday night Cross Country Sports rides, Thursday night Copper Harbor rides . . . Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are usually up in the air, but people manage to busy themselves with long rides or trail work. Ugh!

I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. I knew there was something going on each night, but I couldn't place it. I decided to update the Red Jacket Calendar so I could see where all these events fell into place. I have to say no to some events for sanity's sake and to conserve gas.

Wednesday: Tech ride and pre-race tune-up at The Bike Shop
Thursday: I'll probably ride, but I should probably rest
Friday: Tech ride, team pre-race dinner, and parade
Saturday: Race and team post-race party, which I'm hosting
Sunday: Recover from hangover

Until Saturday, I'm also unpacking some boxes from last summer's move, cleaning off my screened-in porch, and cleaning the inside of my house which is getting cluttered from the unpacking. Friday, I also have to shop for food for our potluck dinners on Friday and Saturday.

Oh, yes, such is the busy life of a Keweenaw cyclist.

One Hundred Thirty Minutes

. . . that's how long it took to ride all of the old Tech loops - fifteen miles. I had a blast!

I don't ride Tech as much as I did last year. I moved a little further away and, with the cost of gas, I choose to drive only when necessary. Fortunately for me, I can hop on the Churning Rapids trail system just about two miles away.

Today, I went shopping. I've been meaning to buy a gallon of milk for the last few days, but it never really happened. The night of the Stanley Cup win, I stayed out until 7:30 a.m. I was way too tired to buy milk. Thursday, I didn't go anywhere. Same with Friday. Saturday, I was going to buy milk after the Copper Harbor trail day. Nuh uh. That didn't happen either. I just couldn't get out of town soon enough to make it to a grocery store in Calumet for a gallon. Today, I decided it was time.

I threw my mountain biking gear, and bike, in the Pathfinder and drove to the Tech Trails. I started out with the technical loops full of skinny bridges and fabulous rock gardens. I hustled over to the Pilgrim trails and busted around those loops and finished the ride with the Outer and Inner loops. It took me just over two hours - about an hour shorter than last year's early summer rides. I was a little shocked to see the difference.

There is something about Tech that makes me so happy when riding through the trails on a sunny day. Each loop is different and offers different views and different types of trees. Some loops are slow and rocky, others are fast and technical. All are great fun. Tech is right up there with Copper Harbor on the happiness scale for me. It's not as gnarly, but it sure is fun!

Oh! I finally brought that gallon of milk home.

National Trails Day in Copper Harbor

Tammi and Dee raking on the Dancing Bear trail in Copper Harbor.

No blog entry yesterday . . . no, I was out making the story happen. It all started at 6 a.m. when I dragged my butt out of bed for National Trails Day. I gathered my gear, had a healthy breakfast, made a healthy lunch, filled the Camelbak, and hopped in the Pathfinder to head for the Ace Hardware in Calumet. I had to pick up a wheelbarrow that is completely unrelated to the rest of this story.

I arrived in Copper Harbor to see the usual faces and the faces I haven't seen since last summer. I exchanged hellos, bear stories, and hugs with my trail friends. I even met up with Dee, a friend of my friend, Erin. Dee and I hit it off right away and formed a new friendship on the greatest of all trail days.

Everyone donned bug nets and were assigned tasks. The temperature reached at least 70 degrees F and, combined with the bug suits and hard labor, caused some serious sweating. One person on another crew suffered heat exhaustion. I immediately started sweating buckets. It felt like I was in a shower.


Dee working on Dancing Bear.

My team consisted of Dee, fellow Red Jacket, Tammi, and myself. Sam drove us to the bottom of Dancing bear with rakes and loppers in hand. The three of us spent several hours raking a thick leaf layer off of the trail and we trimmed back the bushes and trees that were intruding on the trail space. By the time we reached the top of Dancing Bear, I was exhausted, super thirsty, and ready to just get the job done. We had only two rakes, so we traded jobs. I took a raking rest during the top stretch of Dancing Bear and grabbed a rake as we headed onto the Red Trail. I made the decision that we were going to spot rake the Red Trail. Most of the leaf litter was from pine trees and really didn't affect the visibility of the trail. We removed the deciduous leaf litter from the trail and Dee and I raked all of the loose gravel off of the elbow turn. It was my goal to give the more potentially dangerous sections of trail a good cleaning off, and we met that goal. The rest of the two-mile trail was a long, slow hike.


Tammi and Dee atop a giant boulder alongside the Red Trail. A little trail leaves the Red Trail to encircle the boulder. It's amazing what you see when you're not riding a bike.

