A weekend without kayaks

This past weekend we headed up to Devils Lake, Wisconsin. We didn't bring boats. We didn't bring bikes. We didn't even bring camping gear. But we did bring family: the four of us, plus Alec's parents and his brother and sister-in-law.

Devil's Doorway. Alec's brother and sister-in-law are in the foreground.



An opportunity to take photos with a non-waterproof camera.



We stayed in the lovely Willowood Inn, hiked in the park, played lawn games (bocce, horseshoes, baggo, ladderball), and indulged our love of exploration.

Hannah samples the local flora: a morel mushroom, sort of.



Alec and Hannah playing bocce with Alec's mother and father.

Travel has always been a way for us to reconnect. We go somewhere with a plan; some of it works and some of it doesn't. Everybody has to be flexible and figure things out together. And in the process, we discover things about the place we're visiting and about ourselves.

On the way home, we stopped at Dr. Evermor's Art Park.



Hannah cuddles up to a scrap metal creature.

We all prowled the scrap yard next door.



We've included this post even though it isn't about paddling because travel, exploration and self-discovery are ( as it says in our blog tagline) "related passions."

Darts

For those who missed me on the weekend (there was at least one message on my phone) I have taken advantage of a local long weekend to indulge in my passion for cycle touring. I have seen spectacular coastal scenery, a big waterfall, mountains and rainforests over the course of three days. I'll write up a report and upload some pictures when I get around to sorting through the 102 that I snapped between Friday and Sunday.
There was, however, one interesting observation on Friday morning. Tweed Heads is the Gold Coast suburb most notorious for being the place where the dead are buried *above* the ground (if you ever visit, you'll know what I mean). It became apparent, however, that Tweed Heads is now looking to make a name for itself in the off-beat sport of Darts. Evidently they think they have some talent, and have gone to the trouble of setting up a giant dartboard in the form of a billboard with a picture of Shannon Noll on it.
Pity I didn't think to bring any darts myself.

Jurassic Way 8 :Cottingham-Bringhurst-Gt Easton-Rockingham-Gretton

This is the same route as this walk from September 1st , but we started from Cottingham, and picked up the Jurassic Way on Mill Road after the school and playing field.

The footpath hugs the edge of the playing field, before going along between hedges andemerging at the junction of a road and a track to the right, marked on the map as "Occupation Road". We followed this over a bridge across the Welland.


There is a left hand bend and before long a footbridge where we turned right to head towardsBringhursthigh on its hill.

This stile is not very welcoming with the extra crosspiece!

and this way marker isn't very clear

Three fields of overgrown wet oilseed rape up to Bringhurst

The section from the dismantled railway and through the fields to Bringhurst was very hard work, and we ended up soaked, even though no rain was falling.

Looking back from the edge of Bringhurst

From Bringhurst, we turnedturned right at the road junction. A couple of hundred yards down the hill is a footpath sign to the left, and the path goes round the hill, below the site of a Roman villa, and then behind Bringhurst primary school and across a couple of fields before reaching the road at Great Easton.

Possibly the oldest cottage in Great Easton

Turn right and over the stream, following the road to the centre of the village. Turn right at the Sun Inn, and continue along the road towards Caldecott, past a house with horseshoes on the wall.A little farther on there is a small cemetery with the graves of the Cave family. After this we took a track to the right, with recycling banks at the start.The track leads across the dismantled railway and behind some buildings, across a footbridge over a stream, and then a bridge over the Welland.Just after crossing the river, you turn left and go through a hedge to follow the path between two hedges. This leads to the road between Rockingham and Cottingham.Slightly to the left across the road is another footpath sign.


The path takes you thorough a couple of fields and gates to Rockingham's cafe and shop, where we stopped for an early lunch. We sat outside, although there were a few sudden gusts of wind. The path emerges on to the main road by the Sondes Arms.

We went up the hill, and turned left at the sign for the footpath to Gretton. This goes to the right of Rockingham Landrovers yard. We went through two gates, then diagonally down the field. From here it was mostly a question of following the path, keeping a look out for gates, and avoiding the path which crossed our route.

From West Hill, Gretton, looking over the Welland Valley

More changeable June skies

The walk ends with the steep climb up West Hill and into Gretton.

A pretty decent bike-to-drive ratio

Some of my readers might recall my month-long goal in April to bike/run more miles than I drove in my car. You also might remember that I accomplished the goal, with cardio disciplines totaling 625 miles versus 576 miles driving.
I haven't written about it much since then, but my bike-powered commuting hasn't let up. I still use my bike to get EVERYWHERE in town, whether it's going to the movies, doctors appointments, or trips out to Land of Memories Park to play some disc golf. Heck, I even did another round of grocery shopping on the ol' bike recently (though my load this time was considerably lighter than the one I wrote about in April).
Somewhere along the line, it occurred to me that bike transportation isn't just a blog gimmick to gain a few readers; it's a legitimate way to save some money, get some exercise and -- if you want to take the environmentalist approach on it -- cut down on pollution.
I'm not actively trying to out-distance my car anymore, but I still keep track of biking miles on a regular basis (old triathlon training habits die hard) and I recently remembered that I wrote down the mileage on my car at the beginning of April for the run/bike vs. drive challenge. Out of sheer curiosity, I totaled up my driving mileage since then and I compared it to my biking miles.
Here is what it totals out to (updated from my Facebook post a couple days ago, as the mileage has changed since then):
Driving - 2,687 milesBiking - 2,294 miles
As you can see, my car has taken a substantial lead on my bike for mileage. It will be taking a larger lead this weekend too, as I'm driving up to Hastings on Sunday to compete in the Warrior Dash.
However, you have to admit that's a pretty decent bike-to-drive ratio.
*****Note: Out of boredom recently, I took a screen shot of Google Maps and played with it on Adobe Photoshop to create a map the towns I've biked to from Mankato. It doesn't cover EVERY town I've been to (too small of scale to include the St. Clairs and Ellendales of southern Minnesota), but I still think it's pretty cool to look at. The towns are circled in green:

Not a Typical Day

View out my laundry room window to the 'little house'.   My husband's office is on the bottom floor, and up that staircase on the back is my studio.
Today was a very productive day.  Thanks, Laurel, for keeping Darcie all night AND day!  Here's a list of things accomplished today:1.  Had a worship time2.  Exercised for an hour3.  Cooked breakfast4.  Cleaned upstairs5.  Sent e-mails6.  Worked on the budget7.  Read art articles8.  Wrote on an article for my writing class9. Vacuumed downstairs10. Cleaned out the dining room cupboard11.  Treated the cat's ears for mites (Yuck)12.  Talked to my Mama for almost an hour13.  Ironed14.  Took a nap15.  Had morning and afternoon tea16.  Made white chocolate and cranberry cookies17.  Planned my next projects in my studio18.  Took a walk in the woods and wrote in my journal19.  Made baked spaghetti and sent Laurel a dish of it20.  Watched Sahara with second son21.  Washed and dried a load of clothes22.  Wrote this blog23.  Build two fires24.  Listened to book on tape25.  Visited with future daughter-in-law26.  Finished Miss Buncle's Book27.  Repaired tassels on a pillow torn up by baby grandson28.  Glued together several broken things29.  Repaired the flag holder I wish every day could be like this one.  I'd have things whipped into shape in no time!

Hallelujah, Hail, & Hard Work

HALLELUJAH
On Thursday April 2nd, Philo & I saw Leonard Cohen live in downtown Austin, surrounded by some of the best musicians in the world playing together as the Unified Heart Touring Company (hear them play 'Hallelujah' on YouTube). We are both longtime fans, and it seemed miraculous when I got through to the website two minutes after the tickets went on sale. The show sold out within minutes and an added second show went even faster - we were very lucky! The Long Center is only a year old, a beautiful, comfortable, civilized venue and being there was wonderful, from strolling the courtyards with stunning views of downtown Austin after dark, to the interior spaces and the theater's lighting, accoustics and sightlines. Our seats were in the Mezzanine and this was a pretty expensive evening for us, but it was worth every penny. We couldn't linger in the emotional afterglow for very long - seeing Leonard Cohen would have been the biggest event of a normal April, but in this odd spring, he became the opening act.

HAIL DAMAGE
The more experienced among you who saw our hail video from March 25th probably guessed right away that it caused significant damage to our house. We knew the skylight was shattered, but last week we found out we'd also need a new roof and many other repairs. If you drive around our area you'll see similar marks on our neighbors' shingles. The ads and flyers began arriving the morning after the storm...now signs for roofing companies are popping up like rainlilies on the lawns. Here's an odd fact of life for gardeners - the insurance might pay for a hail-destroyed ceramic pot...but not the plant growing in it. The hail that tried to smash the 'Ramona' clematis was buffered by the leaves and branches of an overhanging Saucer Magnolia - tough on the magnolia, but good for 'Ramona'!

HOWARD'S SOUVENIR
The tall metal obelisk in the garden came from Howard's nursery, once a favorite shopping place on Koenig Lane . This .. post mentioned the nursery closing, the obelisk, and a rescued one-gallon container of Weigelia 'Rumba'. Two rooted stems of the tiny shrub took hold and grew, made it through the heat and drought, and are now blooming beautifully in the Pink Entrance Garden.
HARD WORK
We spent Thursday with Leonard, met with insurance folks on Friday, and on Saturday April 4th the Divas of the Dirt met at Buffy's house for her annual project. Part of that day was spent cleaning up broken, dead, smashed foliage and branches from the hailstorm. I'd spent 10 days doing that in my own yard so was in practice! Photos from Buffy's April project won't be posted for awhile, but photos of the project we did for Mindy's garden day on March 21st are now up on the Divas of the Dirt blog. That's Buffy in the photo above - working in Mindy's garden.
I was at Buffy's from 8:30 AM to 7:15 PM - that takes us up to the night of Saturday April 4th. Two beloved, long-awaited out-of-state guests arrived on Sunday the 5th for a visit - a story for the next post.

Singletrack!!!

Today was the perfect day to ride some SINGLETRACK! Got the trail bike prepped, loaded the hydration pack, bike on the rack, and headed to the trails. Stopped a Fat Tire Cycles to verify where I should ride - the easiest trails in the area. My destination was the Elena Gallegos Open Space and the Sandia Foothills.
I mention it was a perfect day -- When I left the room down in the valley, it was in the 50s and bright sunshine. A bit cooler up at the trails area. And a bit windy. Not complaining of the wind, some areas of New Mexico were to get 30-50 mph winds.
I parked at the Michial Emery Trailhead. Luckily there was a couple parking spots open. From the trailhead I headed for Trail 365. Was having a little problem getting back into the swing of singletrack on the trail bike.
Rode Trail 365 north to the road into the picnic area. Some spots were a little above my abilities - these I walked. Things went down the tubes after the road - steeper climbs, more rocks, and rougher descents.
The altitude was starting to get me. I had been stopping lots to catch my breath. Sucked on a shot blok and drank some G2 (in addition to the normal water). With all that, I still got a little sick.

Got to the pavement. From there I was feeling better. Found the trailhead and rode Trail 366 to head back to the car. That trail ended at Trail 365. Decided to take a shorter, narrow trail off of Trail 365 back to the car.
While I only rode 4.8 miles and 1 hour of riding time, I was out for over 2 hours. Exhausted, but it felt good.
It might be a good idea that I take a day off tomorrow.