On the road by 9, which is late for me and down to Alma for breakfast. It was great to see everyone at Pier4 again, our first meal 'together' since Thanksgiving dinner. Carol, my waitress, updated me on her plans at school and had ridden her bright red 250 Ninja to work today. She's probably more excited about the new 300 Ninja than I am, so that's a lot. More than likely there will be a 300 in her near future.
The restaurant was fairly busy this morning, so it was easy for me to pick the one remaining free table on the porch. As Marietta said, 60 degrees in September and no one would have been on the deck, today T-shirts and shorts were the rule outside.
The tug Miss Jessica held my utensils and menus today, though I never need a menu.
The #4, locally produced cranberry, apple and strawberry/rhubarb jam. If I knew what was good for me, I'd eat like this everyday.
Typical of these river towns squeezed between the bluff and the river, the restaurant is between the river and the highway. Actually, Lock and Dam #4 is 50 yards from the diner and the BNSF rail line is 10 yards from our spot on the porch, so a lot is packed into these long, narrow, river-hugging towns.
On Blank Hill Road, heading downhill. I stopped to document the deep sand on top of the asphalt, just about the only choice these hill country Counties have for winter driving. Some if not most of the counties do eventually sweep up the sand and try to reclaim it for the following winter. I can never wait for them to accomplish that, using care, experience and slower speeds to avoid the deep stuff.
A favorite spot, the intersection of Alligator Slide and Pretzel Pass. You can see Pretzel Pass snaking away over the top of my tankbag, a fairly steep climb.
Another view.....
Moe Road, this north facing ditch just hasn't seen enough warm sun yet.
Stopped in at the Nelson Cheese Factory for a Rum Cherry cone, lots of business there today. Happened to run into the crew from the Red Wing Ironworks Motorbike Club as I arrived, they were finishing up and heading out to the general area I'd just come from........we know where the good roads are.
Just a tad over 200 very casual miles today, my wrists slightly strained but it went well considering this was my first real session of miles and hours on the bike this season. I always go through this, now maybe more so than 20 years ago. The riding position necessary on the Hyo is probably a bit more challenging than the other machines, not that I'm complaining though. This thing still makes me smile every time I'm on it.
There's that bright blue-white light of early spring! Looks like a great day and a refreshing ride. I imagine Monday will feel a lot less stale.
ReplyDeleteMonday looks great Martha, we've got rain right now and the prediction is for cold rain/snow mid-week, 40's next weekend. Stubborn, stubborn.....
ReplyDeleteThe sand on the road looks dangerous. I remember the nasty stuff from my time in Alberta... and they wouldn't clean the roads until June... be careful out there.
ReplyDeleteSonja, most of the roads out in the open are relatively clean. The heavily wooded or steep, shadowed very rural roads are and will be for the near future, very covered with deep sand. Planning an "out" and being prepared go a long ways to keep trouble at bay.
DeleteCoop:
ReplyDeleteIt's not the number of miles, but the feeling of freedom after so many months of just thinking about riding. Slow and steady gets you home safely. They don't use much sand around here but things are changing next year where they just announced to use more sand instead of salt to save money
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Bob,
DeleteThat's exactly how I felt yesterday. I almost always have a plan, if not a detailed GPS Route to follow, but not yesterday. Following my nose, the loop brought me home again.
A beautiful sunny day for a ride. I am glad you got out for a nice ride that wasn't just commuter roads.
ReplyDeleteTwo things that really struck me with this post - one was the amount of sand on the roads - a necessary evil in your area I know. And also that everything is still so brown. I guess I am too used to Oregon green. With the sunshine we've had the last week I think almost all the trees are leafed out and the allergies have kicked in.
Brandy, the brown was very prominent and I thought about it all day. It is different though than November; there's a freshness in the air, different birds are singing, the angle of the sun is vastly different and yesterday afternoon, the clouds weren't preparing for Halloween or Thanksgiving.
DeleteBrown is brown, but other things absolutely are locked on Spring. If Sunday's 81 degrees had been brave enough to stick around, buds would be exploding this week.
I love the road names. Pretzel Pass. Alligator Slide. Blank Hill Road.
ReplyDeleteWhoever names the roads in your area has a lot of whimsy.
David, welcome! There is an area across the river where the whimsical names are common and there are some great ones. I've wondered though haven't asked if neighbors got together, maybe the town councils, or someone else contributed.
DeleteI like the train video, more the sound than the sight. It looks like you had a great ride in spite of all the sand on the roads. Up here they tend to use pea gravel on the roads and I like to see it until the thaw when there are piles of gravel on every corner.
ReplyDeleteWe're still seeing below freezing temps and on three wheels, gravel doesn't bother me much...
I enjoy the restaurant for reasons that go beyond the food. Especially when sitting outside, tug/barge watching is fantastic and as you noticed, the trains are felt as well as heard. There's even a whooshing wind that forces a napkin grab for the Northbounders.
DeleteBy August, many counties in Wisconsin are using pea gravel with their seal coating. I still ride but it's not a wise time for a group ride on the smaller roads; not everyone is comfortable riding on ball bearings.