treadnorth: October 2011

This year just seems to be the year I finally dig into cycling stuff I've been dreaming about forever. The coupler touring bike is all set up, and last week I picked up the latest addition to the stable- a snow bike! I live in a place that's frozen for a very large part of the year, I stay outside for all of it, and I love bikes, so it was only natural to end up with a fat-bike. I've been somewhat obsessed with the idea of one since seeing the Surly Pugsley come out several years ago. In the end I went with the new Salsa Mukluk 2. Yes, surprisingly to those that know me, I picked a fat-bike that isn't steel. I really love steel as a frame material, which the Pugsley is made of, and I do love a good Surly (I own two.) But the Pug just seemed to have a slightly short top tube for me, being so tall, and I loved the geometry/feel of the the Mukluk. It feels a bit like a touring bike- stable, upright, and ready for the long slog in awful conditions, but keeping the right amount of maneuverability for the slightly technical times.

The anodized aluminum frame saves weight over other snow bikes, as does the drilled Rolling Daryl rims. It's kinda funny that I ended up with a snow bike on the lighter side of the spectrum after spending so much time on road and mountain bikes that are on the heavier side. Opposite as most people as usual.

So now I'm stoked for the MN winter. I'm no stranger to winter riding, but now I'm extra equipped on a modern snow machine. MN is getting well known for it's snow riding scene, and I'm ready to enjoy it. Bring on the dark, cold, fat tire miles...

Posing in the sands of the the MN River bottoms...

The weekend was pretty good. It was somewhat of a repeat of the weekend up north I blogged about a few posts ago. I went back up to the Temperance River area on the North Shore of Lake Superior, with the intentions of biking one day, and hiking the next, all the while soaking in the fall colors. This time, I was with a friend, Jonathan, and we hit the colors at peak.

After escaping the Cities after work on Friday, we made our way up to Eckbeck State Forest Campground. We set up camp and ate some late dinner. Not too much chatting; we were both pretty tired from a work of cubicle drama, so off to bed. It was the first wintery night I’ve felt from a tent this season- it got down to the mid to upper 20’s depending on what weather site we checked in the morning. Tucked into my winter bag, I didn’t mind. It was excellent to be outside.

The morning was somewhat lazy, with a fire and tea, and surprise visit from my buddy Joel, who had been up there for over a week working on an ongoing photography project. After breakfast, we stopped for a couple supplies Jonathan was in need of at Sawbill Outfitters in Tofte, where the owner turned us on to a good bunch of forest road loops and sold us a detailed county map to go with my GPS. We took off up the Sawbill Trail (a gravel road that heads inland from Tofte), and found our way to a parking lot at the intersection of FR166, where I had ridden a couple weeks ago. We started riding from there, and took off in the opposite direction of my previous ride, with the intention of hooking up with less traveled, more remote forest roads that were included in the advice we’d received earlier. We made a loop out of FR’s 344, 1220/350, and 350, taking us back to the Sawbill.

Some of the route was nice and remote for roaded areas. The only people we saw were hunters and ATV’ers, one of which commented to us that in 13 years of regularly hunting the area, had never seen a biker. I couldn’t believe it, as I’m sure good number of riders have to have figured out how fun it is to be out there. There are even crazy northern off road centuries based on these remote paths.

FR344 and 350 were definitely the highlight. Lots of pine mixed with hardwood colors, rocky and rooted double-track, and the occasional mud hole kept me happy on my Karate Monkey. I was impressed with Jonathan, who was rocking in all on a cross bike. Rough on the hubs, but certainly do-able. I have friends who have toured on this type of stuff on their Long Haul Truckers (you know who you are. J).

I’m not exactly sure if this riding would be recommended for someone 2 and half months out of chest surgery, but everything held together and didn’t feel too bad. I’m tired of sitting on the couch, and can tell when something feels like too much. I wasn’t worried.

The next day we took a very lazy loop hike around Mt Oberg, along with everyone else in the world wanting to see some leaves. I’m happy to report that after 5 years of living in MN, I finally saw the North Shore at it’s peak. I wished I had another week, a stronger chest, and a full pack to live on the Superior Hiking Trail during this beautiful time of year. Next year perhaps.

FR344..