treadnorth

Maui

2012-01-30T00:39:00.001-06:00

Short post...I have 3G for a bit so I thought I'd chime in from afar-Alison and I left winter behind for a few days to hang out in HI. I'll have more- hopefully to include Long Haul Trucker pix from riding Haleakala later. We're not touring- I brought the bike for some day-riding, but I think it's gonna be good. Yup.
Last night we camped on the beach past Hana, tonight we're up at Hosmer Grove in Haleakala Natl Park. We hiked Ohe'o Gulch (sp?) today, we'll hike tomorrow up high in the park, and probably bike the next day.

Trailer

2012-01-15T18:30:00.000-06:00

Well, I guess this will be picture-less since I forgot to take one, but I just enjoyed using my BOB trailer that I purchased last year, but haven't used yet due to the impracticality of living in a second floor apartment for so long. Alison and I just did a car free errand trip around our neighborhood, stopping by the hardware and grocery stores, and the trailer hauled quite a lot. I wasn't sure what to expect as I've never pulled a bicycle trailer, and the streets were ice covered (I was riding the Karate Monkey with studded cross tires), but things went fine. I can't give any sort of review at this point since I haven't used it long enough, but all I can say is the trailer feels way different than panniers. I'll have to see how I like it over time.
I haven't had the Mukluk out this weekend, as we've been settling into the new place; I hope to get out and ride soon. It'll be a busy week with a very full teaching load, as well as starting the ball rolling on finishing my garage and getting a shop space set up out there. It'll be so nice to have bicycle wrenching territory. That's all for now...

So warm..

2012-01-09T21:53:00.003-06:00

I rode my first bike commute to work from the new house today. Jan 9th, and it was super balmy. I can't remember commuting to work in January without a face mask, and today I barely needed a jacket. In fact, on the way home I rode in a long sleeve light weight merino wool base layer, and a super light windbreaker. Not normal. I'll take it though. And after all the Mukluk riding, my Karate Monkey, which always feels piggish after road biking, felt quick and nimble. I thoroughly enjoyed being out and always. No pics; I was too busy riding I guess.

In other bike news I picked up a frame bag from Revelate Designs for my Mukluk. Salsa and Revelate have teamed up to make custom bags for their fat bikes, and I got a pretty good deal on one with some Christmas money. It's a start on outfitting the Mukluk for bigger adventure rides. If we do ever have winter I'm heading up North with it to ride some forest service and snowmobile routes in the woods. I think our warm stretch may be over as of Thursday, so we'll see what happens.

Settling in...

2012-01-08T10:05:00.004-06:00

Well, we moved into our new house over the weekend. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Our warm winter continues, at least until later this week, and we enjoyed temps near 50 degrees as we hauled all our stuff from the apartment and my in-laws place. We had both sets of parents helping us, and it actually all went very quick.

The new place in Highland Park...

Now we just have to get situated. And take breaks to get outside now that I'm feeling better. I've been getting pretty stir crazy having not been enjoying the outdoors anywhere near enough lately. I did get out for a "I'm sick but I'm going anyway" ride last week, and it was pretty brutal. It was the one bad weather stretch we've had for quite some time; pretty much just a day and a half, but it was very, very windy. Steady over 30mph, with gusts close to 50mph. That combined with snow and ice from the night before (which is pretty much gone now) made for a slog. And if you know me, there is something wrong with me, cuz I love a good slog, but this one was particularly challenging due to the sickness. I came home pretty wrecked, but satisfied that I got out and rode after so much time in the recliner.

Shoreline of the Mississippi...

Somewhere in Crosby Farm Regional Park...

So tired...

I may try to break away from unpacking today to try my first run since my most recent surgery. I was just getting ready to start easing back into running and climbing last month when I caught the crud, so that's gotten moved to now. I'm a bit nervous to see how my chest feels since it's back to clicking a bit, which my doc wants to wait a few more months to see where it goes before doing any more cutting. He tells me to get out and build some muscle though, getting back to all activities as this supposedly helps with bone/cartilage health. I simply have to get back in better shape though. This surgery business that was supposed to improve my health has taken a toll on it so far.

Keeping us busy, we also have a vacation block coming up at the end of the month, which we need to decide on where to go. Someplace warm is the current plan, but we haven't officially nailed down a location (which doesn't seem to happen until a couple days before since we travel standby).

I'm sure we'll find something fun to do. I'd really like to bring the Long Haul Trucker wherever we go. And there may just be a plan in place to get Alison a coupler bike too. The only problem is she has a short torso and long legs, and there aren't any non-custom steel touring bikes made specifically for women out there, so most cockpits are long for her. We'll see what we end up doing. Perhaps a LHT with a mountain'sh ergo-bar in lieu of a traditional road bar. I haven't decided if that's a reasonable route or not. I'd rather have a top tube that's right, but it doesn't seem to be out there without spending all our money going custom.

Anyhow, I have unpacking. More to come...

Sick

2011-12-24T09:44:00.003-06:00

Well, somehow I've managed to get sick over Christmas 3 out of the past 5 years now, to include right now. That and other reasons (we have basically no snow and I've been out of town or working most days) are why you haven't been seeing any fat biking updates or anything else for that matter here on treadnorth for a while. I was out sick half this past work week, and may not even make it out for some flying I picked up early tomorrow before Christmas events at the family start. I'm over my fever and aches phase, but my head is still pretty plugged up, so I've been spending a lot of time in front of my e-reader, off my bikes, and out of airplanes.

However, I do have a couple things to share. I never did get around to posting pix of a Mukluk ride I got out on when we did have snow this year, so I'll do that now.

It was a 20 mile ride on and along the Gateway Trail, which is a multi-use trail that leads out of the Twin Cities to the northeast, ending up in Washington County not far from Stillwater, MN.

There were a few bootprints, and couple ski tracks, and a few signs of dogs, but I was the only fat biker. I'm not entirely sure what the rules are in the winter months of who can use the trail, but the skiers I ran into seemed excited to see the Mukluk, so for at least this ride I was not bothering anyone, and stayed well out of the ski tracks. There's plenty of room for everyone, so I hope the access rules go that direction. I'll have to check.

I can't wait to get out on some more snow with this bike once winter finally arrives. The forecast for today and Christmas are the upper 30's, and the dusting of snow we got yesterday will disappear to leave us with the first non-white Christmas I can remember is some time. If I was healthy, I think I'd ride the Lemond to Christmas dinner just to say I did. :) The plan was to ride the Mukluk, but unfortunately my head won't take it this year.

Well, I said there were a couple things to share, and the second is pretty exciting. After a search that went off and on for the last 2 and a half years, Alison and I are closing on our first home on January 4th! We're very excited to be getting out of the apartment scene after so long. We've enjoyed our time living on Grand Ave in St Paul, but it's time to have our own space. We'll be living in the Highland Park neighborhood of St Paul, which is not very far from where we are now, so we're excited to be staying in the same general area of the Cities, as it's a good fit for us as far as this big metro goes. It's a very bike friendly area that's close to work, our friends and family, our climbing gym, and all the great food St Paul has. And I won't have to do my bicycle maintenance in the living room anymore! :) We will have a garage big enough to have a small shop. It'll be great. We'll share more about it all as we move and settle in.

For now, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and hope you get a chance to spend it with loved ones, and hopefully get outside a bit! Enjoy...

Start of winter fat biking...

2011-12-03T19:54:00.005-06:00

We received some snow today. It's still falling in fact. I don't think it will be any tremendous amount, but it made for a fun fat bike wandering this afternoon.

I headed out with a friend of mine from Hidden Falls Park in St Paul, and we meandered through woods, beach, and a little bit of trail. The confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers makes for some good fat bike exploration possibilities, and it's right out my back door. I plan on riding down there quite a bit this winter.

The Mukluk is really an amazing bike. There's no need for a trail, which allows me to explore areas near where I live that I've never taken the time to see. I pretty much just wander off into the woods and see where I end up (well, I do navigate).

Riding the river floodplain feels a bit like an odd sort of slow, obese trials riding- it's a lot of picking lines over obstacles, but instead of jumping, it's just rolling over stuff. I'm sure that sounds contrived and perhaps pointless, and maybe it is, but it's fun. I like it.

And the shoreline riding is perhaps my favorite fat biking near where I live so far. Our local rivers provide great scenery and tend to remove you from realizing you may still actually be in a big city. Today involved floating over lots of sand, which is awful to ride on a non-fat bike, and rolling plenty of rock beds. We dove into the woods whenever the shore got too full of downed trees, and dove back whenever there was a good stretch to ride. When the snow started coming down hard, we paused to enjoy watching snowy sheets of ice float by on the water, and got excited at the prospect that we have a whole winter coming to enjoy on big tires and skis...it's just getting started.

Riding through the debris of the Mississippi floodplain...

Shoreline of the Mississippi, covered in fresh snow...consistency varied today from loose to packed frozen sand, to gravel or rock beds, all covered in snow toward the end of the ride...

If you're interested, here's where the ride took place:

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/59882224"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Fatbike river ramble 12/2/11&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=St Paul, MN"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in St Paul, MN&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

A late Thanksgiving post

2011-11-27T18:25:00.001-06:00

So, I've been ridiculously busy at work, and thus not cycling or keeping up with this blog as much as I'd prefer. Even so, I do want to take the time to post a late Thanksgiving comment, as I had a moment of notable "thanks" on the way to my in-laws place for dinner last Thursday.
As I've done in years past, I decided to make the trip from STP to Coon Rapids via bicycle. The route up is rather simple- ride Summit Ave to the Mississippi and then follow it to the in-laws place a few suburbs north.
Along the way, I passed by the hospital I had my original pectus surgery done. I stood there for a bit looking at the doors I left from after the procedure. I was being pushed in a wheelchair, and had been through and was heading for a lot of painful days. I remember as I was waiting for our car to pull up to take me home, seeing a cyclist roll past on a Surly on their way to wherever, and I was feeling so far from being able to hop on a bike again. It just plain sucked.
I hadn't really thought of that moment again until passing by the hospital on the way to Thanksgiving dinner, and it really did cause me to feel thankful, as I was now the person passing by on my bike enjoying the ability to ride. The small joys in life matter. Be thankful for the good days.

Early fat bike rides...

2011-11-06T10:33:00.006-06:00

I’ve been breaking in the Mukluk and enjoying it all. I’m predicting a lot of fun on this bike as the seasons change and we dive into another Northern winter. And even though I’m looking forward to the cold riding, I sure haven’t been minding the extended fall we’ve been having. It’s been a stellar season for riding here in MN, and I’m going to accept is as a pay back for the months of missed riding post doctor stuff. Not bad.

Last weekend I did something I’ve never done on a bike, thanks to the new fat machine- I headed up north of Grand Marais, and covered some Lake Superior beach miles. It’s amazing where the Mukluk can go- I sure couldn’t have comfortably ridden through the loose rocky shoreline on any of my other bikes. My Karate Monkey probably would have made it through, but with way more struggle. Now this doesn’t mean the fat bike is some sort of miracle machine and there was never any hike a bike- it’s still super loose rock, and much of it off camber, but I was riding the majority of the time over rocks, runoff water, driftwood, sand, and even a few bones of expired critters- all the while with a big dumb smile enjoying the new riding capabilities.

I would have had a great time just sitting on this stretch of scenery, so being able to combine it with one of my favorite pastimes was great- I’m glad I bought this bike. I’m going to have to do some research to see if a beach ride overnighter route can be figured out somewhere on Superior.

Dropping into beach goodness...

There's the big dumb smile...

Exertion and relaxation...

A new fat bike in it's element (one of it's many elements)...

So cool floating lines through stuff like this on a bike...

Not a bad sunrise after climbing out of my tent the next morning either...

I also got out on a local Mukluk ride yesterday morning with my friend Nate who was riding a maiden voyage on his newly built up 9er. We headed from our neighborhood in STP down to the Sibley House on the MN River to see if we might meet up with a “river ramble” ride that Gnat from Salsa Cycles was putting on. We just missed them, as they left pretty early in the morning to get some sunrise shots in during the ride. We saw them a couple times but couldn’t manage to connect with them. Our ride was great however. There’s a great amount of river bottom trail to ride, and if you’re sporting big tires, there’s a ton of off trail wandering to do with much wildlife to see. It’s a floodplain, and you can pretty much ride wherever you’d like in it on 4” rubber. The Salsa ride was expecting to do anywhere from 30-50 miles of rambling. Including the pavement part of our 2-man ride, we covered 23 in the small amount of time we had before we had to duck for other commitments. I’m thinking of heading back down there today to explore some more before it gets buried in snow for the winter.

Sun waking up the river bottom, which was being visited my many happy cyclist yesterday...

Variety of big birds seen along the river ramble...they too like the fall mornings...

I’m loving the Mukluk so far and I can’t wait to see where it takes me in the future…

Getting ready for winter...Salsa style...

2011-10-23T20:12:00.003-05:00

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...

Forest Roads and Color...

2011-10-03T19:36:00.008-05:00

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..

FR1220/350...

FR350...

Not sure who this belonged too...

The Sawbill...

Mt. Oberg loop hike...

In case you'd like to repeat the route...here's the GPS plot, and it's downloadable...

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/53021524"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Cook County Forest Roads 1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=MN, United States"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in MN, United States&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

A proper shot of the roadie...

2011-09-23T17:36:00.003-05:00

I got out on the Lemond for a proper break in ride a few nights ago before dinner. I road my local "river loop"- down Summit Ave in STP, then follow the Mississppi down to Ft Snelling, cross the Mendota Bridge, follow the river back to the Smith Ave High Bridge, then back up into my neighborhood. I like the new front end, and I'm stoked to have a rideable quick road bike again. It's nice to see how long you can ride a frame that works well for you, and this one keeps on giving...

Lemond is on the road again...

2011-09-18T13:03:00.004-05:00

I mentioned a while ago on the blog that my 2001 Lemond Buenos Aires was hurting and in need of upgrades. Specifically, the original carbon fork had a scary crack and needed replacement. Since it's a 1" steerer system, and I needed to upgrade to a thread-less system, it took some searching for a fork/stem/bar setup that would keep the ride the same. I'm happy with how it all turned out. I went with the Rivendell Carbonomas steel fork, a Chris King NoThreadSet, FSA New Ergo Bar, and a Specialized stem that will cover a lot of angles via a shimming system so that when I decide exactly where I'll cut the steerer I should be able to keep my bars in the same place. Right now I just left a ton (85mm!) of spacers on to see how I like the fork overall before cutting it to size and flipping and appropriately shimming the stem (which in addition to the angle shim required a 1" to 1 1/8" shim due to the old steerer size).

I took the bike out for an epic 6 miles on Summit (sarcasm, but it was still fun), and it felt great. The geometry is extremely close to right where it was before, and it felt good to go fast again after all this time away from my non-tubby road bike. Surlys, you have nothing to worry about- the Lemond can't haul 50 lbs of gear. :) But it's good to go fast and far and light too. I hope to get out a bit on it before the snow flies. It'll probably get some more upgrades next spring, but for now it's quite rideable and ready for miles. No more scary old fork.

Enjoying my new headset press (birthday money- I decided to retire my homemade one for the real thing- luxury tools are nice once and a while)

Pretty...

I don't see myself with a real crown race setting tool when a $2.03 PVC pipe does the job though...

I'll get a proper picture of it in it's element soon, but here it is in the stand for now...

Mullet lounging in the empty fork box...he's always helping during projects...

T6 Texan Ride

2011-09-18T12:22:00.006-05:00

A coworker of mine at the airline owns a T6 Texan, and invited me to go along on a formation fly-by event he and some of his T6 buddies were hired to perform, and I jumped at the chance. Most of my flight time has been in modern training aircraft and commercial people-movers, neither category being aggressive and exciting, so a formation flight in the T6 was great. I didn't fly, mind you, I don't have a tailwheel rating, or know much of anything about the T6 for that matter, but just riding made me plenty happy.

We took off from KFCM in the SW Metro, flew past a great sunset and downtown with one of the other aircraft, then caught up with the rest of them at KANE on the north side of town. The fly-by was a high school football game in a northern suburb, and I'm sure they enjoyed the diamond formation of noisy Texans leaving smoke trails above their game.

I'm not used to being so close to other aircraft in flight (kind of a big goal to avoid that in the airlines :) ), so it was pretty cool seeing these guys operate. It's a lot of coordination to put on what they consider a routine show. Thanks for the ride!

