kuso

Our city is lagging in making cycle-friendly routes to popular places in the area but they are slowly working at it. I got news that a new bridge was built to finish off a path going from downtown to Birdshill park about 30kms away. Went to go check it out today and spent the day at the lake.

southpawboston

Thanks, guys. Here are some more from this morning's foggy, misty ride over the mountain separating my village from the village of Bovina, named after its dairy farming origins. Although most of the farms are gone, many of the families in the village are 4th and 5th generation descendents of the original settlers.

dueroute, if you'll notice, Russel's store in the last picture has been continuously run since 1823, and has had the current name since 1919. The current owner is a Russel. Also note the old single-room schoolhouse. I've found three of them in the area so far. Two have been converted into cottages and are currently occupied, while the one below appear abandoned.











Bovina Museum:


Russel's store:

due ruote 

Gorgeous shots, SPB. I'm not sure I'd get much riding in with all the great photo opps.

scozim 

Unbelievable country! Thanks for the photos.

iab

There is this race, called the Firehouse 50. It is a 50-mile road-race through the Chequamegon National Forest (pay attention because at the end of my posts there will be a chance to win prizes). Last time I raced in it was 2010. The 2012 race is this Saturday, but I had to come home from vacation today, Thursday. I had bad timing last year too. Anyhow, I rode the course a few times this week and one time I took pictures. I hope you like it.

Our place is 10 miles up the road from the start, but I have ordered the pictures from beginning to end of the race. The race starts in Grand View, on County D. It also starts with a 5-mile climb up the Great Divide. There is a picture later that explains the Great Divide but it basically separates the Great Lakes water basin from the Mississippi River water basin.. The first 3.5 miles is pretty ho-hum but the last 1.5 miles makes you work.

It is a rolling start uphill,





The official start is at the Great Divide ballpark,





And then you go up, but be careful of the extremely large, plague-carrying rats,









Pay attention, this is a key part to winning a prize,

iab

Then more going up,

iab

Then it is 5 miles downhill to Lake Namakagon,



Lake Namakagon,





Anderson Island is where our place is at,



Egret nest, with babies,



More Lake Namakagon,





The local watering hole, the Loon Saloon,

iab

Home of the Bionic Burger, and some good ribs, Pla-Mor



Swanky new digs being built,



More Lake Namakagon. The road is very windy and rough but flat as a pancake,





After about 15 miles of County D, it is about 10 miles of County M to Cable. Pretty straight west, typically into the wind. Curvy with plenty of rollers.



Lakewoods, a nice resort on Lake Namakagon, the pond in front is not the lake,






Signage around the lake typically looks like this. Put up in the 50s it tells how far to a person’s cottage,

iab

Back on M to Cable,



The Namakagon River, Mt Telemark, home of the Birkebeiner and Fat Tire 40 off in the distance,





Entering Cable. They have a museum. Not bad for a town of 800.





Home of the Fat Tire 40,





The roads behind Cable are twisting with steep rollers,

iab

The obligatory upshot of me,



Then you turn onto Lake Owen road for about 15 miles. Lake Owen is the rich lake. Big places. SC Johnson and Sons (think Windex ™ ) have a place there. The frist 10 miles the roads are like butta. I think the last time County D was repaved was 20 years ago. I’m not bitter, just jealous.









The road is highly technical with extremely steep rollers that are frequent and constant. I think they prove the inaccuracy of GPS systems like MapMyRide and Strava. On those maps it looks much easier than reality.



This is what the forest looks like when you ride by,



More Lake Owen Road,

iab

More Lake Owen Road,





You turn off of Lake Owen onto Hwy 63 in Drummond. I’d take a picture of Drummond but it is only a gas station and a supper club, not much there. But it is essentially 8 miles downhill to Grand View, the end. You are heading east and the wind is behind you. Solo, 20 minutes is pretty easy, with a group of 50 riders in the race, it is covered in 15 minutes. As the tempo increases in the race, riders get careless and crash. Hasn’t happened to me <knocks wood>. Hwy 63 doesn’t have much traffic, a 4-foot shoulder and a motorcycle escort in the race, but when you are riding solo, a logging truck passing you at 60 mph is freaky.







