Dawn to Dusk 2012 - Complete.
Another 200 mile day in the bank.
Dennis and I got up at 3:45am on Saturday for the drive up to Lakeville.
We arrived with plenty of time (could have gotten another 15 minutes of sleep, dang).
We loaded the suburban with several coolers and lots of duffle bags.
We had about 18 to start, so after a quick (dark) pitcture, we headed out.
By the time we got out of Lakeville, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon.
We rolled along nicely all the way to Northfield. Here we picked up a bunch (30+) riders while at the same time a couple of the early starters headed back to Lakeville. They were not planning on riding the whole day anyway.
Things got a bit confusing for Dennis, as it was hard for him to figure out who was riding 200 and who was just tagging along for awhile. And as the group split up, he got behind several slower riders and lost contact with the D to D group for a few minutes.
But as the Northfield group turned off, Dennis caught back up with us on Cty 1 heading for Pine Island.
We stopped in Pine Island, got some water and food (either from the coolers or from Kwik Trip), then headed for Mazzepa. Another quick stop at Chefy's, but he wasn't home so we didn't hang out there.
Then on to Zumbro Falls and north, east, and north to Lake City. Where we stopped again at the lookout spot near the marina. After another refuel, we headed down 61 to Wabasha. We had a nice pace going and the group stayed right together the whole way.
Steve had to break off at Lake City, but he would catch us again in Cannon Falls.
Lars also left the group at Lake City as his back was giving him some trouble.
Dennis offered up the passenger seat, but Lars had already called for someone to pick him up.
At Wabasha, Ted's in-laws had a terrific picnic lunch setup for us, with sloppy joes, chips, pickles, watermelon, honey-dew, grapes, cookies, and rice krispy bars. Yummy!
Always a fantastic meal. Many, many thanks to Sandy and Lynn for their gratious efforts.
Quite a few guys brought a kit change and swapped out the morning kit for a fresh one at Wabasha. Next year, I'm doing that as well (if we have a SAG). That was a smart thing to do for such a long day in the saddle.
Anyway, across the Mississippi to Nelson and then north on 35 (i think) to Pepin, Stockton, Maiden Rock, and Bay City.
With 120 miles or more in our legs, everyone felt the 1.8 mile hill just before Bay City. The group split a bit, but I felt pretty good. Here is where you need to not get too fired up, because it is still a long way to Lakeville and you don't want to burn all your matches. So I settled into a nice pace and made my way to the top.
On the way down, I ended up catching up to Mike, but I couldn't see Edger and one other rider who had crested the hill ahead of me.
We stopped again in Bay City and regrouped and recharged, then it was across the bridge into Red Wing.
One more water stop before we hit the Cannon Valley Trail to Cannon Falls. Dennis went on ahead to meet us in Cannon Falls.
The trail was the long steady 21+ mph deathmarch it has been famous for, but we all arrived in Cannon Falls together.
Refuel and water, while some took advantage of the great chicken at the grocery store.
Then we were off for the final 30 miles, back to Randolph, and then on into Lakeville.
We arrived back in Lakeville with about 10 minutes of sunlight left.
I felt good all day and had plenty of energy as we rolled home.
What a great day, with great friends!!!
A BIG THANKS to Dennis for the all day support, it would not have been near as much fun without having him along.
Here are Ted's pics: http://www.silvercycling.org/slide_shows/DtoD_16/index.html
Dennis and I got up at 3:45am on Saturday for the drive up to Lakeville.
We arrived with plenty of time (could have gotten another 15 minutes of sleep, dang).
We loaded the suburban with several coolers and lots of duffle bags.
We had about 18 to start, so after a quick (dark) pitcture, we headed out.
By the time we got out of Lakeville, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon.
We rolled along nicely all the way to Northfield. Here we picked up a bunch (30+) riders while at the same time a couple of the early starters headed back to Lakeville. They were not planning on riding the whole day anyway.