Riding in the back...

Running up at KFCM...

Sunset just starting...

They get close...

Yep, close.

At night too... :)

Temperance weekend...

2011-09-18T11:52:00.004-05:00

Well, this weekend, I’m wrapping up some bike maintenance, cleaning up the apartment, and doing some reading and relaxing while nursing a cold that’s been going around my workplace. I thought I’d also catch up on some blogging I’ve been meaning to get to. Topics are: the aforementioned bike projects, a T6 Texan flight I had the chance to go on, and a brief trip up to the North Shore last weekend. I’ll start with the latter.

Last weekend I wasn’t really planning on much, since I’ve got so many projects with bike maintenance and other things going on around home, but when Saturday morning came, I just couldn’t resist the good weather and time off, so I got organized in a hurry for a North Shore overnight. Since I’ve recently been able to get back to light riding, I brought along my Karate Monkey to check out some forest roads, and also planned on some hiking. Gotta work on loosing this post surgery, sitting around gut, right? May as well do it where there’s scenery and skip the treadmill. I arrived in the early afternoon, which is late, at Temperance River State Park, which had a campsite for me. I set up quick and hopped on my bike to ride the following loop: Hwy 61, right on FR343, right on FR166, right on Sawbill Tr, right on Hwy 61 back to camp. It was just short of 20 miles, the majority on gravel in the woods. It felt great to be out of town on bike again, especially in the North Woods. I’ve got some ideas for some gravel touring up there for the future, as there are some good National Forest Campgrounds around.

I started out climbing up from Lake Superior along FR343, otherwise known as Temperance River Rd, and quickly passed several people around event tents where the road intersected with the Superior Hiking Trail. I then realized it was the weekend when the Superior trail running ultras were occurring. There is a regular trail marathon, as well as 50 and 100 mile ultra marathons. I’d really like to run the “humble” regular trail marathon sometime when my body is strong enough again. Next year? We’ll see if I actually heal correctly this time. It would be fun to try the run. Anyhow, I continued climbing up the road until it leveled off, and I proceeded along side but above the Temperance River and Heartbreak Creek Valleys. Off to my right there were occasionally great views of the valleys, and Carlton Peak beyond. Then I hit the intersection with FR166, which I took to lead me over to Sawbill Tr as mentioned. FR166 had some good climbing, including a hill named after the creek (or creek after the hill, or something)- Heartbreak Hill. I guess the early loggers couldn’t get up it in the winter with their loads. I did better with my bail out granny gear (I don’t have a front shifter/derailleur right now on the KM, but I can move the chain manually for such an occasion- I know, dumb, I should just buy a derailleur, but I haven’t yet and the 1x9 setup has done the trick almost always in the Cities). After the hill, I dropped back down to cross the Temperance River. I spent a bit of time hanging out down there, as the River is always scenic to gawk at. I then connected with Sawbill Tr, which is a much bigger but still gravel road (until you get close to Lake Superior), that took me around the other side of Carlton Peak (with Britton on my left). Clouds, combined with smoke from the Pagami Creek Fire in the Boundary Waters, made for a surreal evening as I got closer to the big lake. I couldn’t really capture this on an iPhone camera, or I’d try to share it. I suggest just getting up North and riding for yourself. J Once back to Hwy 61, I had a very short stretch back to the campground. In the whole time on the forest roads, I saw 5 vehicles. This took 2 seconds on 61. If you’re riding the Shore, sample the gravel; it’s good. I’d share the GPS track of this ride with you, but I accidently deleted it. It’s a very simple route and you’ll see it on any worthwhile map of the area.

A Surly is always at home on woodsy gravel...

Trying the new GPS mount...

Dropping back down to the river after "Heartbreak Hill"...doesn't look very heartbreaking...just looks like good gravel riding...

Hangin' at the Temperance River crossing...

The Sawbill is a big 'ol swath of gravel compared to the many other forest roads...

Back at camp, I dined on daal from a can, cooked over an Esbit stove, and a fat apple from our latest CSA box. Forgot tea, which would have been nice. I caught a shower, which is a perk of the expensive state park campgounds, and then settled in around a good fire with my Nook for some reading from Jonathan Waterman’s Running Dry, which is a good adventure essay on the current state of the Colorado River.

I didn’t sleep very well. I was excited to try my new Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1, which I picked up on sale for solo ventures and hadn’t yet slept in. The tent was just fine, but I’m not quite comfortable on the ground again after all this surgery. I don’t sleep on my side well on hard surfaces. It should get better with time and I’ll be at home again during cold, confined tent nights.

The morning was relaxed with oatmeal and map reading, which was a bit unnecessary, as I ended up choosing to hike the quintessential Temperance hike- the river to Carlton Peak and back, but I like pouring over maps nonetheless, looking for new adventures.

I took off up the River and the weather was perfect. The leaves are also just starting to change. I really enjoyed the walk up to the peak, which I’d done before, but everything seems better if you’ve been in the office too much lately. I chilled out on top for a bit, and noticed smoke moving in again from the wildfire in the BWCA, and started down. By the time I reached the river again, the NW winds had brought in a ton of smoke and ash from the fire, and it was getting gross out. Ash flakes were falling like light snow flurries, and I was breathing more smoke than I cared to. I didn’t spend as much time in the gorge as I normally would on this hike soaking in scenery, as I wanted out of the bad air. When I got to my pickup, which is black, it was speckled in the little white ash flakes. As soon as I drove south probably ten miles, I was completely out of it. The winds were basically just right to have moved the stuff to exactly where I was hiking from so far away. It was still a great day.

Superior Hiking Trail heading to Carlton Peak...

Heading down the river on the way back down (guess I forgot to get a picture at the top- you'll have to go get one in person)...

Smoke starting to haze things up at the river...

Gettin' away from the smoke...cough.

A dinner at Burrito Union in Duluth with more of my book, and then a drive back south and I was at home. Not a bad overnight.

I’m sure I’ll be back up to take in more of the Shore, be it hiking or biking, as the fall colors mature. Officials are saying it could be one of our best fall color years in quite a while. I hope they’re right.

That’s the weekend trip, I think I’ll post separately on the flight and bike projects…

Back on a bike again...again.

2011-09-05T20:54:00.002-05:00

Well it only took 6 weeks this time. My most recent chest surgery didn't involve nearly as much dissection, so getting back to riding didn't take nearly as long. Both yesterday and today I was able to get out for small rides on my Surly that's not currently in a box in pieces (read lower). I spent some time pedaling through my neighborhood tonight, and yesterday I was down in the Fork Snelling/Minnehaha areas. Man I miss biking when I can't do it, so getting out again was great.

The Surly that's in pieces is this one- my coupled Long Haul Trucker. I spent a good chunk of the weekend building it and cutting all it's packing pads, just to try taking it apart again.

Built up without racks and fenders:

Couplers split:

I'm trying my best to figure out the most ideal packing order for everything to go in my new hard-case, but so far I haven't come up with a solution that gets everything in. I keep ending up with the front wheel sitting high. In the picture below, I hadn't gotten everything in yet, but I have been able to get really close. I'm thinking as of now that I may have to put my front wheel in another piece of luggage with my camping gear and panniers around it to cushion it from damage. I've heard of others doing this with success.

I went with the S and S hard-case to have the most damage resistant set up I could. The drawback to this, as opposed to the soft-case they offer is that it will not "bulge" to let you off the hook for anything less than perfectly arranging everything. It also needs to be left somewhere during your tour if it's an out and back, or shipped to your destination for one-ways. The soft-case can be carried with you, and gives a bit for imperfect packing. I may drop the cash and pick up a soft-case in addition to my hard-case, because it could be my one-way tour case, and when I use the hard case it can carry my front wheel and all my other panniers/gear. I haven't decided yet. This stuff is always expensive up front and then I end up being glad I own the gear. We'll see what happens...

Long Haul Trucker Retrofit

2011-08-22T18:16:00.006-05:00

Look what I just brought home from the frame-builder:

I've been meaning to couple my touring bike for some time, and it's finally done! Really, I don't know how I could have put it off this long seeing as I work for an airline and should be taking many cycling trips. Now it can happen. I've still got a little way to go on healing from my most recent sternum realignment, but that will give me time to build the LHT back up and get a trip planned. Many touring locations are going through my head, and I'm sure they'll be some fun coming...sweet.

Bob Brown in St. Paul did the work. I'm very happy with how it turned out, and he was great to work with, squeezing in my coupler job during a very busy backlog of full frame builds he is working on. Thanks Bob!

This may have kicked off another project too...once I brought it home, Alison asked me- "Why don't I have a coupled touring bike?" I suppose we'll have to fix that right?

Lake Country Classic

2011-07-27T14:31:00.003-05:00

Before undergoing last weekends surgery, I was able to get in one last good ride with good friends. This particular group of friends is spread all over the country, so it was great to get organized and actually meet up to ride again. Some drove in from St Louis, some flew in from UT, I came from STP and we all met a friend who lives in Milwaukee for the Lake Country Classic in Oconomowoc, WI. Getting ourselves there and set up for the ride was a bit hectic. I waited in St Paul for our UT friend to fly in, as she needed a ride to Milwaukee. This got delayed as we're all on the non-rev, standby plan, so we didn't arrive until 3:30am. Already set up to be fatigued on our 7:00am start time for the ride. To make things later, she flew in with an S and S bike, so we needed to stay up and put it together. My mind wasn't working the greatest, and it took me longer than necessary to build it up. Then for whatever reason, I couldn't fall asleep until around 5:30 for a 6:15 wake-up. Ouch. Oh well, worse things have happened, and I was still excited for the ride and to hang out with everyone. As mentioned a couple entries ago, I'm currently limited to my Long Haul Trucker for road riding as my Lemond is down. And add the info from my very last entry, and you'll realize my sternum was broken (although I didn't know it at the time). Yeah- big recipe for success right? Well, I realized I wasn't going to keep up with anyone on the full 100 mile route, and opted to ride the 65 mile route instead with two out of the group who had chosen the same.

Next issue- we got a mile and a half into the ride, biking through some pleasant light rain, saving us from the weeks oppressive heat indices, and I noticed while watching the slightly greasy road in front of me that my buddy Chris's rear wheel was wobbling like a drunk. It was pretty bad. So I checked it out, and discovered his hub was super loose. We nursed it back to my truck, where I had my tool box, and tightened things up, but then upon looking further, found two broken spokes. Ugh. After deliberating, he decided he'd ride carefully, but most likely ruin the wheel, and go forward with the event. It held the whole ride. Thumbs up to Mavic cross wheels.

Now that the ride was finally on for real, we enjoyed 68 miles of Wisconsin back roads, and I remembered why there are bike companies based there- it really is a peaceful place to ride a road bike. I'm going to have to do some day or overnight trips over there next year to explore some more of the area.

The food was a little comical- they advertised "famous baked-goods", which I think meant that a ton of grandmas made a ton of cookies for the ride instead of Costco (which was nice), and they made a big deal out of having chicken-wings at one of the stops. I really didn't think wings sounded good in the middle of a bigger ride, but I did eat a couple.

After the ride, we all regrouped for mexican fare and margaritas, reminisced of good times, and talked of making an annual century trip somewhere to get everyone together more often. I hope we do- it was great.

"Everyone say Facebook!" (I think that was Julie's quote when setting this up.) :)

Yup, I guess we're eating wings on a long hot bike ride...

Hmmm...broken stuff everywhere, hubs, spokes, sternums...

Always worth riding the heavy touring bike in case you need to carry a spare tube on your 80 lb. limit rack... :)

Surgery Part II

2011-07-25T12:48:00.003-05:00

Well, I didn't get out a pre-surgery post like I'd intended. To fill everyone in, I had the bar from my pectus excavatum surgery removed this past Friday. It had been inside me for just over a year, and had gotten very uncomfortable. Most people that have a Ravitch procedure as I did don't have to keep the bar in for quite that long, but my case was a nasty one, and there were signs I wasn't healing correctly (and I wasn't). My doctor decided it was time to have it out, and to go in through my original incision site to do some bone grafting. This was due to the "clicking" and "crunching" I had felt through the entire year, which I've described on this blog. What we thought was causing it, and usually is the case, was a rib or two being loose- not having attached properly to the sternum after the original surgery. This does happen to a small percentage of pectus repair patients. In my case, when they x-rayed and opened me up Friday, they discovered that the movement and discomfort was happening because my sternum was still broken! Yeah, it never healed from having the chunk of it removed in the first surgery. So, it received a whole bunch of bone grafting along with a rib or two, and I now have two permanently screwed in titanium plates holding my sternum/ribs together. It feels wonderful not to have movement going on in my chest where it shouldn't be any longer. I was beginning to feel like a whiner before this last surgery, as I was always uncomfortable, but now that I know my sternum was broken the whole time I think I did pretty well.

Everything is still pretty swollen and sore, and I don't know what it will look like in the long term, but feeling solid again is great, and I'm hoping that was the last time a surgeon will have to rip open my chest.

I will have an appointment in a couple weeks to discuss how I'll need to go forward with recovery. At this point I don't know what my restrictions will be, but it doesn't sound like I'll be riding or climbing for a several months again. I knew that was coming, so it's not so bad, but it kind of sucks to have to return to being weak after just starting to get back to my old self. I'll live. There will be plenty of fall day hiking and fresh air even if I can't ride.

Anyhow, I won't get too long winded as I'm not completely following all my thoughts due to percocet. More from me later...

I kept the bar. :)

Road deliberations

2011-07-09T13:14:00.002-05:00

I've been going back and forth on a project for some time now involving my starting-to-age road bike. For the past 11 years I've been riding the same Lemond Buenos Aires. No, I don't think most roadies keep a bike this long, and I suppose it either earns me style points for becoming "retro", deducts me style points for not keeping up with the current trends/technology in cycling, or simply makes me cheap. Not sure, but hopefully some sort of acceptable middle ground. Either way, I've come to a decision point with my ride, due to the fact that I recently discovered a crack in the old Icon Carbon Classic fork it sports. I've been a bit concerned about riding a old carbon fork with a ton of miles of it for a while, but a crack is the sure time to move on. Now the issue I'm fighting with is this- I love the frame. I'm not opposed to buying a modern road bike. I've never owned a carbon bike, and I certainly understand the draw. However, there are things I hold on tightly to when it comes to the Lemond. No, it's not a boutique brand that will catch eyes, it's even a defunct company, but there's nothing to scoff at when looking at the ride quality and long life span of a good steel frame. This one is a Reynolds 853 main triangle with 525 stays. To get a frame built with this grade of tubeset, and this particular tall-man fit these days, I'd probably have to go to a custom builder and pay out the nose. The big-name bike brands just aren't doing much of this anymore. Plus, the custom bike likely would not end up being much different from what my Lemond is now. And speaking of fit- it works for me very well as a tall guy with long arms, which is very hard to do when shopping amongst most current bike companies. There are few big name brands that offer bikes that will fit me these days. I simply need a top tube length longer than "normal" riders. So here's what it comes down to. I want to keep my Lemond frame. I've been shopping around a lot for a fork to replace the cracked one. I'd like to go for a quality steel one, to keep the overall genre of the bike consistent, and end up with a frame/fork set that will last many more years- even if I buy a carbon machine sometime as well. I just love this bike and want to keep it a ridable member of my fleet of toys. I haven't been sucessful in finding anybody other than custom outfits that can do a 1" steel fork with a long enough steer tube, and acceptable rake and length specs. It doesn't seem to be out there. So, unless I find something soon, I think I may pull the trigger on something custom, and then slowly, in addition to the fork, re-spec the whole bike as necessary. I'm sure there are plenty of riders who would consider this to be a foolish endeavor, as when you add things up, I could easily be purchasing a new, modern road bike. But as stated, I love my frame, it's got a ton of life left in it, and I think the project is worth it to me. I still like steel in a world obsessed with carbon. Those that have loved a good bike for a long time will understand, and those that have to have the latest race machine each season may not.

The Lemond at Minnehaha Falls in MPLS...

Another catch-up post...

2011-07-04T09:40:00.005-05:00

Wow, another dry spell on the blog. My apologies.

