62 degrees, windy, sunny


A few snowbanks around today on this LAST of the 30 days...my final ride of April was two-fold...met the with my fellow Natural Innovations board members at Holiday Inn...

Discussed our course of action for the next month.Great group of people: Erika, Dan, Sandy, Kelly and John.

Met Guy and Brady for an evening ride to Lakeside...the temp is cooling off fast (48-degrees and falling).

What I've gathered from these past 30 days is that I don't need a challenge to ride my bike. It's a mode of transportation that was instilled in me at an early age. If I wanted to go to swim practice, I had to ride my bike to get there. A bike is a special thing. I've taken routes that I would have missed sealed in a car. I've experienced the elements and survived the elements. The moon has lit my way, the snow has made me appreciate the warm summer mornings. The best part is that biking is becoming better known as a form of viable transportation in northwestern Minnesota. My own temperature threshold has dropped. I used to say that 50-degrees was the coolest temp I'd be out on a bike. On April 1st, it was 12 degrees. So, I've proved that I'm always up for a challenge. That has been my 44 years of biking.

Tomorrow, National Bike Month begins. There's a new bike shop opening in Detroit Lakes...WooHOO!

34-degrees at 4:00am's ride to work...

The mechanical voice...

52-degrees on the way home...ahhh!

Beautiful weekend!!!

60-degrees today...took the ol' racer out for a spin today...to, literally, clear off the cobwebs...

A 69-degree day on Saturday...nearly perfect day out for a spin with my favorite biking companions Brady and Guy Fischer...

Scenic overlook on Detroit Lake...sun around us, ice behind us 

37-degrees at 4:00 am to work

Full moon, no wind...met a train this morning...

My little station friend Daisy chillin' in the sun... 

52 degrees  on the way home and sunshine, sweet sunshine!!! N Washington Ave.headed south

37, sunny

The warm side of 37 today biking to the DLCCC. Spring tomorrow...promise...

37, partly sunny,


A glimmer of spring starting to shine through about 2:45pm as I made my way to the TV3/KRCQ station for a Hometown Happenings shoot. Talked to Jenny Lessman about the Simply Pink Truly Teal running race on May 11th in DL. A breast and ovarian cancer awareness run. Some amazing survivors will be participating..

34, Sunny, cold, windy

It's funny how at the beginning of the month it was a lot easier to bike 2 miles to work at 4:00 am with a 12-degree air temperature than it has been the last two days to hop on a bike and pedal two and a half blocks to workout at the Community Center. AUGH! SNOW! COLD! BE GONE!!!

Yesterday, today...the same...we've got the sun, now where is the freaking warm?


Up-hill is a state of mind....I guess

Still glad there's a bike rack...at the DLCCC...this too will pass

36, Snow, wet


To the community center today.




Saturday was beautiful but missed out on actually biking. Attended a funeral of a high school classmate, Richelle (Harvala) Monson. Growing up in a small town, even though you don't necessarily hang out with someone doesn't mean you don't know them. I didn't really hang out with Richelle in high school but did run into her at our 25th high school reunion last summer and said a few words to her. She was happy. I remember her as laughing a lot in high school. 43 is too young to go. She leaves a husband and two, teenage boys behind. Makes you hug your loved ones a little tighter.

Went for a walk in the woods and along the Pelican River...

30 degrees, windy...but wait....SUN!!!

A beautiful day: Cold, but a change is in the air... :)

34 degrees, snow, wet, gray


An uninspiring day...biked to the community center for a swim to generate some good feelings...

37 degrees, clouds, snow, etc.


Chamber of Commerce was my destination today...checking on Chamber Bucks...make great gifts!

34 degrees, cloudy

Day after the Boston Marathon tragedy...three dead and over 140 injured. Some lost limbs. So utterly senseless.

The flags are half-mast at the DLCCC...

Don't understand the bike rack in the snow bank.

At least there IS a bike rack...

34 degrees, sloppy, windy

Awoke* to a couple inches of sloppy snow. By the afternoon, streets wet and sun peaked out a bit. Needed to finish my kitchen project, installing new hardware...biked to the handy downtown hardware store: Beug's Ace Hardware for some screws...

Project done!

