Mascoutin Valley Trail (East Leg)

It's hard to believe it's been over a year since I did the west leg of the Mascoutin Valley Trail (http://wistraildog.blogspot.com/2008/08/mascoutin-valley-trail-west-leg.html). Check that post to refresh your memory - I know I had to.

The east leg runs entirely through Fond du Lac county, and I am very pleased to say that it is much more well kept that the west leg. Approximately 20 mile from Fond du Lac to Rosendale and back, this stretch runs through the Eldorado Marsh State Wildlife Area.

I was a beautiful day for a ride as my friend Andy and I headed out. Andy's doing a 62 mile ride next weekend, and desparately needs to log some saddle time, so I took this as a great opportunity to get some more miles in as well.

The stupidity of people never seems to amaze me. This is a state recreation trail. Signs at every road crossing state this as well as no motorized vehicles allowed. After a bridge crossing, I saw what I thought to be a car facing me. As I drew closer, I realized that it was a mustang facing me, but it wasn't coming at me, it was backing up. The numb nuts drove all the way down the trail till he came to a bridge and realized that he could drive across it. He had no place to turn around, so his only course of action was to back down the way he came from. I proceeded to pedal harder and faster, until I caught up with "numb nuts", and forced him to pull off to the side so I could pass him. What a douche bag!

A little while further up the trail, I saw another vehicle coming at me. A little Toyota Prius. This time I actually stopped and said something to "dill hole". I asked if he was lost. He said, "No where just out for a drive". I proceeded to tell him that he was driving on a state rec trail that DID NOT allow motor vehicles. He asked if there was a place to turn around and I told him no so he'd have to back out the way he came too. His wife actually tried telling me that there were no signs saying that they couldn't drive on it. He must have seen the look on my face and pretty much told her to shut up. Again I say, what a douche bag!

Here are some pictures. Enjoy

Kippis,

Craigers

$1.00 off Road ID

I just ordered my Road ID yesterday. They gave me a coupon code to share with my friends good for $1.00 off. If anyone doesn't have one yet, you should seriously consider it. Go to http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx, choose your style, and enter this coupon code upon ordering: ThanksCraig546419. Feel free to share this with your friends. It can be used 20 times in the next 30 days.

Kippis,

Craigers

Maywood Earth Ride '09

Earth Ride came and went too fast this year. I was joined by the Big Cat & Mrs. Cat (along with Team Lasky), and Jonny K. BC, Jonny, and myself along with the other two memebers of Team Lasky completed the 50 mile route. Jonny's Dad & brother did the full Century (we'll get there eventually). Some brutal hills to climb in the Northern Kettle Moraine, but I still kept an average speed of almost 14 mph and finished the ride in 3hrs 27 min.

Thanks to all the volunteers that helped to make this a great ride again this year! There were over 700 riders total and I think we raised over $30,000 for the benefit of Maywoood environmental park (http://gomaywood.org).

A picture says a thousand words so here you go.

Suck it in Jonny!

Big Cat looking all buff

That damn racoon again

Groove Family Cyclo - Family Portrait

This was on the front page of the Sheboygan Press newspaper - let's play "Where's Trail Dog?"

I'm ready for another 50

And so is Jonny

Team Fatty?

North Carolina's Outer Banks (The OBX)

Okay, so I have enough material for at least two posts. Let's start with the trip to the OBX. I will be completely honest and say that while it busted me up on the inside, I didn't pedal at all while on vacation. I analyzed my situation and came to this conclusion: If I can ride somewhere that I wouldn't be able to at home, I'll pedal. I vacationed with that theory in the back of my mind. I did go running on the beach in the mornings (as that is something I don't have the opportunity to do in FDL).

While out walking with the Mrs. one morning, I noticed two Pugsleys in rack with the rentals at a local bike shop. I proceeded to run into the shop. I asked the gal behind the counter what they charged to rent one of the "pugs". She said I could BUY one, not rent one. She was kind of a bag so I left. I did go to another shop, Kitty Hawk Cycle Company( http://www.kittyhawkcyclecompany.com/index.html ). Even though I didn't rent, I did buy a shop T-shirt, and Michael, one of the owners, and I had a very pleasant conversation about riding, Twin Six, and other nice things that cyclists talk about. If any of you are in the OBX and need a rental or parts or anything "bike", go visit Michael at KHCC. Thanks Michael, I'll wear my KHCC shirt with pride.

The rum was great (in case you were wondering coastkid), and the atmosphere was even better. Here's some photos to wet your whistle. Check out the OBX Visitors Bureau for more info ( http://www.outerbanks.org/ )

Views from our balcony

If you zoom up on this one you can see the dolphin coming up for air

Penny Hill Sand Dune

Wild Horses of Corolla

There's a beer commercial in here somewhere

OBX Sunrise

Not sure what this structure is but it made a good picture

OBX Sunrise #2

Tame that gator!

My new friend Tortuga

Smile Pretty!

Rum so nasty it could kill the devil.

So it's off to North Carolina early Sunday morning. I'll be offline for about a week or so, but I hope to have some great pictures to share with you all upon my return. I also hope to get some cycling along the beach and through the east coasts tallest sand dunes. I'll feel like I'm riding with coastkid with some of the scenery around the Outer Banks.

We're staying in a place called Kill Devil Hills. Rumored to have gotten it's name from the rancid rum that would wash up on shore from ships that had been plundered by pirates. This rum was so bad, it was said to be able to "kill the devil". The whole area is rich in history. The next town up the coast is Kitty Hawk, the birthplace of flight, where the Wright brothers mad their historic first flight. Should be pretty cool.

The Saturday after I return is Earth Ride 2009, so I'll a pretty busy week to say the least. I'll post as soon as possible.

Blog at you when I get back.

Kippis,

Craigers

Why we do what we do - Part I

There are those among us that have aquired a certain addiction to "adventure sports" or adventure travel". For many of us, this addiction comes after many years of not being so nice to our bodies. Ray Zahab has always said he was a drinker and a smoker - a club guy for lack of a better term. Than one day he decided to start running and before you know it he was running across the Sahara desert. Quite the change. Not only for Ray, but I'm sure for his family and friends as well.

How does one explain to their family why they get up at 3:00 A.M. to go running. Or why they have to rent a bike on vacation because they can't go a week without riding. How does one explpain to their friends, that they used to "party" with that they don't want to go out on a Friday or Saturday night anymore, because they need to train in the morning. And most difficult, how does one leave their spouse and children for periods of time, hours, days, or in Ray's case, months, to complete these "tasks".

I recently began reading "The Masked Rider" by Neil Peart (my favorite author by the way). It chronicles his bike tour through Cameroon in western Africa. I'm only one chapter into it, but something already has resonated with me and I'd like to share it here.

Neil writes:
"The best part of adventure, it seems to me, is thinking about it. A journey to a remote place is exciting to look forward to, certainly rewarding to look back upon, but not always pleasurable to live minute by minute. Reality has a tendency to be so uncomfortably real.

But that's the price of admission - you have to do it. One reason for making such a journey is to experience the mystery of unknown places, but another, perhaps more important, reason is to take yourself out of your "context" - home, job, friends."

Of course there is more to it than just that, but I felt this was a good starting point. Use it as you see fit.

Kippis,

Craigers