Quite a few things to report. The most notable was pointed out in my last post- Minot, ND, where my parents live, has just experienced it’s worst ever recorded flooding event. The Souris River crested at 1561.7 ft about sea level. It wiped out my parents neighborhood, and although we still don’t know the exact condition of their house, all the talk that’s been heard suggests that most homes will be condemned as a loss. This one hurt a lot of families. Ours was at least fortunate to have a family farm north of town near Glenburn that my parents are now occupying. We are in a waiting game now to find out what’s next. The river is still very very high, and will take some time to recede to a point where officials can get in and make a call on what do to with everyone’s homes.

Sadly, this is my parents neighborhood; their house is obscured by trees in this shot...we still haven't seen the house. This is from a military helicopter shown on the news...

Next up is my upcoming second surgery for my case of pectus excavatum. The metal bar from my first surgery has been in my chest for a year as of the 14th of this month. It’s loose in my chest, and moves- very gross feeling. I’m excited to get it removed, which will happen on the 22nd if all goes as scheduled. That may be the extent of the surgery, or, my surgeon has indicated I may need more work to secure loose ribs that have not healed to my sternum, as I’ve blogged about before. I’d actually prefer to undergo this extra procedure right away to make sure things bond, as I don’t want to go any longer with loose parts, plus have another surgery later this year. We’ll see what happens. As far as how I’m feeling about it all, I still am unclear as to whether the surgery was worth it. Externally, anyone would diagnose me as having a significant chest wall deformity. Internally though, there are signs of hope. My latest chest x-ray shows that my heart has moved 1cm to the center of my chest cavity (more toward where it should be, and this suggests that it is not as squished as before surgery last year). Hopefully my second (and possibly third) procedure(s) go well. I’d love to be done with all this.
Moving on to my continued attempt to bring myself back to where I was physically before this major surgery- I’m doing a bit better. I can't claim any real disability as I'm doing things that a lot of folks wouldn't even without chest problems. I actually met another goal last month that I’d set earlier on this blog- I ran my first trail half marathon. I’ve been pleased that my chest seems ok with running, as some things, such as climbing, have not gone very well with the bar installed and bothering nerves. There was no event run, I just went out to Afton State Park and ended up extending a run that was planned for about 6 miles to 14. The course was not exactly easy either- lots of hills, some pretty steep (yeah, they exist in the Midwest). I’m getting more and more convinced that trail running is easier in a way than road. Road is so repetitive, using the same muscles over and over and over, whereas trail mixes things up a lot- going up, down, around obstacles and differing terrain. Doing the run in FiveFingers was also a highlight. Been seeing more and more people out in them on good trail.

First half-marathon face...

Speaking of good trail, I also had my first backpacking trip following last years surgery. (At some point I’ll have all the “first-since-surgery” stuff done- it seems to take forever, still haven’t done any real mountain biking or outdoor climbing, but I’m getting there.) Alison and I headed up to the Superior Hiking Trail last weekend and had a overnight trip that was somewhat lazy mileage wise, which was on purpose to see how my chest did. It wasn’t comfortable by any means, but perfectly tolerable and doctor-ok’d. We hiked around 6 miles from Lutsen to Lake Agnes, had a great lazy Saturday there, and hiked out the next day. For small miles, this section had some great varied scenery. It started with the Lutsen area, which is probably the most “mountainous” MN gets. It then descends into the Poplar River Valley, which is thick, wet, scrubby, moose country. Then it passes through some great maple forest before dropping back into Lake Agnes, which is an inland lake gem, perfect for hanging out on a lazy Saturday. It was great to get out with a pack again.

Chest is handling a full pack again...good.

Alison smiling through the overgrown Poplar River Valley...lookin' for moose.

Lake Agnes, where we spent the night...get there early, it's a popular backcountry site...

Heading back out with Moose Mountain in the background...

Moving on to riding, this weekend was a bit exciting. Alison, myself, and our friend Jonathan were out for a longer road ride, as I’ve got a century coming up this month (gonna try to get the full Shrapnel Benjamin after coming up short on the MN Ironman in the awful weather at the start of May.) We were out in the Afton area descending a winding hill. I was in front, Jon next, followed by Alison. We were pretty spread out. The bottom of the descent ended up being a hard left corner, and this day was covered in a ton of dark gravel, which was hard to see on the black top in the shade of some nearby trees. Bad mix. I happened to see it, chose to stay straight and avoid the washout as I was going to fast to corner on the gravel. I managed to stop just prior to leaving the roads edge, and as I turned to warn Jon and Alison, all I heard was skidding. Bummer. Jonathan had just gone down very hard, striking his head (he was luckily wearing a helmet) and picking up a lot of road rash. Alison avoided the gravel and stayed out of trouble. Jonathan seemed alert, and nothing seemed broken. However, he didn’t remember how he had gotten there, or any part of the day. His short term memory was gone, and he kept looping, asking us to tell him what happened in the previous two hours. We had an ambulance on the scene within 15 minutes, and they took him to Regions in St Paul. Alison and I didn’t have a ride bake (everyone’s gone for the 4th weekend), so we had to ride the 23 miles back home, and by then visiting hours where over. We did get in touch with his family and he had them with him in the hospital. We got to see him yesterday. There was no bleeding in his head; he suffered a concussion, hence the memory issues, but is getting better quickly and looping less and less. Doc’s say he’ll be fine. So, I’m gonna plug helmet use again as always. Somehow I’ve never laid down my road bike, but I’ve been with many riders when they’ve spilled, and seen a ton of helmets do their jobs. Don’t forget it- care more for your brain and life than your hair. (My latest drivers license photo will display this balance- I biked to the DVS on a hot day to renew and I had some mean helmet-hawk and pad marks on my forehead. Hot.)
Lastly for now- I finally pulled the trigger on a project I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I’m getting an S and S coupler retrofit on my touring bike. I don’t know how I haven’t done it yet considering I work for an airline and should be traveling more with my bike. Bob Brown in STP will be doing the job, and he’s hoping to be able to get it done sometime this month amidst many other custom jobs (he’s in pretty high demand and I’m excited that he’s able to do the work for me). So, if I can get some time off in the fall it would be great to get the bike out somewhere for some distant touring. The project should result in some good times.

Flood

2011-06-28T09:48:00.004-05:00

Not much time to write at the moment, but please see the link in this post. Minot, ND, where my parents and other family members live, is dealing with severe flooding. The link is to my brother's blog, and explains what us happening...

MN Ironman 2011

2011-05-02T20:51:00.011-05:00

Yesterday was the MN Ironman ride in Lakeville, MN. I mentioned earlier on the blog my intention of doing the event as a sort of bigger return from surgery; to feel I was “back” so to speak. And I said I’d coin it (personally) as the “Shrapnel Benjamin”. 100 miles of road riding to prove I could handle a something that I had grown to think of as not really being a big deal. Well, yesterday felt like a big deal. I did show up to see what I could do, and so did the weather. The Easter Bunny has come and gone, but apparently winter hasn’t quite done the same. Temps hung in the 30’s for most of the ride, and the wind absolutely howled from the west all day- a big steady howl like prairie country can give. I was glad I remembered to wear contact lenses and my semi wrap around Smiths because otherwise my eyes would have enjoyed the snow/sleet stings the rest of my face did. Really, I shouldn’t make the weather out to be such a villain, because I truthfully really do like riding in the foul stuff, but it did make the experience of taking on big miles with so little on the bike training and a year filled with mostly couch/healing time a brutal experience. I saw people literally blown off their bikes in crosswinds, grown men throwing up in the ditches due to exhaustion, and a couple riders getting medical attention for not dressing appropriately and simply getting dangerously chilled. So I was glad to have the knowledge of how to ride a bike in low temps/wind chills.

The route can be seen here. As you will see, with very strong west winds (steady in the mid 20’s with gusts into the high 30’s) the first 50 miles set the tone of everyone’s day. Many dropped out at the first rest stop at around 25 miles. I used the stop to fuel up, warm up, and move on before I let anything mental set in that would coerce me to stop. I was riding with a friend and former coworker who, check out his courage, was biting off his first century attempt in these conditions. We continued on.

The routes available had split at this first rest stop (68 or our 105 route), and due to that and all the people who took the sag busses, the field of riders went from a steady flow to having hardly anyone around us. So now we were suffering with more and more solitude. Oh well, it’s nice to be able to hang with a good group to share the burden, taking pulls for each other, but I’ve been completely alone in the funk before, so this would be fine too. My friend was great company.

He and I did hit some pretty low points during the second quarter of the route. The first had been really tough on us early in the event. Ouch. But I’d just gotten done telling him about the low points that come and go with these endurance pulls on the car ride down to the start line, so neither of us let it get us. It’s always important to know that you can push through it, even you if don’t believe it at the time. We hit some sort of second wind that got us to the halfway point and through the rest of the direct headwinds and worst (or best) riding of the day.

At the halfway rest stop, I think I let myself sit too long. So many people quit here, but I was determined to keep going and ride the tailwinds for a while and cash in on our effort. How could we not finish with those odds? But my body felt so drained, and I ran into a familiar distance event problem- I couldn’t get myself to eat much. I felt empty and worn out, but food just made my stomach unhappy. It’s a weird but common dilemma. You have to get something in your or there's only so far your body will go (it'll go pretty far though). Salty food worked better than sugary, so I went with a bit of that and got on the road before I totally shut down.

Man, the next 20 miles sucked. Just sucked. I didn’t really get to feel thankful for the tailwind, because I was too busy suffering from super low energy. Plus- and my partner noticed this too so I don’t think it was just my tired imagination, the weather seemed to be loosening on the winds, and we had less tailwind than the headwinds we fought all day so far in the event. Nice. Oh well, that’s big days in the saddle. Take what you get.

I was glad I was with at least one riding partner here though, because I had pretty much talked myself into quitting during this low, but pressed on because I really wanted him to experience success on his first century go. We hit the next rest stop and I was feeling a bit better. We noticed on the way there that we really weren't seeing any other riders, save a couple. Nowhere near the huge crowds we started the day with. The rest stop was pretty well closed down, due to most people quitting at that point (or just having been strong enough to have come and gone- there were a few true hardmen and women out). This was at mile 73. Well, let’s not think about it and just keep going. It was getting to feel like we were running out of day, because we were.

We pulled into the last rest stop at mile 84 at around 5pm. This was the original cutoff for the entire event to shutdown, but the support staff was still milling around due to everyone who was still at it being so late after the first half the ride crushed us with some of the slowest riding I can remember in quite a while (reminiscent of the Badlands on my ND tour). We stopped and had a bit of food (not much- my stomach was still not keen on anything entering had it was posing a big challenge to my energy level.)

I still haven’t commented on whether or not we made the full 105 miles of the route. Well, I entered the rest stop feeling like we were set- I was shutting down pretty bad, but it was only 21 more miles. Even if we totally dragged it would only be a couple hours at the very most to hit the finish line (which would have been taken down by then because everyone still on course quit.) I sat in front of my food, then threw it away. I used the porta-john outside. I walked outside, and thought about what I’d already accomplished. 10 months ago I had my chest literally torn open, my bones broken in surgery, and I still carry a temporary surgical bar and at least one loose rib that hasn’t healed correctly and will probably require more surgery to tie up. I just rode 84 miles in weather that was breaking most people. I felt pretty happy. And oddly enough, happy enough to do something I’ve done only a handful of times on really big rides. I quit. What? Yeah, I felt we could surely force a finish, but hopped on the last sag bus with my friend and five others. I’ve always thought of the sag rides home as a place I’d feel failure, but all I felt was accomplishment. After lying in a very painful heap last summer wondering how I’d ever be myself again, and after so many months of doubting the benefits of my procedure (and this is still going on), I simply felt glad to be able to have done what I just did. Those 84 miles were a bigger deal than any 100 I’d done in the past. I felt just fine on the sag ride to the car, and I still do. I know I can go out on a better weather day and knock out a full 100, and after some more rehab do it in the funk all the same. And have every confidence in my friend that he will complete his next century attempt. He went pretty big yesterday for not ever having ridden half of what he pulled off in much better weather. Kudos man.

The time spent in the saddle was longer than other century finish times I’ve logged on many occasions, and the effort during those hours was higher. This was a good ride.

The only picture I have to share is an exhausted face of mine on the sag ride. It was the only time I really thought to pull out my camera due to chilly fingers and focus. In the fatigue you can see contentment.

Saturday run...

2011-04-16T19:53:00.003-05:00

We’ll I did get out for a bit this afternoon to enjoy some trail. Lebanon Hills Regional Park is finally drying out, and I ran 5 miles in what was not bad weather, but not good weather. Felt more like late fall than Spring, but it beats a treadmill. I took the new Merrell Trail Glove’s with Mountain Hardware strapless running gaiters, and my feet stayed cozy. I do have to say I’ve come to love my FiveFingers, and it feels funny to be in shoes (opposite of most people’s view I’m sure). When it’s warmer I’ll be back in them.

Overall I’m doing pretty well with running after surgery, but I’m noticing my heart rate is still high at most times. I’m hoping it’s just due to being in much worse shape than I was pre-surgery; this would make sense. A major reason for having the surgery was creating more room for my heart to expand so it wouldn’t have to compensate with high rates due to less volume. So in short, I hope to see slower heart rates over time as I get back into the shape I was in the past.

But anyhow, today’s run took me through woodlands, that despite being located in the metro, had no people in sight, and plenty of wildlife. Lots of birds, big and small, deer, and a brave muskrat who swam right up to be when I stopped for a drink of my bottle at the edge of a pond. Good company. I love getting into the zone out in the woods and forgetting about offices.

New kicks:

Paris

2011-04-16T12:15:00.006-05:00

Recently I went on a non-outdoor-themed trip with my beautiful wife. She was awarded a random seven day off stretch from flying, and I have some vacation time that needs using before I switch to flying myself, so we decided to take advantage of it. Seeing as my chest still wont handle going big, and since I always cause her to spend her vacation time shivering in a tent somewhere for a week, then coming home smelling of dank nylon sleeping bag and musty wool (things I truly love by the way), we chose a trip of the opposite variety. One has to treat a wife like a lady at times or one’s tent may be missing a lady in the future. J She chose Paris, France to live it up for a few days, and we flew across the Atlantic to check it out. A notable perk of being an airline family (why we stay in the business as awful as it can get).

We found ourselves very tired arriving in Europe after an all-nighter on the 767 that got us there. We found a hotel in the St. Germaine area in the Latin district of central Paris, and promptly took a nap. Then, found some food and made a game plan.

The tick list included: Versailles, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe.

The first evening we took the subway down to the Eiffel Tower and took a boat tour of the city.Very very ornate. Quite a bit of history here, and the French know how to make a beautifully city.

It was the first time I’ve been in a country where I do not have a clue what anyone around me is communicating. Kinda fun actually, bumbling your way through the day. I quickly picked up some basic hello’s and thank-you’s and learned to point at things in café’s that looked good.The French were actually very polite and friendly towards us as Americans; not the rude stigma you hear about here in the States. Many people did in fact speak some English, and when you make an effort to ask them in French if they would mind helping you in English, they were very helpful.

The next day we toured Notre Dame, including a trip to the top of the cathedral to see it’s gargoyles and views of the city. Also did a lot of walking in the area and took in some French food. Overall, it was tasty, but they are much more into ham and cheese everything that I’d prefer as more of a plant eater. Did find a couple very good salads during the week though, and I’d get in trouble at home with their bread around.

We spent that evening walking the Champs-Elysees, where the Tour de France finishes. I have to say I didn’t realize what a cash register it is. Tons of high-price shopping and name brands, and way overpriced food. I can say I’ve been there, but it really wasn’t my cup of tea. I prefer it when bikes are flying down it rather than pretentious affluent shoppers. It was nice to see the sunset from atop the Arc de Triomphe though.

I’d have to say that the next day at Louvre was my favorite. It’s overwhelming actually. I think they said that if you spent a few seconds in front of every piece of art in the place it would take you something like 4 months. So, with a day, we hit the hot spots. Too many to comment on or picture. I highly recommend spending some time here if you get to Paris.

Our entrance to the museum marked a surprise of the trip. While standing in line- I heard a loud “Hey Ben Jensen!”. What? I turned around and saw my sim partner from CRJ 200 training at Mesaba here in MN. Nuts. He was on vacation too and we just happened to bump into each other in France.

In the museum, we enjoyed seeing it’s amazing collections, so include some favorites I have pictured below.

The last full day there we dropped down to Versailles. I have to say that this place is one giant display of royal excess. It’s pretty interesting to see how some people surrounded themselves with everything while others were suggested to “eat cake”, if you recall blunders of history.

