Neighborhood Youth Ski League

Theo and I raced the Winther Kangaroo trike the five blocks from our house to catch the #7 bus to Theodore Wirth Park for today's Minnesota Youth Ski League (MYSL).  Just as we locked the "Roo" up, the bus passed.  Bummer.  No MYSL for us this week.  Theo was a good sport about it.  By this point the snow was really coming down.  He said, "I'll just ski home".  I rode behind him as his sag wagon.  Really enjoying the novelty of skiing through the neighborhood in the beautiful fresh snow, Theo skied on to his friend's house where we stopped to say hello and then headed back home.  He probably got just as much skiing in without any car/bus time.  Nice! Back home, he reported to Hillary that he practiced his star turn, pizza stop, and "shuffle, shuffle, glide".  Call it the Neighborhood Youth Ski League for us today.

Freeze, thaw

My bike got marooned in my bike locker at work when the sub-zero temps froze the upper Midwest  over a week ago. I put my bike on the bus last night to get it home and happily awoke to a "balmy" temperature of 16 degrees F.  So I went for the bike commute.  It was fantastic.  And I still got words of disbelief from co-workers, "whoa isn't it way too cold?"  "Yeah, but it's over 20 degrees warmer than it was two mornings ago," I replied. 

Here are a few images of the the frozen Mississippi as I crossed it this morning.  What a cool pattern showing the ice chunks from the last thaw all frozen in place.  Compare these photos with the one in the post from two and a half weeks ago. 

Winter Commuting on New Wheels

Today marked my second day of winter bike commuting since the big 11 inch snow fell on the Twin Cities about a month ago. I'm feeling a little out of shape in the legs but loving the cold temperature invigoration and thinking space my bike commute provides. 

This view of the Mississippi River Gorge along my commute route is a far cry from the one taken during the autumn picture below!  Ahh, the joys of experiencing the seasons from the bike lane.

All this has been made possible by my new 16-year old Specialized Hardrock mountain bike that I got off Craig's list.   Its condition is a far cry from my previous 18-year old Specialized mountain bike, I.N.D.Y. (It's Not Dead Yet). With its terribly rusted gears, worn out bearings, and its propensity for large maintenance bills, it now ought to be named, I.I.D.N. (It is Dead Now).  I will strip some parts of I.I.D.N and donate the rest to a great new organization called SPOKES where hopefully its frame will be renewed as the core of a new bike.

Studded tire at last!

It was such a mild winter last year that we squeaked by without a studded tire on our Winther Kangaroo. But with the 11 inch dump last weekend, there is no skirting it this year. After many late night public meetings for work this week, I took this morning off to winterize the Roo. Henry's trike helped out nicely.

First Snow Ride

There is nothing like the first snow to get two young boys excited. By the time Henry and I left for his pre-school, nearly an inch had fallen and sun and blue sky made for a beautiful winter one-mile bike ride to pre-school. Henry marveled at the beautiful scene and giggled as I gave him the"wiggly-ride". The "wiggly-ride" consists of quick, small left-right swerves down the sidewalk, all made safe with the benefit of the three wheels of the Winther Kangaroo.

Here's Henry and our "sleigh-dog" Moxie at school.

Dashing Through the Snow along the Mississippi

The Twin Cities' weather this past week has been a bicyclist's delight.  The bike lanes were mostly clear of snow and ice and morning and afternoon commute temps were in the delightful twenty degree zone.  Many of us pulled out our summer bikes to revel in the conditions.  My five year old even rode his bike from a friend's house back home. It seemed like a stolen moment that many of us made the best of.  I bike commuted more this week than in months.

Snow did come on Thursday afternoon, so I was back on my winter bike with its studded tires.  Another 1/2-3/4 inch layer of snow came Friday, perfect for beautifying the bike trail while not impeding progress.  After a quiet day at work on December 23rd, I was psyched to take my 12 mile Mississippi River route into the Christmas Holiday.  Here are some photos I snapped along the way.

 

Beautiful pre-sunset light over the Mississippi River in Saint Paul. 

I didn't pass any bikes the whole way home last week nor this week. But 6 others had passed since the snow fell hours ago. 

This route is great for wildlife sightings.  Here is one of the several white-tailed deer I saw.  The best sighting this fall was a red-bellied snake crossing the path.  It was caught in the cool weather.. and very cold as discovered when I picked it up to move it off the trail. 

I love the quiet on this route.  It was magically broken as I was cruising up the old railroad grade and heard this train approaching from behind.  The Polar Express?

Back in our neighborhood I made a point of biking by our local Christmas light hotspot.  This week's commutes have also been a great chance to enjoy the beauty of some great Holiday light displays along my usual route home on Summitt Ave.

Here's to another great year of experiencing the seasons along this great Mississippi River route home. 

Winter wash and winter fun

The radio host foresaw the weekend scene as he predicted our first thaw in over a month. Above freezing temps would send many to wash the salty winter grime off of their cars. I joined the carwash line to do the same for the Roo. Anyone who has biked through the winter in a snowy place can attest to how hard it is on your bike. Salt, sand, and road grit all conspire to gum up the chain and eat away at the metal parts. My 2-wheeled winter bike (affectionately called "INDY", short for "It's Not Dead Yet") now has its fenders permanently rusted to its frame. And that is nothing compared to the issues that have caused several bike mechanics to shed blood while removing winter-seized parts. Leery of the havoc that this winter may be wielding on the Roo, I wanted to wash and dry it and thoroughly oil the exposed bolts to prevent corrosion.

Thankfully, the Roo has fared very well this winter. There was a little rust on the edges of a few threads - hopefully we can stay ahead of this. It's a huge advantage having an enclosed hub to keep water, salt and grit off the most critical moving parts.

We made the best of the above average temps over the three day MLK weekend. Theo and Hillary took the bus 1.5 miles to sled and ski with Theo's buddy Nolan. We rode our bikes 1 mile to skate at Matthews Park with friends (that's Henry's red hat poking above my back.) Thanks for joining us Xena! Henry and I took the Roo to pick up groceries at the food co-op and to pick up storage bins and odds and ends at Target. As usual, we got the best parking spots in the lot.