MS 150

Whew, finished riding in the MS 150 this afternoon.  What a great ride!  Friday RRC, MA and I met in Blaine, MA and I parked our cars at the sports center and transferred all of our things into RRC's car.  The three of us then drove to Duluth, we made a pit stop in Hinckley and ate at Tobie's, note to self "do not eat at Tobie's again, the food is nasty.  We arrived at our hotel in Proctor, checked in then headed to Duluth.  RRC and I dropped MA off at the Green Mill so she could meet up with her family.  RRC and I then cruised Duluth and headed to Superior, we stopped at JT's for a beer.  From there we headed back into Duluth and Pizza Luce's mmmmmm, the best pizza on earth!  After eating we contacted MA to see if she was ready, she was still dining so we cruised around a bit until MA was done.  We picked up MA then headed to Dubhlinn Pub to stock up on carbs.  Now I thought we were going in for one, but it turned out we were going in for several. After a handful of Black and Tan's we decided we had better head back to the hotel and get some sleep.  

Saturday morning proved to be a bit difficult, I think we should have stuck with just one Black and Tan.  The start line for the MS 150 is at Proctor High School so MA and I rode from the hotel to the high school.  RRC took our luggage on to Hinckley for us.  We crossed the start line around 7:30 AM, the game plan was to start at 6:30 AM but as I said we should have stuck with one Black and Tan on Friday night.  The morning was perfect for a ride, blue skies, a few clouds, and the air was cool.  At about 8:30 AM we found ourselves stopped on a bridge, the view was beautiful, rushing water over rocks and under the bridge. We spent a little time there admiring the view.  At around 9:15 we stopped in Carlton so MA could mail off a postcard, it was 68 degrees and the morning was turning into a perfect day!  Lunch was a Willow River followed by two more rest stops and we cruised into Hinckley around 4 PM.  I can tell you I was not on my game in the first part of the morning, it took until lunch before I shook all the cobwebs out of my head.

After arriving in Hinckley we found our team tent, Real Estate Riders, hooked ourselves up with a cold frosty beer and socialized for a bit.  Team pictures were followed by a raffle, Yippee! I won tickets to a Vikings game!  After that MA and I went to the hotel, got ourselves checked in, took showers and met her family and friends for dinner.  After dinner I went to the Casino and MA headed back to the room, no gambling for her.  I doubled my money, cashed out of the machine and headed back to the room.  By 10 PM we were both snoring, zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sunday, rise and shine another full day of riding.  We had a quick breakfast at the hotel, stowed our luggage and off we went.  On the road around 7:30 AM, we were for sure at the back of the pack this time.  I think everyone else was up and gone by 6:30 AM. Today's ride was awesome, no head wind, a bit overcast in the morning, so it was nice and cool.  I kept my jacket on until the second rest stop.   We made excellent time today, no cobwebs, no Black and Tans to sweat out, fabulous! We cruised into North Branch, the halfway point at about 10:30 AM, had lunch then off we went.  Two more stops and we were at the Blaine Sports Center shortly after 2 PM. This was by far one of the best rides I have had in a very long time. MA and I both registered to ride again next year.  I had said this was going to be my last year, but it was so much fun, I have to do it again.  I felt so good at the end I could have added another 25 miles and made a century ride out of it.