A flight to Atlanta, then back to MSP brought us home and we quickly adjusted back to life as usual. Fun trip. We’ll probably be back in a smelly tent soon, but it was nice to live it up a little in one of the world’s prized cities.

View from atop Notre Dame:

Code of Hammurabi:

Running into familiar people across the world:

Statues of the Louvre:

Art as big as walls (big walls):

Crowd at the Mona Lisa:

Under the Eiffel Tower:

Champagne atop the Eiffel Tower:

At Versailles:

Typical Room at Versailles:

Walking the gardens of Marie Antoinette:

I think my wife likes hanging out at Paris cafe's. :) Love you babe!

Update

2011-04-16T11:00:00.002-05:00

Wasn’t quite sure what this weekend was going to turn out. Almost went to Alaska on a whim, but flight loads didn’t work. Instead checked out the Radical Reels Film Fest as a part of Midwest Mountaineering’s Spring Outdoor Adventure Expo. Now chilling (literally- it snowed last night and our apartment building managers didn’t figure that heat was necessary any longer this year) in my place, and thought I’d dust off the ol’ treadnorth blog. Been dry on the writing side of life lately, seeing as my blog is dedicated largely to adventuring outside, and things have been decidedly focused on the lesser exciting topics of work and more work in the past couple months. Big changes of some sort coming in that realm for me, as I was recalled from my pilot furlough recently. I teach, so I may be splitting my time with that and flying, or may fly full time. So that’s been taking up my brainpower, making big decisions about how (and where) I will spend my workdays.

But the outdoors and the passion I have for it has not been out of sight during this time. I’ve been continuing to run, and have finally been freed from the treadmill months to take things outside and let my toes feel something real. I haven’t been running quite as much as I’d like to due to said work drama, but it’s coming along. I’m stoked for our trails to finish their yearly evolution from snowpack to cold muck to dirt. Last night’s snow didn’t help, but it’s coming. I did pick up a pair of Merril’s new True Glove “barefoot” running shoes and a pair of running gaiters, so I’m more equipped for spring trail running. Haven’t made any big judgments on them yet as I’ve only worn them a couple times, but the initial reaction would be that they have more substance than my VFF’s, yet keep a decent trail feel with zero heel to toe drop. Should end up my shoes for more gravel-y terrain and for when it’s colder out. More on these as I use them.

You’d think I would have blogged this right away, but last month also saw my first pedal stroke off the trainer and outside, which was a huge relief after so much couch time following surgery. I’ve commuted into work a couple times and have been riding on the weekends. I did in fact sign up for MN Ironman in a couple weeks, so we’ll see if my chest likes that or not (more like we’ll see if I think the discomfort is reasonable or not). I’m excited though. It at least feels like I can follow through a bit more on the decisions I want to make outside. My ideas are still much stronger than my body- a balance one has to keep in check to ever get on the other side of said balance.

First post-op ride outside. Rode the Karate Monkey over to Minnehaha Falls (falls are behind me- sorry, you can't see them this time):

View off the Mendota Bridge at a spring-flooded Ft. Snelling State Park:

Climbing has taken a backseat lately, and I hope to get a little of it in sooner than later. Perhaps today or tomorrow I’ll hit the plastic jungle. My chest bar has been feisty, moving and digging nerves under my right pectoral area pretty often whenever I make pushing motions, so that’s been an obvious distraction to climbing without reserve. Three more months of the bar at least is what the doctor says now. Long time, I’m a hard case.

That’s some of what’s been happening in the past several weeks. Oh, and I took my wife to Paris, which will be a post of it’s own. I'm off to figure out the weekend we have free...

Ski, run, hike, celebrate...

2011-02-19T12:01:00.005-06:00

Nordic ski nights, treadmill runs, a big anniversary, and a mock-Spring are the latest highlights.

I may still have a semi-busted chest, but there’s nothing wrong with my legs, and they’ve continued to carry me further toward getting back in shape. Since posting last, I got into a habit of skiing two or three nights a week, mostly down at Ft. Snelling State Park, near where I live and work in the city. Even though the peace of those particular woods is often interrupted by a 747 thundering only 400 feet above you, it’s great to have the place nearby so life’s not all pavement. It lets me get in some exercise in a day packed with so much office. I’ve been joined quite a few times lately by Alison, my coworker Jonathan, and our friends, the Goltz’s. Sometimes it’s a solo venture where I need to make sure I don’t whack the sternum with no help to get back to the truck. Always careful, but gotta live. Doctor pointed me toward some chest armor designed for motocross, but works great for guys with healing ribs/sternums.

Winter in Ft. Snelling

Alison getting ready to glide Snelling:

In addition to the skiing, I’ve been trying to get up to my in-laws on the weekends for more treadmill running. Can’t wait to switch to outside. My longest run so far was last Saturday, where I managed 6 miles. I actually felt a strong desire to go further, but I’m still finding it hard to predict how my chest will feel after the run. It usually feels somewhat uncomfortable, yet manageable during the run, and then aches pretty fierce afterward. But again, it’s manageable. My idea of pain is decidedly different after living through last July. I think I have a very good chance of meeting the half marathon goal I made in my last post. After all, it’s only February.

And speaking of February, the 4^th is our wedding anniversary, and this year it was the big 0-5. J Five years went by pretty fast. A reminder to live well, and appreciate every bit of it. I have an incredible wife and it was great to celebrate and reflect on our years together. Love you babe!

A great night out with a great wife:

On another note, we had our annual spring fake-out that affects the moods of every Northerner this past week. Temps above freezing all week, and we saw the sun! Yeah, that’s a big deal in an area that’s used to only seeing the sun when it’s bitter cold. It was actually too warm to do any worthwhile Nordic skiing, so I chose hiking Interstate State Park last weekend. Warmth and color felt great. There were even people climbing bare rock at the MN strip. It’s back to winter for while, but it’s a sign that it won’t last a whole lot longer.

Near Sentinel Crack in Interstate State Park, looking across from MN:

I can feel Spring coming; the world is emerging from the snowpack:

I’ve been thinking about the other goal I set of getting back to century riding, and I may have a solution, but it’s admittedly early and might not work. Every year I say I’m going to take part in MN’s first widely advertised century event of the mainstream cycling season, the MN Ironman in Lakeville. It’s the end of April, and sometimes the weather is less than what people hope for. Every year, I say “this is the year I’ll finally get around to seeing this event”, and then I decide when it comes around that paying to ride in Lakeville sounds rather stupid, and I don’t do the event. But perhaps it’s the right way to go this year. It’s a rather flat course, with lots of support, and might be a perfect century for a post surgery comeback. I’m thinking of putting this on my calendar if my chest will take it. Plus, if it doesn’t, it’s a very non-committal route, and someone can pick me up at any point if I fail. Whatever century I attempt, I’m nicknaming it the “Shrapnel Benjamin”. Do you like the play on words? J

As you were…

Midpoint of winter and healing.

2011-01-31T15:28:00.004-06:00

Winter. Tough season in the North. Anyone who has read my blog over the years it has been around has been exposed to my regular pattern: summers are pretty great for me, staying outside a lot, fall is even better. Winter sets in and I dig the snow for a while, then come this exact time of the year I'm over it. Sort of- in a way I still like it (don't worry, I don't intend for this to be a negative post). I actually do enjoy the Northern winter for some of the very reasons I want it to end. A paradox, but it is what it is. I like that it is fierce- that produces the adventure found within it. Winter cycling and backpacking, skiing and snowshoeing, and the indoor portion- months getting strong in the climbing gym- this is all great stuff. But my body still plays the standard 98.6 degree game, finding it much easier to play in comfortable weather, and I don't blame it. And I always long for more of the West. That wont go away. This year in particular, it has been hard to get psyched for the cold. I don't need to tell the same surgery story all over, it's been posted.

But a harsh winter produces something great- a huge appreciation of your abilities within a tough climate, and an even bigger enjoyment of the warmer months when they show. And this spring will possibly be the best spring I have seen in some time, as I will be not only emerging from a northern winter that lasts the standard 5-6 months, I'll be emerging from an even longer period of physical healing, and I'm starting to see the signs of it now. Feeling anxious often means there's stored energy and new ability.

A couple entries ago, I wrote some decidedly negative words on how I've felt about my recovery- every now and then a person can't help it. Sometimes thats the fuel to pick yourself up and make the best of something. I've been to the doctor again since then, and his encouragement to me has been to ease back into higher physical exertion, which I've been waiting a long time for. I also mentioned recently I've gotten on a treadmill for the first runs since last June. After a few of them now, I can say they are going fairly well. Actually, very well for having major reconstructive surgery. Last night I managed to run (slow and easy) 3 miles, and walk another .5. I've found out that if I run wearing a pair of cycling bibs, the shoulder straps keep my pecs from bouncing (and thus hurting due to rubbing on the bar/buried nerves), and I can jog at a slow pace. I'm going to rejoin my climbing gym in about 4 weeks, where I can continue to run, and even start some top-roping (doc changed his mind about this recently- he didn't really understand before the safety involved in indoor climbing- that there is extremely little chance I'm going to take a big punch to the sternum top roping something easy, so he said it's ok- much earlier than the July I thought I'd have to wait for- we'll see how my chest takes it though- I don't intend to hurt myself). So, even as I write this, I can see more clearly that I'm actually coming along alright toward living the active life I've enjoyed so much in the past.

I think it's time to set some goals for the year. This may be difficult, as I don't know exactly how hard I'll be able to go in the coming months, but it never hurts to work toward something- even if you don't make it. Trying is better than not. The goals I have in mind so far (only so far- I'm sure my mind will get more and more excited to go bigger as I heal further) are to ride a century before the bar in my chest is removed in July, and to run my first half marathon this year. I'd like to run a full marathon, and preferably a trail marathon, but I will have to see how my body works before getting carried away too soon. Each month will involve a little more activity, and we'll see how far I can go.

There is a decent chunk of this winter left, but it can be enjoyed with the right appreciation. And it's going to build a great spring. It may not be a record-setter of a year, but I intend to make it the best I can.

Feeling the excitement of winter breaking, last year in Yosemite, running in FiveFingers (60 degrees in the Valley):

A few quicker steps...

2011-01-16T21:32:00.002-06:00

Last weeks blog entry I shared that I've felt pretty down about my fitness level this far after surgery. Tonight helped to feel a bit better. It was a small step, just like when I blogged a couple months ago about returning to my indoor cycle trainer after only walking for exercise. Tonight I was able to run a mile on my in-laws treadmill. My chest was uncomfortable, but it held up fine and overall the run was great. It was a huge contrast from the last time I ran, which was a 9 mile trail run in Yosemite Valley two weeks before my surgery in July. But to go 1 mile after such a big surgery is great. There's got to be a starting point for each activity, and this was better than I've been expecting for a return to running. We'll see how I feel tomorrow, but I'm happy that it went well.

Here I am again...

2011-01-08T12:47:00.009-06:00

Time to say something, I suppose. I’ve been neglecting to write for the past couple months, for a few reasons. I didn’t really plan the hiatus from blogging, but as anyone who writes knows, you just have those times were the motivation isn’t there.

There has been plenty to talk about, but not the usual material I post, as I’m still recovering from my big irritating surgery six months ago. I imagine the motivation to post will strengthen along with the number of days I get to spend playing outdoors since that’s what I usually write about.

As far as how I’ve been spending all this time; it’s been pretty varied. I guess I have to back up a couple months to catch up and hit the highlights.

November held a good event for me to live vicariously through the outdoor-strong crowd, with a chance to attend the Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Adventure Expo, which included the Banff Mountain Film Festival, and a clinic put on by Dean Potter. I got a chance to take in countless accounts of outdoor epics, and had a very quick talk with Dean himself.

The same weekend, Alison and I headed down to Texas to visit with family. We have a new niece, Ellie Dakota, and it was great to see everyone. I’m still getting used to the “uncle” thing. We almost didn’t make it down, as the Cities had their first winter weather smack in the face- freezing rain that caused countless accidents. You can see how nice our roads were in St. Paul- this is my name scratched into the glare ice we drove over to get to the airport:

Other family trips happened as well, some good, some not. After Thanksgiving, the family lost my uncle Skip. He had a long battle with a beat up heart, and passed away at the family farm with my parents along side him. The funeral in Minot, ND was small- many couldn’t make it as we had our biggest blizzard in around 20 years here in the Cities, and flight/trains/cars/whatever you tried was delayed or cancelled. I just managed to squeak in on a Skywest flight the morning after the storm and made it to the funeral on time. It was a nice memorial; more of a collection of good/humorous memories than a traditional service, which is what we think he’d have wanted. It was also a good chance for our family to get together from around the country again. Here's a shot of me with cousins I don't get to see very often; Mira, from NY, and Andrew from CA (great to see you guys!):

Alison and I made it up to Minot again after the funeral weekend, and spent time with everyone there for the holidays. It was great to see everyone, including my grandma, who is in a home in Mohall, ND with dementia, and my grandpa, who lives in Westhope, ND. It’s a little harder to coordinate visits to see them often, and we always appreciate the chances we get.

We also had the chance to spend time with relatives here in the Cities over Christmas weekend. Here is Alison's grandma with all of us grandkids:

As for surgery updates, and getting in shape again:

I can’t sugar coat it; I’ve been feeling a major low point in my fitness level in this whole process, and it’s hard to deal with. I’m sure that’s had something to do with my silence on this blog. Before surgery, I was climbing pretty strong for a Midwesterner, cycling big miles and solo tours, backpacking strong, and progressing well into being a minimalist shoe runner, tackling my first couple “longer” (for me) trail runs in Yosemite Valley. I feel like I’m so far away from being there again after I chose to have my procedure. Thinking objectively, I knew ahead of time that I’d have a bad year, which I could expect to then see improvement afterward- hopefully progressing beyond my pre-surgery abilities. So I know this is part of it all. But saying that is one thing when decided to have a big surgery. Actually living through that terrible year is something else completely. It’s a lot of time for negativity and doubts to get in your head, while you are feeling weak, but accustomed to being strong. I may change my mind in the future, but I’m not yet very happy with the results of having this surgery. I guess it’s because I haven’t yet had a chance to see whether or not I will see an improvement in heart function. Cosmetically, there has been some improvement from pre-surgery days, but I’m not all that excited about it. At this stage of still-low exercise/fitness, that’s all I’m able to judge. I again have a large depression in my chest. It’s definitely not flat or “normal” looking, whatever normal is. I don’t know if this is because of my chest sinking in a bit again, or if it more an issue of severe muscle atrophy after months of non-use. Seems to me it is a combination, as my doctor has alluded to either case, giving different answers to the same questions over time, which is very frustrating. It would help to feel good about the procedure if I wasn’t so concerned that I will just end up watching my chest regress back to where it started, which does happen to some people. All I can do is wait and see what happens, and try not to let it drive me crazy in the process.

I have been getting out on snowshoes and riding my cycle trainer when I can to try to further limit my loss of fitness and keep myself sane. There have been some good walks as this year has seen record snow here. La Niña is what they’re saying.

Not a ton of snow yet in this shot. Walking Afton State Park, early winter:

Walking Fort Snelling State Park, Christmas morning:

Night of the big blizzard, outside my apartment in St. Paul:

Post-holing down Summit Ave in Saint Paul??

I may try to start running a very small amount if I can get access to a treadmill again soon. I’ve gained a light case of “man-boobs” while getting out of shape, so that on top of healing pectorals and a bar in my chest riding on nerves might not make for tolerable running, even if it’s light. We’ll see.

Something that’s helped me in all my healing woes is reading/watching stories of other outdoor folks who’ve overcome after injury, even paralysis. I bought a Nook, from Barnes and Noble recently, and read climber Steph Davis’s book, High Infatuation. In one chapter, she wrote about her friend who became paralyzed below her upper abdominals in a climbing accident, but who just a year and a half later went on to climb El Cap in Yosemite by basically doing four thousand pull ups. Awesome. Perhaps I’m just a colossal whiner for feeling down about my own chest issues. It could be way worse, and people overcome a lot more.

I intend not to fall off my blog for another two months, I appreciate your continued reading. I hope to have good news of getting stronger and feeling better, and I hope to continue spending my time recovering alongside great family.

