Sieversma's Smattering of Stuff

Smattering, Indeed

2009-05-31T18:09:00.002-05:00

I've had a nice weekend, I hope that you (if anyone is, in fact, reading this) did too.

I took Friday off. I had some extra hours from earlier in the week and wanted to use a few vacation hours. A friend had asked me to help her shoot a wedding that afternoon. She was going to shoot the video and I would do the photographs. She said she'd pay me, so I thought that it'd be a great experience and a good way to spend the afternoon.

Friday afternoon served another purpose: I could experience a Mexican wedding. The ceremony was a catholic service, I've been to those before. But, it was in spanish. I do not speak spanish. I don't regret taking french, but spanish would've been more useful than french has been (I have been to France to visit twice. I've interacted with spanish speaking individuals way more often).

My friend Candy briefed me as best she could, and she was able to give me a heads up during the ceremony. Still, it was a different experience and the pacing seemed a bit quicker than some of the weddings that I've otherwise been to.

There are photos that I wish that I could get a second chance at, but overall I think that they turned out well. Candy has all of the files because it was her gig. When I get the disc and am able to pick my favorites, I'll post them at my photo blog

www.sieversmaphotos.blogspot.com I've created a second photo blog www.sieversmaphotos2.blogspot.com That one will have my miscellaneous images and the first will have weddings and portrait type shots.

The bride and groom were gorgeous. Attire at this wedding was different than I'm used to. Everyone dressed fashionably. Their dresses reminded me more of what one might see at prom, or a red carpet event rather than going to a lutheran church type function. :-) It was a lot of fun.

My legs were SUPER tired and I was exhausted on Saturday. I had spent a lot of time squatting on the floor to get some low angle photos and to stay out of the way of the wedding guests. My arms were even tired. I was able to use my friend's Canon 40D. I LOVE it! Pretty intuitive, though I know there are many more things that I could learn to use it better. I am confident that's the camera for me. I just have to figure out what lens to get.

I have a wedding that I'm booked for in August. I haven't learned if that will be a traditional Mexican wedding or not. I took notes after Friday's wedding and I will quiz the bride regarding the upcoming gig.

I'm looking forward to aquiring some new photography gear. I hope that I can land another wedding or two this summer. I have registered Sieversma Photography with the State of South Dakota (I can't imagine that the name is in use already) and will be aquiring a license to collect sales tax. That way I'm legit. I'm just nervous, I don't want to be the photographer that other photographers look at and say, "Just because she's acquired a digital camera, she thinks she can photograph weddings."

I have shot other weddings with film and they turned out okay, I was quite happy with them. But, wedding photography is a huge deal and I don't want to do anyone a diservice either. There are so many amateur photographers listing themselves on Craigslist already and the area is saturated with professional and high end photographers too. I'd love to book on average a wedding a month. Let's face it, with my full time job I'm really not interested in working 6 or so days a week indefinately. And, I'll acknowledge that I have much to learn regarding photography. I guess we'll see where I fall and how things work out.

In the meantime... If you know anyone looking for a photographer, we could maybe work something out. :-)

I planned to bike to Lennox on Saturday to see my grandma and mom. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Too tired. We had a nice visit, went to a couple rummage sales and visited my dad and maternal grandpa's grave.

Today I did get a great ride in. I meant to get going earlier, but hit the road around 8a.m. It took me awhile to get Max to stay on the yard instead of follow me. I headed toward Hwy 19, to Vermillion, north on University, east on 312 to hwy 77 and north to home. It was about 45 miles and the wind was quite brisk when I finished. That's the longest ride I've done this season. I'm only registered for the first day of the TDK. I may not be able to ride fast enough to keep up with you guys for the whole day, but should make it to Yankton in a decent amount of time. If the wind is particularly bad I will quit at my house (maybe 40 miles in) and get a ride to Yankton.

And finally, a tie between photography and biking - if you're still reading.

I've mentioned that I won't be doing the MS150 this year because I have a wedding to shoot that Saturday. I thought about riding on Friday. I like the Sioux Falls to Vermillion route. Today I was thinking that it might be nice to follow bikers along the route and shoot some photographs. I'll have a digital camera in hand. If it's the same route as last year, it'll go right by my house. There are a number of online photo printing services available. I thought that I could pick one and inform the ride organizers of my intent to shoot pictures. I only have dial up at home and it may take some time to upload all of the pics.

Do you think that riders would be interested in purchasing photos of themselves on the ride? The online sites allow you to set a purchase price for a variety of sizes. The site takes a cut of the price for their expense and the client pays for shipping themselves. I need to try a few sites out, but thought it might be a good fundraiser. I thought that I might donate the proceeds to the MS foundation if I did do this project.

It's not certain, of course. Just something I pondered on my ride today.

Tulip Festival 5k

2009-05-16T19:38:00.003-05:00

I ran it in 34 minutes even. It wasn't a record for me, I ran the Jingle Bell 5k in like 32 minutes in December. HOWEVER, it was breezy and there were portions of the race that were at an incline (plus against the wind in some cases). Oh well. I ran the whole thing, there were a lot of people running my pace and I was far from being last.

I was 227 out of 284 entrants. I was a ways back in my age group though. That's okay, I'm training to be a contender when I'm in the 56 and over age group. :-) Though there are a lot of ladies in their 50s that can kick my tail up and down the road now. But, that's why I'm training now, so that I can be THAT lady then. ;-)

But, overall, it was a LONG 3.1 miles. Really. It went well, but it wasn't a super easy run. Other people made similar comments, so I felt like I was in good company.

According to the National Weather Service, at 8:15 am in Orange City the wind was NW 12 G 21 and at 8:35 the wind was NW 13 gusting to 17.

Still, it could've been much worse and it was faster than I plod along by myself. :-) Good run.

Also: The Hamersma side of the family has a reunion during the Tulip festival each year. It was nice to see some people that I haven't seen in awhile. My dad's side of the family is pretty small, so most of the people attending are the nieces and nephews of my grandpa. Hubby had never been to the event. He got to compare notes with the retired farmers in my family. We got to play with a new baby and the parade was excellent. Lots of marching bands and the scrubbing of the streets is always an amusing site to watch.

If you've never been - Go next year!!

My goal for the next two months: Be able to run 10k (6.2) and improve my time for 5k. I'm up to four mile runs. I did one two weeks in a row. Slow and steady.

Pannier

2009-05-04T14:02:00.005-05:00

I was going to bike to work today. I had a change of heart. I packed my stuff last night, was dressed and pumped up the tires... But, it was 7:30 a.m. Rather than allow myself to be late, which wouldn't have been a huge deal... I bagged it.

I found a bag at a thrift shop in Sioux Falls for a few bucks. I wanted to make a pannier so that I could more easily take with me a change of clothes/stuff to get ready for work. The trunk pack that I usually use just doesn't hold clothes, shoes, hygiene stuff and packed breakfast/lunch.

I put the stuff on my bike, it seemed heavy. No, I didn't have my camera and a week's worth of groceries loaded, though the bags may look huge.

I didn't know how my homemade pannier would work. I knew that I'd make it up the hills (though I was sure I'd be slower). I didn't know if the center of balance would be changed too much. I decided not to make the trial commuter run today.

Oh well. I left the bag packed and am leaving that at work. I think that I'll try again on WEdnesday to bike in. Then maybe I'll bring my clothes home for the switch by bike. I'll give the setup a test run then.

In the mean time, here's a pic of my bike.

Bike Ride

2009-04-08T09:51:00.003-05:00

I got in 13 miles last night. I didn't really want to stop there, I thought that I should round up to 16 or so. However, I'd been out for an hour and 22 minutes and was hungry.

Yeah, they were slow miles. Half of them were on gravel. The maintained gravel roads are still wet with loose rock on the sides. I had to get over to let cars go by a couple of times. It was like running in soft sand. I liked it, it was a good workout. The weather was nice and the wind wasn't too much of an issue.

12 miles on the trainer is a mind numbing experience. My bike computer hasn't been functioning on the mountain bike, I think that I need batteries. SO, I didn't really know how long I'd been gone. I set the timer on my watch, but didn't check it. As I was nearing home I thought I'd been keeping a good pace. I looked at my watch, it said 1:14. The time flew. The trainer is an evil. A nescessary evil, but still evil. Even when watching movies.

I'm participating in the Great STrides program with some gals at work. It's sponsored by Sanford Health, Vermillion. For those of you not familiar, it's an incentive program to get out and excercise. You log your miles and your team miles is an average of members. One mile walking or running equals one mile. One mile biking does not equal one, but 1/4 of a mile. I understand that biking is typically a more efficient workout than walking or running. I'm a slow runner. IT takes me 36 minutes to run 3 miles, unless I'm trying to chase someone down in a 5k race. There is no world that I can cover 12 miles on a bike in 36 minutes. I would have to be busting my tail, road or mountain. I don't like the conversion. So, I'm putting in a lot of work for not many countable miles. If it were all about the miles, I guess that I could just walk and run every day.

I'm hoping to be able to bike to work by the end of the month. That will mean a couple of days with 32 miles biked and 8 countable miles.

TDK...

2009-04-03T11:46:00.003-05:00

Well, I've been thinking about it for awhile now and I think that I've decided that I won't be doing the TDK this year. AT least not all of it. I'll likely register for the first day. MAYBE the second one too.

I still plan to bike as much as I have time for, but there are other things that I want to work on at home. I want to actually have a garden this year, not just a weed patch. Nick will be farming and the plan is that the garden will be my responsibility this year. That's just a couple projects. And I don't like the panic of whether I've trained hard enough or not. Let's face it, the weather certainly hasn't been cooperative this year. It never is really, but seems less so this season.

Plus, I would really kind of like to have a vacation with the hubby this year. That's the main thing. I went on vacation without him last year and that was weird, not something I want to do every year. We'd like to get some camping in this summer, or time to just hang out and be bums together.

Don't get me wrong, I will miss riding the tour with you guys. There will be more Lanehogs in attendance than last year and friends that I met last year will again be present. Perhaps I'll have to bike to work every day that week to be in solidarity with the crew. :-) Or, I will just make the resolution to at least do the TDK every other year, or so... Though I wouldn't mind trying RAGBRAI someday either.

They're back, again.

2009-03-10T12:25:00.002-05:00

Two dogs, a little worse for the wear, came stumbling home yesterday afternoon. Nick drove on the yard and saw doggie tracks down the driveway, but only one set. WE're not sure how that worked. Sneaky dogs. He said that they came up to him pretty timid. They forgot to eat while they were gone again. I know that they're perfectly capable of hunting, they do it all of the time. Ruby's limping a little and is pretty skinny. Even more so than before.

I hope that they've got it out of their system. I will be buying yet another collar for Ruby and stapling them both to the shed in order to keep them home. Seriously, I'm not sure of the solutlion right now. I don't mind that they go off an play in the field, maybe even explore a little. I just hate when they're gone for multiple days. Clearly they know where home is, but a "mom" can't help but worry. I don't want them causing trouble for anyone else.

I know that there are a few options out there, I just don't know which sucks less for everyone. Fencing the whole yard is cost prohibitive. Even if we made a large kennel enough for them to play in, keeping them penned up defeats the whole 'guard dog' principle.

I think that the only answer is to try to get at least MAx super fat and lazy so that he doesn't really feel like running off for that much time. I desperately hope that by fall he'll have grown up a bit and will be less puppy running crazy and more of a 'I want to stay and protect my home' dog. Though maybe it was Ruby wanting to chase birds that was the problem. I don't know.

If you see these dogs,

2009-03-08T21:41:00.003-05:00

Please ask them to head back home.

Max is bigger now, so I don't know for sure how far they may have traveled. They may be back in the morning, I don't know. They were last home Wednesday morning of last week. They've been gone for about as long as they were out last fall.

Crazy Photographer Goes Out in Cold in Pajamas (and coat)

2009-02-27T08:12:00.003-06:00

I was sitting on my coach drinking coffee when my husband says, "Ooh, pretty!" There was a sundog/rainbow in the sky as the rising sun reflected through ice crystals.

The one that we first saw was in a portion of the sky that's difficult to photograph because there are buildings/utility poles and other objects. Then I look to the south and there's another sundog/rainbow. And the horses are over by our fence.

Rats. I needed to move quick before the rainbow disapeared. :D So, Nick opens my batteries for me while I get my camera out. I put socks on, I was already wearing sweatpants and sweatshirt. I almost ran out after putting shoes on, but grabbed my coat too.

I had 7 shots on the roll already, and finished it outside. Max helped. Nick took pics from the house. I'll post when I have the film developed. I started noticing that my face was getting pretty cold when I finished the last couple of shots.

Last Jersey Design

2009-02-23T20:01:00.002-06:00

I'm out of ideas now and have no time to draft it, even if I did have one.

Here's the last one that I created on Sunday.

The side panel, for the sake of the design contest, says we all belong to team estrogen.com Though, in general, I think that it'd be a decent jersey regardless of gender.

I tried to make the back not look like a generic list/stack of words and pictures.

New Jersey Submission

2009-02-21T10:42:00.001-06:00

I made last year's margarita ride shirt into a jersey.

Yardwork/Path

2009-02-19T18:28:00.006-06:00

It was so nice when I got home at 5. I kinda wanted to go for a run, but decided to putter outside instead. I wanted to take advantage of nice weather and try to prepare a few areas for plants this spring.

Last summer I started weedwhacking and trying to make a trail of sorts to use with an eventual mountain bike. :D My plan is to continue to work on clearing some of the numerous dead trees to make the path wind through the two groves. There are a LOT of down logs and branches. If anyone wants bonfire wood, or just wants to feel like a lumberjack - That's okay, they sleep all night and they work all day... (or is it vice versa) - come on out.

Anyway. I did take my bike on the path that I have thus far. It's about .25 of a mile. That's from our shed, around the barn and the south perimeter before you go along the path. I had to walk the bike a little bit, I have no idea how to cross a log.

I know that a 'flat' trail won't make for a ton of adventure. However, it's more challenging than I thought. Granted, I'm a rookie, but navagating over some dips and bumps and around a tight corner or two, it's a workout. And grass the terrain definately adds some rolling resistance. I like it.

Last fall I planted a couple of bushes. It successfully attracted wildlife. I was thinking birds. But, deer nibbled them down. Do you think that they'll come back?

Someone Else's Interpretation of My idea

2009-02-18T09:02:00.010-06:00

So, here's a link to the submission thread for the Team Estrogen Jersey Contest. My submission is on page two.

Someone had critiqued my image and thought that it was too busy and maybe breaking the image up into two ideas, like a throw back for the classic rider on the front and a modern style for today's rider on the back. She thought that might be better than going from black and white to color. That's a fair suggestion. I still liked my idea and for better or worse stuck with it. Though, I didn't have any inspiration to try a different take on the idea. I wanted the images juxtaposed instead of having to be viewed separately.

Now the following image is a submission today. I like her interpretation of it, but at the same time... hmmm... I just don't know. Maybe I'm an overly sensitive artist, but a simple phrase like: "Hey, I liked Hammer's concept and this is my take on it..." would be okay, right? Like I said. Overly sensitive artist type.

On an entirely different note... I have the Margarita Ride 2009 drawn in my head. :D I just need to find some reference material for an animal that I intend to illustrate.

tweaked jersey

2009-02-17T13:43:00.001-06:00

except that on the side panel there's supposed to be a bit of sunset there too. oops.

Jersey Submission

2009-02-13T15:11:00.006-06:00

This is for a design a jersey contest at Teamestrogen.com

I'm having a bit of trouble posting my entry on the site though.

