Lake Delton, MN.

Finally found (got caught in) a long ride this past weekend. Here is a highlight, among many nice spots. This is Lake Delton, only about 15 miles from downtown. The state does have alot of lakes... no doubt about it... like 10,000, I heard.


[ooohhh!]


[ahhhhh!]

A new knock-knock joke.

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Alison.
Alison who?
Alison to da reggae, dat's who!!

C'mon, use an accent. Tell it to a 6 year old. Laughs, I tell you.

July in MN?

This was necessary the other day at a cookout.

It was like 60 degrees all day.

I hope I get used to this soon.

Fall Already?

It doesn't bode well for summer lately.

SRAM XX, First Ride.

[great frame to hang the world's lightest MTB group on]

So, I had the chance to ride a Scott Spark with XX the other day - uhhh, yes please! The bike wasn't my exact size and I just jumped on it at the trailhead, so there wasn't time to really dial it in for myself, but still... it was a good time.

The parts basically make you feel like you're in a World Cup race on a World Cup-worthy bike. It was very fun, with little or no issues to report with XX. The best part is probably the ability to stay in the big ring (depending on your legs) for much of the riding. You can even big-big all day long. It keeps front shifting (which is still the best I've felt on an MTB) to a minimum and lets you concentrate on the trail ahead.

[XX Elixir brakes - ooh, juicy]

[10spd RD with Exact Actuation, hello XC riders!]

[stout FD with over 40 variations of clamps and mounts - your bike should be covered]


[Absalon-like Fulcrum Red Metal Zeros, very nice]

[and this 9 hour milled out Red-like cassette - so choice, expensive, and light as all get out]

Morning Meetings.

I have a meeting scheduled for 2 hours today with this guy.

Stone Arch Bridge.

Ok, there's almost no denying that MN is one of the top summer places (and perhaps winter as well). Hot days and cool nights, with many many "lakes" right in the middle of the city. They play hard all winter outside, and really gear up for summer fun too.

Want to rent a paddle boat or kayak on the lake? No problem. Would you like to do a century around a lake one day? I've heard of a few people doing this. Would you like to see an MLB game indoors? Ok, no one wants to do this, which is why next year they have a new outdoor stadium opening.

And this is the Stone Arch Bridge.

[this pis is from the weblink's site]

It's taken me a while to find out about it, but I know now. It's an old rail bridge that, at the time, was the only thing crossing the Mississippi (boy that pnemonic device from gradeschool comes in handy!). Now, it's a bit small for real traffic, so they have turned it into a pedestrian and cyclist crossing. It's pretty cool, with literal "ruins" down below it on the riverfront (which people can explore).

[there's a ton of spillway and a huge set of locks]