4 Months Post-op

2010-11-13T22:16:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow will mark 4 months from my pectus excavatum surgical correction. Tonight was the first time I’ve pedaled a bicycle since the operation.

Stats:

Bike: Surly Long Haul Trucker

Duration: 40 minutes

Approx. Caloric Burn: 500

Mileage: 0

Scenery: Living Room of My Apartment

I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated a lame indoor mag-trainer ride as much as tonight. As of this past week, my doctor cleared me for light exercise beyond the walking I’ve been doing. I’m ten pounds heavier after four months of being pretty much sedentary (compared to my traditional outdoor recreation lifestyle), and this is despite a whole lot of muscle atrophy. This means I am fatter than I’ve ever been, and I can’t wait to turn that around. It was necessary to take it easy for quite a while after this big surgery, but now it’s going to be necessary to ease back into getting in shape. It will take time- how much, I really don’t know. My chest still has a long way to go before I can really work out hard- my doc says bone takes a good full year before you can trust it like before it was broken (with a big break like what was done to my sternum). Plus, I’m still experiencing a lot of the “clicking” in my chest that I blogged about a few posts ago, and it’s thought now that I may have a section of cartilage that has not yet bonded to my sternum from the respective rib. So basically, it’s a bit loose, and rubbing/knocking as I move. Yes, it feels as disgusting as it sounds. I was told that it may require a third surgical procedure (at the same time as my second (bar removal)) to tie it to its place at my sternum and encourage the bond to finally happen. I don’t claim to have a great understanding of how this works; I just know I’ll really appreciate when it’s done and I don’t feel like I have parts loose in my chest cavity.

Also during my appointment, I finally got to take a look at the chest scans I had done pre-op that my surgeon used to determine both my need for correction and which procedure would be used to do it. They are pretty nuts.

This is a cross section of my chest with the orientation of looking from my waist up, at one of the deeper sections of the deformity. It really shows how badly my sternum was recessed, and thus squashing the anterior of my heart. This is why my heart could not expand normally during exercise, and I experienced high heart rates, labored breathing, and early fatigue.

This is an X-ray showing how deep my chest wall was recessed. If you know what to look for, you can see how little distance there was for my heart in between my anterior chest wall, and my spinal column. That’s my heart again, squished into the only space it could find.

And this is another cross section, now a vertical slice of my chest at a depth where it can be seen just how twisted my sternum was, in addition to being recessed. This is one of the many reasons I had to go with the Ravitch procedure as opposed to the minimally invasive Nuss procedure. My sternum needed to be broken, with a large wedge of it removed to get it into the same plane and off of my heart.

Here is a more pleasing scene- my Trucker in my living room. I was so happy to be able to handle a ride. My chest is still hurting, but it’s now pain that is tolerable and safe to exercise through according to my doctor. I was told that I may continue to experience pain from the surgical bar supporting my chest, as it can put slight pressure on nerves from time to time (as I’m sure you realize, we’re not really originally designed to have stuff lodged in us, but it works).

The Trucker felt just like I remembered, and I felt at home again pedaling after thinking about it for too long. I’m not sure the full fenders, racks, and frame pump were needed while touring my living room, but they come with the ride. Nor do I suspect there’s even that many Long Haul Truckers even getting slaved to mag-trainers; generally they’re just not the “training” folks pick of bikes. Bike Snob NYC would have something to say. But it was the upright geometry I was looking for in a true recovery ride. I look forward to more non-eventful, safe, and lame trainer work through the winter. Then I’ll be ready for something real when the spring comes. I’m coming back from the couch.

Playing with GPS data...

2010-10-17T21:53:00.003-05:00

I've owned my GPS, a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx for a couple years now, and I'm still learning how I can benefit from it. It's taken me a long time to learn the Basecamp software that came with it, mainly out of laziness. I work with frustrating computer programs and work, and that leaves me with little motivation to learn new programs at home, but I've been interested in publishing routes from my GPS to this blog, so I've done a little investigating. I've found a few ways to do it, but the only one I've understood to the point of getting it to work is through the MapMyRide.com site. I can upload .gpx files from my Garmin, save them as routes, and then it creates programing code that I can copy and paste into a blog entry, and the route shows up here on the blog. Easy enough for me. It seems to default to regular Googlemaps "street" mode, and I'd prefer the "satellite" or "topo maps" modes, but you can view these by clicking the "View Full Screen" link on the map, and it will take you to and expanded page to see those views (once on the full screen page, there's a selector in the upper right of the map).

The whole point of trying to do this is to share rides, runs, and hikes on this blog. Seeing as I don't have recent trips of any sort to show off, I posted a trail run from Yosemite done last February to at least try out the process. In the future, I should be able to share notable adventures and interesting routes via my actual GPS tracks just like this:

Yosemite Trail Run Feb '10
Find more Runs in Yosemite Village, California

Recovery walks...

2010-10-17T10:24:00.005-05:00

Well, I'm at Day 95 of recovery. Things have been getting slowly better, slowly being the key word...but also better. :)

I still haven't ridden a bike, other than sitting atop the Karate Monkey in my living room and rolling ahead a few feet to see how it feels. It started out feeling terrible- my pectorals weren't excited about me leaning over that far and putting pressure on a handlebar, but as of this weekend it's feeling tolerable. I may try to go for a very short ride sometime soon, as my doctor told me it should be ok, as long as I'm not feeling pain. We'll see.

Fall hikes/walks have continued to be my form of exercise to get away from all the sitting in front of the TV. MN has been enjoying a stellar fall this year- I'd say the best one since we moved back this direction in 2007. The sky has been largely sunny for a long time now, temps anywhere from 50s to 80s (yeah- 80's; a bit too hot some days), and the colors stayed out for quite a while. Definitely better than last year, when Oct. was just a big cold raining mess (although I did enjoy the raining mess rides as per usual for me.) Just wasn't much for fall colors in '09.

Since it's been so nice out, the Fivefingers season has been longer than normal. It's been great getting out in the North Woods to hike in them so often. It makes me miss running, which I'll have to wait until at least mid-Jan. to try again, but I like the hiking for now.

I also tried something new while outside this fall and in need of a "take-it-easy" pass-time while recovering- geocaching. I think my verdict on that is that it would be fun with kids, getting them out to treasure-hunt, but I don't see myself getting much into it when there is so much cycling and climbing around. I just own a GPS and thought I'd kill some time one day up on the North Shore, and found a couple caches. It's kind of funny to know there are all these silly coffee cans filled with junk buried around the places I've spent so much time recreating in.

Fall will hopefully continue for a while longer, but I can say that I'm actually ready for the winter. I'm enjoying the colder temps and jackets, and progressing through the winter season will mean I'm getting closer to full recovery days. I'm really looking forward to next Spring!

Shovel Point in Fall:

Relaxing at along the Caribou River:

I seem to have some "tree-antlers" in this shot, but I still seem happy to be off the couch...

More scenery along the Caribou River, Northern MN:

Alison at Jensen Lake, Lebanon Hills Regional Park:

Fivefingers in the woods:

Bridge Pond, Lebanon Hills Regional Park:

Trail around Jensen Lake:

Esbit heating up dinner near Stoney Point, Lake Superior, north of Two Harbors:

Finally treating the bikes right...

2010-09-18T11:38:00.005-05:00

There's been many ways I've transported my bicycles over the years.

It started out with the back of a '74 Ford Pinto I bought for $200 (hatchback didn't even lock, but who would look in that kind of car for an expensive mountain bike, right?). High school was the time period then, and riding was just entering my life in great ways- mountain biking the ND badlands.

Then I graduated to a '84 Bronco II, still shoving my bikes in the back, often with other bikes packed in contorted ways around it, all of them robbing each other of paint with each long drive to whatever trip destination was the current adventure. Like the Pinto, it was nice to have a bike with for when the vehicle decided not to run.

After the Bronco came what is still the vehicle that's logged the most outdoor trip memories, my old Grand Caravan (many of you remember). Now transporting bicycles in (on) the van had many methods. My Surly 1x1 often just stayed in it instead of the garage, so when I was driving and not cycle-commuting, I'd have it on hand for any impromptu rides that may have come up. During trips, my friends and I packed into the van up to 7 people, their bikes (which often included a mtb as well as a road machine), climbing, and camping gear (plus tools, water, food, and maybe piles of homework if we were feeling responsible.) This meant that sometimes the bikes would get lashed onto the roof (no roof rack- we were aviation students with serious bills and no notable income), or to whatever sketchy old strap-to-the-hatch bike rack someone had borrowed from someone kind and older who "had a good bike rack in their garage that they really didn't use anymore." Sometimes this mass of rack/straps/bikes/locks would be covered in a ratty old tarp held together with duct tape and bungy cords (which had to get re-configured at about every 5th truckstop or so), since we would no doubt be driving out of ND in the butt of a winter blizzard to reach sunny UT in March. Many excellent trips with excellent people in that van. Some of the best.

The van was eventually laid to rest at 208,000 miles, which was actually a bit early for it's kind, but it had seen a lot of outdoor trip drama. With the van gone, my Nissan Frontier that I am still driving entered the scene. While I'm certainly of average earnings, I've finally reached a point in my life where I don't have to treat my valued bikes like garbage to move them around anymore, and that's a good thing. My pickup has a lockable topper, and with the help of my father-in-law, within that topper is a custom 4 bike rack welded from angle iron he had laying around (he's a project junkie), and fork mounts I'd purchased for previous homemade racks (usually made of wood, that would dry up and fall apart, but I still had the fork mounts). In addition to our pickup, my wife's new vehicle just received our first fully lockable roof rack setup. So there should be no reason to be shoving bicycles into whatever spaces are left after packing in other trip gear and people anymore.

With the new capability comes goals too. Even though there was a lack of great ways to take care of bicycles in past ventures, it's clear that the poor early years of needing to get creative to pull off the bigs trips were many of the greatest outdoor years thus far. These vehicles/racks were purchased to get out there. Time to get planning, heal from surgery, and haul some bikes to see some country.

Congratulations Kelly!

2010-09-11T18:43:00.002-05:00

My close friend of many years, Kelly Paasch, ran and finished the Wasatch 100 today (and yesterday). 33 hours and 8 minutes of mountain trail running. Very impressive! It is truly a huge accomplishment and I am proud of him. Great job man! If I can heal from this summer's chest trauma we'll have to go explore some trail sometime (perhaps you can go easy on me.) :)

Day 53

2010-09-06T21:02:00.005-05:00

Day 53 from surgery provided a little sense of normalcy for me, in the respect that I got out for a hike that wasn't super short, and to a place out of the city, albeit not far. After spending a quick but valuable Saturday with Alison while she got to come home from Memphis, I dropped her off at the airport again, and needed to find a way to keep myself busy. I sat around the apartment, tried to read, got some chores out of the way, and did some cooking, but I didn't feel much satisfaction with the day. I really felt like I needed to get out and spend some time outside. As stated in previous blogs since surgery my outdoor abilities are pretty much restricted to walking around in places I'm not likely to fall over (not that a have a falling over problem or anything- I just can't put much force into my upper body and slipping and catching myself would result in unpleasantries). I suppose luckily in this sort of case, I'm not likely to find myself clinging to any knife-edge ridgelines in Southern MN. I headed out to Afton State Park and took a summer hike along the snowshoe loop system in it's southern portion. I'd never hiked it in the winter (or at all actually), and I imagine it's a very different looking place then. It felt odd to be following posts with snowshoe graphics marking a trail that was currently overgrown with prarie tallgrass, flowers, bushes, and lots of leaves (quite a few bugs too, but we won't talk negative for now.) I managed to get in exactly 4 miles of hiking, with an ultra-light daypack weighing in under 3lbs (although I can technically carry up to 25lbs via doctor instruction, I don't know what I could possibly need for this kind of walk that would neccesitate my dealing with what would be an allowable but uncomfortable pack at this point). I went light on the footware side too, hiking in FiveFingers. I was a good way to get out and return to something outside, and go on my longest walk since the pectus operation. I'll probably try to get out again soon and walk more of Afton's trails since it's close to town and doesn't take much effort. I'm not quite ready to sport the Dana and Sundowners on the Superior Hiking Trail yet. :) Little steps back to normal...

Some things are cooling down.

2010-09-02T21:10:00.003-05:00

In a couple of ways- I'm getting back to living, to some extent, after my surgery. Summer is creeping toward fall. I'm happy to see both of these thing.

The past three weeks I've been back at work after the long month home starting to recovery from my chest operation. I can't say things at work have been wonderful- our airline is going through an awful lot of changes, and all of it's employees futures have yet to be finalized. I'm not as worried that my job will be moving soon as I was initially, but the possibility is still there. It's been irritating to say the least. But it has been nice to not be confined to the apartment, and to be feeling better than I was. Going from constant pain and discomfort to feeling little pain and simply being weak is a welcome improvement. October will mark the point where my lifting restrictions aren't a big factor anymore, and they'll be totally lifted in January. I'm told I'll feel more and more "normal" as those dates go by. So I'm happy to see the summer coming to an end. I don't enjoy heat and humidity (another reason I don't intend to move where my job may go), and fall is my favorite season in MN. I'm ready for long sleeves and changing colors. Ready to stare out at at even colder Lake Superior and burn some firewood. Ready to camp again after all this being holed up at home in the city.

One thing I'll be missing this fall is cycling (and climbing, and backpacking, and running, but mostly cycling). I think fall is my favorite riding season too. It's normal to be at peak yearly fitness around now, and I expect the weather and scenery will great as per normal for fall, so it's perfect for long rides. You might cite that the sun won't be up as long, but hey, the make helmet lights for that. Getting caught out after dark and riding home with the moon and crisp fresh air isn't exactly a negative in my opinion. I see it as part of the fall outdoor experience. But I'll have to wait until fall of 2011 for those types of rides. But instead of fussing over missed riding, I'm going to try my best to enjoy the things I can do- day hikes (snow-shoeing as winter sets in), and the aforementioned camping. There's a lot even a post-surgery outdoor fanatic can do with a good pair of feet and some time. There are a lot of parks in MN I haven't been too, and way more of the Shore to explore, and I hope to get out even despite the fact that I'll be in the worst form of my outdoor life for awhile yet.

I've been keeping my mind occupied indoors more than normal, out of necessity with all this sitting still. I've read some good books- about food, nature, bikes, faith, all good stuff. I'm also working on learning Spanish. It's a good time to do the things I normally am too distracted to do while running around outside.

So some things are looking up. But since there is always a yin to the yang, or whatever contrasting symbolism you prefer, I do have something that has pretty much only been a bother. Alison has had to essentially live out of state recently. Her new flying job involves a standard 8 or so weeks of training, and this time we're not lucky enough to see it happen right here in the Cities. She's down in TN for now, and we don't know where she'll be based when she's on the line. We're back to the lifestyle of living apart quite a bit, and that's a part of flying I've never liked. It does help us value the time we have together though. I suppose there's something good of it.

In time out of state training will end, I'll heal even more, and we will all get back to living like we were. For now we'll try to keep our mood positive and enjoy the things we can.

Click.

2010-08-16T19:10:00.002-05:00

Recovery is starting to get easier, and that's a wonderful thing. I have returned to work, on "easy duty" status- office type stuff, not getting back into the classroom for a bit still. I'm having less chest pain, but it's definitely not gone. My muscles are still pretty sore/inflexible, and not able to take much stress, but once again, healing. One irritation that has actually gotten a bit more frequent is something my surgeon told me to be ready for, and it's a little weird. Since I have a foreign object lodged in my chest cavity- the strut attached to my ribs that is supporting my sternum until new cartilage can do so, and that cartilage is growing, and in general things are changing inside- my chest will occasionally "click" from the inside. This is apparently from things doing a bit of rubbing or grinding against one another- for example, the bar on my ribs or the new cartilage I guess. I don't totally understand it, but what I do know is that it feels disgusting. It feels like something is broken and loose and moving around inside my chest. Sick. I guess it is supposed to pass with time. I felt it once and a while at the beginning of recovery, but it's happening quite a bit now- many many times per day and night. Sometime it will happen with every breath for a little while. It's a bit distracting. All part of getting better though.