I was thinking about the bicycle and it's early contribution to women's liberation. I wanted to try to illustrate that idea in a way, and make something that looks a bit like a vintage bicycle poster.

This is what I've been doing instead of cleaning today. And yesterday. I don't have illustrator at home. I drew the image and then cleaned it up and colored it in in Photoshop.

I still need to create the jersey back and sides.

The idea is that the banner would be high enough on the shirt to come across the upper chest. And, I'm hoping that the cyclists are low enough to be mostly across the abdomen.

Feedback is welcome. Even if this doesn't win... it's good to have a project to work on just for fun sometimes.

Yucky sidewalks

2009-01-21T17:54:00.002-06:00

I probably couldn't have selected a worse route for running this afternoon. I wanted to run before I left town. I headed west on Dartmouth. In general, sidwalks were clear enough that yaktrax would have more annoying than helpful. Still, where the sidewalk met the street, ice and snow to hurdle. And at some points before the intersection the terrain was slick. If it wasn't icy, then there were pools of water that you needed a boat permit to get across. At these less than ideal spots, I stopped to walk. I didn't want cold, wet feet.

All of the tip-toe-ing definately didn't help my momentum. I couldn't get my stride and when I did run, my legs felt like lead. Stop and go efforts do not work for me.

I walked for 20-30 minutes. I decided to cut the effort short and try to pick up some groceries so that maybe I could get home and ride my bike. I maybe should've run when I got home. Oh well.

Max and I went up and down the driveway for awhile. He got tired and would follow until half way and then stop to make sure that I came back. I only went a couple miles, rode for 20 minutes. No biggie, but it was still kind of nice.

You know you're doing something right...

2009-01-06T10:39:00.002-06:00

When you've gotten into a small routine of running or biking and you feel like a caged animals if you don't get out and do SOMETHING!!!

Running didn't happen last weekend. A 10 mile ride on the trainer did, so that helped ease my anxiety.

Yesterday I was chomping at the bit all day to get out and get a run in. I finally did and changed at work. If I would've waited until I got home it would've been dark or I would've been distracted.

I ran 3 miles, just around the perimeter of campus. 1 lap = 1.26 miles. Then I just doubled back down to clark street and back to finish 3 miles. I ran a bit slower than usual. I had to walk on some rough bits of ground near the new student union. They don't have the ground landscaped by the new sidewalk. And I had to slow for a couple of spots of ice.

The wind is never fun, but I like running in town where a person is sheltered a little more than I am out on my driveway. It all builds character though. :D And I felt MUCH better afterward.

2009

2009-01-05T09:55:00.004-06:00

I don't really do resolutions. I'm always trying to get more fit, at least maintain weight or drop a couple of pounds. I don't really diet. I like to eat and am glad that I like veggies and healthy stuff... but dang cookies and a variety of other no nos are tasty too.

I'm already doing better with running than I would typically be at this point in the year. I will be able to run at least the 2 mile option of the Frostbite 4. I generally wish to run the 4 mile option, I might get close this year.

I would like to be able to run a 10k before the end of the year. Running has been a difficult thing for me to advance at. I'm hoping to be able to run the Tulip Festival 10k in May. Last year I was registered for the 5k, but had a really really bad cold that kicked my feet out from under me.

And, I plan to keep cycling. I'd like to do some more casual rides with mom and Nick.

I wouldd like to commute more next summer and do a few centuries... plan to do the TDK, MS150 and a few centuries... It all depends on what the good Lord has planned for us. We really would like to start a family, this year so we'll see what happens. It never hurts to have a couple of plans to work toward and it doesn't seem like one can truly 'plan' kids regardless of when you'd 'like' them.

While I don't care for resolutions, I do like the idea of a bucket list.

In order of extremely likely (#1), to someday - I just don't know when (2-4):

1. Ride the entirety of the Mickelson Trail. I would like to do the 3 day organized ride so that we can stop and enjoy the scenery and putter around. The one day big mick would be a bit much, two days would be pretty manageable, but the 3 day organized ride would have a chauffer.

2. W.R.A.T.H

3. A half marathon... I like the idea of doing either the Disney World or Kauai races. Though both are hot and humid. I like the idea of one of the Rock n'Roll races too.

4. The Gut Check or a Marathon version of number 3 I hear that the Twin Cities is actually a really nice race to complete too.

Maybe #4 by the time that I turn 40. I've got 10 years to train.

Suggestions?

2009-01-03T10:49:00.002-06:00

So, I get my butt out the door for a run moments ago. I thought that the wind would be out of the South yet. According to weather.com, it should have been. I knew that it would be switching to the North, eventually. It already has.

The wind isn't TOO fierce yet, but there is plenty of moisture in it. I was wearing two pairs of tights. A long sleeve shirt, hooded sweatshirt with hood up over ear warmers. And gloves. My torso was a bit cool, but once I got going I'd be fine.

The problem is that the trip down the driveway was into the wind. My face was really cold, tears went down my cheeks. On the way back wasn't bad.

I stopped at my car to grab my balaclava. I put it on and immediately my glasses fog over. I hate the thing. I ran .10 and said screw it. My glasses would likely freeze over before too long and I would be stuck with a snotty and vapor soaked mask. Yeah pleasant.

So, I'm irritated. I wanted to run. I feel like it was going to be a good run. The weather wasn't such an issue, but it turned out to be.

What is the answer??

A treadmill isn't an option financially or spacially.

Looks like I'll have to ride the trainer. I don't really like that option either. I dislike it quite a bit actually. 30-45 minutes is manageable, but not pleasant.

Holiday Recap

2009-01-01T08:47:00.006-06:00

Here are just a few photos from the last couple of weeks.

No peeking Nick!!

My cousin's son enjoys one of his toys.

I made my grandpa a hat for Christmas. I don't know if it quite suited him, but I liked it. I'm wearing a silly hat that I made too.

We celebrated Nick's birthday with his family last night too.

I tried to make cakes that looked like beer cans. A professional pastry chef, I'm not. While they didn't look as polished as I envisioned in my head, they were better than they were looking yesterday morning. The cake was fine, it was the icing that I had trouble with. Yikes.

Our guests had to travel, so they left around 10. Nick and I stayed awake until a little after 11 and fell asleep on the couch, woke up and then went to sleep. Yeah, we're getting old. :D But, I hear that 2009 happened anyway. So we're all good.

Happy Birthday Hubby

2008-12-30T14:19:00.003-06:00

Nick is 30 today. 30... That's crazy. I'm not far off either. I still feel like a kid. I know, before any of you call me a kid.. I know. It's all relative.

We're going to Bob's Bar tonight. He's never been. We'll meet up with a cousin of his and her husband. It should be alot of fun.

Giant Rainier

2008-12-28T20:56:00.003-06:00

They didn't have this bike in stock when I stopped by Spoke-n-Sport on Saturday. While they did have a small, I needed a medium. So, I did look at the Yukon. I didn't like the red and silver paint that it had. I'd seen online that the Yukon was available in white, so I asked about that. They would have to order it.

The downfall of shopping during the off season is that selection is really limited, even at a bike shop. They had quite a few road bikes to choose from, but not so many mountain bikes, it seemed.

Fortunately, the guy helping me checked the computer. There was a medium white Yukon available, and there was also a medium Rainier available too. He said that the components were pretty much a toss up. The Yukon may have had a stronger wheelset, but I don't envision trail riding THAT often. For $100 less, I figured that the Rainier would definately be the better option especially when they were so close to each other.

So there you go. The bike and the story. Additional chapters later.

Two Dogs

2008-12-27T08:51:00.004-06:00

Pretty cute for two completely rotten dogs, huh?

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T10:42:00.003-06:00

I really and truly wanted to send out Christmas cards this year. Time just slipped by. I don't make Happy Holiday cards to dishonor the notion of saying "Merry Christmas", Peace on Earth or anything... We truly wish all of those things to all of our family and friends.

I make Happy Holiday cards because I figure that means we have until Valentine's day to send them. :D I kid. I feel that we at least have until sometime in January. But, in an electronic age and with an effort to be more green, here's our digital card. Prints can be available. :-)

Nick and I are both well. We hope that health and happiness have found all of you too. We haven't yet added children, but our roster of animals is growing. Calves and chickens keep Nick occupied with a few chores at home.

This fall we brought home a second dog. Max is a German Shepherd who had been with Nick's boss' family. Things weren't quite working there. We kind of wanted a German Shepherd eventually and decided to give Max a home. Instantly Ruby thought we'd brought him for her. They've been pals ever since. Sketch even gets along with him too. Pixel is less warm and can almost manage to be in the same room. But she's warming.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Peace be with all of you!! - The Sievers

Cycling Addendum: I am happy to have successfully completed the Tour de Kota at least once now. I was quite pleased that Nick joined me on the MS150 this year too. I hope that he and I can enjoy a few more bike rides together, even if they're just to town (Vermillion, Beresford, Wakonda, Volin, Spink, wherever) for lunch occasionally. Or even just for a ride around the neighborhood.

I've received permission to buy a Mountain bike for Christmas. By Permission I mean that Nick and his folks all bought gift cards to Spoke-N-Sport so that I can buy a bike. So, I look forward to a Bunyan's to Bob's ride sometime. We shall see what 2009 brings.

Blogging has been really fun and I've enjoyed the 'family' that cycling has provided. I've met people in Vermillion that I may not have otherwise and thanks to blogging I've extended friendships into a greater area.

May health, happy trails, personal records, the best brew or that perfect piece of pie find all of you this coming year. :D

The Collabradors at University Road and 311th.

2008-12-11T18:36:00.002-06:00

Anyone who rides University Road may or may not have met the border collie and the black lab that likes to hang out in the ditch by the road.

They're not mean, they just aren't afraid of anything that goes slower than 55 mph. This past spring they had babies. The last time that I counted, I believe that there were two dogs and maybe 5 black and white collabrador puppies. However, they're not puppies anymore. And they've all been seen hanging out at the end of the driveway. I don't know if the offspring have the desire to heard slow moving vehicles or not.

I just figure that if they're all still there next Spring and Summer, I'll be detouring they're place via Greenfield Road and 312.

I'll try to post pictures some time. THey're kind of cute.

Dear Santa?

2008-12-11T18:24:00.005-06:00

There is a pair of sandals that I've had my eye on for cycling. Performance Bike has them on sale already. PLUS another 15% off which makes them $89 instead of $114. Which sort of doesn't seem as huge of a deal when a person thinks about it. I think that it's the drop below $100 that make them seem ideal. PLUS members get double points right now.

BUT, Christmas is coming up and I can't buy myself anything. Blah. I won't specifically ask Santa for them because I don't know if they're any better or more thoughtful than what he's come up on his own. I don't *really* like asking for specific gifts. I will offer general ideas, but I do enjoy seeing what someone else decides for themselves. That's what I like to do for other people too.

Dear Santa: If you do happen to read this post. And I'm not going to point you to it. You don't really have to get me these shoes. I'm just providing this as a talking point. I would acquire them on my own, if I hadn't grounded myself. Or if they'd be on sale like this at any other time of the year. Besides, they aren't available until February now. Shoot. Who am I kidding. I'm totally going to buy them this spring. I hope they're comfy and don't create blisters.

From Missy

November 29: On this Day...

2008-11-29T14:03:00.003-06:00

One year ago... Nick and I were heading to Kauai for our honeymoon. We left snow behind and soaked up some Hawaiian hospitality. Can we go back yet?

Two years ago... Nick asked me to marry him at Carey's, the place where we met up for our first date.

Fifty-five years ago... my dad was born. He would've gotten a kick out my cycling, buddies, and other hobbies that I've since picked up. He's been gone since April, 2001.

Thanksgiving and Jingle Bell 5k with Photos

2008-11-29T08:25:00.010-06:00

We had a nice day with hubby's family. Nothing too spectacular to report, but that's only because we always have a good time with them.

My sister-in-law's boyfriend likes a little whipped cream with his pie. He spent sometime applying a protective shell around the dessert.

Thanksgiving at the in-laws typically involves firearms and target practice at some point. :D Last year we shot pop cans off of the fence post. This year we shot clay pigeons. I'd never done that before and had fun. I'm not very good, I only hit three pigeons out of numerous attempts, but would like to try it more often. We may look for a shotgun for me. :D

I did scan the Black Friday ads and didn't see anything worth getting up at 3 a.m. for. I did head to Sioux Falls at 8 a.m. By 9, the town was still hopping at parking lots were full. With patience it wasn't impossible to get a parking spot. Within 4 minutes (I timed it) I had a spot at the mall. Lines moved quickly, I got the boots that I wanted for myself and my giving tree gift.

I don't really like shopping, though I do enjoy finding stuff for people for Christmas. Getting everything yesterday would've been exhausting. This way I can stretch it out. It was a good day to scan for ideas. My brother and his girlfriend were in Sioux Falls so we explored downtown a bit. They were nice enough to hang out with me while I had lunch at Sushi Masa. Yum. I haven't been there for awhile, I need to go there more often.

I had registered myself for the Jingle Bell 5 k. In preparation I wanted to make a couple of festive hats. One to wear while I ran and one for fun.

The Christmas Tree hat was meant to have lights on it. Like actually functioning lights. I bought a set of apparal lights at Hobby Lobby, but wasn't confident in their brightness and didn't have luck switching batteries. So, rather than cutting into the hat, I went on without them.

There was a good turn out for the 5 k run. But, not as many as I thought there might be.

I just didn't want to be last. The race began and everyone went faster than I typically do. I generally plod up and down the driveway at an easy pace and never have much to light a fire under my butt. I went with the group but even at a slightly quicker pace, I fell behind. Though for much of the run I was really only a half block behind the slower group.

Still, I felt self conscious. There weren't many people running, but there were ALOT of people along the street watching. A lot of people said that they liked my hat. I was laughing at myself earlier, I knew that I'd be running slowly... I may as well have a big "LOOK AT MEEEEEE!!!" hat on my head too. :-)

The route started at 14th street and went down Phillips, through the park and back. By the time I got to the last side street before the final approach into the park, there were runners coming back. Falls Park was gorgeous and actually fun to run through. There were many volunteers watching the racers.

Coming back out of Falls Park it's slighly up hill. I made it up the hill and considered my options: continue running or walk just a little bit. I was afraid to walk at all because sometimes that's the death knell. But, I still had a mile to go and didn't want to walk all of that. I'd seen some of the faster runners walking on their way out of the park too, one guy with a side stitch. A few of the 'slower' group ahead of me were taking a walk break also. I thought if there was a time to walk, it'd be now while nobody was around to watch. :D I only walked maybe the distance between two light posts and then I continued on.

Another lady was walking, I passed her. She was fiddling with her ipod. When she started running again, she passed me. However, it wasn't long and she was walking again. I passed her. There were more people around and I felt like I was going at a really good (for me) pace. I felt like I was trying (emphasis on trying) to hold Cycling Cathy off at a time trial. :D

A cousin of my dad's and her husband happened to be at the parade and yelled for me. I kept going. I saw 7th street go by and I'm like, "Ooof, 7 more blocks?" A few people crossed the street completely oblivious to me running along. That was very annoying. I had to go around them. A person doesn't think about that, but when you're tired any little deviance takes a little bit more energy. Nick pointed out that I had training for that though, my dogs are always nearly tripping me up. :D

As I approached the finish line I felt like I'd run a good race for me. Though I've felt like I've had a good run before and not gained any time. The walker lady had been a half block behind me and as I was getting to the line I saw her along my side and I'm like, "Crud!!!" So I picked it up and I think that I got to the line JUST before her. It doesn't truly matter, if I'd been just behind her and officially DFL... I was still with SOMEONE else.

