Morning on my Mukluk

Lately, I have not really been in the mood for taking pictures or for riding by bicycle. Life. Life happens. To say things are busy is an understatement. To say I'm pulled in many directions is a reality. But these are my choices and I put myself where I am at. I'm thankful. Thankful for a great family. Thankful for good friends. Thankful for a great job. Yet, despite recognizing all these things and having peace & comfort in my life & choices, sometimes I need a good ride to feel like I am fully living life.  

On Friday I got that ride.  I went out in complete darkness. I came back after sunrise. I was inspired to take pictures again. I felt alive.  I'd love to have the ability to write down and share all the things that went through my head on Friday AM but I just can't.

So, instead here are some images from the ride. I've been enjoying shooting at ISO 1600 with a grainy black & white texture. A few of the shots here today are shot this way while the others were shot in a high contrast B & W at a much lower ISO. I love the feel of these images. Hope you do too. 

Dark to light. Cold to warm. Tired but energized. Bikes are powerful.

Heading out

While I have been away doing mostly other non bike things, there has still been a lot of bike stuff going on.   I'm 2 bikes into my 3 new bike build, OK one is only a rebuild but it is almost a complete build.   To follow up on yesterday's post, I still am not sleeping but I need to ride so I am headed out for a ride in the country.  I just need to install my Revelate frame bag and then I'm headed to my favorite gravel and dirt roads in the county.   I'm taking my Fargo and my camera.  I suspect I'll come home muddy as it looked like this area got hit last night with rain.  I need it.  I can't wait.  

Also, last evening, I received a comment from a reader suggesting I move to a Monday, Wednesday & Friday posting.   In all honesty, I've been thinking about that for a long time.   I've talked with some of my friends about it too.   I do think it would help.  But....It still doesn't make the thoughts go away in my head.    Writing stuff down here and sharing it has a soothing effect on me.  It's almost like my brain is full and then I write and it is empty.   I do think it is the right thing to do, but I just haven't been able to do it.    It's also really hard for me after a big trip last week because I have so much to share.    Regardless of when/how I get to it, I sure appreciate the suggestion.    

Today I suspect that my work will increase due to some Eurobike news & action.  We shall see....

Have a great day folks.

2010 Fargo Adventure Ride - Time to roll!

After what felt like a very short evening, Mark, MG & I had breakfast.   Everyone knows that every good bike ride starts with donuts and coffee so who are we to change that?   As GT and MG powered up, I secretly wondered if it would be only us three for today's ride?  

Thankfully, we were not the only ones.   Several local folks joined us.  Our group was nine, with 6 Fargos.    With a hand out of the maps and brief overview and request of sticking together, we headed out.   Much of the first 10 miles was on pavement and or bikepath.   We cruised along at quite a good pace.    

At the first scheduled stop at UMore park, MG caused quite a stir with his candy bag.     Nice addition to the Fargo ride MG.   Thanks for coming up all the way from Lincoln, NE.   

Soon, the pavement ended and we hit some nice double track.   This is one of my favorite roads to ride.  I like the long tunnel feeling as well as the endless feeling of the double track.   This road is closed to automobiles and ATVs so it's quiet and not filled with litter.   

Eventually the tunnel of trees opens up a bit to beautiful farmland.   I grew up raising wheat and barley.  I still think that fields of grain swaying in the wind are so beautiful.   I plan to come back to just this spot to photograph the sunrise after the wheat starts turning golden brown.   I can see the image now.  

Not long after our route turned back to super gravel (hard packed fast gravel is called super gravel), Nick flatted.  This gave us a bit of time to stop, chat and snack.   

It also gave MG time to talk to his new friend.  It is here I put the camera away in the pack as we would be on pavement for the next few miles.   As we zig zagged across the countryside, the temps were rising.  We stopped and discussed the route, food and how folks were feeling.   Surprisingly the roads were dry despite the severe weather the previous night and the mud bath I found when I rode the course with Erik Mathy one week ago.   Despite feeling good, we opted out of the extra lolipop gravel loop and headed into Farmington, MN for food and refreshments.   This was a good plan as no one knew what I had in store in the coming miles.  In fact, one of the guys mentioned to me that this wasn't really a "Fargo" route and that it was more like a cross bike route.  

Not long after the refuel, we hit another one of my favorite roads in the county.   I slid to the back, took photos and rested as I knew the next 10+ miles was going to be crushing.   Folks were feeling a little competitive I think and powered up the gravel climb.  I sat back, took it all in and yelled for folks to stop.   As I rolled through, I spoke the words "This is where it gets hard" and rolled on.  

I went to the front of the pack and turned into what looked like a freshly mowed farm field road.  It was in fact a trail, but it sees so little use that the gophers and horses took it over as their own.   At times, it was pounding and crushing.  There were some setions with a clear trail.   At times, it felt like single track.   Other times it felt like we were riding on the beach or through the center of a grass field.   

As we rolled through the country side, we got to see things from a different perspective.   I love being close to things and even though riding gravel roads is beautiful, I like being up close and on roads that I know other cyclists have likely never traversed.    I like being "out there".   

As we pushed on, it kept getting hotter and hotter.   The sun had burned off most of the clouds and it was getting almost Dirty Kanza like. 