On another topic- I hate that I can't commute via bicycle right now. Alison and I currently own and pay insurance on three vehicles (we're trying to sell one), and they are sucking too much money. Automobiles tend to do nothing but take money from your pocket quickly, and my pickup has been exceptional at that recently. I just dumped a ton of money into diagnosing a IPDM (electronic relay box basically) that was causing the engine to randomly shut down (and wouldn't store any sort of diagnostic trouble code). Now that that's done, I've driven less than one hundred miles, and I've got a code coming through for a large EVAP system leak. It could be something as simple as a bad gas cap, but maybe something costly too. Not sure yet, and I can't really do much auto work for obvious reasons. Bugger. I guess I have two other cars.

If you are not recovering from surgery you should ride your bike to work instead of paying too much money on your silly car or truck. That's my view. You'll get hooked on it and wonder how you never did it before- trust me.

I'll keep you all posted on the surgery recovery, and I'm sure the truck issues will get solved. Later.

Honesty... :)

2010-08-10T11:11:00.004-05:00

I read this on part of the Jill Outside blog this morning...

"I love climbing fire roads!.....The other kids sometimes complain and think fire roads are super lame, so I pretend to hate them too."

I like fire roads too.

The Salsa Mukluk

2010-08-08T11:41:00.004-05:00

So I've spent quite a bit of my time on the internet lately while healing. While doing this, I noticed Salsa Cycles has come out with yet another bike I like the look of. It's not exactly a brand new design, but I think they've done a great job entering the market of this still-infant branch of riding- snow-biking. It's the Salsa Mukluk. You've heard me speak of the Surly Pugsley in the past. If I was a man of much money I'd have owned one of them as soon as they came out, as I live in the part of the country where one can come in extremely useful- we have one of the biggest winter-riding cultures in the US here. When you hear of winter biking, there's a good chance MN and AK are the states that come up. This is because of the Arrowhead 135 and the Iditarod Sport Invitational.

The most obvious feature of a snow-bike is the tire footprint. Huge is the description. 3.7" wide tires are the norm, and generally the frame will accommodate up to 4". This takes a dedicated rim, 100mm (long) bottom bracket, and off-set of the drivetrain. What the bike is designed to due is ride at very low tire pressures with the huge tire footprint providing much more floatation over snow, ice, sand, debris, and other forms of crud, all of which we have a lot of here in MN (and AK is certainly known for as well).

I've had the chance to ride a Pug in a parking lot, but that's it. I'd love to ride one where it matters and see the difference. Those who own them swear by them, and they're a pretty bike-centric group who know what they're talking about. You'd be hard pressed to find a snow bike owner who doesn't ride seriously.

It's nice to see the snow-biking culture expand to include another machine available (and one that is aluminum- the bike will be subject to the worst riding elements you can imagine, afterall). There are certainly more snow-bikes out there, but they usually involve a whole lot more money. The sport is becoming more accessible to the the common cyclist. It will not be this winter due to my current physical challenges, but if I live in MN long term, there is a good chance I'll figure out how to own a snow bike. After all, we have a lot of winter.

The Salsa Mukluk:

Recovery.

2010-08-05T17:16:00.010-05:00

So it’s taken me just over three weeks to work up the motivation to update the blog. Pretty much everything has been going slowly, as this has been the biggest stretch of concentrated physical pain and discomfort I’ve every gone through, but my condition is crawling towards the better. I’ve had surgery before, but never with a recovery like this one.

My surgery went as scheduled on the 14th of last month, but lasted longer than most. My sternum posed a particular challenge to my surgeon, despite his being one of the most experienced in the country in this procedure. Due to it’s being twisted as described in my last post, it was necessary for him to break it in a couple places, as well as lift my upper abdominal muscles in addition to my pectorals to get it positioned where it should be. The good news is that it was successfully moved, but you can guess the bad news. The extra invasiveness of breaking the sternum and moving my abdominal muscles equal a harder, more painful recovery. I was told by my surgeon that my repair was one of the most difficult he's ever performed.

I was anticipating being back to work and feeling a lot better than this as of now, but I’m still at home until somewhere around the end of next week, if not the following Monday. Recovering has been a huge challenge and a new life experience.

When I came out of surgery, the first thing I remembered was being in the “recovery room”. I was no longer intibated. I remember trying to lift my head to look down at my chest and a nurse kept me from doing so, saying I’d be much better off to not be moving. She got me a mirror, and I remember seeing my chest through very fuzzy consciousness and it no longer had a severe excavatum case. Apparently I then smiled and fell back asleep due to the drugs.

I woke up later as they were moving me into my hospital room. A team of people got me off my surgical bed and into my recovery bed. I remember an incredible stiffness and a lot of pain in my chest, which they then got me on morphine to control. Alison and my mother in law Faye were there, and I don’t remember a lot else. The next few hours aren’t very clear to me, other than watching a machine that told me how often I could self-administer morphine doses to ease my pain.

Eventually, I had to pee very badly, as I was being injected with a saline type solution through my I.V. in addition to the morphine. I tried to go into a portable urinal, but I couldn’t. I asked my nurse to help me up, and that turned out terribly. She had “floated” up to this floor from where she normally worked as the hospital was busy, and I don’t think she understood just how unable I was to get out of bed due to having my abs and pecs both lifted and reattached. She pulled me up a bit abruptly, and once I was sitting up, I had so much pain in my chest that I had trouble breathing, started sweating profusely, and then I must have passed out, because I don’t remember her getting me to lay back down and that’s the next place I found myself, with a fan blowing on me and everyone looking very concerned. I didn’t try to get up for a while after that, and managed to pee in the bottle.

I was in the hospital for two and a half days, going home on Friday night. During my time there, I managed to learn how to get in and out of bed, and starting walking a bit before they’d let me go home. The physical therapy folks they had me work with told me I had to avoid using my pecs and abs altogether, and to get up and down I had to use my legs to first roll myself onto my side, then I’d hook them under my bed and use them, plus the muscles in my side to sit up. I’d do the opposite to get back into bed. If I did it all right the pain was bad, and if I did it wrong the pain was incredible. I spent quite a bit of time awake, not able to sleep due to pain, and the fact that every roommate they gave me seemed to be very loud. I don’t quite understand how it’s standard to order you to get some sleep and then put you next to the loud old guy with terrible sleep-apnea.

One good thing I can say is that the hospital food was actually decent, and so was my appetite. It felt great to get some sustenance and not just be filled with narcotics. I did have to get put on two different very potent laxatives with my drugs and food as I ended up looking pretty pregnant after it all, getting a heavy case of abdominal bloating. This went on for the first week and a half of recovery, and felt terrible, but I got over it.

Coming home was a good change of scenery, but a hard process. Before leaving, I had to have a drainage tube removed from my chest that was running from my chest cavity, right around the area the bar is located, to a little plastic container which looked like a grenade full of blood, attached to my hospital gown. I felt the entire length of tube pull from my insides, much like long piece of spaghetti snaking through my chest cavity. The doctor who pulled it asked me how I was feeling, and I replied, “that was one of the most disgusting feelings I’ve ever had”, but it was great to have it out, and at least that process didn’t hurt.

I was wheeled down to the hospital entrance with Alison, and my mom, who flew down to be with us in the hospital and at home for the first weekend, and had a very nervous car ride home. I’m still a bit uncomfortable riding in automobiles, as I feel every bump, corner, acceleration, and stop, and I’m constantly thinking how much pain my seatbelt and the airbag would cause me if we were to be in a fender bender.

While at home, I’ve spent most of my time watching movies, going through the LOST series all over again, reading, watching the Tour de France finish, Facebook’ing and trying to sleep. My other pastime has been pain management. For the most part, I’ve been able to stay ahead of the pain enough to tolerate it, but it’s gotten away from me a couple times. One particular night, I woke up with pain the right side of my back, around from my right pec. Upon getting up, it quickly spread around my side to my chest, and got very very intense. Alison helped me take pain medication, put me back in bed, and it got worse. Worse to the point I thought I was going to need an ambulance. I could barely move at all due to the pain, and had her call the hospital. They instructed us to get to the E.R., but I couldn’t get up. Alison massaged my muscles while the pain medication kicked in, and after an hour or so of this, I was able to get up and to our couch. Continued massage and deep breathing eventually worked out the pain. The doctors ended up thinking it was muscle cramping due to all the recovery pain I was having. I was too tense for too long, and this was how it played out. They prescribed me muscle relaxers, and since then I’ve been able to control the issue.

For rehabilitation I’ve also gone out, as instructed, for walks around my neighborhood, which have gone from one block to many now. I’m always exhausted when returning, and have to rest quite a while afterword. It’s been an awful change for me to have gone from my previous state of fitness to this, but it’s all part of a greater gain in the end. I have not felt any great improvement in lung capacity or cardiac output yet, because I have obviously not been in any condition to push myself. Plus, my chest has been somewhat fluid filled during healing, and very sore. My surgeon is very happy to have lifted my sternum off my heart though, and the expectation is that I will see a gain in those functions after I heal and return to strength. I recently spoke with someone I know who had a similar severe pectus case that was repaired, and he reported a 40% gain in heart expansion. It will take a while to see it yet for me, but I think I’ll see a great change. Now is the time for trust, hope, and healing. Later will be exercise.

As far as cosmetics go, I’m still quite lumpy, but greatly improved. I don’t know what I’ll look like after full recovery and muscle return. For now I still have a noticeable indentation in my upper right chest. I’m a bit confused as to the reason, as I’ve had two different answers when asking about it after surgery. I seem to remember being told right after the procedure that not all of my deformed cartilages were removed, as this would leave too little structure even with the surgical bar to support the chest during recovery. So that left me thinking it was remaining defect- that not all of it was correctable. However, I had my first follow up appointment this week, and my surgeon now described the indentation mostly as a result of muscle issues. Both right after my surgery, and at the follow up, he cited that my right pectoral muscle is currently around half the size of my left, due to it never having room to gain mass as a result of the severe excavatum deformity we just corrected. So even with the structure of my chest fixed, I will still look a bit off unless my right pec fills in with time and weight training therapy. It is right now unclear whether it will reverse to normal, or if it’s atrophy will be long term. I was told that during recovery my muscles will atrophy more, and I will look like I’m getting a repeat case of the “funnel chest” I’ve had, but that is muscle related, not skeletal. Glad they warned me of that or I’m sure I will have worried myself silly as it happens. So long term, I do not know what exactly my chest will look like. The main goal was heart improvement, and we seem to have achieved that, and cosmetically it’s been a great improvement that may get better with time. I’m looking forward to being able to exercise in the future and see what my body is capable of now that it’s been repaired.

I promised some before and after pictures so I’ve included some of the ones we’ve taken over the past month. As you can see, there has been quite an improvement. I have a long way to go yet to getting back to my regular life, but I still trust that this will be worth it in the end. You can see that in my appearance alone.

I’ll end with a big thank you to everyone who has helped me along this process- family, friends, coworkers, and particularly my wife. You have all been critical to keeping me physically, mentally, and spiritually together during such a painful time, and I thank you. Very much.

I trust you'll be able to decipher the before's and the after's. :)

Surgery.

2010-07-13T17:00:00.002-05:00

So in my last post I stated there was a reason I was doing a replacement ride for this year’s Headwaters 100, and that I’d explain later was it was. Well, here it is; many of you already know of the situation, but I’m finally putting it on the blog:

I’ve dealt with a chest wall birth defect my entire life known in the medical community as “pectus excavatum”. It is basically a dent in the chest. In my case, it is a severe dent. What causes this is rapid, non-normal growth of the cartilages supporting the sternum. This progressed while I grew up, and eventually my sternum has ended up in a position where it has rotated near 90 degrees, with the right side of it now pointing to my spine. Not quite right, huh? Plus, it is very recessed, and as you can imagine, this places unwanted pressure on my heart and lungs, particularly the right ventricle of my heart. As far as symptoms go, this has shown itself the most in the form of exercise fatigue, and a reduced ability to be competitive at the outdoor activities that you all know I spend most of my time off doing. Bad mixture. This is because cardiac output, as explained by my surgeon, is essentially determined by three things: blood available x heart beats per minute x expansion of the heart (right ventricle). You can see the problem right there. My heart can’t expand, and this puts me at an obvious disadvantage. Correcting the deformity would solve this. Not correcting it would mean continuing impairment, as well as the possibility of heart arrhythmias as my heart beats against the hard surface of my chest wall while it is meant to have more expansion volume. I have been in no immediate life threatening condition over the years of dealing with my pectus excavatum, but it has been determined medically necessary to correct with surgery at this point. The way surgery is determined to be necessary is by a pectus or “Haller” index, which is measured via chest x-ray and c-t scan. It’s essentially the ratio of a persons chest depth and width. A normal persons index is 2-2.5, they recommend surgical repair at values of 3.2 or more, and I exceeded 4. It needs to happen.

I am ready to have a “normal” chest to say the least. I have become very sick of having the impairment, and am excited to breath and circulate without restriction. I can’t wait to feel the difference over time. And I would be lying to say that the appearance of the deformity has not been a point of bother through my life. You haven’t seen me at the beach much, have you? I have through the years made an awkward peace with the way my chest has looked, but it has always been tedious explaining to everyone what my condition is, and I’ve always wished it wasn’t there. I didn’t choose to have a giant hole in my chest, and I know that nobody I care about judges me for looking considerably different, but people are people; I’m no exception, and we all suffer the mental capacity for embarrassment when we are “different”. It will be nice to “feel normal”. But by far, the improvement of heart and lung function is the main reason for going through the surgical repair. If it was an issue of cosmetics, there is no way I would put myself through the surgery I am facing. Additionally, I feel it worth pointing out that many people have considerably worse deformities/injuries/sicknesses, and I feel very fortunate that this is the worst of my health and appearance concerns. This should pass.

As for what the surgical process involves, you may read this paragraph if details of medical procedures do not bother you, or you may skip to the next if they make you uncomfortable, but I felt I would explain what I’m going to experience as many would like to know. I will be undergoing the Ravitch procedure for pectus excavatum repair. It involves an incision over the center of my deformity (the examples I’ve seen look like an upside down smiley-face), where the deformed cartilages are then removed. My sternum will then be positioned where it should have been all along, and a stainless steel bar (I’d prefer titanium so as to not set off every airport alarm, but no luck) will be placed behind my sternum to support it in it’s correct setting. Then they zip me back up.

I’ll be in the hospital for 2-3 days for observation/pain management, and then I’ll get to go home. I’m scheduled off work until somewhere around the first week of August to recover, and then I’ll go back to the office. A “full recovery” is estimated for somewhere around six weeks. This is referring to normal day to day activities for a regular American, not a cyclist/backpacker/rock climber/generally dissatisfied with sedentary pastimes type of person, or in other words me. I’ve been told it will be 3 or so months before returning to light cycling, and around a full year until I can start to ease back into climbing or backpacking. Ugh. Plus second surgery will have to happen (outpatient), to remove the bar will follow anywhere from 3 to 12 months after the initial surgery, when new cartilage has developed in the right places to support my sternum, and I’ll have to recover from that one too. My cams are going to get dusty hanging in the closet, but they’ll be waiting for me when I get strong again.

On another note for those of you in the aviation community- I am relieved to have been told by several AMEs and AOPA that this will have no grounds to affect my airman medical certification, barring any complications. It’s treated no different from breaking a bone and healing up again. Good news.

I’ll try to post some “pre” and “post” pictures at some point in the future, and myself or Alison will keep everyone updated on my progress as things move along, but for now I’ll leave you with an example shot of what my chest currently looks like. I have many, but I picked out a picture that also happens to have a nice background- Parriot Mesa in Castle Valley, UT. Beats looking at me in some boring documentation-type picture taken in my apartment.

I appreciate all your thoughts and prayers, and I’ll blog more on the recovery side of this…

Superior Times...

2010-06-13T11:05:00.008-05:00

The past few weekends have been spent in Northern MN, which is the part of MN that keeps me from going nuts after leaving UT three years ago. I really do enjoy the Lake Superior Region. The first weekend marked Alison’s first loaded touring ride. We started in Willow River, MN, and road to Jay Cooke State Park on the Willard Munger state trail. I tried to pick an overnighter that wouldn’t be too difficult, and this trip worked out very well. The route was almost entirely on non-motorized trail, the weather was nice aside from a steady headwind the second day (but that’s touring; can’t pick your routes on wind each day), we had a great place to spend the night (with showers), and were able to relax quite a bit in between hours in the saddle. The mileage was a laid back 80 mile total over the two days. It was a good way to get a taste of touring without needing a lot of time. But as always it made me want to pitch all my responsibilities and take six months off for a mega-tour. Someday. Not sure when. I seem to have landed in a teaching position that does not have summers off. Hmm.

