Latin (tem-pu̇s-ˈfü-git): Time Flies
Stuff about stuff
We arrive at Magpie Campground and check out the trail a bit. It seems OK to ride so we gear up and get ready to go. Just as we’re leaving it starts to drizzle. About 3.6km into the ride its quite muddy on the trail and the drizzle is more like rain. With the memories of last year’s mud fest still fresh, we turn back. Plan B, road ride in the park.
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Well we’ve finished breakfast and we’re on the road to the MDH trail. Normally, we’d be in the dark but with Perkins not bring open all night we were delayed a couple of hours and can actually see where we’re going. Unfortunatly what we’re seeing is a light mist and solid overcast skies. Wet trails are bad news but this time we have a backup plan. There is a 20 mile paved loop in the Theadore Roosevelt National Park.
Right now we’re heading up to the Magpie campground to check trail conditions them we’ll make the call.
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In a few short hours I’ll be setting off on an overnight drive to Medora North Dakota and the Maah Daah Hey trail for two and a half days of fabulous mountain bike single track ridding.
Not sure how many of the “boys” will be making the trip or exactly what sections of the 100 mile trail we’ll be riding, but its all good! I’m pumped!
Expect some random tweets and posts over the next couple of days about our adventure.
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Just a little bit of excitement downtown today. Shorty before 5pm there was a fairly large fire in an apartment complex downtown.
In fact this apartment fire was right behind the IBM building at 400 Ellice Ave. between it and Portage Place. As I walked over from the GWL offices at 444 St Mary I could see the thick black smoke pouring over the top of Portage Place. I walked up the back lane where lots of people were milling about looking at the fire and all the police and firemen on the scene. This back alley behind the IBM building is where the lockup cage for my bike is located. After changing into my riding gear and taking a few photos I head down to get my bike from the cage only to find that the whole area is cordoned off with “Do No Cross” police tape. I speak to an office about trying to get my bike, but it’s no-go. They are concerned that the fire might spread to a very large power transformer that is right on the edge of the alley across from where my bike is and cause an explosion.
After about a 1/2 hour wait the officer calls me over and I get escorted over to get my bike. We have a brief chat, and I’m on my way. Something a little out of the ordinary, that’s for sure!
This years fireworks at the annual Harbourfest celebration were the best ever. Some of the displays were very spectacular and they had some great combinations of simultaneous low and high she action that was very effective. The phone snapshot does not do the event justice.
Kenora Harbourfest fireworks display
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Normally, the floating dock or swim platform would have been set in place much earlier in the year, but I needed to build some new “anchors” to replace the huge rock that got away last year.
To replace the rock, this year there are three five gallon pails filled with rocks held together with cement and an eye bolt for attaching the chain.
These three pails, each weighing 100+ lbs. are linked together on the end of a 50′ chain. I’ve positioned them at one end of the dock for launching, and they are causing the dock to seriously dip down in the water.
Once in position the pails were edged very close to the edge and then pushed over. It’s quite calm today so the true test will come on a day with a strong south-west wind, then we will see if the new anchor system hold.
Immediately upon splashing into the water this huge group of pelicans comes over for a look.
Surprisingly, they don’t seem afraid and actually swim closer for a better look and hang around the dock for 15-20 minutes.
On the weekend we were out on the lake boating back to the cottage after finding a geocache on Strawberry Island and we noticed a large number of birds on the shore of another island. We headed over and counted in excess of 10 eagles, a number of turkey vultures and half a dozen pelicans, all fighting over some fish remains on the shore.
The funny part was that as we approached the eagles moved off to perch in near by trees and while they watched the pelicans returned and one of them made off with the fish!
However, all of this action provided a great opportunity to get some good shots of the eagles and pelicans. The sun was out and the afternoon was warm as we floated over a sand bar before heading for home. Our little boat isn’t quite like this one, but it’s taken us on some great adventures on the lake. All in all a great afternoon on beautiful Lake of the Woods.
First road ride at the lake this year was a little more interesting that some. I followed the usual route of heading out Storm Bay Road, east on Hwy 17 and then taking the bypass, Hwy 17a west back towards Winnipeg and then turning back on Hwy 17 into Kenora, a stop at the Safeway Starbucks and back to Storm Bay.
What made this ride a little unusual was a flat, not just one flat but two! One flat on the rear at about 37km into the ride and the second on the front at about 73km, within 1-2 km of being back at the cottage. This little CO2 device is my new best friend on a ride. It’s the first time I’ve used one and it was very impressive. One little “pfssst” and the tire was at full pressure. This is in comparison to 100+ strokes on a mini-pump which never really reaches the preferred riding tire pressure. I did have a mini-pump with me as well and I used it fill out the tube on the first flat. Later in the ride I stopped at the LBS on Kenora and picked up a tube and some patches. This turned out to be a very good move. After a nice coffee at the Safeway Starbucks it was on towards home. This section of the highway has several rough gravel sections where they have torn up the road to put in new culverts across the highway. I’m blaming these rough gravel sections for at least one of the flats.
The annoying part of the ride, besides having two flats, was on the second flat I realized the mini-pump was missing in action. Fortunately the Air Kiss had enough left to fill the second flat as well. Later in the day we drove back to the place where I changed the first flat expecting to find the pump, but no luck. It’s now on the shopping list with a couple of more CO2 cartridges.
Took this photo a couple of days ago when it was very sunny and warm on a lunchtime walk. Not like tonight where it’s trying hard to snow again! Noooooo!
