41 Miles in a Burley

I felt not so good starting Friday afternoon. By Saturday, even though I went to gaming day and Steve's 40th birthday party, I felt worse. Which is too bad, because I was having a great time learning new Magic the Gathering styles and playing Rails Across Europe twice at gaming, and listening to the teenage coverband with the two female lead vocalists, doing covers of Metallica and Pink Floyd at Steve's party. I think it might have been allergies - it's hard to say - but I took an hour nap in Sarah's backyard, and when I got home from Steve's with my family, promptly went to sleep for about 12 hours.

So I didn't feel good on Sunday morning, which was disappointing, because I wanted to take Eryn riding at Cannon Falls. But by Sunday afternoon I felt better. So rather than breakfast and biking, we had a picnic lunch and biking. Almost as good.

Here's the pictorial. All clickable to Flickr for much nicer pictures. Here we are getting ready to go. Eryn is in charge of holding the wheels while I fill them up.


Here she is a short while later after I pinched her neck with her Dora helmet and gave her a faux hickey. That's her copy of Highlights she's reading. After we got started on the trail she forgave me and read me The Timbertoes and all the jokes. She was impressed that I knew the answer to why no one drinks Pancake Soda. Because it's always flat.


The trip was great, although 41 miles pulling a Burley is a bit much, even if it is a fairly level trail. The ride back was much more difficult as there was a 100' of river valley to climb out of. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to manage 3000'+ of climb on the last day of RAGBRAI. Here we have the strange sight of an aquatic picnic table. I'm not sure if the inner tube riders were trying to ride it down the river and it got stuck, or if they would stop there to have lunch and a beer.


Here's a picture of a daddy-daughter moment near the Bald Eagle nest. Eryn was more interested in the big pile of dirt and the butterflys than the eagles. But we did meet a nice lady who told us where to find a turn off so Eryn could experience a wilderness first, peeing in the bushes. I quote, "That was not fun." She did manage to miss her shoes and my shoes, however, so it was a success.


Here are the eagles in question. I believe there were three of them lounging up there, although we only saw two on the way back. I think one flew off to bring back a Burley kid as lunch.


I really liked this rest spot. It's courtesy of the local gun club. Looks all nice and cozy...


Wait...it's right next to the gun range? Which way are they shooting?


This is Eryn and Pooteewheet hanging out near the pottery area in Red Wing, at the end of the trail, right before turning around. Pooteewheet spent the day shopping for trinkets for the yard, tasting wine and reading a book, she wanted nothing to do with our 41 mile adventure.


Here's the blue ice cream Eryn was eating in Red Wing. Pooteewheet asked if I wanted a cone, but I was pretty sure a big cone of blue-ish, Fruit Loop-flavored, ice cream would make me hurl on the way back. I guess I could have had something else. The couple who ran the ice cream shop near the trail end were really nice - they offered water without me asking and even offered ice.


Eryn at Mile Marker 93 near Red Wing. I have many shots of her in this pose, because after I was done taking a few, she made me take many more while she posed with My Little Pony. Who was just a slacker, because even though she has four legs, she didn't take a single turn pedaling.


And this is just a bonus from the Cannon Falls memorial to Civil War vets (there's a nice plaque explaining how they needed to hold a ridge for 5 minutes and it cost them 82% of their soldiers). I include it because if you're looking at it, it should disturb you that it's just so damn...phallic. Scooter, is that a real Civil War-era field piece with a replica carriage sticking out of your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? Oh...you know I'm happy to see you.