Salem Hills

In my view, the weather today is as good as it gets in MN. It is nearly 70 degrees under clear skies with very little breeze. The humidity is low and the mosquitoes have yet to make their return. In reality, this will be one of approximately 20 days this year in which you do not have to prepare to go outside. We just put our winter gear away and in a few weeks we will be splashing on the deet. Enjoy it while you can folks! An interesting place this Minnesota. Moving on.........after mass, we made our weekly journey to a local bakery close to the house for coffee and donuts. We began doing this in the fall and it really is fun to do this with the family. I dare say these are the types of things I will miss as the kids get older. Once I scarfed down my bear claw and depth charge (coffee w/ two shots of espresso), I talked myself into heading out to Salem Hills park for a quick ride. My goal was to complete the two laps required for the race, which is a mere two weeks from today. Each lap is 4.3 miles. I completed the first lap in 19 minutes and the second in about 20. I managed to wreck on the second lap. I began laughing as I was in no hurry to get up. Like I said, the weather was perfect and I had landed in soft grass. Why rush? :) Eventually I did get back up and finished the lap with no further mishaps. I will try to get a couple more rides in before the race. Looking back at the 2008 results, I found there were 74 riders in my category. Since the course is mostly single track, a fast start is imperative. Salem Hills feels like a fast track, but I am afraid passing will be tough. That is it for now. See ya!