After a cold week that brought rain, sleet and a little snow we finally have sunshine. It was sunny but chilly yesterday but today, today is a beautiful sunny 64F/18C. And let me tell you, Bookman and I have made the most of it. We were up about 6 this morning, not by choice — the cats were misbehaving — and there comes a point when the sun is rising and you realize you aren’t going back to sleep so getting up and starting the day seems the best option. Nothing a big cup of organic shade grown French roast coffee and homemade gingerbread waffles can’t fix. Followed by chores, a little rest and then a bike ride that was longer than we expected.
I have a PDF map of Twin Cities bike trails and it really is impossible to tell how long a trail is. I showed our proposed route to Bookman and said I thought it would be around 25 miles give or take. It didn’t look that far. When all was said and done however, we ended up riding 35.1 miles (56.5km)! It was probably a little longer than it should have been because we had to backtrack twice. The first time was when the river parkway trail said it was closed but it didn’t look closed, there were people jogging on it and the barrier was open. Plus it was a long downhill right next to the Mississippi River. Whee! And when we got to the bottom and came around a curve, yup, the trail was closed. There is no getting around a locked fence. So then we got to ride up the hill we had just zoomed down. Next followed a very poorly marked detour that took us through downtown Minneapolis and definitely off the detour path as we had to find our way back onto the trail much farther down from the closed part because we didn’t know where we were going!Back on the trail, we had to look not long after for a connecting trail and of course it was not marked very clearly and we zipped right past it and up a short hill. At the top was a kiosk with an out of date map. When I got my iPhone thought it would never be a truly useful device to me, but turns out I was wrong. I have an interactive bike map on it that told us where we were and that we had missed our crossing trail which was at the bottom of the hill we had just ridden up. So back down the hill we went and sure enough, near the bottom was a small sign indicating our trail.
This trail did not look so long on the map. It ended up being quite long but a really nice ride through trees and prairie restoration areas, by lakes and a creek. It is entirely paved and off the streets, though we did have to cross some busy intersections a couple times. But it was a great ride that looped us around back to near downtown Minneapolis where we picked up another trail, this one familiar, and made our way home. At one point while I was ogling the nearly 3-foot tall stone rabbit statue in someone’s garden, Bookman was looking the other way and saw a huge heron that he thinks was a great blue heron.
Because I joined the National Bike Challenge yesterday that runs May through September and the app I was using to track my rides was not compatible to upload my data to the challenge site, I have switched to Strava. I had tried MapMyRide first but it has pop-up ads that made me grumpy really fast. Strava does not have pop-ups though the free version tracks the bare essentials and lets you do nothing else. But that’s ok really. I added an orange Strava badge in my sidebar so if you are on Strava too and want to be friends send my a request and I will follow you back.
Now to the gardening.
Everything is greening up. Walter the crabapple has dozens of tight little flower buds that will be bursting open very
soon. He is going to be so beautiful this year I can hardly wait! In the meantime, today Bookman and I planted potatoes. I have never grown potatoes before so we will see how this adventure goes. The variety is Irish cobbler, a creamy yellow all-purpose sort of potato.We also planted peas. Lots of them. Twice as many peas as last year but it is still not enough to this greedy pea-loving person. I have two dozen seeds left and nowhere ready to plant. I am hoping during the week Bookman will help me dig out the grass next to the neighbor’s chainlink fence and we can plant the rest of the peas along the fence. Today we planted them in a bed alongside our deck that is an old strawberry bed that has run its course. Bookman has been working to clear it out because we plan to also plant spinach and chard in this bed. Then we strung twine around sticks down the middle of one of the main garden beds where we had tomatoes and peppers planted last year. Water and wait.