I looked at the clock and it said 32:15, my watch said 32:08. I say to myself, "Holy Sh**, that's 4 minutes faster!!!" My mom didn't expect to see me so early, I had said that it'd take 36 minutes. I had hoped that I'd be a bit faster with a crowd. She says, "YOU SHAVED 4 MINUTES!!!" I say, "I know! I feel like it too!" Then I continued to cough up a lung for the rest of the night. :D

The parade was really nice and a great start to the season.

Checking in

2008-11-18T09:19:00.004-06:00

Alright, Cycling Cathy's post reminded me that I really do mean to use this blog as a sort of report on my working out. Not that it matters too much, but it's nice to feel as though you're accountable in some way for activity.

A few co-workers and I formed a team to count the number of steps we take in a day through the healthysd website. I think we'll get pedometers from the state. I have one at home, but was never able to get it calibrated correctly.

I don't really enjoy this lack of daylight. The morning seems like it would be an ideal time for me to get outside for my run, but it is very difficult for me to get out of bed. It's warm there and the house is full of sleepy pets and a couple of sleepy people. Even when I go to bed early, it's still tough to get up. I suppose that's where I should just decide to drive to Vermillion and work out in the a.m.

However, when I don't have a rigid work schedule, I prefer to go and run over the noon hour. OR walk, or whatever.

Last Friday I didn't make it home in time to run before the sun was gone. So, I did two miles up and down the driveway with flashlight in hand. Saturday, I was at the cheer and dance competition for work in Yankton. I enjoyed watching the routines more than I enjoy watching football. My feet were still very tired after standing on cement all day.

On Sunday we cleaned house and family came over. I shot some photos for my brother and his girlfriend, mom and grandma stopped down and we all had dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Vermillion. Yum. It was really nice to hang out with family at home.

Last night I was home by 4, so I was able to run and see a really pretty sunset. I got 3.1 miles in. I felt really good and thought that I was going at a good pace, maybe faster than normal. I must've slacked a bit at other times during the run. I was a minute slower than normal. Still, it was a perfect evening. Once I started, I was at a comfortable temperature and there wasn't much of a wind to speak of.

I have been getting some miles in on the trainer. My attention span is generally only good for 30-45 minutes. IT's better than nothing and right now it's just to fill space between runs or when I don't feel like running. I also bought a yoga DVD and get around to doing that in the morning once or twice a week.

There still are a number of gaps in my 'training log', but I'm doing my best to not be a coach potato.

I'm tentatively planning to run the jingle bell 5k, a run prior to the parade of lights in Sioux Falls on the 28th. Is anyone else going to either event (5k and/or parade of lights?)

Happy Tuesday!!!

Photo Experiments

2008-11-10T19:14:00.004-06:00

This photo didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped, but it's not as bad as I feared. The dog sort of looks like a dog, though I lost track of where I began. While I did crop the image, the dog should've been farther away from me so that the bone wouldn't be right above his head. Ah well. It's art, right? I tried to do some lighting of the ground and trees behind me, but need to adjust my camera settings a bit differently. Who knows when I will try this again. It's getting cold at night.

Caption This

2008-11-06T14:32:00.002-06:00

Well, maybe it's not as funny as I think it is. But, it's pretty darn cute.

Always Wear Your Helmet. :-)

2008-10-30T18:09:00.002-05:00

Don't judge this yet. This is a test for something that I'm working on. I will certainly be posting the results here, eventually. It's going to be cool. I think. :D It may take a bit of time for me to use up the roll of film though. :-( (I may have something to post next week)

Art and Dining in Beresford. Plus a workout report.

2008-10-20T08:16:00.003-05:00

We had a pretty decent weekend. I worked on some things around the house on Saturday. That night Nick and I went into the big cities of Beresford and Alcester.

The Nuance Gallery had a reception for Vermillion artist, Charles Weidemann. I'd not been to the gallery yet so I asked Nick to go with me. I didn't really know many people at the show. My high school art teacher was there, so it was nice to catch up with her.

Mr. Weidemann is a 76 year old painter and works in the realm of realism. Painters boggle my mind. I mean, sure, I can *paint*. But, I can't PAINT. Certainly not realistically. I can make an accurate depiction of something by drawing it, but not really *that* well either.

The artist seems like a neat guy. I hope that when I'm 76 I'm still making art, even if it's just to make myself happy. I am happy for people who can continue to do what they enjoy all through their life. I hope that for everyone.

It was nice to indulge my inner artist. Beresford has such a talented pool of people that have landed in the area. The owner of Nuance is a Beresford local and is a talented painter. She has a son who was a high school classmate of mine. I know that at least two of her children are talented artists themselves. Two other Beresford artists have work in the gallery too. One does woodwork, turning bowls out of logs and other raw materials. The other creates art from eggs.

Really, check it out.

There are other pieces from the area too.

Afterward we headed to Alcester for dinner at the Steakhouse. They have such good food. The place was packed. Nick's steak was a bit more rare than he'd asked for. Unfortunately he didn't enjoy his meal as much as usual, but that was a rare exception rather than the rule. My chicken alfredo was awesome. The last time I was there I had the parmesean and herb tilapia. Yummy.

Alcester is a smaller town than Beresford. They don't really have that much for business in town. There are only two restaurants in town, a cafe and the Steakhouse. Beresford isn't large either, but they have essentially three art galleries (at least two aren't open that often either) and limited places to eat. You can find lunch in town, but there isn't anywhere to really have dinner. Am I totally wrong? The only sit down place is Emily's. I haven't been there for awhile but the other half hasn't been giving it rave reviews. I should disclose that I don't know when the last time that he ate there was either.

Regarding small town life: Yesterday we were also wishing that the local bakery wasn't such a thing of the past either. I haven't been to the one in Centerville, but I wish those weren't as rare as they are.

Regarding excercising: I haven't been as diligent as I'd like. I haven't been on my bike since the Margarita ride. I've been making attempts at running. I get out at least once a week, typically. Most of the time I've only squeaked out two mile runs in the last month or two. I started getting kind of frustrated and felt like I was falling off of the wagon.

Last Thursday I ran three miles. Saturday I walked three. Yesterday I ran four!! Yay! I don't know when the last time that I ran four was, probably last winter. I felt pretty good. I was going pretty slow, but felt like I could've kept going for awhile. However, my knees started aching a little around mile 3 to 3.25. So, I finished four and called it good. Woo!

I've gotta get my roadbike in on the trainer.

Buddies

2008-10-12T09:37:00.003-05:00

I Love You.

I want to bite your face off.

No, really, I love you.

New Photos on Sieversma Photos Blog

2008-10-03T09:37:00.002-05:00

Hey, I shot a friend's wedding last weekend. I was honored that she asked me to photograph such a wonderful day. The weather was perfect, everyone was glowing and busting at the seams with happiness.

The bride and I were roommates our freshman year of college. We remained friends and she's one of the few people from college that I'm able to stay in regular contact with. I had a lot of fun with them and all of their friends.

I managed to tweak and upload the black and white photos. There's a slideshow of my favorites on my other blog page.

You can click the link to view all photos too. I didn't put them all in the slideshow, it takes too long to load.

I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, if it's okay to say so.

Keep checking, hopefully it won't be long before I can get a selection of the color photos uploaded. It probably won't be this weekend though.

Thanks for looking!!!

They're Home!!!!!!!!

2008-10-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

In the last three days we've distributed 50 photos looking for our pups. 30 minutes ago two neighbor kids knocked on our door saying they knew where our dogs were. We were fairly skeptical. Another lady called to say that her dad had seen them this morning. We checked out our initial lead and went to a farm place two miles north. We hoped itd be them. We got on the yard and saw a dog that looked like Ruby. I got out of the car and called to her. She about came out of her skin. Ruby and Max stayed together for nearly four days. I am impressed. They look pretty thin, but I think that they'll be good to go.

We didn't think we'd find them!! Thank God for huge favors. In all of this I've met some fantastic neighbors. There are good people around here.

Thank you guys for your thoughts and prayers.

The dogs are so grounded now. :-D

If there is a silver lining....

2008-09-30T08:40:00.002-05:00

In our search for our dogs we've met some of our neighbors and everyone's really nice and seem to be dog people themselves. Several have offered suggestions of places to check and where their dogs often wander to.

Though we are kicking ourselves for not making sure that we keep collars on our dogs. So, let this be my public service announcement to you: You think that your dog(s) will stay home because they're such homebodies and don't go very far. You worry that if they do run, they'd get hung up on something with the collar. Nope. Get collars. Dogs are dumb. They do dumb things. I wish we would've done that small thing to potentially help them find their way home.

Wait Wait Don't Tell Me

2008-09-29T13:54:00.003-05:00

I didn't have a chance to blog about attending the recording (Thursday night) of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, a news quiz show on NPR. If you've heard the show, I'm sure that you're a fan.

If you haven't heard the show, you should check it out and see what you think. It aired on SDPB Saturday at noon. You can still go online to hear it.

When Carl Kasell introduced the show Thursday night he accidentally said "Sioux City, SD". Everybody laughed and scolded him. He fixed the error by doing a retake. But I've just noticed that the error occured in the show rundown online too. Amatures. :-)

I haven't had a chance to download the podcast of it yet. They spend about an hour and a half recording the show. The segment with Senator George McGovern went a bit long. So, I'm curious to listen to how it was edited down. Peter Sagal pointed out that when George McGovern ran for office he didn't speak much about his time as a war veteran/hero. He didn't want to appear too boastful about that part of his life. And now, it seems as though in the context of the current presidential campaign, times have changed.

I got a couple of pics with Carl Kasell and Mo Rocca. I will post them another time. I wanted to chat with Peter Sagal, but the line was long and I saw the cast checking their watches a time or two. I didn't want to wait to be shoo-ed off, so we left.

Our Dogs are MIA

2008-09-28T18:41:00.004-05:00

Ruby and Max went outside this morning to play, which is normal for them. We generally have to kick them out of the house in fairly short order so that they don't level the house as they play. That was around eight a.m. or so. By 9:30a.m. when Nick went out to check on the other animals, the pups weren't around. It's not unusual for Ruby to go off on an adventure a little bit. There've been a couple of times when Max was whimpering outside because Ruby had abandoned him. We were glad that she was able to ditch him because he's too small to keep up just yet. Though she's generally good about letting him hang with her when they're clowing around the yard.

The problem is that they hadn't returned by the time we'd left for a grocery run to Vermillion. They weren't home when we got back and they haven't returned yet.

I've been yelling for them all day. Typically Ruby comes running when she hears me. Sometimes it takes 10 minutes for her to come screaming out of the field, but not today. I think she's with Max and doesn't want to leave him behind. They shouldn't have gotten out of earshot, he gets tired and lazy after running/walking two thirds of a mile with me.

It may be slightly possible that they were snatched. I'd like to think it unlikely. I've never seen Ruby anywhere near the road, except if she's with me running. So, I don't know.

Who knows what stupid games they got up to. Silly dogs.

Now, Sketch (cat) can be gone for a full day or more and I don't blink if I haven't seen him. Sometimes I think in my head, "Gee, I hope that he comes back this time.It just seems different with the pups.

I've called around a little and put the word out with the immediate neighbors.

On the off chance that you were in the area and have seen the puppies pictured above email mhamersma79@yahoo.com. They would've been up in the area of 306th (Volin road) and Greenfield Road. Their names are Ruby Sue (the yellow lab) and Max (German Shepherd puppy). They don't currently have collars on.

Though we left them home alone Friday afternoon, Friday night and most all of Saturday. I imagine that they are generally concerned about our return then too.

Search for a Mountain Bike

2008-09-22T16:06:00.002-05:00

I've been watching Craigslist for a mountain bike. I haven't *really* test ridden any yet. When I stopped by the bike shop in Brookings during the TDK a gal there suggested that I look at a 17ish frame. I'm pretty sure that my hybrid is about 19 inches and it's big for what I'd look for in a mountain bike.

Biking Brady's blog reminded me that I need to be vigilent about watching out at rummage sales.

I will extend my search and include the reading public. If you happen to know of someone selling a mountain bike and happen to think of it, would you toss me a note? I can't and shouldn't invest much money into it, I really doubt that I'll ride it THAT much. Well, probably not as often as my road bike. So, I figure that I'll keep my eyes open and the right ride will find me. :) Hopefully when I find it, the funding will be there too. :D I'm saving my quarters. Eventually the scales will balance out, or I'll lose interest.

I'm not too particular regarding brand Giant, Trek, Bianchi or whatever. Though, I am watching for a front suspension and *maybe* disc brakes. I just want to bike minimum maintanance roads, gravel trails, perhaps horse trails at state parks/beginner mountain bike trails.

Grandpa update

2008-09-22T16:02:00.002-05:00

He's doing much better. We're very glad that he perked up. My aunt from North Carolina was in town for the weekend, so it's nice that they had a calm weekend to hang out. The family went out with Grandpa for dinner at The Keg in Sioux Falls. Good chicken!! Plus, he was feeling up for a trip to Alcester on Sunday for church. Everyone at the home congregation were glad to see him and the family.

We stopped out of town so that grandpa could check out Nick bailing hay near Alcester. And the weekend was capped off with a lunch at Truck Town in Beresford before the rest of my family headed back to Sioux Falls.

Thanks for your well wishes!! I guess that my grandpa had a reaction to some of his medicine. It seems to be fixed now.

Cyclocross Video on Bicycling.com

2008-09-22T11:17:00.002-05:00

Maybe this technique would help with crossing railroad tracks. It's crazy how fluid these guys are. I would fall over anyway, most likely.

Photography Blog

2008-09-21T18:20:00.001-05:00

I have begun a second blogging page on which I will feature samples of my photographic work. I'll aim less for snapshots, but to display wedding photos and other artistic or photojournalistic ventures.

I will still post pictures on this blog too, of course. :D

Dakota Life tonight

2008-09-18T08:51:00.003-05:00

If you want to watch a segment about a different sort of bike...

Tonight's Dakota Life has a segment that I produced about Sabers Specialties in Mitchell, SD. They've done the raffle bike for the Sturgis Rally the last two years.

I didn't voice this one, I was sick when I started editing. Plus, I thought a masculine voice might be better this time.

There's also a segment about a quilter and Tyndell register of deeds Elton Rokusek on his book "The Unknown Star," about overcoming a facial deformity.

It should be a good show.

Fun at the PArk

2008-09-16T07:01:00.003-05:00

Hubby and I went to church Sunday morning and had a yummy lunch afterward at Mr. Smith's bakery. If you haven't checked the place out while you've been in Vermillion, they have excellent sandwhiches and are located in the Jones grocery store.

We wanted to do something fun Sunday afternoon, so we loaded the pups up and headed over to Union Grove park. Ruby generally thinks that we're taking her somewhere that hates puppies, and is usually in a state of panic by the time that we get to the mailbox. I think that having Max along helped. Ruby seemed a little nervous, but did really well.

I wanted to go and walk along the horse trail to see how that is, especially if I ever acquire a mountain bike. But, there were horses and other dogs so we turned around and went elsewhere. We walked a few of the trails, maybe two miles or so. Maybe less? The dogs had their nose to the ground the whole time and were pretty well behaved.

The people and pups were all a little tired, so we didn't stay out too long. We wanted to get nap time in too. The dogs were asleep in the car before we hit the highway and were piles of mush at home.

Pics from Margarita Ride

2008-09-15T18:35:00.004-05:00

I was running late on Saturday morning. I meant to be at Pro's by 7:30 a.m., but hit the snooze a couple of times and was tardy anyway. Then I stopped to check on Chad, he hit a deer with his truck. When I got to the start line, Kevin was talking to everyone right before the ride started. I hurried to unload my bike and pump up the tires.

