Yesterday was a strange day.  It started pretty tame.  We got loaded up after spending a great week with Dennis, getting in some great skiing and nice walks in the woods.  Bill, Trudi, Bromont and I were all in my van, with Bill’s car at the MSP airport parking, left there by the Walberg’s, who left on New Year’s Day.

We stopped in Spooner, at Alley Cats Coffee, then headed south to Minneapolis.  We didn’t have any problem finding Bill’s car and then we kept going south on I-35.  I had been trying to get ahold of Michael Fatka, since we were driving through Ames around dinner time, but hadn’t been having much luck.

About an hour North of Ames, Trudi’s phone rang and it was Ed Bauman, the guy that pretty much got me into the sport of bike racing.  Ed lives in El Segundo, CA, and is about as hard to find as a Ivory-billed woodpecker sometimes.  Ed had been MIA for a couple months and it was good hearing his voice.

Then about 45 minutes later, Michael calls, right when we’re at the Ames interstate exit and tells me Tim Hinz, a good friend and former Levis team mate, is in Ames too.  So we arrange to meet them at Panera and exit.  Michael showed up a few minutes later, then Tim.

It got me a little worried talking to Ed, seeing Michael, plus Tim, nearly the same time.  I’m just a little superstitious, enough that something felt either in align or misaligned, I wasn’t sure.  But, it seems like a weird trifecta of odd occurrences.  We sat there about an hour talking and then headed south.

I knew the weather was going to get bad.  I got a text from Vincent saying that I-70 was closed, nearly the whole way across the state of Kansas.  Luckily, we weren’t driving on it much.

Just about at Kansas City, about an hour from my house, it started sleeting pretty good.  Plus, the temperatures was hovering just around freezing.  Pretty soon, it was all out snowing with the temperatures plummeting.  Pretty much all the way from Kansas City to Topeka, on I-70, it was ugly.  I’m not sure how slick it actually was, but it looked pretty icy.

Exiting at Topeka, it became apparent how bad it was.  It was solid ice with a thin layer of snow on top.  Any little hill became nearly impassible.   Bill crept to our house to get his stuff out of the van and then headed home.  It was around 11:30.  I felt super stressed out, my shoulder and neck muscles were toast.   I was super happy I didn’t have any farther to drive.

It took a little bit to empty the van in the snow.  I then went down to the building to shovel and put salt on the sidewalks.  I’m not big on throwing a bunch of salt down, but it was solid ice under snow, which makes for pretty horrible footing.  I finally got to bed around 2:30am.

We’re here for a day, then driving south to Austin with Vincent.  That is, of course, depending on whether Vincent can get here from Denver today.  I’m sure I-70 is much better than last night, but it can be pretty ugly in these conditions.  Vincent has a new Sprinter, which, I assume, isn’t that great on ice in high winds.

Okay, I’m hunkered in for the morning.  There is a cyclocross, The Soudal Classic at Leuven, live in an hour, at 8 am CST.  .  Click here for the links.   KU is playing basketball later this afternoon.  I might ride inside during the game.

Other than that, I”m just going to sort and wash some clothes, then repack for the next week in Texas.

The gang back together at Panera.

Tim, Michael and Pete, Michael’s new dog.

Mena, BIll’s dog, ready to leave Cable.

Trudi and Bromont were tired from their morning romp in the Northwoods.

Alley Cats, my all time favorite coffeshop, in Spooner, Wisconsin.

Upon arriving back in Topeka, it was super ugly.

I didn’t think I’d be really posting this, but I am flying to Seattle today to “cat sit” for a week.  More than a week, until next Sunday.  Keith and Catherine Walberg are taking a vacation and needed a cat sitter, so of course, I was thought of.  I was a little hesitant about doing it, but figured I could multitask when I’m there, so I decided, “Why not?”

I was torn whether to bring my MTB bike or road bike, but decided on road.  My MTB needs some TLC and I can’t really see riding it exclusively for the next 10 days.  The weather in Seattle doesn’t look too great.  Like rain everyday.  But what I learned is that there is nearly always a window, if you have all day, that it clears and you can stay relatively dry if you just wait it out.

Trudi is flying from Minneapolis and hanging until Thursday.  She is leaving Bromont with Dennis.  It’s his favorite place on the planet, so he’ll be good.

I brought a full extra bag for medical bills.  I’m going to finally sort through them all and try to actually figure out what I’m paying for what.  It is so weird getting 5 or more pieces of mail for each and every charge.  And what they deny and approve is beyond my understanding.  I’m sure I’ll understand more in the next few days and will post my observations/ most likely frustrations, here.

The weather in Kansas took a turn.  It was in the upper 70’s a couple days ago and then it was in the upper 30’s yesterday for the ride.  We did a mid afternoon ride yesterday and 7 showed, which was great for a school day.  We rode nearly 50 miles at a 20 mph average.  It seemed so much harder with the cold.  I pulled the whole way.  I’ve had the opportunity to get in way more miles than the guys I ride with at home, so everyone else is in January form.  I was a little blown when we finished.

I got a ride with Catherine to the airport.  It’s nice that I don’t have to leave a car in long term parking, even though it is cheap compared to the rest of the country.  I think it is $7 a day now.  It used to be $3, then $5, now $7.  Midwest prices.  Trudi is going to pick me up on her way back from Wisconsin.

I was a little worried about hauling all my stuff onto the train to get to downtown, but Keith is leaving their car at the airport in Seattle, so it will be super easy.  It would have been a good test for my hip.  I need to start trying to walk carrying some weight.

Okay, guess women’s cross Worlds was good today.  Won’t be a spoiler here if you didn’t get a chance to check out the race.  It’s a close finish.  American junior phenom, Gage Hecht, finished just 3 seconds off the podium in 4th.  Pretty great year he’s had this season.

Alright, it is raining right now as I sit at the airport, turning to snow soon.  I guess I’m getting a little preview what “my weather” is going to be the next 9 days.  I guess should get some practice cornering in the wet. I wonder if the Rocket Ride is going on. I have a week to train.

My suitcase full of medical bills.

Catherine got random searched at TSA. She seems pretty okay with it.

Raining pretty consistent.

How about this forecast? At least I’m not on the East coast. Just heard Boston is supposed to get another foot of snow soon.

A couple of my cats, the black one, protecting their turf yesterday, from the yellow cat below. They usually get along pretty good, but yesterday, something must have been going on.