Last spring I planted asparagus, two crowns of it. It takes about three years before you can start to harvest any of it. I kept looking for it and was beginning to despair, thinking the rabbits had found themselves a delicacy. But today, there it was! Both crowns sprouting up tiny little spears. What a beautiful sight it is.Meanwhile, we are having trouble finding a contractor to tear down our garage. They are all eager until they find out we don’t want to build a new garage to replace the old one. Suddenly they lose interest because a demolition is inexpensive work in comparison that only takes a day or two at most. You’d think someone would want the work but apparently we are
small fry so we keep getting tossed back. Bookman will be making more phone calls this week and hopefully will manage to finally find someone to do the work. We would like to have it done by the middle of May so we can then have someone install fencing around the new chicken garden and we can plant out a few shrubs to start growing. We also have a shed to build. And a chicken coop. C’mon you contractor people, one of you must want a job!The week ahead looks sunny and warm with a chance for rain on Friday. That means we’ll be having to water our seeds all week. In spite of the precipitation we had last week, it has been a very dry spring and the whole state is in mild to moderate drought. Hopefully that will turn around soon, but please, not all at once. And leave the weekends dry. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
I love that you named your bike. My car has a name but not my bike (yet!). Great job on the 35 miles!! How did you feel the next day?? And Bookman?? I joined the National Bike Challenge thanks to you! I didn’t even know about it!
Your gardening sounds like it is coming along. Between Biking & gardening when will you READ ( & blog)?! ? Looking forward to your Chickens!
LikeLike
Helen, Since I will be spending so much time on my bike I thought she deserved a name 🙂 I feel great today especially since I had done 35 miles indoors on the trainer Saturday and didn’t expect such a long ride Sunday. My neck and shoulders are a bit still but other than that I’m feeling great. I just found out about the bike challenge from the MN Bike Alliance. Apparently last year MN finished 5th so I’m hoping to help up our ranking! Yeah, the reading on weekends has gotten a lot harder to fit in!
LikeLike
Astrid’s a Scandinavian name, I think?
LikeLike
Di, yes it is. Supposedly it means “divine strength” a good name for a bike I think 🙂
LikeLike
Oh I didn’t know the meaning.
Thought you named your bike after Astrid Lindgren. Haha. I had a teacher named Astrid.
LikeLike
lol I was down to two names and then looked up meanings and chose Astrid from the two. Not until I had done that did I remember the author of Pipi Longstocking!
LikeLike
living in an apartment means I grow little beyond herbs in pots, but they can still be fun to eat!
My parents have a veg patch in their backgarden, but I suspect that a lot goes to waste (judging by the number of runner beans left on the racks when I go in late summer). Not convinced they remember they have a freezer, and going from plant to freezer in 20 minutes is nutritious, and gives you something satisfying to eat in the winter
LikeLike
Nordie, oh yes, no matter how small your garden there is something very satisfying about eating what you have grown yourself. Some of our summer produce slips away from us before we can preserve it but for the most part between eating, freezing and canning we store it up and use it up. 🙂
LikeLike
35 km bike ride on a Sunday and thats your idea of fun and relaxation???!!!!! Better you than me and this one time you cannot tempt me!! But seems like you had a great day so that kind of nullifies all my angst about biking trips!
LikeLike
cirtnecce, yup, fun and relaxing! I love biking so much. I never thought I’d say that but as my fitness level continues to improve and I can do more and more it makes me happier and happier 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yey bike rides!
Also, leg tattoo? (with a yey for em if Im seeing that right)
LikeLike
Nikki, good eye! Yes, I actually have two leg tattoos but you can only see part of one in the photo, it’s the strength tarot card from the Rider-Waite tarot deck. The other one you can’t see is a small garden with a gnome and spiderweb I’d really like to add more to sometime. Gotta start saving up! 🙂
LikeLike
Awesome! Legs are one of my next projects too.
LikeLike
Very cool!