I looked for my sunglasses and couldn't find them. Until I realized that they were on top of my head. Rats. I walked my bike up to the building, but forgot my helmet. Ran back to truck. Then poked my head in to tell KEvin that I'd write him a check when I got back. I'd seen Tez and company in the parking lot. They said that they were riding the 30. I decided that I'd try to catch Mary Jean, Bonnie and Sandy or Cathy or whomever. I was only starting 5 or 10 minutes late.

What a difference 5 or 10 minutes make. I was doing my best to hammer down the road. Though for me that's 16/17 mph. I did the fastest that I thought I could hold for awhile. I passed a number of people, but never saw the mob.

I did catch up to Cathy and Cindy, though I think that they stopped and chatted for awhile at the parting rest stop. They said that the others were just up ahead. I left the rest stop with them... But, lost them on the first hill. I wasn't far behind, but my sunglasses fell out of my camelback.

I caught up with Sandy at the turn north to Wakonda and chatted with her for a mile or so and then went on to meet the rest of the crew in town. That's where everyone regrouped.

Everything else went along as normal.

I will ditto everyone else. It was great to chat with everyone, other bloggers and riders.

When I got to the store to dump stuff at the recycling bin, I noticed my rear tire was lacking shape and air. So, I didn't escape a flat either. I picked a little pink pebble out of the rubber.

I didn't take many photos on Saturday due to the weather and I didn't come across a lot of note worthy pics, except at the stop in Wakonda.

Please keep my grandpa in your thoughts...

2008-09-15T11:58:00.003-05:00

Edited 9-15-08 6:30 p.m. to say:

I called the VA and the nurse there said that my grandpa is feeling a bit better. I don't think fantastic, but better. He got up to go to the dining room and eat lunch, so I'm taking that as a good sign. So, we'll see. My mom went to visit him tonight. I haven't heard from her yet.

_____________________

Okay, I'm skipping the margarita ride and will post photos later.

I didn't attend the post post ride festivities because I was tired and just wanted to go home for a little bit. This worked out in my favor anyway.

My grandfather has been having some spells off and on since like February of this year. Unfortunately as people age, it seems like deteriorating health is a nasty side effect.

I got a call as I was laying down for a nap at 3:30 from my aunt in North Carolina. The Vets hospital had called saying that my grandpa was having chest pains and his blood pressure dropped into the 30s. They were wondering where family were, just in case. I call my grandpa, he asks if I and Nick were coming up. Nobody could get ahold of my brother. I contact Nick and then hop through the shower as I hadn't removed evidence of the ride earlier in the day yet.

I was able to get my brother, I met him in Beresford and we rode together to Sioux Falls. As we got closer my mom called and said that my grandpa was feeling better and was approaching normal again. My brother and I were walking into the VA at 4:40 p.m.

We were all able to hang out together. The blood tests indicate that there wasn't a heart attack. The doctor's thought he had a reaction to some medicine.

Yesterday I got a call from my uncle saying that my grandpa was having another spell, but didn't want everybody coming up since it tired him out. Ornery bugger. I'm sure that he doesn't want to feel like he's inconvienencing anyone either.

Today I call him and he sounds tired. And he says that it's not good. He's a little better than yesterday, but not great.

Now, we've had a number of scares. He tends to come back and feels better again. He's a feisty old guy. But, I also know that time isn't unlimited for a man of 87 years. He does have a sister who is 97 years and is still fairly mobile.

Watching loved ones age is difficult. But, I am thankful for every day that I have with them.

Mastercard Commercial

2008-09-15T11:31:00.002-05:00

I really enjoy this commercial.

Before I Chat Cycling...

2008-09-14T18:45:00.006-05:00

I was in Hot Springs to shoot a Dakota Life Segment about the Mammoth Dig Site. Yes, it is kinda large. (chuckles at poor pun)

That was really interesting. We also learned about the short faced bear that was also found in the hole. It was a sink hole at one time. So, the short faced bear came along and thought that he'd make a meal out of a poor mammoth stuck in the hole, but then he fell in too.

This bad boy could peer into your window, on the second floor.

The Dr. that we interviewed said that all 50+ mammoths, except maybe one, have been male. He explained that the females stay together and keep male young until they hit puberty. During that time the matriarch keeps them from getting into too much trouble. So then the bachelors all run in a pack because they don't have much hope for mating until they're maybe 35. Well, young males with hormones coursing through them sometimes find themselves in awkward situations, like reaching too far into a wet area to try to eat food... and then find themselves stuck.

There are a lot of bones left to find, so a person looks at the hole and thinks "mass crash into death". But, they say only one died there maybe once every ten years... The pack remembers and stears clear or moves on and then a new crowd comes into the neighborhood. It's still a somber vision though.

We also went to Wall to finish shooting for the Badlands Documentary. There's not much to note except that we were nearly finished when the HD Camera konked out on me. I still have to go back for a different project that I'm working on, so I'll pick up the last stuff for the producer then. It's going to be an awesome documentary, watch for it on SDPB in December. The Mammoth Dig site will air in OCtober.

This picture isn't from this shoot, but it's an images from a previous shoot for the documentary. I think that it's funny how accustomed the prarie dogs have gotten to people. Though some of them now have the plague.

OF course we had to have a donut at Wall DRug. Yummy.

We did see some deer when we were driving back from the South Unit of the Badlands.

I'd forgotten to bring my SLR along. :( My digital camera doesn't have a working zoom control, so I had to crop the above image. The deer were only maybe 20 yards away. They were fairly close to the road.

Driving Across SD

2008-09-09T18:39:00.000-05:00

Heading for Hot Springs tonight, Wall after our shoot tomorrow, spending day in the Badlands and doing a shoot Friday morning in Rapid.

Rina and I were discussing the olympics and the marathon. I don't remember what the specific times were, though the commentators called the women's pace pedesterian - which would still be faster than I'd hope to run any distance at.

Then I was reflecting on a radio segment I heard last week about the ultramarathon in the Black Hills.

Whicj leads me to ask: Which is crazier, biking 412 + miles in 48 hours (Gut Check) or running 100 in 24 hours.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Weekend

2008-09-06T16:50:00.004-05:00

Friday night Nick and I had a date. It's his weekend to work and I go out to the hills on Tuesday, so it was nice to have a little time to hang out and have fun.

We headed to Vermillion to catch a movie, so we got there early enough to get some food before hand. I'd forgotten that it was Ribfest weekend, since I hadn't thought that we'd be taking it in. I'm not much of a rib fan, but like pulled pork sandwhiches. The stand that I got mine from had a sweet and spicy mustard sauce that was good.

Part of Poker Alice was playing at Carey's, so of course we had to stop by and listen to them for awhile. :D They'll always have a special place in our hearts. We met at Carey's for our first date, I knew that Poker Alice would be playing. And the full band played at our wedding.

Step Brothers was our flick of choice this weekend. It was crass, vulgar, had juvenile humor, and was dumb.... But, I was laughing out loud for much of the movie. No, I hadn't had much to drink before we went. There were times where it was a bit over the top and wasn't quite as funny as one would like, but that was the point. I still like Talledega Nights better, but this was fun.

Today I knew that I'd be working pledge at night, though I also needed to go into town in the morning for bell choir practice. I didn't want to drive both times, so I rode my bike in for bell choir. I didn't get on the road when I should've. I busted my tail to cover the 16 miles to town, though my average was only just shy of 14. Blah. My driveway and the hills brought me down a little, but I just never got into stellar cycling shape this year. I had a little head wind, but not much.

I was 10 minutes late for bell choir. As a result, I got the picked over role and only have 4 notes to play in the song tomorrow. Ah well, I just like to participate when I can.

I ate a small snack after practice and before heading north. My ride home wasn't much better. I'm not sure what the breeze was doing, there wasn't much for one and I think that it was supposed to be a tailwind. My legs just didn't have a lot of smoke in them today. I was okay, but my legs were tired.

Oh well, it was nice to get out. This time of year, one really doesn't know how many rides are in the cards yet. Plus, I did a LOT better riding this year than last.

Max, the puppy, is getting quite the belly and is starting to put on some weight. He rode with me on a bike down the driveway the other day. I figure that I'll carry him now, but when he's big he'll pull me. :D

My silly puppy

2008-09-03T12:17:00.002-05:00

So this morning I went for a short run. Now, however, I have two four legged monsters to avoid while I run. I've not fallen over a pup yet, but I think my time might be coming.

Ruby tends to follow along, but does her own thing running around in the fields next to the driveway. Max decides that though he's small, he doesn't want to be left behind. I'd gone for a two mile walk up and down the driveway last week, and had to carry the puppy a couple of times. I wasn't going to carry him while I ran.

Max did well, but was whimpering around a mile and a half. I didn't have a leash to drag him along, he could've stopped whenever. I did try to carry him a little bit, but he didn't like the jarring motion and whined then too. After I finished running for about a mile and a half, I wanted to walk the last .5. Max, was going to come along still too. So, I picked him up, he settled in and I carried him for a quarter mile. Silly puppy.

Our plan had been to not spoil him. We may be foiled again. Though Nick tried to pick him up last night to snuggle with the puppy. Max is a loose cannon and a biting machine. He's a wild puppy and it is difficult to chill out with him unless he's on the verge of exhaustion. Any other time, he's 16 pounds of crazy in an 8 or so pound sack. He plays HARD. We like him.

I will have to post a current picture eventually. Both of his ears are popped up and he now looks even more like a small german shepherd instead of *just* a puppy.

As far as cycling goes, I was out of town for most of the weekend. I got out on Saturday for a quick ride before we headed to Iowa to visit Nick's family. I biked over to Union Grove park and made a loop through the campground. I'd never done that before, I don't know why. That'd be decent hill training in the future - doing repeats through the park, it's not a solid hill, but a few hills gradually increasing to the top of a large hill.

Today I'm off to Mitchell again. I'll be back on Friday.

The Sing-a-long Edition? Really?

2008-08-26T14:31:00.002-05:00

This Friday the Mamma Mia Sing-a-Long edition starts in theatres. Truly? People who haven't yet seen the movie probably don't know the words or don't care about the movie, period. I doubt that the karoke version will entice them.

People who would go to a movie and sing with the show already know the words anyhow. I found myself singing through 95% of the movie already. I make sure to just mouth or sing under my breath, I didn't want to be THAT person. I think the words on the bottom of the screen would be seriously annoying. There was only one song that I wasn't really familiar with.

Not much to speak of...

2008-08-25T08:21:00.002-05:00

I think that I'm getting over my cold, though stuff continues to work it's way through the system, so that's wonderful.

Last week I didn't get much running or biking done since I didn't feel well at the start and Wednesday night I had to head to Mitchell for work. The pool in the hotel was 9 feet deep, which is rare. So, I hopped in and treaded water for a bit. I'm a very uncoordinated swimmer, so I don't do that often either. I don't really doggy paddle, I suppose what I tend to do is a hybrid breast stroke with a frog kick. :D I don't know how synchronized swimmers do it. I tried treading water with just my arms and really had to work at it. They do it upside down with everything below their waist above the water... and no floaty wings!

I did take advantage of the treadmill on Thursday. I have a love/hate relationship with them. Their good if you can't get away and outside, but my attention span is limited and can never get many miles out of a session. I walked and jogged for about 2 miles, then I needed to get ready to meet my cousin. She and her family live in Mitchell. It was the week of Corn Palace days.

I'd considered taking my own car with my bike to Mitchell so that I could do the Tour de Corn. But, I didn't.

Skip Friday, I worked and then went home. Saturday it was a GORGEOUS day. In my head I was going to bike in the afternoon when it warmed up. However, I did yard work for much of the morning. I purchased a few plants that needed to go in the ground. I raked and dug a few holes and watered stuff with five gallon buckets. I was tired in the afternoon, plus we had a puppy. So, no ride. I did wake up quite sore on Sunday morning. I was actually kind of glad to know that I'd gotten a good workout. :D

I had to get to Sioux City by late morning to pick up a gift for the bridal shower that I was to attend in the afternoon. I couldn't let an opportunity sneak by for at least a quick bike ride. I'd hoped that the Wakonda oil would be paved by now. It wasn't. I just went over to University and up to 302 and back. It was good for a quick 13. I'm bummed to hear from Cathy that they're going to chip seal 302. Blah. That's not going to be good and worked in this season!!

New Addition to the Family

2008-08-23T14:55:00.003-05:00

When people ask if we want another cat, I typically answer that we are to have no more house pets nor do we need another mouth to feed. We've talked that if we got another dog, assuming in several years after Ruby grows old and leaves us, we'd maybe like a big dog like a German Shepherd. We've come across other nearly free labradors and thought it'd be fun to get a playmate for Ruby. But she's a spoiled indoor dog and how could we have a dog outside when Ruby would be in with us?

Nick's boss's wife got Max, a German shepherd yesterday. Though, like most puppies, Max work his teeth and nips at people. There's a baby grandchild in that family, so a nipping puppy wasn't going to work. What to do, what to do? Hmmm.... Well, it COULD go back to the vet where it came from. All of its siblings had already been adopted. But Nick called to ask what I thought about bringing him home.

I didn't have a problem with the idea, but we really don't have any business bringing another pet into the house. Max is a pure blood German Shepherd. We decided that we'll try to have him as an outdoor dog. He'll probably like that pretty well. He'll be huge. Plus, maybe, he might be helpful working with the cattle that we seem to be acquiring as well.

Max doesn't come without a few issues. He is, afterall, a puppy. He nearly began chewing on my sandals. The sandals that replaced a pair of sandals that Ruby had chewed when SHE was a puppy. I need to keep my cycling shoes out of his path too.

Ruby and Max seem to be compatible. They were rolling around together on the ground instantly. Pixel seems to be irritated that we've AGAIN brough another animal into the family. She'll maybe forgive us by New Year's. That doesn't mean that she'll be yet speaking to Max. Sketch doesn't seem to care.

PS CDV: You and your kids can bike up here and play with the canines any time!! Then that's 30 miles toward your son's goal of fifty AND you don't have to buy a puppy. :D

Olympics...

2008-08-23T14:32:00.003-05:00

I'm really not sure who impresses me the most in all of the olympic games. I was just watching a bit of rhythmic gymnastics. I generally only care to watch a little bit of their stuff. Though, I do believe that they're extraordinarily talented. I will never be that coordinated.

I can never figure out which event in men's gymnastics is my favorite.

I never thought that watching a marathon would be that interesting, but last week we watch the women's olympic marathon. They are all super human and incredible.

The last two weeks have gone quickly. I didn't get to catch as much as I'd hoped. The men's gymnastics finals were on past 10p.m. and I fell asleep before I could see much. I wanted to see the BMX races and a bit more of the track cycling races.

I got to see the condensed medal round for pole vault, so it was nice to see Derek Miles a bit.

In normal life, I'm not really a televised sports enthusiast. I will say that the end of the Olympics will be a bit bittersweet. Even if it is tough to try to soak it all up without gettin burned ou.

Busy Week and a Day to celebrate

2008-08-18T12:07:00.004-05:00

So, I haven't been on my bike since August 8. And I haven't run since August 11. No exciting ride blogs here.

I have,however, been doing yardwork. I started working on a trail of sorts, however short, around our acreage. I weedwacked a bit of it and my arms were rather tired afterword. So, I'm content with that as some level of physical activity.

I'd post pictures of the path, but it's nothing to look at yet. I tried it with a bike, and need to tweak a couple curves yet. Hopefully I can get flowers and things other than grass growing to add some visual interest along the trail. Someone in my household thinks that I may get distracted and lose interest before I get too far with the project. :D He may be right, but I'll try. I imagine that I have my whole life to build on that place, but I need to stake a claim on it before kids come along and put go cart trails everywhere. Both may take some time.

