Nature Valley

If you read this blog, odds are that you're a bike junkie. Odds are also pretty good that you're based out of Minneapolis. And if either of the above (or both) is true, you already know about the big excitement on Friday night. Thanks to other, better, Minneapolis bloggers who post about current events in a timely manner.

So while my wife and kids were out milking cows, I was doing what I do best. Drinking beer at a pub and watching bikes. I hung out at the Local with my Cat3 buddy Ken and some of his friends getting warmed up for the race. It was a lovely Friday afternoon, perfect for beers on the outdoor patio just a stone's throw from the start/finish line. Then, everything went to hell. During the first wave of the storm, Ken, Shawn and John stayed outside and bravely hung on to one of the patio umbrellas. But the 65 mph wind proved too much and ripped it from their grasp, sending the umbrella flying down the street and them racing for the bar.

Once the front moved through the women's race began. And then the skies started to darken just in time for the men's race. I stayed outside and watched both, getting drenched to the bone during the men's. But since I had to ride my bike home eventually, it didn't bother me much. After the race I bid Ken and crew farewell and squelched my way back to work to get my bike. I hopped the light rail and found that the air conditioning was working overtime. So I rode the train until the a/c caused my teeth to start to chatter, and got off at 50th Street station. It was about this time I realized that I had no headlight and the batteries were dead on my taillight. But it was a glorious ride. Dark and rainy, sure. But there was enough ambient light that I could see everything in my way. And the rain was a damn sight warmer than the train had been. I stuck to the bike trail the entire way home, due to my lack of lighting, and made it home by 10:00. A late dinner, some reading and then off to bed. We woke up the next morning to find the power had gone out (Dad, the light in the bathroom doesn't work!). We took off for the in-laws' place Saturday morning for Father's Day weekend and didn't get back until about 9 last night.

You can see the rest of the photos I took at flickr. These aren't the best of the best, mind you. This is all I got. When I pulled my camera out of my bag Friday it started giving me a low battery indicator immediately. So I was able to get a grand total of 11 shots.

Date: June 19
Mileage: 19
Ride type: Commute
June mileage: 194
Year to date mileage: 1656