Beautiful, downtown Grand View,



The road to our place,



600 sq. ft. of luxuary,



Cooling my toes at the end of the ride,





Now for the contest. The first person to come up to me at the Dairyland Dare and correctly pronounce the word, “Chequamegon”, will receive a nice shiny 5-dollar bill.

gomango

Nice pics Iab,

I'm coming for your money, palm up.

WNG

Wow, some beautiful posts of country road rides!

scozim 

Like Southpawboston I'm home for the weekend to help my dad who just fractured the lower portion of his knee joint in a fall. Been wanting to do a 22.5 mile loop for years that has some decent 8-9% climbs and got the chance today. Photos from the wheat country of eastern Washington

Almost time for harvest:




Part way up the first big climb:



The low point of the ride:



Looking at the bottom of the 2nd steep climb:

northbend 

^ Nice! where is this scozim? Looks like an area I'd like to check out.

scozim 

It's Whitman County - Colfax and Pullman area. Lots of rolling roads and wheat fields and mix of gravel and paved roads. One good climb is up Steptoe Butte - 1200 feet gain in 3 miles. Was a great place to ride when growing up.

jimmuller 

No pics today. We did 18.4 miles on the tandem. The thermometer said only about 90degF but the humdidity felt like 110%. The dew point must be 20 degrees higher than the temperature. Did I mention that it was humid?

I've been recovering from a mild chest cold, and yow I was wiped out almost immediately. Did I mention how humid it was?

JJScaliger

Yeah, super humid here in RI too. I did 34 miles before work this morning.

2.5 miles on one of my favorite dirt roads.

northbend 

About 50 miles this morning on my fixed gear. Out on pavement, back on dirt rail trails. No Pics today

jbchybridrider 

Just a few shots from today's ride. 90km's through the Adelaide hills, got court out in some heavy rain I never wanted the Ricardo to see but she'll clean up.

WNG

Now that's very cool!

JJScaliger

52 miles today. Hot and humid!





Some dirt-the road rises to meet me



My new saddle bag, arundel tubi



I was able to squeeze in my Rally spare, just barely. One review of this bag said that it was easier to fit in better tires because they are more pliable. Although I'm glad I put a sock around my spare, since when I made the switch there was a hole in the sock where the buckle of the toe strap held it. I think this bag is a major improvement. Not too expensive.

seedsbelize 

Another 111 km ride on Golden Boy. We got out at 5 AM today, and returned at noon, before the really heavy heat set in. The place we like to eat has extremely slow service and extremely good food, so we live with it. I.5 hours to order and eat. First hour and a half in the dark--a great way to begin a ride. One of these weeks I might remember to bring the camera.

File photo

jbchybridrider 

That was in the small town of Birdwood. The pub is across the road from the national motor museum

northbend 

Sundays' ride was on a classic trail called the Plains of Abraham at Mount St. Helens. This out n back trail started with a steady climb up a ridgeline thru a narrow band of old growth forest that somehow survived the eruption of 1980.

When the trail skirted the west side of the ridge, you had views of St. Helens.

While riding along the east side of the ridge, Mt. Adams, also close enough you thought you could poke it with a stick. This is where we reached the blast area.

The trail was covered in pumice which made traction kinda tricky going uphill - felt like riding on kitty litter.

This area is finally bouncing back from the events of the 1980 eruption that scoured the landscape - brought in my winds and whatever animals pooped, wildflowers now bloom on many of the slopes.


We picked the hottest day so far this year to ride. Good thing we carried lots of water. The wind help keep us cool until we reached woods again. That trail we climbed up was really fun to descend. A perfct way to end another epic day in the mountains.