The good news is winter is probably over. I mean it snowed yesterday, but not enough to ski on or anything. There has been a lot of news lately; besides President Biden getting elected, the vaccine distribution for the Covid-19 virus and yours truly moving once again, Derek Chauvin was just found guilty on all three counts against him - Keith Ellison said it well: "George Floyd's life mattered."
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| Peyton Scott Russell mural, Lake Street, Minneapolis, 3-21. Photo by Michael McKinney. |
Since October I have been riding my bicycle and keeping busy, probably not reading as much as I would like, (I read The Goldfinch last year and loved it, so far this year The Rub of Time is a big favorite), and still working on getting a few good bread recipes together for myself.
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| Lake of the Isles ski trail, Minneapolis. 2-21. Photo by Michael McKinney. |
The fishing has been good for me this spring, maybe a bit of redemption after not doing as well as I would have liked in Colorado. The fishing could always be better, but it is funny how quickly 6 hours of not catching anything can turn into the best day of the year. I read some author who said all fishermen are unwilling optimists, in that they eternally expect to catch something more significant than their last day on the water - most never do, but that never stops them from trying.
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| Sabo Bridge Sunset, 11-20. Photo by Michael McKinney |
Hiawatha Bike Trail, 12-20. Photo by Michael McKinney
Selfie, Houlton WI, 12-20. Photo by Michael McKinney
In any case, the winter cycling was not without some challenges this year. I got caught in a pretty gnarly blizzard, and needed to commute about 5 miles through it on the night before Christmas Eve. My studded tires are great for some winter conditions, (packed snow on road surfaces, infrequent ice patches, fresh snow less than 2" deep), but this was a substantial snow fall with high winds. I came off my bike three or four times on the way home, either to dismount and carry the bike over snowdrifts or sliding out on areas where wind had pushed away all of the snow and left a solid ice surface over the roadway.
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| Sky blue sky, Minneapolis, MN. 12-20. Photo by Michael McKinney |
Anyway, that was one commute home. On another commute, a familiar bike path had frozen over completely, with solid ice rutted and deep enough to thwart my studded tires. I washed out pretty hard that night, and on one other occasion as well.
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| Sunset, North Cedar Trail, Minneapolis, MN. 11-20. Photo by Michael McKinney |
After 8 years of trusting the studded tires on my cyclocross bike to get me through winter commuting, I think I will try something different next year - outfitting my 29er mountain bike with studded tires is probably the right choice.
As far as the here and now goes, it is April again, and that means 30 Days of Biking. Today is day 20 and I am not riding nearly as much as last year's furlough-enabled 1,000 miles. Being back at work has been rewarding and challenging, and I feel fortunate to be able to do the things I enjoy while being employed. There was a recent traffic ticket for "entering an intersection on a red light", but maybe I will talk about that some other day.
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| Chonky brown trout; Rush River, Pierce Country, WI, 4-21. Photo by Michael McKinney. |
Today is a pretty good day.
