March 2018

Good day for a short trip down the Straight River....the non lime green one is mine, a multi-day white water boat. I picked it up the previous fall and this was my first time in it. I have hopes to use it on the likes of the Cloquet and Brule Rivers up north

 I need to catch up quite a bit, by going back to where I left off... As I recall march was pretty nice and the strange winter we had was finally starting to break... just before it went to shit again in April

Blocks of ice tore the shit out of the trees during the spring thaw flows about a week before 

the big white blob is a waterfall

Thor

ArcFlash's bike with standard Imperial Venture Corps complete meal 

 ArcFlash and I got out on the mighty Mississip' in late March for a sub 24....I was so nice to have some bright sunlight and longer days. As I recall winter returned very soon after, like a couple days and put stuff like this on hold....bummer

Put-in

We rode from AF's house for a complete loop of approx 25 miles of riding and 4-5 miles on the boats. In the evening we found a small island amongst  a cluster of other small islands to set camp. It was pretty much a regular night out....nice campfire, some good food, gear and trip talk as well as sending pics/texts to our friends to rub in how much fun we were having as well as wishing they were here.

AF made these awesome chairs, which made hanging out by the fire so much better than sitting on the damp ground  

Setting out in the morning 

The morning's paddle was beautiful and calm 

I'd like to sleep in that house after the vandals get those boards off the outside

homeward......boooooo

D Rider...................................out

Loss

My Dad was fucking AWESOME! 

On May 4th 2018 I lost my Dad unexpectedly to a heart attack....the world lost my dad. The reality of it still seems unreal. At 67, I thought he had many years ahead of him, we all did.  I was lucky enough to learn so many things from him. From the time of being a young boy we were always camping, hiking, and exploring. This carried on into adulthood with outings happening on a frequent basis. I learned to be the best craftsman I could be by observing, as well as helping on large and small projects throughout the years. I also followed in his footsteps in my profession as a sheet metal worker (4th generation).
 I miss the 2-3 hour phone calls that seemed to happen at least once a week or the impromptu visits in which he might bring over a pizza to share for lunch. My dad always had something going on, whether it be something he was building, creating, or growing. He was known as "The Mushroom Man" at the St Paul farmers market where he sold cultivated mushrooms and at the sold out wild mushroom identification seminars he gave years ago. He had so much to offer through his creativity , hard work, and drive for really experiencing life.

What I write here, can't begin to describe all that my dad was. I miss him to the point that I feel hollowed out in one aspect and grateful for all the great times we had. My dad often told me he was proud of me, and I intend to continue doing what I think will make him proud. Looking back does no good now...I wish some things had been different, but the lesson to learn is to live in a manner in which you'll have no regret...for the most part I have no regret.   Please tell, or show your parents, your kids, your friends, your relatives, you love them and appreciate them whenever you can.

"In 100 years we'll all be together again"   -Thomas Terry Peterson


D Rider.............................................out
              

Jan-Feb 2018

  

End of January river hike on the North Shore ....meal over a fire is a good indicator that we had fun

 January and February were action packed, mostly racing fat-bikes.  Looking back now it was good to have them on my calendar as I really have not been into winter this year. The biggest change for me in a while was finding another place of employment. My previous job was great if all I wanted to do was make money.  Lots of overtime, very odd and random work hours as well as travel began taking the fun right out of my life.  I'm still trying to get out of my funk and move on from my previous mindset. I'm really looking forward to spring and some warm temps to reset things and get back on the right path.
The following is pretty much a standard photo dump with captions.

Super Y on rappel 

Big D ...most of the way down 

Found a new route to access the rappel of this river, utilizing two chutes that enter the canyon above and below the crux. works well for time constraints and a less physically committing day.  definitively required cramp-ons to enter and exit.  

that's my wife 

Another meal over a fire mid way on recon ski of north shore river......in a snow storm 

This was the only real outcrop, waterfall on this river. I was a little disappointed but that's what exploring entails sometimes. Glad I checked it out to satisfy curiosity....not going to tell you which river it is either, that would ruin your exploring   

Got out on snowmobiles quite a bit Jan-Feb

This was the day after a big snow storm...I went out the night before just as it was tapering. It was awesome, and since it was a Sunday no one was out and I had the fresh powder to myself 

This photo was taken on a monumental day....for years I have ridden a fat bike on the snowmobile trails out of Shakopee, some have been the hardest rides I've ever endured (early spring training) . Many times as I rode back to the vehicle after 4-5 hours on the bike I wished for a snowmobile so bad , to carry me the final miles which seemed to be hundreds at that moment.  I finally made my dream come true, riding as fast as possible the whole time with the thought of fuck you trail, take that....I win    

Big D about to descend 

Here is my one and only pic of a fat-bike race during Jan-Feb....I did 6 or 7 , I swear 

Super Y and I skied Pike Island quite a bit...it was our Thursday night thing 

This was the first day of my new job....i was so excited to be done with work at 3:15 instead of between 5 and 8 pm. Front wheel broke through, I launched forward landing on chest, feet dangling in the water....got moving and put in a couple more hours exploring 

Exploring 

Thinking I should have gone climbing there this winter 

NOT   Minnehaha Falls  

Oooops ...I guess I did get another pic of some racing...this was on Minnetonka...great time...wish I had done more of this weeknight series 

Told myself I wanted to paddle at least 1 time every month in 2018. This was the only open water I could think of , down near Hidden Falls in St Paul 

Hike up and down north shore river with The Legend and Yo Eddie on a race weekend ...Norpine fat-bike race in Lutsen Mn 

First time I've done 100 miles on a sled in like 20+ years...I was no match for the newer sled on the right 

Altai Hoks    Pickerel Lake St Paul  

This was another day after work when I was still trying to get my head around being done after only 8 hours 

Rocket launch...My dad went all out...invited 20 plus people and brought a bunch of food and snacks...It was one of the best days in Jan-Feb 

Before

After

This one made it up,and down, without incident 

G Man on the sled...this worked great at the launch for retrieving rockets out on the lake


D Rider .........................................................out