Things got a bit confusing for Dennis, as it was hard for him to figure out who was riding 200 and who was just tagging along for awhile. And as the group split up, he got behind several slower riders and lost contact with the D to D group for a few minutes.
But as the Northfield group turned off, Dennis caught back up with us on Cty 1 heading for Pine Island.
We stopped in Pine Island, got some water and food (either from the coolers or from Kwik Trip), then headed for Mazzepa. Another quick stop at Chefy's, but he wasn't home so we didn't hang out there.
Then on to Zumbro Falls and north, east, and north to Lake City. Where we stopped again at the lookout spot near the marina. After another refuel, we headed down 61 to Wabasha. We had a nice pace going and the group stayed right together the whole way.
Steve had to break off at Lake City, but he would catch us again in Cannon Falls.
Lars also left the group at Lake City as his back was giving him some trouble.
Dennis offered up the passenger seat, but Lars had already called for someone to pick him up.
At Wabasha, Ted's in-laws had a terrific picnic lunch setup for us, with sloppy joes, chips, pickles, watermelon, honey-dew, grapes, cookies, and rice krispy bars. Yummy!
Always a fantastic meal. Many, many thanks to Sandy and Lynn for their gratious efforts.
Quite a few guys brought a kit change and swapped out the morning kit for a fresh one at Wabasha. Next year, I'm doing that as well (if we have a SAG). That was a smart thing to do for such a long day in the saddle.
Anyway, across the Mississippi to Nelson and then north on 35 (i think) to Pepin, Stockton, Maiden Rock, and Bay City.
With 120 miles or more in our legs, everyone felt the 1.8 mile hill just before Bay City. The group split a bit, but I felt pretty good. Here is where you need to not get too fired up, because it is still a long way to Lakeville and you don't want to burn all your matches. So I settled into a nice pace and made my way to the top.
On the way down, I ended up catching up to Mike, but I couldn't see Edger and one other rider who had crested the hill ahead of me.
We stopped again in Bay City and regrouped and recharged, then it was across the bridge into Red Wing.
One more water stop before we hit the Cannon Valley Trail to Cannon Falls. Dennis went on ahead to meet us in Cannon Falls.
The trail was the long steady 21+ mph deathmarch it has been famous for, but we all arrived in Cannon Falls together.
Refuel and water, while some took advantage of the great chicken at the grocery store.
Then we were off for the final 30 miles, back to Randolph, and then on into Lakeville.
We arrived back in Lakeville with about 10 minutes of sunlight left.
I felt good all day and had plenty of energy as we rolled home.
What a great day, with great friends!!!
A BIG THANKS to Dennis for the all day support, it would not have been near as much fun without having him along.
Here are Ted's pics: http://www.silvercycling.org/slide_shows/DtoD_16/index.html
Go BIG or go home.
Dawn to Dusk 16 is tomorrow and I am really excitied about spending the day with great friends and great riders.
Sounds like we have a big group, around 17 or so. The record is 19, so we're close.
You never know if anyone will be a last-minute dropout or addition. We'll see tomorrow at 6:00am.
Dennis has gratiously offered to be our SAG driver, so we are both heading out of town around 4:00am to get to Lakeville with plenty of time to get things packed in the Suburban.
The weather sounds great, mid 80s for temp and winds from the ESE around 8 mph.
I think I'm physically ready (even though I don't have a record number of miles on).
For those who don't know D to D, it is a one day, 200 mile bicycle ride.
We start in Lakeville, then hit the following towns: Northfield, Pine Island, Mazeppa, Lake City, Wabasha, Nelson, Stockton, Maiden Rock, Bay City, Red Wing, Cannon Falls, Farmington, and back to Lakeville.
Having a SAG vehicle will be a big help with this many guys.
Thanks Dennis, for hanging out with us all day.
I hope I can get some sleep tonight...
Sounds like we have a big group, around 17 or so. The record is 19, so we're close.
You never know if anyone will be a last-minute dropout or addition. We'll see tomorrow at 6:00am.
