Too early, too far, too hard

Some things have to be relearned over and over.

Today wasn't a perfect day. It was pretty close to perfect for March 15 but the recent run of 4 of 5 days with all time record high temperatures has some of us acting a little picky. It was nice enough to induce me to attempt the 8 lakes tour.

So here is something never ever before seen on this blog. Here is a picture of Sucker Lake taken on March 15.There is quite a bit of ice still apparent on the lake.

And here is the jewel of the northern lakes, Lake Vadnais.Visible in that photo is about all of the snow pack I came across during today's ride. It was cold on the downwind side of both of those lakes.

Both Sucker and Vadnais have pavement. In both cases the pavement is a remnant of what was at one time a public street running through the park past the two lakes. It isn't really a street anymore and as such does not receive regular maintenance during the winter. That's northern climate talk for they don't plow the snow. As a result during a usual winter the snow accumulates in what is, for both lakes, a pretty deep woods environment. A thick and heavy snow pack forms. Come spring the reopening of those roads has been one of the last signs that winter has been defeated.

There was just this one spot on the Vadnais portion of the road that I was concerned about. There is a short stretch just before my usual ride arrives at the parking lot where the road turns from its usual north-south orientation and runs briefly west to east. This short stretch (pictured above) is in the shade of a substantial growth of mature pine. Usually the snow lingers in that spot.

The ride report for this earliest ever ride out to Vadnais is in all honesty today's ride was too early, too far, too hard.

But the only way the restore the desired level of fitness is to do the work. No one was injured, I didn't have to call for assistance, the bicycle is back in the garage. It was too, too, too but it was good. It's a process.