Hubby caught a cold this past week and was close to death. I of course got one as well, but wasn't as severe. We're getting better, though I'm still tired. Instead of a ride on Saturday, I transplanted herbs in my yard to an area around our deck. It's something that needed to be done. They'll look better there too, if they survive the transplant shock.

Yesterday in the matter of 7 hours we husked, scraped, cooked, bagged and froze 500 ears of sweetcorn. Yikes. It was nearly enough to break down the freezer. My mom and grandma stopped by to provide an extra set of hands in the afternoon. Though we're happy to have yummy corn that should last us nearly until next season.

A ride would've been lovely, but we enjoyed the bonding time and the hours flew quickly. I only have cell phone pictures of the husk carnage.

We had a bbq with friends on Friday, and had family over for awhile yesterday. It was nice to have a relaxing, yet busy weekend. It really makes today more special. Nick and I have been married for a whole year! The weeks really flew by. We have fun goofing around, but really work well together and get jobs done. It is nice to have a partner in crime and a great family backing us up as well.

Margarita Ride T-shirt

2008-08-11T14:35:00.002-05:00

Now's the first chance I've had to upload the finished t-shirt. Well, it's at the shop to be proofed, I hear.

Be sure to register for the ride:

2008 MS 150 Ride

2008-08-05T07:57:00.001-05:00

I am proud of my hubby! Long account of MS 150

2008-08-03T18:46:00.008-05:00

Now, I've mentioned that perhaps Nick's training plan wasn't exactly conventional for the MS 150 this summer. Then he had planned to take it easy this week, but had to level off a silo (lots of shovelling) on Thursday. On Friday the silo unloader broke, and since it was full he climbed up and down it several times.

I, however, was a lazy bum.

Nick and I got to the start and got on the road with everyone else and felt good. We made sure to eat well the night before and that morning. Still, when we turned South, into the wind the challenge increased for everyone.

By Lennox, Nick's legs didn't have so much smoke, which was crazy. We knew that the Trek hybrid would be more work since it was heavier and just didn't roll the same as my roadbike. But we were going SLOW and it was very difficult and his legs had pain. He stopped and tweaked the seat position several times and that seemed to help.

The whole trip was just picking away at the miles and achieving small goals. It was a frustrating day for Nick. We felt better that there were generally people around us the whole way. Though others talked about and eventually did grab the aid of a SAG wagon to cover a few miles. That's just what people had to do to get down the road.

Saturday was an emotionally challenging day. Nick did give me clearance to head down the road. I waved the bull crap flag and said I wouldn't. That wouldn't have been cool of me. Plus, I am well aware of how cruel miles can be when you're already in less than ideal conditions. Cycling is SUCH a mind game. You can work through a lot of stress and issues, but you can also work yourself into quite the funk if given the opportunity. We were both cranky for a few moments here and there. It happens. But if I had left then we both would've been cranky on our own.

We decided that if we could just get to 306th St. and have those few miles with a tailwind, we could manage the last 14 on University. At the pitstop on University several people were catching rides into town to miss the hills.

One man with a Gary Fisher bike said that I could have it if I wanted it. I asked if he was upgrading to a roadbike. He said, "No. I'm done biking." I believe that his wife had talked him into riding the MS150 after a signifcant break from biking (like 20 years... I think.).

The official cut off time on the course was 4:30. We were on the S curves then. We had decided together that if we were asked to leave the course, we would politely decline. I ride that road all of the time and we could do it. Nobody asked us to leave, but the SAG wagons were circling like vultures. It was nice to know that they were hanging out in case anything was needed.

Nick and I have been married nearly one year. There's a good chance that we'll have to endure some fairly crappy things together and we won't get to pick and choose. So, as long as we have the priviledge to decide the challenges that we'll tackle together, I figured that we may as well finish them together too. It was tough, but we had a good time along the way.

So yay. We got in at a quarter to five after a very long day on the road. I felt pretty good, though I don't think that my butt has been on the saddle that long, ever.

We both enjoyed the banquet. If a person ever loses sight of why we do this, they do a great job of reminding riders. I'm glad that they share statistics so that we can share the info when we talk about the ride with others. I just can't believe the number of MS patients in the region. There's something like 4,000 in the US and approximately 1200 just in the midwest. It hits close to home.

After the banquet we slept like rocks. That was nice, I hadn't slept much the night before.

Nick wasn't exactly certain of how far he'd ride Sunday. The wind was gracious and allowed us to cover miles easily. However, when we'd go down hills I beat him, no problem. He'd have to pedal his bum off even then, the bike didn't coast much. THEN, a 90 pound kid on a mountain bike with wide, knobby, tires beat Nick downhill. Something was clearly wrong with the bike. I was kicking myself for having not cleaned the bike and relubing it. We didn't do a thorough check of either bike. We flagged down Two Wheeler Dealer to ask them for assistance.

As soon as we'd stopped, I saw the problem. The rear brake was slightly off kilter and rubbing on the rim. Bollocks. He'd been riding with some significant drag. The rim was warm. At least we caught it before the first rest stop on Sunday. Though Saturday could've been less miserable.

The heat was my kryptonite. There were times that I could've maintained a decent clip of speed, though over the day the temperature wore me down. oof. But, we still made decent time compared to the day before.

Cathy Logue met us along the route as she was driving out of Sioux Falls. We were less than 2 miles out, she was honking like a crazy person. That was fun. Holly and Cindy were right behind her offering water. We happened to be good, but thanks!!! Friendly faces were appreciated.

We got in at about 3p.m. The icy, wet towel was awesome. But, the mudslide at Nutty's was the best!

We're both home and fairly well spent. I don't think that Nick will do an epic ride of this sort for awhile. It just doesn't work in his schedule. I would be very much happy if we could get out and ride to Volin or Spink for breakfast occasionally. We shall see. Plus, I am very hopeful that when we do have a family, our future kids will enjoy getting out for events like this too. We were very impressed with how well all of the kids this weekend seemed to be doing.

AND, I got to meet TEZ and saw a couple that I'd met on the Tour de Kota.

We both enjoyed the atmosphere, it's too bad that Nick hates talking with people. I keep encouraging him to work on his conversation skills. People just laugh and say he's weird. Or funny. I did hear someone say he's funny. I contend that they were polite and left off the funny looking part. That's what will keep him coming back. It's not the biking, it's harassing people along the way that appeals to him.

Whatever it takes to get butts on the saddle, right?

Congratulations to every member of Team Roadkill for a job well done!!! And thanks to all of the volunteers for the event. You guys rock! Combined with all riders, it was a great effort for an excellent cause!

Tagged.

2008-08-01T07:01:00.003-05:00

If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be?

I don't know. I don't really have *bike lust* TOO bad. My bike gets me down the road, I have a Giant OCR 1. Though, I imagine that I'd be pretty happy with a completely carbon bike. Though I do like the look of Rivendell bikes. I am more of a sucker for cool colors and paint schemes. When I went shopping for my bike I wanted a blue one. Though I think a hazzard yellow bike would be awesome. And what I'd REALLY like is for Trek to bring back their "Design a Dream Bike Contest" so that I could submit an idea for their Project One Paint Schemes.

Do you already have that coveted dream bike? If so, is it everything you hoped it would be? If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not?

I'm working on the drawing that I would submit if the contest ever opened back up. Otherwise, I'm content with my current bike. Until it breaks, I won't worry about it. I'm collecting pennies to add a mountain bike. Or pending how this weekend goes, maybe a roadbike for Nick.

Now, for a completely frivolous addition... I would like Nick to build an adult size greenmachine/trike for me. I think that would be fun for when kids hopefully come into the picture.... riding up and down the driveway on their level.

If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?

I do like the Meckling Loop too. But, the 30ish miles from my house to Vermillion and back would be much more practical... I would pick the University/Highway 19 loop rather than University/Greenfield Road.

Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrow-minded?

I do not have a mountain bike. I am diligently watching various Craiglist locations and ebay and end of season sales. It's something I'd like to try. Even if I acquire a mountain bike, I will still likely use the roadbike more. I love just tooling along country roads.

Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? If not, describe the circumstances under which you would ride a recumbent.

I would like to try a recumbent.

Have you ever raced a triathlon?

Nope. I'm not exactly what you would call an efficient swimmer. Yeah, that's the best possible way that I can put that. Did you see the episode of Friends where Phoebe goes running with Monica (I think)... That's what I would look like swimming the American crawl. I'll doggy paddle or do a frog type stroke, but that won't cut it. :D

Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why?

Ah man. I do really really enjoy ice cream. But I never get cranky having not had ice cream for awhile. I enjoy other forms of excercise too... but I think that I have to keep the bike.

What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it.

What is the most curious thing that someone's asked you about cycling, or you've noticed about someone else?

"Did you go down the interstate?"

I've also seen people biking on the interstate often enough that I wonder where they're going and have to get there so fast that they're biking ON the interstate? I really can't imagine that if they're on bike, travelling, that an extra half hour to hour or so to get to a side road just a couple of miles away could really make THAT much difference considering safety. I'll be open minded though and welcome explanation.

You’re riding your bike in the wilderness (if you’re a roadie, you’re on a road, but otherwise the surroundings are quite wilderness-like) and you see a bear. The bear sees you. What do you do?

Well, maybe I might be with Biking Brady and Cactus Eyed Joe and they might play Alpha bear... But they probably would be ahead of me. I'd give the bear the granola bar that I surely have along because it is, of course, a Silly ole bear. And, I would ponder my lack of bear spray when I never expect to need it against dogs and never expect to actually see a bear. Somehow kicking the bear in the snout may not be the appropriate move in this situation.

Now, tag three biking bloggers. List them below.

Cactus Eyed Joe

Angie has a blog, but I don't remember the address. :-(
I don't think that Ashley has a blog, but she should and she should answer this, if she chooses.

It's not the heat, it's the humidity...

2008-07-30T10:48:00.003-05:00

I haven't done a lot of biking over the last week. I have been doing a little bit of running. OR swimming on dry land. However way you want to look at it.

Last week I couldn't figure out why I ran 3 miles four minutes slower than my already slow time. Oh, could it be because it was like somewhere between 85 and 95% humidity? One morning I thought I'd be okay with 75 degree weather, but I was still dying. That whole sweat not being able to evaporate is critical.

Last night I wanted to run three, but was happy with two. I walked the driveway and could feel steam coming off of the corner on each side. I thought that I'd go out to the road to try and benefit from what little breeze there was. It was 90 ish degrees out and weather.com said that the humidity was down to 59%. I still nearly croaked. Heat was coming off of the road and the wind was fairly non existant.

On the bright side, last summer I didn't run much at all. OR bike. I fell off of the wagon and it took awhile to get back on.

I'm looking forward to the MS ride this weekend, even if it is in the 90s. It's much more tolerable on the bike. And hopefully the breeze will be *just enough to cool* and under the point of being a burden.

See you Friday night!!

Here I go again, My, My, How can I resist you...

2008-07-27T07:10:00.003-05:00

Mamma Mia is quite possibly the best chick flick ever! :D My mom and I went to see it yesterday. There were a few guys in the audience, I suppose their wives didn't take the advice "You and your mom should go and see that!" to heart.

I wish that I would've seen the stage version too, though. That'd be awesome. I believe that it was almost out when I was in England in 1999. And it probably was still on stage when I was there a few years ago. But, I was on a Les Miserables kick each time. I think that it was in Sioux City a couple of years ago. KG95 had a call in contest along the lines of ABBA karoke. I wanted to try but was afraid that I'd totally blow it. Plus, I probably had to work the night the show was in town.

So, now I'm loading more ABBA music onto my Ipod. I don't know why I hadn't before. Hopefully I'll get out to run before it rains.

Speaking of, how'd the ride go yesterday? I look forward to reading ride reports.

I was going to bike to Lennox to my grandma's house. But, as I was getting ready to go out the door the hubby called and warned me of a looming storm. I checked the radar and thought I'd miss it. It looked like it'd be a bit west yet. The radar is full of hooey, or I can't read it. I don't know. When I went back outside I could clearly see the darkening sky and could hear thunder. I didn't need to ride that badly. When I drove to Lennox, I saw some funky clouds, impressive lightening bolts and met some decent rain.

I hope the riders didn't get too soaked.

Meckling Loop

2008-07-20T18:38:00.002-05:00

Nick and I rode the Meckling loop today. I keep saying that it's 30 because that's what it's listed as during the Margarita Ride. But, truthfully it's 28. It'd be about 30 if a person looped around and came into town from lower Vermillion, I'd imagine. But we don't often do that. Oh well. For now 28=30 and it's close enough.

Nick agreed to do the Bike MS ride with me. Unfortunately biking and farming don't really go together very well. He hasn't really had much of a spare moment to breathe lately he's been in the field or just at work constantly for the last couple months.

Two weeks ago we biked the trail around Sioux Falls. Today he did pretty well too, with a few extra miles. It got really hot and breakfast wasn't consumed before we rode. The guy is tough. He's physically fit, biking is just a new challenge.

I'm hopeful that the ride will be a postive experience. I think that it will be. The MS ride has such a good community of riders already and the support stops are well stocked. PLUS, if the weather or what not doesn't pan out to be a pleasant experience, it's our home turf. My grandma lives in Lennox. And we can hide a cooler at the end of our driveway stocked with beer. Though the distance after our house to Vermillion isn't really very substantial.

After our ride we went to an auction at the Armory in Vermillion. Yikes, that was hot. Lots of people in a gym with no air. We took a break to go and get food from Pro's. Yum. We went back and scored the object that we were interested in. A paint sprayer for a fraction of what we'd have to buy it for otherwise. This acreage needs paint and I'd rather be biking than rolling it on. Wait. I'd rather be biking than watching NIck roll it on. Let's be honest. :D

Our pets let us live here.

2008-07-17T07:17:00.002-05:00

We have three pets. Two cats and a dog. My cat Sketch very much enjoys being outside and is a much more agreeable cat for it. He tends to prefer the evening hours, which is fine with us because he isn't running all over the house and playing with the dog while we're trying to sleep. Oh and you can't have a glass of water on the nightstand, the cat will stand on you to drink from it. I imagine it's like having young kids. You have to remove all temptation.

However, our dog and the cat are pals. Earlier in the spring when we'd sleep with the windows open - Sketch would be outside in the morning and call for us to let him in. Typically not a big deal, it was about the time when we'd be getting up anyway. Now, the dog thinks it's fun to wake me up to let her go outside to find Sketch. Lately she's been horrible. At first I thought that she really had to go to the bathroom. Nope. She's messing around.

She's pretty good at knowing when the cat needs to come in. I think that they have some extra sensory dialogue going on.

There's a whole process to taking care of everyone in the wee hours: make sure that you fill the cat dish with food because Sketch will be hungry. So the ideal routine to minimize time awake: Let the dog out, cat in. Go fill the cat dish while the dog may or may not be emptying her reserves. Let the dog in, go back to bed. But an hour later I'm usually wakened by a peeved cat because the dog ate his food (we do feed the dog too, she just seems to prefer the cat food- same brand even).

Yesterday the cat was out during the day hours. So Ruby woke me up at like 2 a.m. because the cat wanted to go out. I said you're both going out and I'm staying in here. See you in the morning.

Ruby is much more agreeable in the winter. She only goes out at night when she *has* to. Pansy dog.

Despite my complaining, I still enjoy their company. They can't talk to us, but they're very good at communicating anyway. And just by observing their actions a person can figure out what it is that they're trying to do. Ruby is very good at going outside, putting her nose to the ground and tracking Sketch.

