June 2014 - MS 150 Trip

Like we do every June, we went to Duluth and beyond, experiencing the North Shore and everything it has to offer.  Oh yeah, M may have rode his bike 150 miles during this time too.  This would be my first of five trips up north from June to October.

Canal Park:

We stopped at the area along Split Rock River.  There was a bald eagle that was flying around us and came within 20 feet of our heads. 

 

 This is the area of where all the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies were.  There was probably 100 of them and they were circling us.  

 

We drove all the way up to Lichen Lake and the beautiful area around it in the National and State Forests.  It was the first time we were up there in this area in the summer.  We couldn't go to exactly where we spread my dad's ashes because there were campers there.  There were super cute little periwinkle colored butterflies here too.  I've tried identifying them and the best I can come up with a Spring Azure, which I think is correct.   

Saturday, June 7th started out miserable for M and his bike but Sunday would be much better all around.

North Shore Part III

This part of the trip doesn't really take place on the North Shore but it's the whole reason we are up there at this time of year.

On Saturday, June 8th, M and I woke up in the early 5 am hour.  We laid in bed for a little bit before I got up and looked out the window.  Perfect timing...5:18 am to be exact.  The sun was just coming up and we got a glimpse of the sunrise.

M showered, ate breakfast and then it was off to the start line for his ride. We got there just before 6:30 am and it was already chaotic on the streets.  M once again was the captain of his team.  Last year, there was a team of 7 people.  This year, he had a team of 19 people!  Collectively, they raised over $11,500!  

I went back to the hotel, ate breakfast, got ready and headed to the mall.  I bought some clothes and then met M down in Hinckley at around late 2 pm hour.  The weather was perfect for riding with the wind picking up towards the latter part of the ride.  We went to his parent's house and hung out for the afternoon before going to the casino grounds to meet up with some of his team and hang out with them before heading back to M's parent's house and turning in for the night.

M complete with Day 1

Some of M's team

Up at it early again the next day for M.  We left his parent's house around 6 am right when it started to rain.  The weather outlook wasn't good for riding.  There was lots of rain in the forecast but they stayed somewhat dry until a little later in their ride.  Still, he came into the finish line around 2 pm.  He was soaked and covered in sand and mud.  M said it was one of his worst rides (weather-wise) in the 12 years he's done this ride.  

Congratulations to Michael on yet another MS150 ride in the books.  They were all successful in raising funds and staying safe.  

North Shore Part II

Guys, I am so behind on blogging about my life adventures.  Here I am blogging about something that happened almost a month ago.  Whoa.  I better start blogging a little more consistently to catch up.

North Shore Part II starts with us waking up in Duluth on Friday, June 7th.  We started out with the hotel breakfast, got ready and headed north up the shore like we always do.  We do a lot of the same things each time we come here but this time we added a new thing here and there.  The weather was perfect.  We woke up and it was about 48 degrees, which sounds cold for June but it felt really great.  The sun would come out and it would get to about 64 degrees in the afternoon and it felt very warm and the sun felt perfect on your skin. 

We stopped at Stony Point, went to the candy store, stopped and walked the 1/3 mile to the overlook at Silver Creek Cliff, went to Gooseberry Falls, pulled over to relax in the sun while looking at Split Rock Lighthouse, stopped at Second Hand Rose, a flea market we always want to stop at but never do, went to Palisade Head, visited M's Auntie Carol  in Silver Bay and went to Illgen Falls before heading back to Duluth.  Once back in Duluth, I took M out for his usual pre-ride steak dinner at Timberlodge and went back to the hotel to relax for the evening.

Canal Park/Boardwalk:

Stony Point:

Pat, this picture is for you

Click to enlarge.  Do you see the ship way out there on the horizon?

Click to enlarge.  A doe and a fawn walking down the street.

Great! Lakes Candy Co.:

Silver Creek Cliff Overlook:

Gooseberry Falls:

Split Rock Lighthouse:

Flea Market:

Palisade Head:

Cute little chipmunk

Do you see the guy in black?

M and Auntie Carol:

Illgen Falls:

Timberlodge Steakhouse:

MS150 North Shore Trip- Part Two

Yesterday's post showed all the fun and exciting things we did while up north and this post is the all the work and sweat that took place.

We woke up at 5:30 am and I drove M to the starting location of the MS150.  This year is different for M.  While he almost always has rode alone, this year he started a team at his work.  He recruited six other employees, including one of the owners to ride with him.  The team of seven ranged in their biking abilities and ages of barely 24 to 55+ years old, with M as team captain.

M made his goal of raising $1,000 and in fact, raised $1,115.  As a group, they raised $5,455 to date with more donations still coming in.  How awesome is that? 

The group got a late start at 7:20 am but were done by 1 pm in Hinckley, the first 70 or so miles of the trip was complete.  I picked up M in Hinckley and then we went to his parent's house to stay.  He was in pretty good spirits and was exhausted but doing well considering the weather was 86 degrees once he pulled into Hinckley.  The good thing was there wasn't much wind.  That's always a bikers dream...or at least have the wind at your back.

After resting for awhile, we headed to Grand Casino to meet some of his riding buddies as they were just eating at the buffet.  We had a quick drink and then walked around the camping and resting areas a lot of the bikers were at.  If you're lucky enough to get a hotel, great.  If you don't or want to rough it a bit, you get to sleep outside on the casino grounds in a tent.

M went to bed around 10 pm, after a super nice full body massage from me.

We woke up on Sunday, again at 5:30 am and headed to the starting area.  I dropped M off so he could be with his team for a 6:30 am start.  One of the riders in his group had a flat tire so they didn't actually get going until 6:50 am or so.  The next 8 hours would be brutal for M. 

The wind was terrible.  A headwind of 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph plagued them all day.  They started to fall apart as a team as the day went on as some had more endurance than others.  M said at times he was only going 7 mph on his bike because of the wind!  Forget about the fact that it was almost 90 degrees, that didn't bother him.  It was that damn wind.

Team Dana!

M finished about 3:45 pm or so and was dead tired.  I picked him up and he said it was the hardest MS150 he has done in his 11 year career.

I am so proud of M and his team to complete this feat as well as raise a great amount of money for a good cause.  Congratulations honeybear!

For those that donated, they received a thank you card handmade by yours truly, a photo individually thanking them and a hand written note from M.  If you haven't received your thank you card in the mail, contact M or myself.

How about the floods in Duluth?  Check out this link for some of the pictures! First off, the girl runner?  Take a day off, girl! Seriously!  And the seal?  I feel so bad for him!  He did get back to the zoo safely.  Unfortunately a donkey and some other animals did not make it.  It's so crazy that we were just here in Duluth less than a couple of weeks ago. 

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/20/disaster/duluth-flood-photos/