Deep Haven

This is just a collection of pictures of us out messing about on the early thin ice of Minnetonka. I'm trying to catch up and push out some content and this day was fun but there really isn't any content beyond some pictures. Below you'll see us pull out gear and cut a hole in the ice and then discover it's too thin and we just open up a swimming hole and do a lot of run and jump'n.

Joe takes a soak in the tub while Terry finds a way to open more lake. We mess around for a few hours before marking the hole with sticks. That night the temps fall hard and likely heal this up by morning. Even if it doesn't, it's going to be obvious to most that it's heavily disturbed and should not be trusted.

Codename: Beirut

Beirut Camp:

I'm not making any statement about the Lebanese Civil War and/or the Barracks Bombings in 1983 as any statement about the current issues. It's simply a shell of a building (in Minnesota) that resembles a war ruin.  So get a history lesson on the wiki links but don't go and read anything into a name.

Up a road, down a hill, up a hill, down a trail and into a Friday night with some buddies.

Oh! And there is a puppy dog with us. That's cheerful.

You can see way we code-named it 'Beirut'

Below is my favorite tarp shelter. It's just a tarp but it's a wicked good shelter. Packs flat, cheap and has multiple uses outside of being a tent. I also enjoy using knowledge and skills to reduce my dependency on gear. The better you are at camping the less you need to carry.

The 'tent' is open. There is a flap that can get staked down to close it up entirely. Had I had a fire in front, I could be in my bag and still tend to a small fire and when it's time to sleep close up the tent.

Into night and we hang out and roast meats over the fire and snack until midnight.

A long exposure created the lines from headlamps. It's dark; this exposure is 30 seconds.

It's simple and short and it's the way the camp went. It's just something to do on a Friday night to make a weekend feel a bit longer. It's not worth more than a few hours but it's a great way to test gear, hang out with buddies and spend a quiet night in the woods.

CAMBA (Wisco Trip II)

Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association:

We'll explain the cover photo in due time but for now we are about to take a 3 day weekend in the Cable/Hayward area of Wisco for some trail time. It's deep into fall and we need to get our wheels on some new dirt.

The plan, if you can all it that, is to ride most of the trails in the CAMBA system. I've been here a few times for a race but did almost no riding outside of the race route. Blake and I want to get out of town and with the RV we don't care about finding camping like the last time. Read about it here, Wisco.

 Danky Dank is new and recommended by two gentlemen doing trail work but for now we are going to finish "Rock Lake". It's not our favorite, cuz, all the rocks. :-)

Weather is good and the riding is going great but Blake isn't feeling very well. His energy is low from a new training diet as he attempts to condition for endurance Triathlons.

CAMBA is really a nice area. The forest is ideal for riding because it's bright and open so you can see the trail as it bends and you don't get surprised. That and they have over 100 miles of trail.

 Most of this map is trail but not all of it is single track. We ride maybe 80% of it. There are other areas outside of this map that also have trails, so there is a lot to chose from.

 Time for Danky Dank!

It's very well laid out and flows well in either direction. We enjoy it a lot more than Rock Lake.

It's not a finished trail. We got word from the trail builders that a short part is 'hike a bike' and it's about to start. The trail building tools are basic and require a strong back to use them all day.

Notice the orange flags. They indicate the intended trail. It's already well scouted and planned to be interesting to riders.

 Below: It's called a bench cut for obvious reasons.

 Back on old established trail.

  We don't get the chance to double back and return to our staring point on the Danky Dank. It takes longer then expected, we run short on time, take a shitty gravel road back and get lost. Ultimately, we end up in the wrong place.

Into town for dinner and we stop at a bar that's nicknamed "The Squirrel Bar" by mountain bikers because of all the macabre dioramas of animals. Most date back to the 50's or before.

Last day is the trails nearest Hayward. We park at the trailhead for the night and ride first thing in the morning.

 The closer you get to Hayward the 'better' the trails become as the money and tourism improves with usage. Nobody pays for trail work way out of town.

Below is the part of the 107 kilometer Birkie Trail system as it's shared in summer with the mountain bike trail.

Nearing the end of the day, Blake stays back at camp and I go out riding for an extra hour. I do it mostly to gain some solitude and recenter myself around the weekend and the woods. 

Peaceful end to a rock solid weekend.