A nice day to zip around on a bike

I woke up shortly after six this morning to the sound of birds starting to sing outside my window. It finally feels like spring time.  The snow is pretty much melted, and I'm back from my travels, so I pumped up the tires on my MB-0 (zip) to bike to work today. Although I'm slow and sluggish, my bike was quick, so it was a fun ride. 

A very wintry 30 days of biking

Well, I'm failing at #30daysofbiking, after just a few days. I had to go up to Turtle Mountains for a  for work, and found that my bike would not fit in my state fleet vehicle, so I just gave up and went for walks. When I got back to town, it was cold and snowy, so I went to the YMCA and biked indoors. Yesterday, I finally got back outside on my fatbike for a loop around Fargo-Moorhead after work, checking out the Gooseberry trails along the way. I saw this neat little shelter someone had built and it reminded me of how my sister and I once built a shelter out of driftwood out near Delta Junction up in Alaska. Whenever we returned to that campground, we would check to see if it was still standing. 

Biked to the Bison on a Snowy Day

You've heard of "the agony of defeat," but have you heard of the agony of de seat? That's what I was feeling on the second day of #30daysofbiking, but I was glad to be using my bike to get to work at North Dakota State University on a snowy morning. I parked my fatbike in the rack by the Bison sculpture, whose posture suggests he is trudging on through a storm--inspiration for the ride home. 

Day 1 of 30 Days of Biking

Although it is still below freezing, and we still have plenty of snow, I chose to bike instead of skiing  because #30daysofbiking begins today. I dragged my fat tire bike out of the basement, pumped up the tires, put on a helmet, and set out. Little did I know I was about to play a little "April Fools" joke on myself.

It was nice to have that blank canvas experience with the bike--I was really surprised that no biker, let alone pedestrian, had been on the sidewalk leading up to the water treatment plant. I rode over and followed the bike path to the bridge that connects Lindenwood Park (in Fargo) with Gooseberry Park (in Moorhead). From there, I had access to the single track trails in the woods by the river. The new snow from our two consecutive snowstorms made me glad I was on a fat tire bike, but was not too challenging.

Nevertheless, I noticed that my balance was not the greatest. This could be because 1) I was never a very good technical rider, even when I used to race 2) I have not been on a bike in a long while, and/or 3) This fat tire bike handles differently than the Bridgestone MB-zip that I've spent more time on. Little did I know that it was actually #4 (which I didn't figure out until I had headed home). Anyway, I had fun rediscovering how to ride on snow and not grip the handlebars so tightly. Although some dog walkers had widened the trail, there were a few sections with just the bike tires to follow. I felt wobbly, but did OK following them, until I just spun out, lost control of my bike, and almost hit a tree.

Oops!

I decided to turn back at that point, also because I knew I would have a very sore rear end tomorrow anyway. As I was riding home, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to put in my contacts after my nap and left my glasses by my bed. I was so excited to wear my sunglasses that I forgot that they are not a prescription pair, so basically, I had been doing this whole ride without being able to see well (#4). Nice little April Fools joke on myself. Getting older comes with free entertainment.

I'm smiling, but I can't really see anything.