Monthly Archives: September 2013

Up North for Chequamegon

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Yesterday was a long day. I spent most of the morning getting a MRI done on my hand and then trying to get a disc of it to send off. I quickly packed, picked up Bill and started driving. For some reason the drive seemed to take way too long. We stopped in Minneapolis for some burritos, got some latex, coffee, muffins, and other than that didn’t wast much time.

We didn’t get up here until 11:30. Dennis’ dog Hawkeye wouldn’t let Dennis sleep through the arrival. Bromont and Meena, Bill’s dog love it up here. So there romped around until well after midnight.

Dennis gave me a little tour of the projects he’s done the last month. He’s been a busy beaver. A new roof over the entrance to his house, replaced the beams to a deck on the primitive living lodge, plus re-roofed the building. I’m usually the instigator of these type of things so I feel a little left out.

And he has been ordained as minister. Go figure that one out. The one requirement is that your age has to be over 13. He qualifies. He’s actually going to be doing the marriage of Jeff Bradley/Deb Wood in a month or so. I didn’t know you could just become clergy by mail. He’s thinking about the ways to take his property off the tax rolls. It is a little piece of heaven, so it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch.

Bill won’t roll out of bed for another hour. He’s a sleeper. Katie Eriksen is coming here at noon. We’re going to ride the whole course today. Catherine is driving up tonight. She never gets here very early before the race anymore. She has been slammed at work, very stressed, so this should be a good release for her. I’m totally up in the air about my hand situation. I’ve been sticking my thumb into an ice bath. I might try to tape it some today. Maybe I just won’t shift much, if any, today. Then I have two more days for it to feel better.

Okay, Bromont is trying to get me to go walk in the woods with him some.

This is pretty much everywhere in a hospital before 6 am.

This is pretty much everywhere in a hospital before 6 am.

I ripped my arm up mowing on a thorn bush before we left.

I ripped my arm up mowing on a thorn bush before we left.

Finally got the physical MRI disc.

Finally got the physical MRI disc.

We saw this fish truck in Iowa on the way up.

We saw this fish truck in Iowa on the way up.

Dennis' new roof addition.  Finally, no ice on the porch in the winter.

Dennis’ new roof addition. Finally, no ice on the porch in the winter.

He replaced these beams too to match the porch on his house.

He replaced these beams too to match the porch on his house.

New shingles on the primitive living lodge.  I like the red accent.

New shingles on the primitive living lodge. I like the red accent.

Wood pile for after the race.  10 loggers cords.  It is really nice oak.  We'll see how my shoulder and hand like this.

Wood pile for after the race. 10 loggers cords. It is really nice oak. We’ll see how my shoulder and hand like this.

Father Kruse's official swag.

Father Kruse’s official swag.

Stacie suggested I do this, so I am.  We'll see if it helps.  It's really cold.

Stacie suggested I do this, so I am. We’ll see if it helps. It’s really cold.

Thumb is Jacked

This entry was posted in Comments about Cycling, Just Life on by .

Well, that isn’t completely true. Yesterday I did the whole Chequamegon course and I can’t really say that I can complain about how much my thumb worked and hurt. It sort of worked and was only pretty painful most of the time. I did a bunch of shifting with my left hand. But, it worked. I was riding pretty good, nearly great, so I can’t say that yesterday went badly.

But, when I got back to the ranch, I got a message from Stacie that she “needed” to talk to me. I did really have a clue about what that was going to be about because I sent her the MRI and it wasn’t going to be there until Saturday. But, she had usurped that process and directly called the radiologist that had read the MRI. It was bad news. Lots of things wrong. Pretty wrong. At least wrong enough that someone is going to have to cut into it to make it work. I have an email from her this morning already saying I need to call her. Probably not more great news.

So, I’m a bit overwhelmed. In denial. I think I’m just going to let it soak in a little.

I did get to ride 3 hours yesterday in the woods. The Chequamegon course is faster than shit. Too fast for me. Bill and I rode the course from Rosie’s Field to the finish in 2:25 and we weren’t even riding hard. It rained a bunch two nights ago so the ground was perfect. I was riding a semi-slick rear tire and it didn’t slip once.

Really this race isn’t for a guy like me anymore. I need a more technical course. If the course was the same as it was even 10 years ago, it would be fine. I’m riding well enough. At least at 75%. I rode the Fire Tower Climb in my big ring the whole way. It was a smidgen loose the last pitch, but nothing to be concerned about. It depends how animated the guys are tomorrow, but if it is rolling along good, the race will be under 2 hours, which will be a course record. I’m not much into course records for MTB races. Here, the course changes some every year. This year it is shorter the last couple miles, so the finish is much faster than previously.

Hopefully I don’t get too excited today and start tomorrow tired. I’m tired this morning, but that is always the case after riding 50 miles on a MTB bike. Okay, I guess I need to make the call and get the news.

Some pictures.

Wrapping job.

Wrapping job.

Bill and Chap by Lake Helaine.

Bill and Chap by Lake Helaine.

These boxes of fresh vegetables are down at the Ideal Market. Chris Ransom grows the vegetables.

These boxes of fresh vegetables are down at the Ideal Market. Chris Ransom grows the vegetables.

I knew the River's Eatery was going to be slammed when I pulled up to the parking lot.

I knew the River’s Eatery was going to be slammed when I pulled up to the parking lot.

And it was slammed.  Beth and Mick hardly had time to breathe.

And it was slammed. Beth and Mick hardly had time to breathe.