Last week we had a nice size group out on the course. I would say 5 out of 7 days of the week, there are riders on the course, not including us, so that is great to see. We got the 9.8 going and Jon has been riding and road pretty much all the Sport/Expert loop. He had to walk the drops and what not but by the end of the summer, I bet he can ride it. Riding has been perfect the past few weeks. Hardly any leaves out still, making the sight lines completely open, no bugs and just seems like the track is in the best shape it has ever been. All the drops are bermed nicely at the bottoms so once you set things up halfway like Lars below, let go of the brakes and go. Fun riding. Other sections of track are flowing real nicely and hard to ride on the road right now. Once those crazy deer flies get going, then woods riding takes a break. Jake and I did four laps this past Sunday. I have never done four laps before. We took it nice and easy and I busted out the new Garmin Jonell gave me for my birthday. 813ft of climbing per lap. Our lap times were around 43 min per lap. Hot laps tonight and I was around 32 and Jake around 36 min. on the fast laps. The dirt track is riding good so that keeps Jake happy. 
Going into any big weekend I always have the attitude to expect the unexpected. This past weekend it was our dog Fly getting a hook in his mouth from someone fishing off the dock on the lodge. Saturday morning early my dad took him in and I went in later to pick him up and Jake who spent the night at a friends house. We had 45 min so Jon golfed 9 holes quickly and I was his caddy. Jon is quite the driver. Dead on every time. His short game needs work but pretty good for a family that doesn't golf.
The wedding this past weekend I was on asado duty so I was grilling ribs, tenderloin medallions and chicken. The grill was SO HOT, I looked like a lobster when I was done. I had some serious coal action which was good. Thankfully I can raise the deck. I think for the Sunday night BBQ on Loppet weekend, I think we will go with these tenderloins and do the chicken and maybe ribs again. Doesn't look very attractive on the grill but they taste mighty fine. Cost a bit more but much better grilling steak versus burgers which are smoky and greasy. Out of 160 people, I would say 140 request rare to medium rare. My kind of people. Thats the only way to eat a steak in my opinion. My dad said in Argentina they do not grill burgers. Only "real" meat.
Saturday night back in front of the heat and Jon helping me pan fry walleye. I am ready for the 100 degree days of racing. Yesterday morning I was going to ride to DL via through the Tamarac Wildlife Refuge and Shell Lake road. It was sprinkling and 48 when I left. I looked at radar and appeared the rain was east and I would be okay. I rode for two hours in the rain, into a stiff wind and wet roads. I completely froze. It was one of the most painful rides I have done in a long long time. Way under dressed for what I faced but I thought it was going to get warmer. For sure back in MN and ranks with top 3 all time with two other freezing rides in snow/rain when riding around the Continental divide were the weather would be 7o degrees on the west side and could be snowing up at the pass. Anyways, thankfully the third hour was dry, a tail wind and a few shots of sun. I could not feel my right leg and when i would stand up, my hand would burn and tingle. I was almost in tears. Completely brutal. Once I peeled off the goat ranch road, it was 40 miles until a c-store or something like that and not many houses along the way, no cell service and I basically committed myself to gut it out. Crazy, grooming this winter in -26 degrees warmer.
The highlight for Jens last week was putting on the "claw"
The claw chooses which logs get sawed and which logs get cut for firewood. Jens likes running the switch of course.
Some nice red oak on the bottom. All part of the forest management at Maplelag. The operator has exceeded load capacity when hauling rock so the claw had to have some surgery on it and some steel plates added.
Flipper back in action. Tried to run the kayak up on the dock but didn't quite go as planned. Explains to the bros how it played out. Jens isn't holding a squirt gun to Jack's head, it just looks that way.
Today I volunteered to be a chaperone for the 2nd grade classes at Roosevelt which includes Jack for their field trip to Itasca. Great day for a field trip. The whole time spent walking except for 30 min naturalist talk on frogs and toads.
Jake having fun with the two other boys I was in charge of keeping track of at the new interpretive center. Very nice new building. They have a old pulaski on display. Always fascinating the labor put in back in those early days of logging, fire fighting and development.
Headwaters. Bunch of suckers swimming on left side of rocks which were fun for the kids to watch. No walking across on the rocks. The rule was to walk on the log. The Bagley kids were swimming in the water though.
I hope the first time I took Jake to do some hill workout wasn't the last. I need to make some phone calls.
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