Grinding

I guess they call it "gravel grinding" for a reason. My ride this morning started off very wet. It had rained all night and when I awoke this morning it was still coming down pretty good. After a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs with peach & mango salsa, fruit, and a lot of coffee I was off to my starting point.

My objective today was gravel and I rode a combination of crushed limestone and some very wet farm roads. After awhile the mud and sand has a tendency to work its way into everything. I could literally hear the dirt grinding away at my drivetrain.

"You really don't need to go to the beach to get sand in your shorts."

As you can see, it doesn't take long for the mud to accumulate on everything. It not only his hard on drivetrains, but it can literally chew up the zippers on any bags you have on your bike.

I absolutely love riding through farm country. Not just for the roads, but also for the animals you see along the way. The area west of the Twin Cities is big horse country and some of the farms are quite beautiful.



I was fortunate that after a couple hours of wet riding the skies began to clear and rays of sunshine began drying out the roads and trails.


The rain this morning made me somewhat apprehensive about going out and riding, but I sure am happy and satisfied that I did.

The countryside is greening up quickly and it won't be long before the trees are leafed out. This is always one of the worst times of the year for me, as I'm allergic to a lot of tree pollen. However, the wet weather has been a blessing and I'm not having too much trouble.

After 40+ miles of riding it looks as if I once again have a lot of cleaning to do. The "Northland" is calling me and I'm itching to get up there and ride the gravel forest roads. My mind is clear and I'm feeling good.