14 Below

That my friends is the current temperature here in Glencoe, MN. It's a pleasant Sunday morning here and I am waiting for my bike and the rollers to warm up, so I can handle them without "metal-freeze burn" to set them up and then ride them for a few minutes. Anyway, Lisa and I left Decorah yesterday and made the drive here to arrive in time for a delicious meal of meatloaf, potatoes and vegetables. It was wonderful and highly needed for the recharge of the batteries.

The week in Decorah went too fast! It was wonderful to see friends and family though. I had a week full of great rides though the northeast Iowa countryside with other crazy cyclists like myself. For that I have to say thanks to Dave, Novian, Issac, Steve, and Karl for being crazy with me! It was wonderful as well for Lisa to have some friends to run some miles with. And a quaint little potluck on Friday night was a great confirmation of why Decorah is such a great place with great people.

While in Decorah, I was also taking part in the late season muzzle loader deer hunting season. It has become a tradition of sorts for the last 3 years to go to Decorah in late December or early January to spend some time in the woods hunting. My dad comes with and it is really fun for him to see all the deer in the woods and have a chance to hunt with me. And it is also really fun for me to have my dad with me in the woods to take part in the experience. Perhaps the highlight of my week came during an afternoon hunt when Lisa and my mom came out into the woods with my dad and me. It was Lisa's first time in the woods; hopefully not the last! And the fact that my mom was able to make it out to the woods for the first time in my life by doing about a mile long walk through several feet of snow, in cold temperatures and with less than ideal conditions was very special. I am so glad that afternoon was able to take place. I will never forget the walk out of the woods because it was so nice to share the struggle out of the woods through the snow with my family. We were all very glad to make it back to the truck!

The weather today is quite cold and the forecast is pretty cool as well, but hopefully it will be ridable for at least a couple hours a day. Time is winding down here for the journey back across the pond. The time at home has been super nice, but too fast. Take care.