Late Winter Fat Biking

Northeast Wisconsin received a good snowfall in mid February and I got in a last ride on the trails at the Reforestation Camp. I went out there in early March after some more snow, but the the trails were closed due to the ice under the snow. Since then I have been exploring the bike trails around Allouez.

I started riding a fat bike in December thinking it would be a great way to get outside during the winter. It proved to do just that, but now that spring has arrived I am anxious to put the fat bike away and get out my road bike. The weather has not cooperated however, so I am staying on the fat bike. The local trails are free of ice and snow, but they are still coated with salt and sand from the winter. I am reluctant to subject my Trek Alpha 2.3 to riding through that, so I am waiting for the county to use the blower on the trail.

The Fox River Trail and East River Trail, the two closest trails, do not connect on either the north or south ends. But if I ride south it is a short ride through De Pere to get from the Fox River Trail to the East River Trail. There is traffic to deal with as well as a few roundabouts, but it is not difficult. Once on the East River Trail, a rider can stay on it all the way north to the old Green Bay Packers City Stadium in east Green Bay. Then it is back on a few city streets to connect with the Fox River Trail.

Yesterday was the first day of spring, but it was not very spring-like here. So I put on my winter riding gear and headed south on the Fox River Trail. The temperature was in the mid-20's, but a brisk wind came out of the north. That made the first half of my ride pretty comfortable and I cruised easily a few miles south of De Pere.

After my usual turnaround the wind made itself felt. My Trek Farley weighs a relatively light 30 pounds, but those big tires provide some noticeable resistance when riding into the wind. But I enjoyed being out and stopped to take a few pictures on the way home.

Late last year the county received some donations and was able to install a few bicycle maintenance stations along the trail. The stations provide a bike stand, air, and a few tools. I have taken advantage of the stands already this winter and they are a nice amenity for riders.

By the time I reached home the wind seemed to have increased a bit and a warm lunch was in order. For now I am keeping the fat bike in the garage, grateful that I have a bike I can ride in this weather.

March Motorcycling

The calendar says this is the first day of spring, but Mother Nature never cared much for calendars. It is overcast, windy, and about 25 degrees in northeast Wisconsin. There have been a few avid and eager motorcyclists out recently, but most are waiting for the salt and sand to be washed off the roads by a hard spring rain.

Early last week the forecast indicated a temperature in the high 40's by midweek, so I made preparations to get out for a ride. On Monday I took the cover off of my 2011 BMW R 1200 GSA. Over the winter I had removed the aluminum panniers and gave them a good cleaning with Nevrdull. The left one installed easily, but I had some trouble with the latch on the right side. It required quite a bit of pressure to get the lock turned and the key out, but finally it locked. After checking that the Battery Tender was still connected, I closed up the garage and waited for the weather to warm up.

On Wednesday the temperature crept up into the 40's, so I took the bike out for the first ride of 2018. Bayshore Park is about a 20 mile ride up into Door County and that is always my first stop. On the way up I used the Tire Pressure Monitoring System to check the tires and listened for any odd engine noises. All seemed well as I turned off the highway into the parking lot.

Green bay was still ice covered and there were a few vehicles belonging to ice fishermen in the parking lot. There is a steep hill down to the shore and it is blocked to vehicular traffic in the winter. So the fisherman load up sleds and haul everything down to the ice. Often I will see people enjoying some winter camping, but there were none to be seen on this day.

I parked the bike and pulled a banana out of my pannier. The sun was shining brightly and it took some of the chill out of the air. I was surprised that I noticed a cold wind more when I was stopped than when I was on the bike. Before starting back toward Green Bay I checked the signal lights and brake light, something I had neglected prior to leaving home. They were all working properly and as I rode south I realized I had benefited from a pretty good tailwind on the way up.

After making two more stops to conduct some business and a brisk ride down I 41 to Wrightstown I was ready to go home. The weather forecast was not too great for the following days so I was happy that I had gotten out for my first ride and that both my BMW and I had survived another Wisconsin winter.