The second weekend (Memorial Day Weekend) was spent day hiking, lounging, and eating (a bit much) up on the North Shore of Lake Superior. We made Cascade River State Park our home base. That allowed us to get out and hike the river loop there that I’ve been meaning to see for a couple summers now, and it was well worth the walk. There’s not as many people up there on the trail, because the people here in the Metro, true to have-it-now urban fashion, will usually not venture much past the first couple state parks on the Shore, leaving the more distant parks emptier. Good. Bit of a selfish catch 22 actually. I think it would do most people more good than they realize to take a walk in the North Woods, but it is what it is precisely because there are very few people around and I appreciate their not being there.

After leaving the woods where the people aren’t, we headed to Grand Marais, where the people are. Namely where the people make food. The Angry Trout is one of our favorite places to eat in all of MN (and we live in a foodie neighborhood.) I really do recommend stopping in for a meal if you’re in the area.

The third weekend to discuss was a personal Headwaters 100 replacement ride. I will explain in a later post the reason it was replaced. I spent this weekend in the same general area of the North Shore, but this time camping at Temperance River State Park. The trip simply had the goal of riding one hundred miles in a beautiful area, and the goal was achieved. The conditions were much less than perfect, but it didn’t matter. I had a wedding reception to attend in downtown MPLS the night before, so I ended up on the Shore after sleeping on 4 hours, and driving 4 and a half. The weather was challenging, with highs in the upper 40’s/lower 50’s, and thick fog/mist to enjoy the entire route (good ol’ Lake Superior induced conditions- gotta respect a Lake so big it drastically affects the weather.) As many of you know, bad weather seems to energize the cyclist in me, and I actually found myself enjoying the ride more than fair weather long hauls.

The route lead from Temperance north, passing countless rivers, wooded valleys, and state parks, all while following the shore of the big lake (which could be seen much of the time, but not always due to said fog.) I also passed through Grand Marais twice- once northbound at mile 30, and southbound at mile 70. The turnaround point was a little over 20 miles shy of the Canadian border. Had I not started late in the day, I really felt the pull to make it a very big ride and see another country. Even so, the ride covered a descent chunk of the US portion of the North Shore. And if I’d gone further, I definitely would have ended up riding in the dark on sketchy shoulder-less stretches of HWY 61 to finish the ride- not ideal. I did have my NiteRider lamp with in case, but was content not to use it this time.

All in all a fantastic ride. With the weather being so crummy (or excellent depending on your point of view), north of Grand Marais it was pretty much just me, my old Lemond, and the Lake. A good trio.

This weekend has been a “catch-up” weekend around St. Paul. Broken down pickup, apartment chores, etc… The upcoming weekends/weeks should hold some fun- most likely some more big waterside fun- the North Shore again, and if we’re lucky with flight loads- Hawaii. Gonna try again.

Need to slow down

2010-05-09T19:27:00.004-05:00

Work is getting a bit out of hand. I do like what I do for a living. It's in my chosen career field, and it's gratifying (at least many days), and it keeps my brain engaged. But a bit too engaged lately. Usually I teach a week or two, then have a week or two to catch up on office work that piles up. The office time allows me to catch my breath and keep up to speed on what I need to teach, and provides a bit of rest from lecturing 8 hours a day (plus usually working a couple more on each end) on technical subject areas and being on my feet. I haven't had a full week in my office in 2010. Just a rare couple days here at there. Needless to say I'm exhausted. (But thankful to have the work and way to take care of our family at the same time.)

My off time is usually spent with outdoor activities as is apparent by this blog, but I've had the strange experience of getting too tired for my regular routines lately. I've also been increasingly irritable. There is most definitely therapy to what I do outside. No question about it. I'm sure it can be reduced down to chemical reactions within the body during exertion, and that very well may be the case. But whatever it may be, I have been missing my regular high-frequency of climbing, biking, and foot-travel enjoyment.

I rode to work on Friday, which I haven't been doing anywhere near the amount I have been known to in the past. I've been driving to work due to the shear fatigue of my schedule, and it's gotten down right boring. I was tired Friday morning, it was raining and in the forties, and I rode anyway. And I had one of my best days at work that I've had in a while. The riding was peaceful, the exercise felt great, and air smelled wonderful (spring smells pretty good around here after the winters we get).

I've spent a bit of tonight reading up on various cycle-tour journals on crazyguyonabike.com, and it got me thinking of the freedom of the road again. Alison and I have been talking about going on a tour together sometime soon. It would be her first. We are talking of a mini-route that would spend a long weekend somehow connecting Lake Itasca (the end point of last year's tour), and Lake Superior. It should make for a relaxing roll through the woods of MN which is something that I think we could both use soon. I don't know if we'll be able to put the long weekend together for a while, but I think we should try. My dreams of spending a couple months or more on my Surly may be out of the question during this period of life, but who knows what the weekends can put together on a semi-frequent basis. MN is a quite decent place to enjoy some bicycle vagrancy. I think soon it'll time to slow down the schedule and roll a few miles.

March/April '10 Happenings...

2010-04-25T19:50:00.007-05:00

Been a very busy month. I’d like to say it was packed with non-stop outdoor fun, but most of it was working long hours and getting exhausted teaching over and over. But there were a few good highlights to my days since last blogging.

Alison and I got out to SLC to visit team Paasch after not being to UT since last June-way too long to stay away from such a great place with such great friends. Alison and I hadn’t skied (alpine) at all in the ‘09/’10 season, so we took advantage of a program Park City has with the airlines to get a couple free lift tickets at the Canyons (fly in the same day you ski and it’s free.) We kept busy tearing up the green and blue runs (remember we’re from the Midwest and ski maybe once a year J ), and enjoying the mid-fifty degree temps. That evening we enjoyed dinner at the Wasatch Brew Pub in Park City, where I tried one of the most interesting brews I have in a while- Jalapeño Cream Ale. Very tasty. I’d highly recommend it, even though the name probably doesn’t conjure up a very classic taste.

Sunday we went to church with Kelly and Julie, ate a great home cooked meal at their place (thanks again!), and headed up to Little Cottonwood Canyon for some climbing. Kelly took us up the Coffin Crack, and the Viewing, with the Closed Casket Variation. All a great time, although I felt a bit soft that day and had to work pretty hard. I managed also to bring along three right shoes (instead of two complete pairs), and ended up climbing with no rubber on, or holes in the toes of my shoes. (Not so good on slab.) But it was great fun nonetheless.

Another highlight to the month was a visit home to see my family in the Minot, ND area. It had also been a while since Alison and I had been there. We had the chance to get up to Mohall, ND as well to see my grandma Ruby, who has Alzheimer’s. It’s always a bit hard to see her in her in that condition, but aside from Alzheimer’s she is healthy and seems to be in pretty decent spirits. We intended to also visit my grandpa Glen, but he was out in D.C. on an Honor Flight for WWII veterans. We look forward to seeing him next time we’re in ND.

Most recently, we took part in a great wedding weekend for our good friends Edward and Teresa Doerr. Thursday was a rehearsal and dinner, and we got to know many family members on both sides. Friday was a sort of bachelor party marathon, with climbing at Vertical Endeavors in STP, mountain biking in Lebanon Hills, and visiting pubs in the evening. Saturday was the wedding and reception. The wedding was held at Ft. Snelling Historical Chapel, and the reception at a hanger on South St. Paul Flemming Field, with a B-25 right in the middle of the action. Very original to say the least, and very fitting for Edward. I have to say my favorite part of the whole weekend was the atmosphere of hanging out with a large quantity of good people. It felt a bit like college again, before everyone got spread out through the country. Lots of fun. I hope to see everyone again soon. Congratulations to Edward and Teresa!

Comparison

2010-03-06T21:41:00.004-06:00

Many of you know of my disgust of Buck Hill Ski Area in Burnsville, MN. It's semi-warranted, but kind of not, too. But I still don't care for it. It's my choice.

I was happy to find a better place to claim the name tonight while looking through various maps (something I often do to get future trips on the calendar).

Buck Hill, in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Looks like a nice place. Void of suburban quality. Certain rattlesnakes and bison have so far been better neighbors to me than certain affluent snowboarding teens. Not to include horses, however, but that is another story, which some of you know.

February North Shore Weekend

2010-03-06T10:57:00.006-06:00

Northern Minnesota in the winter is not what many people would think of when they are wondering where to spend their weekends, right? But I suppose if you love being outside all the time, and you happened to live in St Paul, that’s what you do. And you discover that it’s an experience that people shouldn’t write off before they see it for themselves. A certain amount of mental gusto and quality winter gear are required, and I suppose this is what detracts the masses. OK. That’s fine, more solitude for those of us who know better.
I spent last weekend on MN’s North Shore of Lake Superior, snowshoeing and camping with a couple good friends, Ty and Joel. It was a short trip, but it is always refreshing to get out of the city and into the woods. We camped at Temperance River State Park, and only saw one other tent in the whole place.
Saturday we snowshoed up Carlton Peak. A short hike to a small summit, but MN is not known for mountains. If you go in expecting the same experience as the West, you wont find it. Don’t look for epic heights in the North Woods. Look for the North Woods in the North Woods. It is an entirely different experience, valued for it’s own unique outdoor settings. When reaching the top of a “peak” in MN, you find yourself not high above an epic valley or gorge, out of breath in thin air, or at all nervous about making it down safely before nightfall. Rather, you find yourself in a peaceful place just high enough to get a good look at the vast expanse of tranquil woods and lakes (one of them Great) that contain some truly wonderful hiking and paddling. Carlton is one of those lookouts (and it even has a bit of climbing). A nice place to spend a Saturday.
Saturday night we cooked, ate, maybe sipped a little whiskey, and enjoyed a good fire after a great sunset/moonrise over Lake Superior. Sleeping was pretty good, despite the temps somewhere around 12 F, estimated. Not at all cold for the region.
Sunday, I’d say, was the highlight of the trip- a snowshoe hike down part of Wolf Creek and up part of the Devil’s Track River near Grand Marais. February had warmed quite a bit, and the water was not as frozen as January. Still walkable, but only if you’re ok with punching through occasionally (the water in most areas was only knee high at most). We had to be a bit careful picking our route to stay to the areas acceptable for falling in. Honestly, it made it more fun; I guess I’m a little off in the head.
On the up the river, we passed what is apparently one of, if not the seminal MN ice climbs- Nightfall. I think in the next couple years I may finally take the plunge and learn to climb ice. We seem to have enough of ice here in MN to make it worth it.
The weekend was a great experience and yet another lesson in just making trips happen, regardless of the season. MN in the winter is harsh, yes, but staying inside all the time is to me even harsher. We were treated to a great time in relatively balmy MN February temps and I’ll be going back soon I’m sure.

Snowshoeing up Carlton...

Sunset at Lake Superior near camp...

Home sweet tents...

Nightfall...

Snowshoeing down the Devil's Track...

Getting a bit sketchy here...

I may have put a foot (or both) through at the left side of this shot...I appreciate both great gear and shallow ice water...

More "Superior Times" here.

Yosemite February 2010

2010-03-02T09:36:00.013-06:00

I went into our recent Yosemite trip with high hopes, and came out with a smile on my face. As usual for the Sierra Nevada. It being our secondary, last minute plan, we didn’t have much of an itinerary, but I wasn’t too worried. We brought a whole heap of gear, including mainly hiking, trail running, snowshoeing, and winter camping equipment- all of which was used. Our trips to Yosemite thus far have only been a couple of days at most, so it was nice to “move in” to the Valley for the better part of a week away from work.

We flew into SFO on Sunday and hung out with friend Edward D for the evening down at Fisherman’s Wharf (a place I once felt had a certain charm, but now am agreeing with many is way too touristy and expensive for what it is.) Nevertheless, it’s always great to see Ed and we had a great time. We stayed in Livermore that first night at the illustrious Livermore Comfort Inn with airline discount and did some grocery/supply shopping for the week.

Monday morning we made the drive out across the Central Valley (now in it’s green season- a much different winter than here), and entered the mountains. Always great. The air got very noticeably fresher leaving cities behind and arriving in cleaner places (even as developed as Yosemite Valley is). I’m always impressed by the first view I get of the Valley when driving in. I’ve seen it on a thousand postcards, in tons of magazines, and in person a few times now, but seeing it live always stirs the outdoor fiend in me. It’s one of the places I’ve been that I will surely keep returning to because it’s left such a mark. That goes for anywhere I’ve been with towering rock walls. And I mean towering. Moab, Zion, Little Cottonwood, Alaska, Colorado, Yosemite. Just to name a few. Many others out there; I don’t mean to ignore them.

Monday evening we set up camp and hung out at Upper Pines, where I’ve stayed before. This time was different though, as it was February, and folks in California seem to think it’s cold or something. Not many people were there. I’m used to barely getting a campsite, and we had the place largely to ourselves. I guess people haven’t been to Minnesota to realize what winter really is. Yosemite was beautiful last week. Highs in the upper 50’s, low’s in the mid 30’s. Nice. That beats the 5 degrees it will potentially be in my tent this coming weekend in Northern MN, but that will be another story.

Tuesday marked a great day hike. I’ve been meaning to hike the Upper Yosemite Falls trail since I first saw it four years ago, and we decided to take the opportunity this trip as it was still open during the winter (it isn’t always). It climbs 2,700 feet in 3.5 miles from the Valley Floor to the North Rim and end in an overlook of Upper Yosemite Falls. On the way up there is a mix of wooded trail, dramatic Valley views, snowfields, and plenty of switchbacks (and the occasional falling rock- watch out.) Overall a wonderful hike, but I’m going to have to do it again, as the final overlook of the falls at the top was unsafe to reach due to snow/ice conditions.

Wednesday we decided that since we never stop running around, we’d have a change of pace and see some of the things to see in Yosemite Village, such as the Ansel Adams Gallery, and the Yosemite Museum. Worth checking out I’d say.

In the evening we hiked out to the base of El Capitan to see it at sunset (and to risk an epic solo of the first five feet of the Nose- barely made it out alive. J ). You simply must place yourself at the base of a rock wall this tall once and a while and just stare.

Wednesday evening involved lots of campfire time and chasing away raccoons (Yosemite is known for it’s crafty animals that are good at stealing. The bears were reportedly waking up and touring the campground just a couple days earlier than we arrived, but they didn’t visit us.)

Thursday we drove up to the Badger Pass area, and put on snowshoes. We hiked a mixture of groomed trail at the resort, then well stamped meadows, than a bit of deep fluffy stuff on our way out to Dewey Point, which overlooks Yosemite Valley from the South Rim. Earning a view of the Valley from above is a Yosemite must, and winter makes it even better. I was wishing we were staying the night at Dewey, as many others on snowshoes or skis were doing, but we had another great night at Upper Pines after the day hike instead. Next time. There are hut options out there as well, where the backcountry rangers are even known to roll sushi for ski/snowshoe overnight guests. Sounds like fun (although a rather commercialized backcountry experience).

Friday needed to be a “use up your energy and leave tired cuz it’s your last day” day, so I decided to bite off a good trail run. I’m still a new runner, so I didn’t plan on going all that far. I planned out a 6.5 mile trail loop that would take me under El Capitan and Bridalviel Falls along semi-rocky trail, as well as through the grassy area of El Capitan Meadows. I ended up doing that much, and then extending it to Yosemite Falls, making my first 10 mile run. It felt great. I have of course never felt that kind of motivation running on the treadmill at my climbing gym while it’s dark and freezing outside, so it was great to get the extra boost from such an amazing place. I just felt like going and going. Another note was that I ran the route in the only footwear I now run in- my Vibram Fivefingers. I am now completely convinced that this is a better footwear choice than modern running shoes. The terrain was burly, and my knees/hips felt just fine. So did my feet. I couldn’t handle running a quarter of that distance without ending up in pain in my expensive Asiscs. Actually feeling the terrain underneath, and thus setting down softly and gracefully on the mid to forefoot (as it seems the foot is designed to do) is a big difference from mashing down on heels that have a deceptive inch of padding that somehow is supposed to dissipate the full force of a body impacting the ground (in an unnatural way) without hurting your joints (not going to happen). Check out Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall; I won’t regurgitate it all here. The point is that I am enjoying being a runner for the fist time in my life, (and doing it in Yosemite was quite alright.) I was able to leave for Livermore Friday night feeling nice and tired, satisfied with a good few days spent playing in the Valley with my wonderful wife.