*Neighbor was up snowblowing at 2:00 am. Karma police have been notified.

20 degreess at 7:00am

The storm is coming...yesterday turned out to be a pretty nice day, sunny and 40. There's a winter storm warning through 1pm Monday...was expecting to wake up to a foot of snow...the sun was out early and then the clouds moved in...thought I should take a spin around DL...

24 degrees at 7:30am

Coffee, Toilet Paper, Milk...

There's a winter storm warning through Monday morning...not a lot of traffic in the morning...a good day to ride to the grocery store...

31 degrees, [sigh] snow 

32 snowy, wet

Was going to sit this day out and chalk one up for the "storm" which blew through earlier in the day. Thought about the first day of this challenge and biking at 4:00am  when it was 12-degrees. A bike ride to the grocery store was quick and easy later in the day...

Inside of my coat was warm and inviting...

The most snow was on my sidewalk...can't bear to shovel  one more flake!

37 degrees and partly cloudy


To the community center...actually 2 1/2 blocks away...

It's hard to believe there's a winter storm just to the south of us...snow possible here tonight...3 to 6 inches....say it ain't so...

27 degrees, breezy

It's a cold and windy day...the psyche is truly amazing. After reading the forecast of "mostly cloudy, windy, with possibility for snow and a high of 30" at least 10 times in my morning newscasts, I debated in my mind whether I should bike my 4 mile round trip back to work for a meeting. Prior to the meeting, I went home to take Pearl for a walk in the elements. After watching Pearl roll around on the icy snow like it was a luxury,

Pearl: Ooooh feels so good!

 I decided she was right...in the middle of the summer, after days and days of 90 degree, sticky weather, I do sometimes wish for the exact weather we are having today. Jumped on my bike and headed to my meeting. Was held up by an oil train at the Highway 10 intersection...would have taken a photo, but my fingers were frozen and my phone tucked away in three layers...a train picutre, another time.

We ate pizza at lunch. So I had the wind at my back and pizza in my belly for the ride home...day 8...still have a city council meeting to cover, it's a half mile away. Unless it's snowing, I'll arrive on two wheels.

City Hall

Not too bad of a biking day after all. The hardest part of it all was my head...that's not including the helmet...

34-degrees, cloudy, a few drops...

To the DL Community Center today (2 blocks away)..weights and swim...

Lonely little bike needs some friends...

I typically walk to the DLCCC but in the spirit of 30DOB, I shall bike...

34-degrees with sprinkles...at 5:00pm

A motor-less day...all muscle power...the benefits of living downtown DL...my intersection...

Walked my doggy to pick up the morning newspapers and coffee at the gas station, walked to the community center to swim a few laps, walked with Pearl to Guy's (my honey) house--where both Pearl and I sampled some of Zorbaz new gluten free pizza, delicious...biked to the grocery store for some milk and honey...er, and, um... SNAPS!!! 

My favorite parking spot at Central Market...

Grocery stop

Muscle fuel

The ride home...wasn't as bumpy as my smartphone thinks...

Ok. I realized the best thing about biking to work early in the morning...it's pushing the walk button to cross 10 when there's not a vehicle in sight. "Wait, wait.."The mechanical male voice echoes down Washington Avenue. I don't acually wait...hahahaha

It's getting warmer...32degrees this morning...dry at 4:10am when I started...about 36 and wet when I returned home...

I can't believe five days have gone by!!! Today, because the forecast called for snow later in the day I set out for a ride around the Detroit Lake (10 mi) at 2:30pm.  A co-worker needed some biking footage and asked me if I would take the GoPro out with me. The video footage isn't exactly "GoPro" style--not real exciting on a leisure bike in the middle of winter. Anyway, the wind started picking up about 3/4 of the way around the lake, then the ice pellets started falling...got a good facial. Day 5 is in the bag!!!

Grocery store today...biting wind...forecast for tomorrow says 70 percent chance for snow...

It's the third day of 30 days. Monday, kicked off with a cold morning ride; 12 degrees at 4:02am; Tuesday, a ride around Detroit Lake, warmer, 36 degrees. Today, this morning 4:00am, it was 18 degrees...the ride home will be much warmer, 30 degrees and rising!!!