Bicycling becomes sole diversion

Here's a summary from my bike log with some additional comments:

Wednesday: curling (final outing of the season)
Thursday: too cold
Friday: hockey (our favorite team loses to end their season)

So curling is over and hockey is over, it looks like this bicycling thing is going to take center stage.

I'm okay with that.

It is Saturday and I tried to ride my mid-season Saturday ride. I am not ready.

I did not have to lay along side the road and call for a ride home but I did have to take it pretty easy on the way home. I had totally forgotten that hills are hard.

Last year I rode out to Vadnais and back at least once at about this same point in the very early season. Last year the first time I went through there the road in Sucker Lake park was still ice covered in one spot. Today the park is still not officially open, I had to ride around the gate to get in. There were lots of walkers, though, and even a couple of other bicycles but no ice on the road.

I stopped and got a picture of the lake, looking north towards a patch of open water.On the way out of the park I passed by the most dangerous place to park in the Twin Cities metro area. There is a parking lot tucked into a grove of trees on the south side of the lake. It is hidden from the street by the trees and is furthermore somewhat isolated from the nearest houses. It seems like every time I ride there I see a new pile of car window glass in that parking lot where another car burglary has occurred. Today there were two new piles, indicating two recent smash and grabs. Don't park there is my advice.

Vadnais was also closed. This park is completely fenced so there would be no riding around the gate to gain entrance to that park. However, there is a pedestrian gate and that was open so in I went, hoping that the gate at the far end would also be open. There were two patches of completely ice and snow covered road, the first a span of about 30 yards just inside the gate, the second a span of perhaps 50 yards as I neared the parking area. I had to get off and walk my bicycle for both of those hazards. The gate at the bottom end was open and I got out of the park, and as many of you will know, immediately plunged into the hilliest portion of the ride. Hills are hard.

I am pretty sure walking my bike across the ice means I am pushing the season. I do know that it plays havoc with your average speed. I make no apology, I love my bicycles and as of last evening, bicycling is my only diversion.