At the top of this grassy hill, we took a rest.   Folks were feeling a bit cooked.  One of the guys on a cross bike jokingly asked me if he ordered a Fargo now could I have it delivered right now?   It was right here I knew that the ride was both a success and if we pressed on it could really sap folks for the coming days.   It is here I decided to alter the route just a bit.    We took a hike out to a flat top rock and scenic overlook and then started heading home.   I still managed to get one more C road in with waist and shoulder high grass.   Kind of fun listening to the folks shout at me "This isn't a trail" and "How are you picking a line in that?"  Two falls later, we exited and rode gravel back through the munitions plant.

In the end we got something like 60 miles of gravel, singletrack, pavement, double track, grassy trail, and "farm road".   I'm fairly certain everyone had a good time.    As I said on Saturday, I was so happy to meet new folks and share my local roads and trails.   Kind of crazy that I have ridden these roads and trails for a long time and this is the first time I had seen any other cyclists on the route.   

To the riders, thank you all for making my life fun, adventurous and great.  I hope to share the road or trail with you again.   To the readers, thanks for making it through this long post.   There is talk of taking the Fargo Adventure Rides on the road.   Who knows if this will happen or where one might take place.    At a minimum, start thinking about next year.   I know I'm thinking about the route already.  

Heading South

Not much to post today.   I need a ride.   I'm heading south of town to catch the sunrise and scout a few roads for the 2010 Fargo adventure ride.  Ben might join me as well.

So far, I've got about 35 miles of gravel, about 10 miles pavement and 8.5 miles of sandy, dirty and potentially muddy single track.  My hope is to subtract some pavement and add some more gravel.   I'm shooting for 60 or so miles all around giving us a nice ending time as we need time to drive to Cable area for 2 days of riding glorious single track.  I also was fearful that there would not be a convenience store or water/food stop, but I found one outside of Empire, MN.   

I am waffling as I write this as to weather I will ride my Salsa Vaya prototype pictured above or ride my bike with no name?    Better not deliberate too long as the sun is rising.

Gotta go!  

Photo Friday

All week I've been posting pictures of the natural world.  Today, I bring you a couple of pictures of a man made world.  

Photographers often say you shouldn't shoot in the bright sun.  Baaah!    I say shoot in the sun.   Heck, I say shoot into the sun.    Heck, I say shoot always.    You never know what you might get.   I've been shooting into the sun a lot this year.     When something is between you and the bright sun,  you can get dominating and strong shadows.   I like that.

These are cement cylinders from an old munitions plant, U More Park, in Rosemount, Minnesota.   A couple of months ago, I saw them for the first time.   I have no idea what they were used for?   There are hundreds of them.  Then over Christmas holiday, I found yet another road that goes very, very close to these structures. 

I really like this last photo.   Not because of the quality of the image.  I like that the beautiful and natural tree on the horizon is framed by man made cylinders.    I like that that it looks like nature survived despite man's attempt(s).  

On a lighter note, thanks to all the readers this week.   Yesterday you set an all time high for page views on this site.   Sometimes I wonder why I put so much time in here?    Everytime I think that, someone sends me mail, makes a comment and occassionally a new record is set.  

I am humbled by the support and encouragment.   Thank you all for reading my little blog about life, bikes, adventure, and photography.    

Hope you all have a great weekend planned.   Weather permitting, we are going on a new Gnat family adventure.   Stay tuned!   

Ride your bike!  Take some pictures

UMore Park - The old munitions plant

I've written about the munitions plant before.   It's an amazing place with some interesting history.   Built during WWII and never finished, it's concrete structures are mostly still intact and viewable from both pavement and gravel.   If you see them, it's hard not to be intrigued by them.    

Today I bring you several shots of the more commanding structures.   These structures point to a time of great manufacturing here in the USA and a time of war.    As I look at them, I think of the contrast of the history to the future for the property.   The University of Minnesota owns this property.  It was given to the University after WWII by the US government.   Here is a short description of the vision for this property taken from their website for the property.   

The plan for this new, sustainable community integrates environmental, socio-cultural and economic opportunities with a specific focus on innovations in renewable energy, education and lifelong learning, health and wellness, the natural environment and regional economic development.

OK then.  Now...Onto the pictures.  

These stacks are the most prominent structure on the property.   There are 2 sets still standing.   I've ridden this road twice now and I stopped both times to take it in. 

There are several of these structures on the property.   I don't know what they are?  I'm sure you could find out but I didn't search that long.  

More concrete with the second sets of stacks in the background.   You can't see it very well, but there are about 1000 concrete cylinders sticking out of the ground.  It is like a concrete graveyard.    Again, no idea what this stuff is or was.    It's fun to imagine though.  

I don't know why, but I think these structures are a bit intimidating.    The ones in the background look like they have two eyes watching you and they go on like this for at least 1/2 mile, maybe even 1 mile.   Awesome....And intimidating.   

And I leave you with how it started, the land.   I loved this image because these shapes occur naturally in this world and man mimmicked them.    Someday these stacks will be gone.   Hopefully whatever community is built here will leave some nature that points to the past history of the land.    

Lastly, I have found a safe and legal route through the entire property.  Next years Fargo ride will ride out on one side of the park and will return by zig zagging back through the property.   If you come to next year's Fargo Adventure Ride, you will see all this and more.