I don't know if Sketch likes it because I would imagine having a big yellow dog trail you may impact your ability to catch mice.

And Pixel, well, she seems content to rule the house. She listens to the voices in her head and spends her day chasing flies or moths or her shadow up and down the hall upstairs.

One thing that I made yesterday

2008-07-13T07:44:00.002-05:00

Last November my husband and I took our honeymoon to the island of Kauai. There they have a sea glass beach, a place where discarded glass that's been tossed in the ocean washes up and for some reason collects there. The glass has been worn smooth and frosted by the waves and sand, etc.

The beach has been picked over by thousands of people. There were a half dozen or so people there. I wish that I would've brought my camera down. It would've been neat to have pictures of beach combers bent over in the sand, searching, bums in the air. Well, the picture in my head at the time really was quite charming.

Any way, my hubby and I brought back a bag or so of the stuff. Yesterday I made a sun catcher.

It will live in the bathroom that I'm redecorating.

The bathroom will be an ongoing project. I've got the nasty wallpaper down and wall primed, but I really can't stand the tile that's on the wall. That's even nastier. Plus it is falling off. Man, green wall paper with a medium sized floral viney pattern on it... With neutral colored tile with cream and gold flecks running through it. Ish.

Potential Margarita ride shirt

2008-07-10T22:19:00.003-05:00

Hopefully Biking Brady doesn't mind me posting a rough version of the Margarita Ride shirt here. I have to tweak it a bit, who knows how the fine lines will transfer to a tshirt. And, I forgot to put in the ride name and year. Oh well.

Here it goes.

Rapid Pics

2008-07-10T21:58:00.004-05:00

CDV over at his Ride Vermillion Blog mentioned the double decker bike that he saw in Rapid. I also saw it when I was there observing the Unicycle Championships. Though I only ever saw it from across the parking lot or leaning against a tree, riderless. I had thought that it was a green bike. Apparantly it's blue.

Here's a couple unicycle event pictures:

No, I haven't bought a unicycle

2008-07-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

My husband asked this morning if I would be bringing one home. It's been a fun day watching a variety of ages and abilities.

I couldn't imagine climbing any hill on a unicycle. Nor could I fathom going down any portion of 'M' hill on one or two wheels. I hadn't seen any of the famed singletrack out here. We hiked along some seemingly great trail today to get video.

Tonight we attended the trials portion of the week. Translation: Jumping up and down some crazy obstacles.

I think that this segment airs sometime this winter. I have been shooting some photos out here too. We will see how that goes.

Also, a group of cyclists are staying in the same hotel. Ride America by bike. Or something like that. Oregon to New Hampshire (I think). They'd been in Hot Springs this morning. I asked another guy where the next stop was. He chuckled and said that he didnt even know anymore. I will mark it down on my list of rides to do when I retire. They started early to mid June and will finish toward the end of July, riding roughly 80 miles a day.

Officially 29 and holding...

2008-07-06T23:44:00.000-05:00

Alright, I'm entering my last year as a 20 something. That is crazy. I've generally liked having a birthday at this time of year. We'd extend the 4th for a couple more days. But, on the flip side, I didn't get to have an official treat day at school.

My mom did thank me today for getting her out of work that afternoon in July, '79. :-D

Nick and I pretty much had our activity day yesterday. We'd picked up a small cheesecake yesterday and had it for a brunch time treat. I had to drive to Rapid City this afternoon. I'm doing a Dakota Life segment about the unicycle convention and championships.

I did indulge myself and bought lunch to go from Tokoyo in S Falls. My bestfriend from high school lives in Rapid, we were able to meet for dinner. That was really nice. We dont often get to do that.

On the way out here, I saw one westbound cyclist on the interstate somewhere between Mitchell and Chamberlain. Plus, a pair of eastbound cyclists near Wall. They were all in typical cyclist gear and loaded paniers. I always wonder what their stories are. I was surprised at how many people have asked me if we used the interstate for the TDK. The very idea is rather fightening, even if it is the most direct route.

I am looking forward to checking out this unicycling thing. I wouldnt mind learning how to ride, but I don't think that we could afford the medical bills after I fall.

July 5, Photos

2008-07-05T22:01:00.001-05:00

July 5th Ride

2008-07-05T14:37:00.001-05:00

Nick, mom and I tried the Sioux Falls bike trails today. We started at Falls Park and circled clockwise. I didnt think that anyone would like to go up the switchbacks. The wind was already a challenge. We'd never been on the trails before, the east side of town is definately the more picturesque portion.

Mom only went a few miles with us. She had to work this afternoon. But she had a good time.

We rode past the FABRAD group. They looked like they had a good turn out. We're sorry that we didn't join the party. But, we got a late start.

Nick hadn't ridden yet this year. He did the 20 miles on my hybrid. Weather.com says that the wind was 19 mph, gusting to 30 some. We averaged like 10 mph. It was a good, easy going day.

We ate lunch at the Falls Park cafe. Turkey and Cranberry sandwhich, plus broccoli salad. Yum. After visiting my grandpa we also went to see the movie Hancock. I would recommend the latest Will Smith movie.

Nick will be riding the MS 150. I dont think that the padded liners that he wore are quite the solution. Does anyone have a suggestion for shorts good for a slender guy? These don't pad his backside too much. He probably wont do huge long rides with me often, so a large investment isnt ideal either.

Happy 4th!

2008-07-04T14:57:00.000-05:00

Lennox has an excellent 4th celebration. My grandma lives there so we often celebrate with her. There's a firecracker roadrace that I wanted to run. I did the 2 mile option a couple years ago. This year they added a 5k run.

Nick had to work and wouldnt be done until later. I thought that it would be crazy to drive two cars up, we try to avoide it whenever possible.

So, I decided that I would bike up. I did enterain the idea of getting to town in time to do the 2 mile option at least. I just didnt know if Id have the smoke to run after biking. And I didnt want to have to leave my house by 5.

I also thoguht about trying for a century today. But that would require me being rather anti social.

So I ran 3.1 miles this morning, SLOWLY, and biked the 30 to Lennox. I missed the start of the parade. I bought a rootbeer float on my way through the park.

Tomorrow I think that Nick, my mom and I will do a loop around the SFalls bike trail. I dont know that we'll make it for FABRAD though.

Happy riding to everyone! I need to take a nap.

Commuting to Work

2008-07-01T09:08:00.004-05:00

I carpooled with Nick today. To the end of the driveway. That shaves like five minutes off of my commuting time if I don't have to walk the bike down the driveway. It was a nice morning. I rode kinda slow. It took well over an hour to cover the 15 miles. Ah well. Maybe I just didn't want to get to work.

Last week a couple of my former KTIV co-workers texted me to say that they were biking to Burbank to have lunch at Whimp's on Friday. I said that I'd meet them. I thought that it'd be more fun to bike it. I woke up feeling like crap, but that went away. I didn't get going until 7:30 though. Better than an hour later than I'd meant.

At 11 my friends called to say they were in Elk Point. So I changed again and headed down there. I took a really long lunch break. Again, oops (I skipped biking on Sunday to go to work and make up time). I hadn't seen Al and Melissa for maybe three years. It's funny how time slips by. Though we'd been harassing each other by text and email messages that whole time.

Al's always been an avid cyclist. When I worked at KTIV, 6 years ago, I was active enough. I would go and rollerblade on the bike trails, generally six or so miles at a crack. Even during the winter, as long as it was in the 30s or so, sunny and clear of ice. Al would often mention that he was going to do a quick 20 mile loop on his bike after work. I, of course, thought that sounded like a crazy idea.

It never occured to me to bike. I did have a bike. The Huffy mountain bike that I'd received when I was 12. It never really occured to me that the bike was way too small. I guess that I didn't ride it very often, the tires didn't hold air and I wasn't sure where to take it to be fixed.

Flash forward to when I started at South Dakota Public Broadcasting. I'd been working there for a year. In the meantime, I tried to run occasionally. I was working on the couch to 5k plan. The Argus Leader was going to have its inaugural TDK. I got to do the Dakota Life segment about it. I thought to myself, "Running a marathon might be a bit out of reach, for now, but I think that I could do something like this."

And that's how I got bit by the bug. Big and bad. I started shopping for a hybrid. I got one in July. By August I did the 30 mile loop of the Margarita ride with Angie. It was a SUPER windy day, it took us FOREVER. I seem to remember drafting behind a SAG wagon. Maybe Mrs. Bikingbrady was driving.

The next spring I decided to look for a roadbike. The LBS owner asks, "Didn't you just get a bike? Have you worn it out already?" No. I just wanted something different. :D He did sell me a roadbike.

That year I completed my first century with the MS150. The year later I tried the TDK and this year I finished.

And just a few years ago, the thought had never crossed my mind. Now, any ride less than 15 miles is almost not worth getting dressed for. :D But that's what gym shorts and the hybrid is for.

TDK Day 6: Photos (2 weeks later)

2008-06-29T09:30:00.001-05:00

TDK Day Cinq: Photos

2008-06-25T21:59:00.001-05:00

TDK Day 6: Brookings to Sioux Falls

2008-06-20T20:59:00.005-05:00

We had heard rumors that there was going to be a west wind, a little south also. With this news, Mary Jean wasn't sure if she was going to ride or not. The plan was that she would call me when she had decided. When I got up I was super cranky. Not, "I'm a b*t*h cranky..." Just, "Wow, this week *has* been a physical and emotional challenge, I didn't sleep well last night, I'm tired and I miss my husband, I'm ready to go home..." kinda cranky. And, it looked windy out.

Mary Jean called and said she would try to ride. She'd been waffling all morning. She asked her husband what he would do if he were her. He said he'd get dressed, go down the park and check things out, set out and see how it goes. But if it were him, he wouldn't ride, probably. He does ride with her, but that day the weather was not ideal. Again. Hopefully Mary Jean doesn't mind me telling that story. Though I think that a lot of people had that mentality.

Thus, the morale of the week is: Just get on the darn bike. Period. Once you're on the bike, it gets better.

We got going at about 6:45. We had cross winds, they were probably above 20 mph already. We had to go west for a few stretches, that was hard. Going down a hill, if I stopped pedaling I'd top out at 8 mph. But, we got to the first stop at 23 miles. Who makes the first food stop that far into a casual tour? Oh well. The line was long, so I ate the granola bar in my pocket and wanted to keep going. My friend had already eaten and we were both afraid that if we stopped we'd freeze up. AGain, I'm glad that I ate a good breakfast.

Considering how badly I didn't want to ride that morning, I warmed up to the idea and the stubborness in me came out. Our next goal was just to make it to the half way point. I thought the day was 70 miles, but I guess that it was posted as 68. We got to mile 35. We kept plugging away. More people had been caving, we saw more cars with bikes on the back. We eventually made it to Sioux Falls. I had given my mom the correct time for return, based on a 70 mile assumption. But we were still on the west side of town at mile 70, and had to get into the middle of town. They routed us in on the bike trail. 8 miles later, we were at the finish. It's not nice to lie about miles at the end like that. Another 10 miles really isn't THAT big of a deal. But, when you're prepped for one distance and have people waiting for you, it's a mean trick. We were getting tired. My arms were getting fatigued from holding the bike on the road/path. My lips were even hurting, I think that I burned them a bit and they were chapped.

My mom had taken an extended lunch break. She'd already been waiting for me for a decent amount of time. So we got in, took some pictures and I had to leave right away so that my mom could get back to work. So, I felt like the end was a little anit-climactic (I think that I butchered that spelling, my mind is drawing a blank. Sorry!). 77.75 miles, 6:59:30, 11.1 average, winds W 21 gusting to 30.

I was so tired of putting food into my face. I was hungry, but nothing sounded good when I got to Sioux Falls. Mom hadn't had lunch yet and wondered if I wanted to grab something with her. I was eating the cookie in my bag because it was there and I thought that I should put SOMETHING in my mouth. Otherwise I had no idea what I'd even want. I just didn't feel like eating. I did go and get some coffee. And some woodchuck cider for when I got home. Nick had some wine waiting.

I was tired. All of my muscles ached, except my abs. So, I considered going home and doing some situps to balance things out. :d I didn't. I felt much better the next day and the day after. I did feel a small burn in my quads for awhile, mostly when going up stairs. But I think that I recovered pretty well. I woke up Saturday morning at a 5:45 a.m. My brain finally got used to the get up and ride mentality.

I went back to Sioux Falls to get my bike. When I tried to put the bike rack on the night before, it was windy and starting to rain. I did get to have lunch with mom to make up for the day before.

I had a good time and was very glad that I finished the whole day on Friday. A lot of people didn't. And I can totally see why. A lady rider at a pit stop said we were crazy. Mary Jean and I wanted to finish for ourselves. Though we also felt bad that Bonnie couldn't finish due to the crash and other friends had planned to ride but weren't able to due to scheduling issues.

I had wondered what the tour would be like. I missed the mass of Lanehogs that were generally there too. There were a few of us this year, just not the same. But everyone on the tour is so nice. It was easy to chat with people on the road, at pit stops or standing in line for the Maui showers. And everyone seems to have a good memory. Two ladies that had set up camp near my tent in Vermillion last year recognzied me in Ft. Thompson. I chatted with them at several stops. I also ran into a lady that I first exchanged messages with on teamestrogen.com. I met her last year on the century day in Vermillion.

There's definately a sense of camaraderie. The tour is such a nice size and range of ability. Even with the sketchy weather, I plan to do it again.

More pictures to arrive, hopefully tomorrow.

TDK Day 5 Huron to Brookings

2008-06-20T20:22:00.003-05:00

Huron to Brookings went without incident. I rode with Mary Jean. Bonnie was still sore and went home to get checked out. That was a bummer. She was a lot of fun to ride with and was missed on one of the best days of the week.

It was a gorgeous day and we had a tail wind for a good portion of the trip. The slated miles were 88 for the day, so we thought maybe we could do a century if we still felt good in town.

I did enjoy the road graffiti by the Billy Super Club. I would've stopped to take an example photo, but that wouldn't have worked. Whomever it was must have gotten out early and quickly to mark various roadkill along the road.

Again, we were on highway 14. At one of the first stops, the name of the town escapes me, I decided to not stand in line for the porta potty. Instead I went across the street to the gas station to use an actual facility, as long it was available. It was a gas station/mechanic shop and apparantly the place where a few local men stop for coffee. So, you can imagine the looks from the half dozen fellows sitting inside. Another lady came out of the bathroom, so at least I wasn't the first they'd seen.

They ask where we were going, wondering if we were heading for the black hills. I said no, we'd started in Sioux Falls and were making a big loop. I filled them in on the rest of the route. Then one of them ask if any of us had jobs, how do we get the time to do that? I say, well... a lot of people do have vacation time. He then said that he could think of a helluva lot of things he'd rather be doing. I was cool about it, he probably wanted to get me going a bit. I said, "YEah, well... I guess we all have our thing that we're interested in, huh?" The guy behind the counter nodded in agreement.

I can see why other people might think that we're crazy. But, it's not really any more crazy than going for a hike, or a walk... It's just a bigger time involvement. I do get that not everyone is into biking. And, there's a lot of things that I just can't get in to. Hunting isn't for me. I've sort of taken a stab at golf and can't quite get into that either. I do recognize that it's a game of skill. But, I'd rather be on the bike.

There was gorgeous scenery was everywhere. The pie in Oldham was YUMMY. I had a rhubarb merange type pie. I'd never seen rhubarb pie done quite like that before. Usually it's like an apple pie sort of fillin. Delish. As I was putting my glasses and helmet on, a little boy asked what was on the side of my sunglasses. I explained that it was a mirror and what I used it for. A person really takes somethings for granted and wouldn't think of how truly odd they may look to someone else.