LikeLike
I’m trying to get asparagus started too, but the rabbits dug my crowns up last year… i reburied them but 2 weeks ago, despaired of any shoots and planted spinach all around. In the process I think I covered the crowns up with more dirt… Well, on Friday, I had a single spear coming up from each one!! so happy, but now i”m afraid the spinach will interfere!! Good luck w/ your asparagus – multiple spears is definitely a good sign 🙂
LikeLike
everydayhas, woo-hoo! Way to save your asparagus! I’ve got my asparagus planted in my current strawberry bed because I heard they grow well together and the strawberries provide a nice ground cover. If your spinach gets too crowded you could always think it out a bit. Good luck! 🙂
LikeLike
I found a bike I want. It’s not a fancy one like you have, and I won’t need to take any lessons. Just a regular, balloon tire kind of bike for tooling around the island. I’d like to get one of those pull along wire wagon things that affix to the rear axle. With that, I would never need to crank up the car on the weekends for anything I had to do on the island – grocery store, plant store, hardware store, Farmers Market, country store – and most importantly the wine shop! We don’t have a bookstore out here, so I may need to make emergency runs with the car. Astrid is a beauty! I envy you Minneapolis’ bike trails. Ours aren’t nearly as extensive. Oh…beans are doing great in my raised bed. Amaryllis is not doing anything, nasturtium aren’t bad, annual flowers aren’t getting enough sun.
LikeLike
Grad, hooray for finding a bike! On my city bike I have a couple of folding heavy wire baskets attached to a rack on the back of the bike but I would love to have a little wagon I could attach for bigger trips other than to the library or commuting. What fun you will have! I do love Astrid quite a lot. And I am very lucky to live in Minneapolis which is the number one bike friendly city in the US. We actually have bike transportation planners and new trails are constantly being added in the city and in the whole state. Beans! I love beans! too bad about the amaryllis though. Unfortunately annuals tend to need lots of sun but it’s always worth trying!
LikeLike
Do you have a statue of a gnome in your garden?
LikeLike
Indeed I do. He is a subtle terracotta fellow presiding over the herb spiral 🙂 I am really tempted to get a funny T-Rex eating gnomes statue but it’s a bit much. Maybe.
LikeLike
Wow you two must be in tip top shape. I suppose your gardening and biking have complementary effects, each helping you to be toned up for the other task. And coincidentally, I just discovered two Great Blue Herons in a pond the last few days. Will post some pics. And for sure, everything is greening up. 😉
LikeLike
Arti, not tip top but getting there. Our goal is to do an 80.5km ride by October and a 161km ride next year. Sometimes the gardening is a bit like cross training, what with all the squats and lifts 🙂 How cool you have a couple of great blue herons near you! Are they a nesting pair do you know? How marvelous would that be to get to see chicks?
LikeLike
I’d get up early for coffee and gingerbread waffles–yum!! Especially when you know you are going on such a long bike ride! Guiltless yummy breakfast! And love the togs–you are seriously stylin’! 🙂 Sounds like the garden is beginning to come along–I am thinking of planting a crab apple tree in my front yard–hints and suggestions welcome. it is hard to come back to work after such a nice weekend, isn’t it? And our weather has been equally gorgeous–if only it could last until about November…..
LikeLike
Danielle, when we got up early we did not know our ride was going to be as long as it was! Glad you like my bike togs! If you want a crabapple that fruits I believe you need to have another crab or a regular apple tree nearby for cross-pollination. If you are going for ornamental there are all kinds of choices from various colors of pink to white from dwarf (8-10 ft) to full-sized (15-20ft). U of Omaha ag extension services might have some good recommendations on their website for the best varieties in your area.
LikeLike
My apple tree has beautiful blossom at the moment but can you believe we had snow flurries yesterday?! The wind is coming from the Arctic. That was some bike ride you went on, we’ll just stick to the walking I think, especially as Jack can’t ride a bike.
LikeLike
piningforthewest, I can believe snow flurries since we have had snow here in mid-May before 🙂 Those darn arctic winds! That was a short ride compared to our ultimate goal, but it is the longest we’ve done yet.
LikeLike
Still catching up with my blog reading backlog. I hope you did get the lovely weekend, plus the rain you needed for your seeds. We had a very rainy weekend here for my women’s weekend away, but that didn’t dampen (ha) our spirits one bit.
LikeLike
“Dampen our spirits,” can you hear me groaning and laughing? Glad you still had a lovely time. We did get a bit of rain so it was all good 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person