We will be back to Yosemite. As an inspiring outdoor locale always does, it motivated and intrigued us to build more trips to the Sierra. We haven’t yet seen the vast majority of Yosemite that lies outside the Valley where most of the people are. I want to do a high country backpack trip sometime in the next couple years. It may already be too late for this year as I have so much planned and it takes several months for permits in a park as busy as Yosemite. And I really would like to climb in the park as well. I’m no big wall hero, but I’d love to do some of the more “reasonable for working people” lower pitches in the Valley. It would be great.

I hope you get the chance to see this place for yourself sometime (if not many times). For now I’ll leave you with a few pix:

On the hike to Upper Yosemite Falls:

El Capitan:

Staring up at El Cap:

Snowshoe prints on the way to Dewey Point:

Near Dewey Point:

Dewey Point above Yosemite Valley:

Trail run in Yosemite Valley in the Vibrams (and Hawaiian shorts in honor of the original failed Kauai trip :) )

Trail along the Valley floor:

While running through El Capitan meadow:

Finished with the run at Yosemite Falls. "Look at that man's shoe's mommy!" (heard more than a couple times during the day) :)

Pushing gear through SFO to go home. I'm going to go back. :)

A larger collection of pix from the trip can be seen here.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=160888&id=515680975&l=c7b4013137

A good substitute.

2010-02-13T10:41:00.003-06:00

Well, I'd hardly call Yosemite National Park a substitute, but that's what it will be this week. Our Kaua'i trip will not work due to flight loads. Some other time. So we're going to CA instead to see some granite country in the winter. Mmm. It'll be great. Off to plan it...

Mullet is currently tunneled underneath Yosemite National Park. I think he wants to come with.

Return to Hawaii

2010-02-09T09:48:00.002-06:00

This Saturday Alison and I are hopefully returning to Hawaii for a second trip down there since November. Nice. Spoiled with flight benefits. This time we are going (flight loads permitting) to Kaua'i, and our friends Nate and Emily are coming with. The goal is to backpack the Na Pali Coastline on the Kalalau Trail, see the Waimea Canyon (nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific), and relax on many beaches, getting out of the cold for a bit. (Although it's been a totally balmy 25ish around STP lately with fluffy snow- good winter).

Planning has been going ok, with some stress over permits and flights. Apparently the Hawaiian State Park system is unaware of credit cards and the internet for purchasing hiking permits. Instead, one must round up a cashiers check, mail it overseas, and either wait for the permit to come back, or stop by the park office in Luhue, which is open only occasionally it seems. Wow. It's making me very thankful for our amazing, free, volunteer-based, nationally renown Superior Hiking Trail here in MN. But I wont complain much- the Na Pali Coastline is supposedly a "life-lister" when it comes to backpacking ventures. It's 11 miles in and 11 out along the rugged, worn, cliffs of the North Shore of Kaua'i. There will be many pictures assuming it all comes together. We have high hopes, but it could still fall through.

Either way, it will be nice just not to be at work for a week. I'm sure we can come up with a back-up adventure if we can't make it to the middle of the Pacific...

Point Reyes

2010-01-30T14:05:00.007-06:00

This past weekend was spent in California, a decent enough place to warm up in Jan. Although the locals complained the whole time of how bad the weather was (rain, wind, temps in the 50s). The original plan was to get out on a bicycle tour. Many things prohibited that from coming to reality- lack of time, travel logistics, family health related issues on my biking partner's side, wedding planning (also Ed's of course), and a bike not yet purchased. Not a problem, we'll just go hiking we said. True. Edward and I headed up to Point Reyes National Seashore for some trail experience. We day hiked two days (should have backpacked, but the food in town was really good) in the rain and wind of CA January shorelines. It was great. The Park staff told us we wouldn't have any fun and that not many people were heading out at all. They then asked where we were from. I said MN. They then replied- "Oh, well then you'll have a great time." Our winters precede us I suppose. The Bay area folks are spoiled and only like to hike in sun apparently. We did run into a couple hearty hikers while out though, including one dude who was hiking from Point Reyes all the way down to San Francisco via the shoreline/hills. Nice. Said he had a week and a half's worth of food and not much of a real plan. Freedom.

We hike just over 20 miles over two days. Not a spectacular distance with day packs, but enough to get out a see some things and feel like we'd gone somewhere. The first day we hiked the Sky Trail to Mt. Worthington (no view at the top, not sure I recommend it, but nice walk through the woods on the way, especially in the fog/rain). There were better views lower where there wasn't as much tree cover. Later in the afternoon we headed down to Limantour Beach and hiked out to Coast Camp and back. Windy, rainy, sandy, and sweet. Be careful of the tides however. There were recently two missing people in the park, both presumed to be swept to sea nearing high tide by sneaker waves. Read up on beach safety before hiking for sure.

The next day we hiked from the Bear Valley Visitor Center down to Arch Rock, and explored some excellent beach area. We had everything from mossy forest with deer (and apparently mountain lions according to park staff) to starfish and clams. Variety.

It was a nice weekend in a part of the Bay Area of CA newly discovered to me.

Hiking the Sky Trail...

Running from waves on Limantour Beach...

Where Bear Valley meets the Coast and Arch Rock...

Arch Rock and the Beaches below...

These starfish seemed to be sneaking off to somewhere important....

Up on Arch Rock...

5 year vintage

2010-01-30T13:59:00.001-06:00

So I realized something looking at this blog recently. As of earlier this month, it had an anniversary. I started it on a very cold Grand Forks January night in 2005, making it five years old. Not bad, considering the number of personal blogs that tend to start with high hopes only to fizzle out in the first year or two. The other thing that makes me feel good about treadnorth making it this far comes from its general purpose. I write about mainly about my outdoor pursuits and adventures, and seeing it survive this long means I’ve had a good five years of fun outside. There have been great trips, both local and distant that have kept me entertained over the past five years, and I intend to have many more to share. Many of you reading have been a part of them. Thanks!

Looking to the future, I’m excited for good reason. Over the past several years I’ve had a lot of great experiences cycling, hiking, climbing, running, etc., and each trip has taught me a bit more of what I’m capable of, and what’s out there waiting. The world is whatever size you make it. If you spend all your time at home, it may be pretty small and routine (although not necessarily- I am not speaking poorly of home, just stating it’s wonderful to get out and see things). If you worry about the limits of your fitness, you’ll never stretch them. A decade ago, I was nervous at the idea of a 50-mile bike ride, much less a 530-mile loaded tour. I was a 5.8 climber, not working 5.11’s. I was an excited backpacker but hadn’t been out that far, and didn’t know enough about my gear/clothing. Now I’ll walk in most any weather for as many days as I have available. I hated even the idea of running, and now despite being very new at it, I’m regularly running several miles a week in a barefoot style, and enjoying it all. I was restricted to the areas I could get to by way of an unreliable vehicle stationed in the prairie (and how much gas I could afford was definitely an issue.) Now I have free/(or almost) air travel to much of the country/world due to my job. I am mentally and physically stronger, with a larger taste for adventure than I started out with. I’m ready for more., and you should come with me.

What does 2010 have in store? I have many ideas as usual, and need to set some goals. So far on the tentative menu several possibilities are listed out.: a climb of Mt. Adams; much more of the Superior Hiking Trail (either backpacking, dayhiking, or trail running); the Maah Daah Hey Trail via mountain bike; backpacking the Na Pali Coastline in HI; more UT trips as much as the Paasch’s will have me (thanks); a possible cycle-tour in TX (Big Bend area); a 200 mile one day bike ride? (been dreaming of that one for a long time); longer runs of lengths not yet figured out; whatever rock climbing I can get on the schedule; winter camping on the North Shore of Lake Superior before winter is up (plenty of that left as of now); more weekends with the Long Haul Trucker; riding the full Headwaters 100 with Alison for her first century; whatever else sounds fun outside on a moments notice. These are just my ideas from the first couple weeks this year. More to come for sure.

So I hope to continue treadnorth in the same style, reporting on many adventures I enjoy with many of you over many more years. Thanks for reading…

Chilly commute

2010-01-09T10:50:00.005-06:00

So yesterday, Jan 8th, 2010, the high in STP was lower than the low in many many places. Low of -6 in the morning (something like a -18 wind-chill if I recall), and a high of 9, with similar wind-chills due to slightly more wind. I biked to work. Not for any sort of congratulations; most people considered the act foolish. I just like to ride my bike, as you know. I've been very tired of not doing much riding since Christmas, as we had a day of rain then after much snow, and this has left the roads in STP worse than I've ever experienced. I don't have any pictures of them below, as I was too focused on not falling when passing over them. I had no problems whatsoever with staying warm. Most people would conjure that as the biggest challenge to riding on this type of day. Actually, I had to ditch a layer a couple of times due to getting sweaty. -6 is really not terribly bad when you're moving. I'm not seeking it out or anything; I'd prefer low 70's and sunshine, but that's not what I have here in MN in January, so I deal. Adapt. Thrive? Probably not that one. But adapt, yes. I need to do some more adapting, by purchasing a set of aggressive studded tires, but I'm afraid the cost is going to prohibit that for a little while longer, and then spring will be here. With the amount of rutted chunky, crash-inducing ice bonded to MN's urban roadways right now, it's near impossible to "control" a bicycle in places. Which at times during a commute induces a "hike-a-bike" scenario. "What is this, mud on the Maah Daah Hey, steep grades in the La Sals, road biking into a plains wind?", my mind thought as I pushed through the strain yesterday. But I had to answer it- "No, you're just riding in a major metropolitan area on the way home from work." "Why does it hurt so much?" Welcome to MN in January. Cheers. I won't stop.

Getting to work. 8 am. -1F. Wind chill -17F.

What would be a very boring place if not injected with equipment used for better times...

Arriving at my apartment. 7pm. 4ish degrees. Wind chills, well, still friggin' cold.

Holiday notes...

2010-01-02T13:33:00.005-06:00

The past couple weeks have been a ride. Many family holiday events, work events, getting over my yearly bout with getting sick around Christmas, planning bike tours, and getting a bunch of valuables stolen.

First off, it was great seeing family on both sides, the Hovde clan during the week of Christmas, then my family coming to visit here in STP this week. There was quite a mix of in-house holiday evenings and going out to many various eating establishments in the Twin Cities. Running, climbing, and snowbiking will have to be on quite a bit to cancel out all the gorging.

Work took me and the other ground instructors out for a "moral boosting event" this past week amidst all the doom and gloom the airline has been suffering. It was a good and bad day. The actual stuff planned for the day went great- going out for sushi/hibachi, snow tubing; drinks. The unplanned part sucked, and that was getting two of my bags stolen out of a coworkers car. Among the lost items were: my trusted Timbuk2 messenger bag that I essentially live out of, our new auto gps, my iPod touch, my airport security badge, my brand new prescription eyeglasses, patagonia merino wool sweater and brand new hat, smartwool balaclava, co2 bike pump, Brooks saddle cover, lock, first aid kit, nalgene, and other odds and ends. Big lose for me, good haul for some snowboard brat at Buck Hill "ski resort" in the south MSP metro. I've never been a fan of midwestern "ski resorts", and I like them even less now. And I'm sure whatever kid stole my stuff has a rich set of Minneapolis suburb parents that could easily buy them all the things they chose to steal from me. Whatever. Sometimes in life you get hosed, and Monday was one of those times.

Other hosings of note are more job losses. Another climbing friend of ours just got laid off from, guess what, a pilot job. Go figure. Out of the four of us that climb together regularly, I'm the only one who hasn't lost my job. This recession has been an absolute butthole. It needs to end now.

On a good note, there is still bike touring coming up, I hope. We're talking about 2 tours now, one in CA, the other in TX. The CA could happen very soon; we have to get some dates down on the calendar and pull the fun trigger. I can't wait. It's reached the clear skied sub-zero January pain weather here in MN, and CA via bike sounds great. I can handle the cold just fine, and the northern winters have some amazing experiences to offer, don't get me wrong, but if CA is one the same menu, sorry MN winter, you might not get ordered.

For now it's time to get cleaned up and head to REI, big surprise. Always prepping for future stories.

Every year...

2009-12-20T21:26:00.003-06:00

I seem to be forming an additional tradition each Christmas season...getting sick. For the last four years I've become ill the week of Christmas, and it's getting irritating. It set in yesterday on the way back from Jay Cooke State Park, where friend Ty and I went for a winter day hike. On the drive home I noticed the sore throat setting in, and by 11pm I had full blown body aches and was burning up. Suck. So I slept on and off for 14 hours, and have spent today mostly laying around with the cat on my lap, watching tv and reading cycling blogs. I also finally got around to shopping online for a deal on a new crankset for my 29er. Found a good one on a Shimano SLX, and it should be here in a couple days. Good. It will be nice to replace the garbage-y Evolve XC that's been getting looser and looser.

I also spent some more time thinking about the next cycle-tour. Edward D and I have been cooking up ideas for one or two bike trips for 2010. Ideas of the CA coastline, Death Valley, Big Bend National Park, and other locales have been floating through our heads, and we just need to get things on the calendar. I'm looking forward to living off my touring bike again soon. Riding all day followed by camping, then doing it again is a good life.

I'll leave you today with a couple pix of Jay Cooke pre-sickness:

Status Quo

2009-12-18T20:42:00.003-06:00

I was sitting in my chair tonight thinking about how I'd like to write a new blog entry, but had thoughts that there wasn't much to report on. Life has been going on pretty much as usual. But then I thought about what those usual things are, and realized even though they are "par for the course", they actually stand out as pretty interesting. Here's what's going on:

Gym climbing is picking up as usual as winter sets in with a tighter grip on the MN area. And since my frequency of going is increasing, so are the returns. I sent what was probably the hardest climb I've done in the gym yet the other day, and Alison did the same for herself in one night. Nice. And even though if you know me and have heard that I think grades are stupid, I'll oblige to give you the ratings- 5.11b for my send and 5.10a for Alison's. It's fairly arbitrary, as I've been up 5.11c's, and Alison has done well on 5.10c's, but the routes we accomplished recently were both bigger hurdles. It was a mean 5.11b due to the flexibility and control involved on my end, and Alison came a long way in understanding new movement techniques to send her project. Big progress. Good.

Winter biking has come to a halt recently, due to the need to replace the crankset I've been nursing for awhile. I'm not going to push it any further so as to not harm the actual bottom bracket shell of my frame. Yeah, the play in the crank got intense and I should have replaced it a while ago.

I was out for the first nordic ski of the year not too long ago. Not a lot of snow, but enough to get out on. Further southeastern sections of MN has the best snow in the state, but the Cities isn't doing too bad for being non-mountainous. I hope we get bombed with snow this year; the past couple years have been lackluster.

Running has been going well. Continuing work on the treadmill at the gym every time I'm done climbing. Still rocking the Vibrams. Getting stronger.

We have quite a bit of family holiday visiting coming up. It will be great to see everyone again. The Hovde clan is meeting several times the week of Christmas, and the Jensen's will be arriving in St Paul the week after to party. Mullet's got his dancin' shoes on and is ready for it.

Work is sucking bad. Wish I didn't have to say it but to be cliche, it is what it is. Terrible. If you think of any stories you've heard about airlines on the news in the past year, just try to think of one that has been positive. My bet is that you probably can't. Suckville. Alison is being furloughed Jan 7. My boss "resigned" today. It's walking through a minefield right now. At least we still have our travel benefits. I don't see any flying in either Alison's or my future in the next year or two, but we'll see. If you are young and looking for a career field, the only way I'd suggest being a pilot is if you absolutely love it and are willing for tons of disappointment due to a wickedly unstable industry amidst the satisfaction you get from the actual flying part. You will have issues. But I don't know that many other career fields are exactly thriving in our craptastic economy right now. Just go on a very long bicycle tour/climbing trip and wait for the country to turn around for now. :)

That's the update.

2009-12-15T09:40:00.002-06:00

OK, I don't watch daytime TV, but I'm off today (a Tuesday) since I taught ground school over the weekend, and the Ellen Show showed up as I flipped channels eating a late breakfast. Just before I turned the TV off, I was impressed to see she was giving everyone in the audience a Specialized Globe bicycle as a Christmas gift. That's pretty cool. One point for silly talk shows I guess.