Mary Jean and I also skipped the 1.7 miles of gravel. Butch was right there, so we didn't really see the point in dealing with it.

We got to Brookings, I felt filthy. My butt hurt. And decided to just go and get cleaned up. I stayed in the dorms. The showers were ice cold. BIg thumbs down. I guess it takes 10-20 minutes for the water to warm up.

I biked back down town. Mary Jean was still working on her 100. When I saw her she was at 98 and finished. I was at 90, but wasn't interested in spending another hour on the bike. I didn't plan to do much more than bum around town. I looked around the local bike shop. And grabbed a snack at Nick's Hamburger shop. There was a guy playing an electric piano outside. I sat and listened to him for awhile.

Mary Jean went to hang out with her husband and I didn't know where the other people that I knew were. SO, I got back on the bike and finished the last 10 in my street clothes, bumming around residential Brookings. Which maybe wasn't the best idea, my butt hurt some more, especially without padded shorts. I saw several other TDK cyclists going up and down streets too. I think that there were a lot of people that hit a century that day. The whole time there were huge clouds building. I got back to the dorm in time for a storm to hit. 88.73 miles, 6:39:58, 13.3 mph avg... 100 miles, 8:05:20, 12.4 mph avg (cruised around residential areas).

TDK Day Four

2008-06-20T19:54:00.004-05:00

Seriously, I hope to finish blogging about the tour before I start training for next year's cycling season.

Word around camp was that the day would start with easterly winds and rain. So Bonnie, Mary Jean and myself thought that we'd probably sleep in a little bit and see how the weather was. They thought that maybe we'd be able to start at 8 a.m. I slept in until 6 so that I could allow for plenty of time for the crankies to work their way out of my system and so that I could pack up my tent, etc. And, I wanted to go and get breakfast. Plus, I wasn't really certain when Mary Jean and Bonnie would want to go so I needed to be ready and waiting.

It looked yucky out, though it wasn't raining. I went to breakfast, biscuits and gravy and eggs served at the auditorium. Bonnie called and said they were ready to go. I went to meet them at the gas station. Oh boy, it started to mist and sprinkle.

The ladies said that they had heard that the wind wouldn't shift until 4p.m., so we might as well start making our way east. By the time we left the gas station, it was raining steadily. We formed a little three person pace line.

None of us ever got close enough to each other's wheel to truly be drafting, but I believe that it helped break the distance up a bit mentally and it helped bust up the breeze a little. Also, it seemed to be easier to see out of one's glasses when you were in the second or third position.

Five miles out, we stopped. That wasn't fun. We were all wet and the breeze was steady and we got cold. Mary Jean called her husband to be on standby. We considered going back to Highmore. I really wasn't interested in dealing with that weather. The headwinds to Chamberlain weren't fun, but at least it was sunny and pleasant otherwise. This was worse. While at the front it was very difficult to see anything. Rain stung my eyes. We were on Hwy 14. Traffic mostly got over, but it was still a little nerve racking. We decided to make our way to Ree Heights, another 6 miles down the road. A motorcyclist had been going up and down the highway checking for riders. He said that there'd be coffee and a bit of a shelter.

We did stop there a bit and had snacks. Ultimately we thought that we could press on to Miller, another 11 miles or so down the road. We'd each been taking turns at the front for a mile. That was only a little over 3 turns for each of us. Mary Jean's husband would meet us there. And, someone at the stand said that the rain was moving east anyway. As long as we didn't ride too fast, we'd end up on the back side and out of it.

On our way the rain let up. Then we noticed that the grass wasn't moving too much. We hoped that the wind was shifting directions. Our spirits picked up. As we got closer I thought that if I could dry out a bit in Miller, then I could probably continue on.

There were a lot of people in the school auditorium. There were people who were waiting for a bus to take them to Huron. Someone said that there would be scattered storms all afternoon. The sky to the north looked dark. Mary Jean had decided that as long as she'd called her husband to come and get her, she should maybe hang out with him.

Bonnie and I waffled back and forth. We didn't really want to get caught out in the rain again. Especially if it should happen to be worse. By the time that we got on the road, there weren't many left in the auditorium. We decided to press on for Wessington. We could call Mary Jean and her husband if we needed help.

The ride was actually pleasant with a tailwind. The shoulder was even paved. However, just past St. Lawrence the shoulder turned to gravel. Bonnie was just ahead of me, I got over to allow her to merge onto the road. She merged just as she'd gone onto gravel. But, her bike got up onto the road sort of at a parallel instead of cutting up onto it, I think. She wipes out. I'm practically right next to her. In my head I'm freaking out, envisioning that I'm going to go over top of her. I was able to swing out and around her and got stopped without going down in a mix up. I'm immediately worried. My last accident was a year ago, though the memory of a broken clavicle was fresh.

Fortunately there was no traffic behind us. And an approaching car from the opposite direction stopped when Bonnie was on the ground to see if she was okay. She was. She was able to collect her stuff and stand up. I hoped that nothing severe happened, but was ready to make the phone call. The fall knocked the wind out of her. I told her that she did pretty well, both times that I'd fallen off of my bike I'd broken something. This incident was still new and this news was not as welcomed, I don't think. :D

Bonnie did get back on her bike and we continued on to Wessington. She asked what my broken collarbone had felt like. I told her, "Well, I sure the hell wasn't back on my bike riding again, that's for certain." I guess that comment wasn't entirely necessary, but it was true. She said that she felt tightness across her chest.

We got to Wessington, she decided to catch a ride with Mary Jean and Butch. The weather was still holding up, so I continued on. I stopped in Wessington and got a chocolate milk. The hoodlums from the Ride with the Kernel day were there. :D I know that I've read blogs and forum posts by many of these people. But their identities still allude me.

One of them, Brian, asked if I was going to join them. I said that I would ride with them as long as I could keep up. I did chat with Brian for a little while on the ride. But like a mile out of town they picked up the pace and I said I'd see them down the road. I saw them a few other times on the tour and they are a friendly group.

The sky to the North and South never did look friendly. I made it to Huron without incident and walked across another nasty set of railroad tracks. They curved across the road and I didn't like it. I ended the ride thinking of nothing but zesto's. But, I ended up being too lazy to even ride my bike two blocks away to Dairy Queen. I wanted instant gratification and ate the food at camp. Later I did walk with Brittany to Dairy Queen so that she could get a blizzard.

I put my tent up in a building. It was nice enough to camp outside, but inside was a sure shelter. I thought about just rolling out my sleep pad and bag and skipping the whole tent thing. Though, it ended up being really nice to close myself off from the rest of the world for a bit.

I enjoyed chatting with people and listening to music in the host towns. I wanted to go and hear everyone else's war stories... But, really the whole week is sensory overload. And I just needed to shut some of it down for a little while.

71.94 miles, 5:38:48, 12.7 mph.

TDK Day 4: Photos

2008-06-20T17:39:00.001-05:00

TDK Day 3: Photos

2008-06-20T15:35:00.001-05:00

Back from the Badlands

2008-06-20T07:23:00.002-05:00

Here's a brief public service announcement: If you get a chance to go out to the Badlands in the near, near, future GO!!! Go now in fact. It is so green and pretty. I will post pictures from that trip soon.

The trip went well, we got video of the big horn sheep. I think that I mentioned that in my other Badlands post. Did you know that the rams segregate themselves from the herd? Because of how their stomachs are, a multi chamber stomach (I think that's what the biologist said), they don't have to be as fussy regarding what they eat. They tend to go and hang out in the lower ground, near the tables through the park. The females and lambs stay near the steeper ground. They can flee danger going up and down steep terrain so easily, that's where their hideouts are. Though, they don't seem to mind tourists too much, they'll run right passed a couple picture happy, camera toting folks. Or, they'll graze within 20 feet of a car.

Wednesday night, with the help of a couple SDPB radio personalities, we went out in the middle of the southern portion of the park. I REALLY want a mountain bike. It'd be awesome to go off and travel the gravel sideroads, and the trails that other motor vehicles have carved through the park.

I should've been wearing hiking boots instead of tennis shoes. Ah well, we all hauled the gear over, down and across some interesting terrain.

Later we parked to wait for the rising moon. It did rise, but we didn't get to see it because a storm rolled through. It was fun to watch lightening in the distance. Two radio people went hiking down in the canyon at 10p.m. I told them I'd come out and hike during the day sometime, but I wasn't too interested, even with the help of a headlamp.

Eventually, as three of us waited, we see headlights coming up the path. Not from our co-workers, but from a car. We're out in the middle of nowhere and wonder who this is and what this is about. If it was a vehicle of locals looking to party, who knows what would go down. We all have active imaginations. We hopped into the Durango and locked the doors, and kept our lights out. The car parked acrossed the clearing near the car of our co-workers from Rapid. All was quiet, we were still trying to figure out what was going on. Paul, the co-worker with the producer and I was going to get out and check. There's a dude standing right next to the door. Paul hops back in and locks the door.

There's another guy standing outside, they're looking out over the canyon. I think they're just people out for a scenic view. Two gals approach them. So, our defenses go down. I roll down the window and explain that we were startled. They come over and look into the window and one of the girls says, "Paul...?" The two gals were also SDPB radio employees in Rapid and the two guys were friends of theirs. Paul had met the guy that first approached the car, but didn't recognize him in the dark.

I found it mildly amusing, hopefully you do too.

On the way back to Wall at midnight, mountain time, we driving gravel roads. I'm watching for deer from the passenger seat. I see one on the farside of the ditch, nearly outside of the headlight path. Otherwise, nothing. The road that we were on goes by a buffalo reserve. As we're driving along, there's a HUGE dark mass along side of the road, subtly moving. A person is used to looking for deer, so it didnt' immediately register in my head. And we were tired. But Rina (the producer) and I both immediately start exclaiming, "Buffalo! buffalo! Buffalo!!!" Fortunately it wasn't interested in moving too rapidly either. I don't think that the durango would've tossed him up over the hood or anything. BUt I would imagine that it would be much like hitting a wall and we would possibly be the roadkill instead of the buffalo.

It was a good trip. Of course it wasn't without a Wall Drug donut or two... or three. :D

If you DO travel out to the badlands this summer, don't get too close to the prairie dogs. They have the plague. So especially keep your pets away too! That's probably the more important public service announcement.

Stay tuned for pictures.

TDK Day 2: Photos

2008-06-19T21:52:00.001-05:00

TDK Day 3: Extended Version

2008-06-17T23:18:00.000-05:00

On the third day I met up with Mary Jean and Bonnie to tackle the hills to Highmore. I did eat the pancakes and eggs sold at the camp. We started off at like 6:30 a.m. or so. I'm not going to lie, the first hill is a doozie. But we all got up it. I don't know how slowly I was going. I didn't bother to look. It wasn't quick. Oh well. I stopped at the top to take some photos. Will share later too.

The weather was sunny and the wind was out of the southeast. Not quite a tailwind, but not enough of a crosswind to make the descents really scary. Though my eyes did water a time or two.

At mile 15 there was a chuckwagon food stop. I was glad that I ate before I left, those hills do take some energy to get up. But, I was bummed that I wasn't hungry for the eggs, potatos, bacon scramble and cornbread. Don't worry, I ate a slice of cornbread. :D Though, by the looks of Bonnie's breakfast, they ran out of the thoroughly done food and hers wasn't as crisp and cooked as one might like. It was still one of the most interesting side stops along the way.

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful, in that it was pretty ideal. We were very glad that we saved our legs the day before. Oh, Mary Jean's rear tire did blow out on a downhill. She heard it and was able to pull over safely. I started working on her tire. I got the wheel off and the tire too. I was just collecting my thoughts to actually change the tube when a kind gentleman pulled off to help. I'm pretty certain that I could've accomplished the change, but I was glad to hand it over to someone more efficient than myself. A second guy stopped to also make quick work of it. It'd have taken me FOREVER! Mary Jean's tire was shot, so she got that fixed at the next place.

Riding by the windfarm was neat. A passing cyclist said we had enough wind, they should turn the farm off. :D

To the lady handing out the popcicles at the edge of Highmore: Thank you. I was tempted to not stop because I just wanted to get to camp, but a person feels like a kid attempting to eat an icy treat and ride a bike. I got juice on my handlebars, but it doesn't matter. It was rinsed off the next day.

In Highmore I had time to set up camp and walk down town to do laundary. Plus have a piece of pie. Yummy, yummy pie. I had peanut butter silk pie. It was really really rich.

At camp I discovered that my tent was nearly collapsing on itself. I recruited help to help me secure it, including Biking Brady. Cycling Cathy, I owe you a clothesline. I didn't use it to hang clothes, but it did help my tent to not fly away that night. You rock!

Highmore prepped a good dinner, stuffed potatos and fixins'. Their music was fun too. That group of guys said they'd only practiced together maybe once, but they had fun and it showed.

The ladies and I made plans for the next day. We knew that it would include east winds (direction that we were heading) and possibly rain. We also knew that the wind was *supposed* to shift. We decided to sleep in a bit and see if the wind would change. So, I didn't even set my alarm to go off until 6ish. THough, I assumed that I wouldn't want to get out of my tent until later due to yucky rain. I went to bed not suring if Highmore's emergency crew would be waking me up to head to the auditorium... Or if it'd be worth leaving the tent in the morning at all.

TDK Day Two: Extended Version

2008-06-17T22:59:00.000-05:00

After a chilly night and a 4 a.m. wake up call, people were starting to move around the camp ground pretty early on Monday. Cycling Cathy and I had heard that the wind wasn't going to be ideal on the way to Chamberlain. We had hoped to beat some of the wind by getting out as near to 6 as possible.

I ate a banana before we got going, but didn't take the time to go through the line in camp. Generally that's an okay thing, it's not a huge deal to make it 10-15 miles down the road. No biggie.

We headed west to Chamberlain after pausing at the Corn Palace. As soon as we turned west, and it was a straight line for the rest of the 70 miles, we were greeted by a headwind that was fairly brisk already. Weather.com says it was over 20 mph, gusting to 25 or 27ish. I lost Cathy quickly. That's not such a big deal. Plus, I thought that she'd likely make an attempt at the century. I rode with Brittany from Sioux Falls for most of the way to Mt. Vernon. Pacelines were the only way to survive the day well, but they make me nervous. I hadn't even ridden that close with the Lanehogs this year, so I wasn't in practice. And even with people you know well, crashes still happen. I didn't want that to happen to me and I didn't want someone to crash off of my rear tire either. So, I just plugged away.

After 12 miles, I was hungery. At the first stop, there was a huge line for both food and to pay. I couldn't wait to pay, so I grabbed two chocolate milks and a slice of breakfast pizza. I inhaled all of it and presented their empty carcusses to the cachier. I saw Cycling Cathy at that stop, she said she'd see me in Plankington. Cool. And as I got going on the road, just ahead of Brittany and her family, I soon discovered that my front wheel was flat. Some people said that Spoke-n-Sport had just arrived at the gas station. I rode back to the stop to get it fixed. That quarter mile was a very pleasant ride. The night before when I pumped up the tire, I noticed that it took a lot of air. I'd hoped that would be the answer to my slowness, but no. It still really sucked to ride that day.

So, I just worked my way pit stop to pit stop. At the next one, maybe another 12 ish miles away I was still prepared to continue with mini goals, pit stop to pit stop all the way to Chamberlain. A lot of people were lining up for the SAG wagon by that point. I'm like, "BUt you have all day..." And yet, something in my head snapped between Plankington and White Lake. I saw lots of cars passing with bikes on the back. I started looking at them much like a dog follows the piece of food from your plate to your mouth.

