Heat wave...

MN has been pretty cold lately. Cold and dry. This is the 3rd-least-snowy winter in recorded history, according to the local weather folks. And now we had a random warm spell, hitting the forties during the day, so the snow is not making it. Probably because I just acquired new snowshoes. But not to fear, there is much more to do outside. Alison and I decided to sleep out last night, seeing as the forecast low was 25 degrees F, and she doesn't have any winter camping experience yet. The actual low was 33 degrees F, and needless to say we were quite comfortable. We're plenty equipped for some winter backpacking when time allows. We haven't seen the Superior Hiking Trail in the winter yet, so hopefully that will happen before Spring is here to stay. And speaking of Spring, this heat wave also allowed for my first 2007 road ride here in MN. I donned my cold weather cycling garb and spun a nice 31 mile ride on fairly dry roads. I had all the usual Midwest cycling experiences- cool temps, wind, the smell of cow ass, and tubby dudes driving huge motor vehicles yelling at me in their belief that bicycles don't have a right to be on the road. But it was honestly really fun. It was no UT, but that's asking a whole lot. This will do for now. I'm just thankful that the really frigid days of the Northern winter might be over, and I got a good primer for the cycling season.