Dennis has gratiously offered to be our SAG driver, so we are both heading out of town around 4:00am to get to Lakeville with plenty of time to get things packed in the Suburban.
The weather sounds great, mid 80s for temp and winds from the ESE around 8 mph.
I think I'm physically ready (even though I don't have a record number of miles on).
For those who don't know D to D, it is a one day, 200 mile bicycle ride.
We start in Lakeville, then hit the following towns: Northfield, Pine Island, Mazeppa, Lake City, Wabasha, Nelson, Stockton, Maiden Rock, Bay City, Red Wing, Cannon Falls, Farmington, and back to Lakeville.
Having a SAG vehicle will be a big help with this many guys.
Thanks Dennis, for hanging out with us all day.
I hope I can get some sleep tonight...
Finally, some good news.
Lil Ben started to wiggle his toes on his right side the other day!!!
So, either the treatment is working or he is starting to fight off the virus on his own.
With no other symptoms they let Bill and Cathy take Ben home yesterday.
He is such a good boy, the staff at St. Mary's were sad to see him go, but sleeping in his own bed will definately be better than the hospital (for Ben, Mom, and Dad).
They (the Doctors) never did determine what virus it was, they threw out names like polio, polio-like, West Nile, and others of that nature. But the tests they ran didn't indicate any of them. CDC was involved right away and did some follow up with their daycare. There is one test that takes several weeks to determine the answer for West Nile that they are waiting on, but either way Ben seems to be on the upswing.
While in the hospital, they gave him 5 treatments of IVIG (intervenious immune globulin), which is basically the antibodies of thousands of heathly people all mixed together and given to people with low immune systems, on a side note, the Research lab where I used to work was involved in a study where they were giving the same treatment (IVIG) to people with early symptoms of Alzheimers Disease.
Anyway, there is much more hope and several Doctors even told Bill and Cathy that "there is no reason he (Ben) will not make a complete recovery", so we continue to keep the little guy in our thoughts and prayers.
I think about Ben and Kathy so much, that is hard to really care about much else...
So, either the treatment is working or he is starting to fight off the virus on his own.
With no other symptoms they let Bill and Cathy take Ben home yesterday.
He is such a good boy, the staff at St. Mary's were sad to see him go, but sleeping in his own bed will definately be better than the hospital (for Ben, Mom, and Dad).
They (the Doctors) never did determine what virus it was, they threw out names like polio, polio-like, West Nile, and others of that nature. But the tests they ran didn't indicate any of them. CDC was involved right away and did some follow up with their daycare. There is one test that takes several weeks to determine the answer for West Nile that they are waiting on, but either way Ben seems to be on the upswing.
While in the hospital, they gave him 5 treatments of IVIG (intervenious immune globulin), which is basically the antibodies of thousands of heathly people all mixed together and given to people with low immune systems, on a side note, the Research lab where I used to work was involved in a study where they were giving the same treatment (IVIG) to people with early symptoms of Alzheimers Disease.
Anyway, there is much more hope and several Doctors even told Bill and Cathy that "there is no reason he (Ben) will not make a complete recovery", so we continue to keep the little guy in our thoughts and prayers.
I think about Ben and Kathy so much, that is hard to really care about much else...
Pile it on...
With everything that is going on, I don't think we need any more...
But the other day, Bill and Cathy noticed that Lil Ben wasn't putting his weight on his right leg or kicking it like he normally did.
They took him into the doctor and they immediately transferred him to Mayo Rochester.
So Bill, Cathy, and Ben are at St. Mary's hospital here in Rochester undergoing a number of tests.
They have ruled out blood clots and there is nothing broken, so now they are planning an MRI and to run some tests on some spinal fluid.
They have mentioned a virus, but have not gotten very specific about any one thing.
Poor little guy, he doesn't deserve any of this (nor does his parents).
But the other day, Bill and Cathy noticed that Lil Ben wasn't putting his weight on his right leg or kicking it like he normally did.
They took him into the doctor and they immediately transferred him to Mayo Rochester.