I ate a sandwich before Dancing Bear, one on the top stretch of Dancing Bear, and a Luna bar towards the end of the Red Trail. I was quite disappointed to find that my Camelbak was sucked dry at that point. It was at this point that Dee and Tammi were getting their feet wet in Lake Manganese.


Dee and Tammi crossing the bridge at the end of the Red Trail. The winter weather had pushed the bridge to the right of the picture. It is normally a straight bridge. It's on the trail crew's todo list.

We hustled like turtles down the road to the Harbor and stopped by the Manganese Falls on the way down. Even though I was dead tired and craving Gatorade like a dog craves a big, fat, juicy steak, I insisted Dee see this great sight since she is only a visitor to the Keweenaw.

Manganese Falls.

Manganese Falls.

We met the rest of the trail crew back at the Keweenaw Adventure Company around 4:30 p.m. We were out there for six and a half hours. That sure explains how we felt. Dinner at the Mariner was to begin at 7 p.m. Some of the guys decided to go ride the trails and Dee and I decided to grab some beverages at the local store. I bought chocolate milk, which disappeared within five seconds of my opening the bottle, Gatorade, and some iced tea. Dee and I shared a bag of bugles on the front porch at the Adventure Company. The black flies were still coming after us, so we headed all the way across the street to Zik's bar for some cold brew.

After a pint, we headed back to the house and chatted with our Adventure Company friends until dinner time. Sam and I opened a couple of KBC Ambers and Rachel caught me up on her summer plans. When 7:00 rolled around, we meandered over to the Mariner for a filling spaghetti dinner. Afterwards, it was fun and partying at Zik's with a live band: the Blackflies. Yes, they got their name in Copper Harbor.

At closing time, we all headed back to the house to chat a bit. After some very strong encouragement to stay the night and hang out and ride the next day, Dee and I both parted ways and went home. We told everyone we'd come back for a weekend camping trip in two weeks. The only problem is that I have races for the next three weekends and Dee leaves in three weeks. We might have to make it a partial weekend camping trip. We'll see. It'll happen. There is nothing like hangin' in the Harbor.

Trail Day Checklist

Tomorrow is National Trails Day and I am going to spend it in Copper Harbor. All over the nation, bikers and hikers will be out in full force cleaning up and building trails. If you haven't been to a trail day before, now is a great time to do it. Trail work can be quite rewarding and very fun.

Di and Sandy Aronson on the Gardenbrook bridge in Copper Harbor. Photo by Arlyn Aronson.

In preparation for trail day, I need to remember to bring a few key things:
* bug net
* bug spray
* change of clothes
* work gloves
* Camelbak filled with water
* lunch.

That should do it! I can't wait. :-)

Recovery Day

I went out last night to watch the final Stanley Cup game. It was great fun and turned into a really long night. I didn't get home until about 8:00 a.m. I was in no condition to ride my bike. I was in desperate need of sleep. I slept until about noon and woke up to a day of couch potato-ing and chillin' with my dogs. I might have gone for a slow bike ride, but the weather was iffy. Thunderstorms are predicted for most of the upcoming week.

Hanson Hills Challenge - June 1

A couple of my team mates and I began the month in racing fashion down in Grayling, Michigan for the Hanson Hills mountain bike race. We left very early Saturday morning and arrived in Grayling in the afternoon. We unloaded the bikes and did a leisurely pre-pride. I, being the slow rider, set the pace around the flowing 10-mile singletrack.


James, Di, and Pat. The picture has my name on it, but it was actually taken by Pat's friend, Dennis. Whoops!

Hanson Hills has some gradual climbs and fast descents. Overall, I found the course enjoyable and noted that it definitely has the weeee factor and the wah! effect. It lacks any kind of technical terrain making it a less than ideal race course for the gravitationally challenged, yet skillful mountain biker - like me. This MMBA Championship Point Series event proved to be the most competitive race I've done considering my category. I raced Sport Women 30-39. My friend, Ali, showed up, and she's fast, and I know it, and I told her so, so I knew I wasn't going to beat her. Fortunately, I was able to share in the post-race joy of her victory over our age group. Six women finished within twenty minutes of each other proving that we were all well-matched and exceptional riders. ;-)

Glen and Ali looking all lean and mean with their first place plaques. Glen really needs to get that lip thing checked out.

Glen and Ali on a more normal note.

