Summer 2014

I haven't had a real post since mid- June. I would write and then proof read it and not like the way it came out. It was too serious. It didn't represent my true feelings. I am much more interested in having a good time and hanging out with people than I am about how well I performed or what was going through my head while riding and I don't think I did a good job of conveying that. Onward.

Summer finally arrived and it has been a whirlwind.

Cheq 100k - Had a great time. Course was tough. I was doing well, got a bit lost at one point, got back on course. Suffered after the 100M/100k split to the finish. Hung out for quite a while afterwards and had some beers and pizza. Highlight of the day was Todd finishing the 100M on his 5th attempt.

The Lutsen 99er was the next weekend and was an awesome time. Think Heck of the North times 5.

July was filled with wedding planning and lacrosse. I think I rode my bike twice. I have been getting to the gym a lot though, so not a big deal.

Cooper and I started doing a lot more fishing. My Dad gave Cooper a pole over the 4th and I grabbed my old fly pole. We've been fishing about 2-3 times a week since.

St. Croix

It has become the perfect time filler. If we have a free hour or two we go fishing. So far we have been to Lily Lake in Stillwater, Battle Creek and Powers Lake in Woodbury, The St. Croix beach by our house and along the King Plant outlet.

Biggest catch of the year

Our favorite is Lily Lake and it is only a 5 minute drive from the house. Cooper is into catching bass and Lily has some close to the shore.

First cast!

I have been working on my casting form. It's not easy. If I have the wind to my back I look like a pro. If it is coming from anywhere else I look like the beginner I am. There are a TON of small panfish at Lily. There are times where my fly is in the water for a split second and already gets a strike.

Not too bad from the boat launch

It can get annoying when I am trying to work up to longer casts. Cooper has the biggest catch of the year so far. A nice size large mouth bass. I am in 2nd with a large mouth and Rory is in 3rd with a good size perch. This Sunday I think I am going to go out to River Falls and try my luck for some trout on the Kinnickinnic river.

Typical Lily fish

The wedding was about 2 weeks ago and went great. I think everyone had a good time.I was very nervous about how it was all going to go off, but from my point of view it went smoothly.

After the wedding we went to the Dells for 3 days and stayed at our favorite spot, The Wilderness. I love that place. We've tried them all, and the Wilderness is hands down our families favorite. Going back again next year. That was the "Family Honeymoon". We just booked our "Real Honeymoon" and will be going to the Dominican Republic at the end of January. Should be a fantastic time.

Diana and I also finished our 2nd Half Marathon. This year we did the Gopher to Badger race. It started at the Washington County Fairgrounds and ended in North Hudson. Overall I'd say it was a little easier than the first, but just a little. I don't run very often so my feet started to swell and gave me some trouble but nothing that I couldn't tolerate. I didn't walk till mile 7 this year. Then I would run for about 3/4 of a mile and then walk for 10 seconds. This seemed to work out pretty well.

$20 for the .jpg? Nah, this will do.

For the past week and a half we have been in a bit of a lull. It was much needed though.

Tonight Cooper starts football and next Monday Rory starts soccer and gymnastics. Cooper's practices are in the Afton area so I am going to take advantage of that and ride while he is practicing. Hopefully it will work out well.

In September I will be racing in my first Fat Tire 40. Should be an interesting experience. Then at the beginning of October will be the Heck of the North.

 2014 has been quite a year. It's made me think about getting a Go Pro. I don't really have an interest in watching individual videos of things I film, but I think a Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sept, Oct-Dec video as well as a year video would be pretty cool.