So Bill, Cathy, and Ben are at St. Mary's hospital here in Rochester undergoing a number of tests.
They have ruled out blood clots and there is nothing broken, so now they are planning an MRI and to run some tests on some spinal fluid.
They have mentioned a virus, but have not gotten very specific about any one thing.
Poor little guy, he doesn't deserve any of this (nor does his parents).
Lil Ben
Ben came over and stayed Friday night, as his mom and dad went out for supper and a concert for their anniversary.
My mom (Great Grandma) and Aunt Marie came over and helped watch the little guy.
He was very hungry and went through most of the milk, so we had to thaw some of the frozen milk.
He played and fussed, until about 7:30 or so, then it was jammy time and one last bottle. Aunt Marie had the magic touch, and soon it was all quiet.
He slept until about 11:00, then another bottle and it was lights out.
Bill and Cathy got home around midnight, so Mommy had everything taken care of from then on.
What a great little grandson!!!
My mom (Great Grandma) and Aunt Marie came over and helped watch the little guy.
He was very hungry and went through most of the milk, so we had to thaw some of the frozen milk.
He played and fussed, until about 7:30 or so, then it was jammy time and one last bottle. Aunt Marie had the magic touch, and soon it was all quiet.
He slept until about 11:00, then another bottle and it was lights out.
Bill and Cathy got home around midnight, so Mommy had everything taken care of from then on.
What a great little grandson!!!
Been awhile.
What can I say, it has been a busy couple of weeks.
With Kathy's surgery, then the recovery time, and then there is the drain care. So riding has been whenever I can get out. Mostly short rides late in the day.
But today, I did get to Chatfield. Unfortunately, they were having their summer celebration, so the town was packed. I was glad to get through without any problems.
Kathy had 2 of the 5 drain tubes removed last Wednesday, but the others will have to be next week.
It will great to be done with all of this...
D to D is fast approaching, so I hope I will be ready.
With Kathy's surgery, then the recovery time, and then there is the drain care. So riding has been whenever I can get out. Mostly short rides late in the day.
But today, I did get to Chatfield. Unfortunately, they were having their summer celebration, so the town was packed. I was glad to get through without any problems.
Kathy had 2 of the 5 drain tubes removed last Wednesday, but the others will have to be next week.
It will great to be done with all of this...
D to D is fast approaching, so I hope I will be ready.
Sat. 7/28
102 miles of up and downs (figuratively and literally).
Terry and JP mapped out a nice ride to the SE through Preston, Lansboro, and Eyota.
Lot's of hills and the temps started to ramp up as we were heading home.
We had a big group with 14 starting out and then a few turned off, as they needed to get back earlier.
The ride to Preston was fast and we even got a very nice paceline going.
We stopped in Preston for some water and food, then we headed to Lansboro.
After a quick stop in Lansboro we headed north and west.
This was a really long stretch without a stop, but we had a nice big group to share the load.
And we stayed all together to Eyota.
After a much needed water stop in Eyota, I felt much better for the last 10 miles back to Rochester.
The group split up as most headed back via the Gun Club Road, while Jeff, Steve, and I headed back on Cty 9.
Terry and JP mapped out a nice ride to the SE through Preston, Lansboro, and Eyota.
Lot's of hills and the temps started to ramp up as we were heading home.
We had a big group with 14 starting out and then a few turned off, as they needed to get back earlier.
The ride to Preston was fast and we even got a very nice paceline going.
We stopped in Preston for some water and food, then we headed to Lansboro.
After a quick stop in Lansboro we headed north and west.
This was a really long stretch without a stop, but we had a nice big group to share the load.
And we stayed all together to Eyota.
After a much needed water stop in Eyota, I felt much better for the last 10 miles back to Rochester.
The group split up as most headed back via the Gun Club Road, while Jeff, Steve, and I headed back on Cty 9.
Spending time with a future TDF winner...
Jens Voigt better watch out, there is going to be a new sheriff in town.
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