I finished fifth place. The only setback I experienced was when a Clydesdale's rear tire slid off a bridge and he stood there straddling the bike and bridge while contemplating how to get back on his bike. This cost me the lead I gained on the approaching downhill section and I knew it when I finally yelled, "Pull it off! Pull it off!" He pulled the bike out of my way and I proceeded only to be immediately overtaken by my competition. Blech! Before this occurred, I believe I was running in third, but it didn't cost me this position because I was doomed to climb slowly over the next couple miles. Fun stuff. I may have taken fourth without this mishap, but I take full responsibility for my placing.

I had the great pleasure of hanging out with Glen and Ali and chatting with Nick and Marty a bit. I only get to see them at certain races, and these meetings definitely make the race experience more enjoyable.


Ali, Nick, Marty, and Glen. This was the only picture of these guys where Ali was standing somewhat close to Nick. I'm not sure if he smelled, or what, but she just didn't want to get too close to him. ;-)

Craig Morris meandered by and joined in on our mountain bike thievery. Pictured: Di, Glen, and Craig. Picture from Craig Morris' blog.

Keweenaw Chain Drive Pre-Ride

Pat and James after conquering a Maasto Hiihto hill I can't climb.

My team mates James, Pat, and I embarked on a "32-mile" ride today. Our course wasn't really 32 miles because we were doing the Keweenaw Chain Drive long course sans parade rollout.

The "long course" consists partly of all the trails in the Churning Rapids trail system. These are the trails near my home that I will be riding the most this year. The course was creatively plotted and amazingly includes all the singletrack, however not in the order I prefer. Great Oaks is a wildly fun, technical trail on the descent, but a beast on the ascent. It is a climb in the race and I found it quite challenging when we rode it today. We did the usual favorites such as Drunken Sailor and Pow Pow and headed back to Maasto Hiihto to finish up the race course. Towards the end, both of my knees were getting achy, we were all talking about pesto pasta at the Michigan House, and decided to cut out the last singletrack and simply head back to our vehicles.


Di riding under the Twisted Tree, also the name of the trail.

One of the new trails in the race was recently created because a beaver dam caused flooding of our singletrack. Here is the beaver dam and its newly created reservoir:


Pat noticed how the beaver dam, the sticks and brush at the bottom of the picture, is concave resembling the Hoover Dam.


Pat riding across the new bridge adjacent to the beaver dam (on the right).

We rode at a leisurely pace with me leading the way – twenty-seven miles in three hours and forty-seven minutes. We might have gone a little faster had I not been suffering from a hangover resulting from the previous night's Stanley Cup Finals festivities.

Even considering my less-than-preferable physical state, I decided that the thirty-two mile course was not on the agenda for this year's race. I have every intention of completing it this year and will continue to concentrate on climbing and endurance for my training this year. Next year, I plan to move up to the longer races.

Hockey Madness

Life is interesting. Every now and again, a cyclist must take a break to rediscover the hockey fan within. Tonight was the night of rediscovery for me. I decided to go to The Library to enjoy the Red Wings/Penguins Stanley Cup Finals game in high definition. I walked in, scoped out a lone seat at the bar, and ended up sitting next to Bob the brewmaster. Bob brews the beer for the The Library.

Bob is a fun guy. We've had many conversations about Rocky and Bullwinkle and Looney Tunes, tonight being no exception. Bob and I watched the first period together, then Tim walked in and sat next to Bob. Tim is married to a tech I work with at the hospital. He is great fun. So is she! It turns out that Tim placed this precise bet that the Wings would win and lose certain games. Tonight was a losing night, and Tim was right. It was sad, but those of us who remained at The Library after he left meandered down to The Downtowner to offer Tim congratulations on his Penguin win.

Now, I haven't been out much because it costs money to party, so it was kind of funky to run into the particular people I did tonight. Bob was very happy to see me, and so was Tim. The fact that we all ended up at the same brewpub on the same night for almost the same reason (Bob showed up to see the Twins' game) was rather surreal. The night was topped off with a meeting with Joe, the Finlandia hockey coach, at the Downtowner. What a great night!!

Tim wanted the Penguins to win tonight so he could continue on to win $100 when the Wings win on Wednesday. We plan to meet at The Library again for the a win that both of us will agree with.

National Bike Month in Review

Yesterday marked the end of National Bike Month. At the beginning of the month, I set a mileage goal of 400 miles. With the cold, wet weather we had this May, I did not find the motivation to get out much. When the weather was nice, I chose to mountain bike instead of riding the road. Combining these two factors, it is easy to see why I did not reach my mileage goal. I completed about 274 miles. Still, it's not so shabby.

Now that mountain biking is in full swing in the Keweenaw, I am switching my goal from mileage to hours. I plan to spend ten hours per week on the bike. I figure this is a good amount for promoting weight loss and will definitely give me a good amount of ride time for mountain biking.