I wanted very much to enjoy my time in Chamberlain and actually relax there a little bit. But, after doing the math it was taking me about 6 hours to get even half way (including stops). I decided it wasn't very much fun any more that day. Still, quitting isn't generally in my vocabulary and I was feeling very bad for considering it. But, I was trying to make a sensible decision and making it my choice. Not something that I had to do either way. That day was the optional century day, I had already decided to scrub those 25 miles anyway. I figured that my minimal training miles didn't warrant trying to achieve 100 miles so early in the tour.

I get to Plankington, the half way mark. I saw a bike nearly identical to mine right away (out of hundreds, or maybe dozens, there) and knew that Cycling Cathy was still there. So I was very very happy. She had been watching for, me and was worried about me back there by myself. Silly me, I also thought of calling her, but didn't have her phone number either. I told her that I had been contemplating saging in and she said I should. She and two other ladies had discovered that there was actually a waiting list for the SAG wagon. On the way in to town I saw several bikes at the bar. I said maybe a person should wait for the SAG wagon there. That seemed fun.

Cathy, plus two ladies from Watertown: Bonnie and Mary Jean, had explored other options apart from the SAG. They had met Joan, a local lady working at the lunch stop, who said she would drive them if they paid for gas. There was room for me too. So, that was the end of that. I'm not generally big on the idea of 'fate' as a strict guideline for things. I couldn't really argue that that was as good of a sign as any to end my ride with 30 miles to go. The lady was really nice and fun to chat with during that last stretch into town.

PLUS, the lines were short for the showers. I had energy to set up my tent. They had kuchen at the campground and we went across the street to acquire beer. A tomato beer was my recovery beverage that evening. Only 15 ish people completed the century that day. Alot of people bagged at least a portion of that ride.

The chamber treated us to a complimentary taco dinner. And students from St. Joseph's Indian school demonstrated some dancing for us. We had a good time. 40 miles, 4:42:58 ride time, 8.5 mph average speed. Yikes.

On The Road, But Not by Bike

2008-06-17T22:46:00.000-05:00

I was home for a couple of days, and didn't quite get caught up on sleep. Monday one of the other producers at work and I headed to the Badlands to get some interviews and video for her documentary.

I got the gig as an Associate Producer last fall, so I don't do a lot of shooting anymore. I've been on most of the shoots for this documentary. So, while I wish that I could've been home a little bit before leaving for four days again, this was a good gig to go back out for.

The weather has been nice, I wish that this weather would've replaced maybe one or two days last week. But last week ended up being the kind of thing that at least small legends are made of. Well, maybe not really.

Last night we got to Wall and went out in the park to get some shots of the rock layers. And the big horn sheep were out in groups. With baby big horn sheep! I've never seen big horn sheep in the park that weren't mangy looking. I guess they're still shedding their winter coats. The babies were giving each other the evil eye and head butting each other across the slopes. We shot maybe 30 minutes to an hour of video. The sheep will maybe be 5 or so minutes of the show.

Today we interviewed a park ranger who studies and works extensively with the sheep. And in the afternoon we interviewed several ranchers in the area and learned about their opinions of the prairie dog. For such a small critter, they're a HUGE nuiscance.

It was a long day.

Tomorrow we go to Rapid City to the School of Mines for some video of fossils and an interview. Not of a fossil. Good news though, sushi for lunch at Ichiban. Yay!

I was going to post pictures, but I don't have the proper cable for this computer.

I have a few good pics from the Badlands. Will post sometime. This weekend I have a wedding to attend too.

Tour de Kota Day One Photos

2008-06-15T08:30:00.001-05:00

TDK Day 1: Extended Version

2008-06-15T07:48:00.000-05:00

My friend Johanna had given me the streamers and cow horn for a bachelorette gift last summer. I did want to use them at some point, they're lots of fun! So, I saved them for the tour de kota. I wasn't going to break any speed records. I didn't care how silly it looked. It was fun, and lots of people commented on them while they rode by. Some said surely they were increasing my drag. I said no, they're acting like propellers. :D

Anyway, on with the show. Tour de Kota Day One.

Overall the day went without incident. Saturday Nick camped with me. It stormed and I woke up periodically through the night and worried what the morning would bring. Plus I was cold.

The alarm did go off, much too early. Compared to a lot of people, I am a morning person. Still, getting going between 5:00 and 5:30 a.m. is tough, even in the best of circumstances. I was trying to move along with some consistancy without sidetracking myself.

A KDLT guy came through the camp, camera and tripod in tow. He was asking around if anyone would like to be interviewed. It hadn't been my intention, but whenever I try to take the passive aggressive route at a story I find that it is tough to win someone over. So, I volunteered. It didn't take very long, but it through me off a little. He asked me what my name was. I said Melissa Hamersma. Oops. Nick was right there. Technically it kind of is my name. But saying Melissa Sievers would've been much more appropriate. It was kind of funny. I corrected myself and hoped that my brain would wake up. I never did see that segment. Mom said that they just used a snippet, which is what I figured. I saw that he got several other people to chat with him too. So, that's good.

It seems like day one is about reconnecting with people that you knew from past rides. Everyone is excited to get on the road, but is super friendly and really chatty. A guy taking down his tent, near ours, had asked if this was my first tour. I said it's hopefully my first full one. I had planned to do it last year, but crashed on day 3 and broke my collarbone. He exclaimed, "That was you!" Word had spread through the campground last year. Lots of stories spread like wildfire as people compare notes at the end of the day.

And, it's a lot of fun to people watch. Near our tent there was another guy taking his down. Meanwhile he was having a morning smoke. Interesting. Smoking isn't so much my thing, but I guess if that's what gets him down the road, so be it. I tried to get a picture of him at a rest stop a few times, having a smoke. But, the zoom on my camera didn't work and I didn't really want to offend him.

Cycling Cathy and I did get going after a few quick 'This is us before we started' pictures and goodbyes. There wasn't really any wind. We made decent time for me over the 70 miles. Though it still took awhile for my head to get in the game. When we'd get into a stop I'd put my glasses up on top of my head. Then when it was time to go, I'd forget to put them back on my eyes and would try to put my helmet on. Oops. It took a bit to get into a rhythm. I'm very glad that Cathy was understanding and not in too big of a hurry. :D

Later on down the road Jim caught us. He'd seen us leave Salem as he pulled in, so he made it a mini-goal to catch us. So, the three of us finished the last 15 miles or so. I'm not sure of the exact distance.

I camped with Cathy with the Shuttle Guy group that night. Thanks again! It seems like a fairly decent way to go. I never mind setting the tent up, but taking it down in the morning and trying to fold everything up kind of sucks. If I ever did RAGBRAI, I'd probably splurge and go with them. They were a good group of people over there.

Maui Showers were nice. I'd never used them before. Not as good as a shower at home, but definately better than a locker room.

Note to Culvers: Don't tear down your stand until after dinner. Sometimes people really do want ice cream, just maybe not *IMMEDIATELY* before dinner. That was a huge bummer to finish dinner and still be a little hungry and looking for dessert, with ice cream in mind. If you run out, just go and get some more.

71.82 miles, 13.6 mph Avg, 5:17:16 ride time, though we got in around 1:30 p.m. after starting at 6:30 a.m.

Picture Taken by Laura Neel, Argus Leader

2008-06-14T08:01:00.001-05:00

Laura Neel, a photographer at the Argus Leader was nearby as I was coming out of cycling mode in Highmore. I was worried about looking dumb. Well, sillier than most road cyclists already look anyway. :D I think that it turned out pretty neat. I may have to order a reprint of this one. I even remembered to use my last name. When I got interviewed by KDLT I was saying in my head, "Don't say Hamersma, don't say Hamersma." It's like, "Don't look at the blinding light..." And then you do. And it's not really that big of a deal, except that your husband who's last name is Sievers is right next to you. :D D'oh!

Lara Neel - Argus LeaderMelissa Sievers of rural Beresford takes off her helmet at the Highmore campsite at the end of the June 10 Argus Leader Tour de Kota ride from Chamberlain to Highmore.

TDK: A Brief Synopsis

2008-06-11T20:34:00.000-05:00

Day 1: Nick and I camped in S Falls the night before. It had rained, I was cold. It stopped by the time we were packing up. I was interviewed by KDLT.

Trip to Mitchell with Cycling Cathy went well, and without incident. Jim, a Lanehog from Platte, caught us at a rest stop and rode with us into town. Mitchell was pleasant. A train went through at 4am. I was already awake because I was FREEZING.

Day 2: I will post corn palace pictures later. Lost Cathy as soon as we turned west. She is a speedy lady. I met a gal named Brittany and rode with her to Mt Vernon. The night before my front tire took alot of air. Shortly outside Mt. Vernon i discovered a flat. I had hoped that was why I was so slow. But fixing it still didnt boost my speed much beyond 8 or 9 miles an hour. I wanted to pick away at the miles, but wanted to enjoy camp too. Somewhere between Plankington and White Lake I began looking at the SAG wagon like a dog looks at steak. I saw a replica of my bike at White Lake and was very happy to have found Cathy. The waiting list for the SAG was long and it helped that Cathy and Co.had a plan. It made the choice a no brainer. Read her blog.

Day 3: I met up with Bonnie and Mary Jean to tackle the hills to Highmore. There were loads. We didnt walk up any of them. We made it in decent time. We were even greeted at the edge of town with a lady holding out popcicles. When you've just climbed however many feet (check Biking Brady's Blog) you dont want to stop. But it tasted good. Highmore really rolled out the welcome mat. Yummy pie. Great entertainment. It did get super windy and I kinda thought the tent would blow away. I wore several layers of clothes and at least stayed warm.

Day 4: slept in until 6. Wind started from the east, which is the direction we were heading. I met the ladies and we were rolling at 8. Bad news, it had started to rain. We tried a small paceline. Stopped about five miles out. Considered calling it quits and going back to highmore. Rain was stinging my eyes even with glasses. We got 6 more miles to the stop at Ree Heights. Pushed on to Miller. The rain let up and the wind started to switch. Mary jean's hubby picked her up. It was nice ish out so Bonnie and I went on to Wessington. Bonnie wiped out outsode of St Lawrence. More on that later. She is fine, she collected herself and we did get to Wessington. Her chest was sore and something felt kinda tight. Mary Jean and her husband picked her up. I kept going since there was only 30 ish miles left and we had been enjoying a tailwind. I've gotta say that I dont care much for this Hwy 14 route. There are EMS vehicles posted every few miles and a HyPo sweeping it, but there is still a lot of traffic. I got in to Huron by 3:30 and am camped in my tent inside of a building. One one hand its kinda loud. On the other, I will be warm tonight. Ive gotta go get my ear plugs.

Tour de Kota

2008-06-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

On the left is a picture of Cycling Cathy and I, nearly finished with the first century of last year's TDK. This Sunday I again start the Tour de Kota. It should be a good ride. Might get a few showers, so I and the bike will either be sparkling or even more dirty. I don't feel like I have enough miles in. And I really don't. I have maybe 448 ish miles, trainer miles included. Though I did okay running consistantly over the winter and spring, though short distances.

Anyway. It may take me awhile to complete the rides, but I should be fine. My goal for the tour is to not walk my bike up the hills around Chamberlain and Highmore.

I'm trying to decide whether or not to post pictures of last year's tour. But... I suppose I will in an effort to show why I won't be attempting the century. If all I had to do was 100 miles, I'd be fine. I'll only be saving 25 miles and a couple days later we'll have an 88 mile day, so that may as well be a century too.

But, I promised to not do it. You see, I did the century the first day last year. I contend that I was fine. Though I perhaps hadn't logged enough miles to do it comfortably and then proceed with a multi day tour. The next day I was tired and sore. The third day my friend Angie and I were riding and decided that we could try the century that day and SAG in if it proved to be too much. We're stubborn ladies and kept picking away at the miles, knocking them down one by one. Then, around Crooks we were 91 miles into the ride, still some distance from Dells. I didn't know that it would be more like 114 miles either. I saw railroad tracks at a considerable angle. I thought that I was approaching them at a perpendicular angle. Something made my tire slip, my tire was caught between the plate and track, so down I went.

So, this year I feel even less prepared on the bike, though I'm confident that I'll be fine. My husband feels that I was fatigued and perhaps misread the situation and that may have contributed to the fall. I don't know. I wasn't the only one to fall there. I just know that I need to try not to make any stupid mistakes this year and try to watch out for potentially dangerous things a little bit better. Accidents happen, it's true. But I've already broken two bones. If I crash again, I've been threatened with a melted down bike. :D We shall see. Just call me paranoid.

In the spirit of being a member of the Lanehogs: Team Roadkill. I will post my roadkill photos.

I'd never had a stitch before. I think that I got like 3 in my elbow and maybe 5 or so in my knee. I don't remember. I was supposed to update my tetnis shot before the Tour. I wanted to wait until I got back. Yeah, the people at Dell Rapids Avera poked me with a needle several times. And no beer to be had there! My clavicle seems to have healed pretty well.

I still don't really know how I ended up with such a flesh wound on my right arm and left knee. I must have bounced off my bike once I hit the ground. Eesh. Angie and I never really could piece together those couple of minutes. I do have the Lanehog group picture from Dell Rapids, but not yet available digitally.

Tis but a scratch. I got better. I feel happy! I feel happy! I think I'll go for a walk. * Name the weak movie reference.

Our Menagerie

2008-06-04T19:09:00.000-05:00

We've got quite the crew of mouths to feed around here. Nick gets a kick out of having animals to care for. I think that it's cool too.

Seven chickens roost in our barn. We got 10 of them a few months ago as chicks. Sketch likes to hunt mice typically, but was thrilled to find food catered for him. Thus, only 7 now. They're getting bigger and will likely soon lay eggs. The rooster is getting quite cocky and keeps his hens in line.

A few weeks ago, about 70 cows here, 35 mommas and 35 calves, lived here. Those have gone to pasture, but Nick brought home a little red holstein steer. He named him Joe. I had been calling him Lunchmeat, I don't want to get attached. Nick says once I have to chase him around the yard a few times, I'll be ready to eat steak. He's already stepped on my feet a few times while I feed him. When he puts some weight on, it's going to hurt. And he gets feisty when he wants his bottle. It's not wise to hold the bottle in front of one's stomach, or I suppose groin area. He'll thump the bottle up with a bit of force.

While I was working in the strawberry patch, I found a lot of earthworms/nightcrawlers. Here's the longest worm that I've seen. And here it's not even all stretched out.

And here's the domestic pets. Ruby and Sketch have become quite the twosome, following each other around the farm. Though Sketch finds it a bit problematic to hunt with a big obnoxious dog on his tail. Occasionally they'll both meet me on the driveway when I come home from a ride.

Pixel and Ruby have become quite chummy lately too, though she's been careful to not allow photographic evidence of such activity.

Here it Goes

2008-06-03T12:09:00.000-05:00

Alright, so I'm addicted to reading the blogs of my cycling friends. I really do enjoy living vicariously through them if I didn't happen to get out for a ride. Even some of the more 'mundane' activities are really fun to read about. Maybe I'm just a voyeur.

I blog occasionally on my Myspace.com page. I also have a facebook page. I know, I don't probably need another thing to check. However, this way I can just post a link to my blog on both sites and people can read it at their leisure.

At any rate, I need to have an easy way to elaborate on next week's Tour de Kota. If nobody reads it, oh well. And, I like that I could post pictures here with my blog and use it as a photo essay occasionally. The Myspace blog doesn't seem to facilitate that just yet.

Stay tuned for cycling stories, discussion of projects at home and quite possibly a story or two about our dog, two cats, seven chickens and one calf named Sloppy Joe.