Perfect Autumn Adventures with Ella

Friday, October 13th to Sunday, October 15th

A perfect autumn adventure weekend with Ella

Saturday, October 14th:

Sever's Corn Maze in Shakopee was far more than just a corn maze ... there was "pumpkin chunkin'," a petting zoo, a bird experience and more than we had time for! Here are some highlights of our fun adventures for the weekend!

Laura shooting off a pumpkin at the targets!

Theme for the corn maze: "Down Under" (Australia)

Entrance to the maze!

Colorful birds in an enclosed room to feed from a popsicle stick.

Laura was much braver than I.

Petting zoo with tiny kangaroos!

After conquering the corn maze (withOUT cheating), we headed to the largest candy store in Minnesota!

We left with some delicious candies.

Next up, choosing a pumpkin to carve:

We relaxed with the pups, watched movies, carved pumpkins and baked pumpkin seeds to put an end to the great weekend.

(Left to right) Owl versions of Betty, Spencer and little Elsie; camper van in the woods with a full moon; snowy owl

Best buds

Tired Canyon

Tasty pumpkin seeds!!!

Carved pumpkins lit up at night.

Thanks, Ella & Nathan, for hosting Canyon and I!

Heck of the North (HOTN)

2017 Heck of the North (HOTN)

Saturday, September 30th, 2017

100 mile and 50 mile gravel cycling classics

Sam and I decided on riding in the 100-mile HOTN after Sam had completed Le Grand du Nord at the end of May 2017.

Thankfully, it was a beautiful fall day complete with a fantastic sunrise (although, not a great pic):

If it weren't for Sam, I may not have finished. It was so wet and muddy in some sections our feet disappeared on our pedals under the muck.
This video does the trail conditions no justice. But, an example nonetheless:

I had started to dread seeing "NSST" (North Shore State Trail) on the cue card because it meant marshy and muddy thick-ass grass-covered snowmobile trails that were the farthest thing from gravel!

The 5th - and FINAL - cue card!

Muddy bike... but, alive and smiling at the finish!

Here is a map of the route: 105 miles.

Annnnd, here are the results! We finished in the top 100 :)

At the rest stop (~half-way point), we stopped for a good 30 minutes to chow down, re-lube and enjoy a beer. So, roughly a 9-hr finish for us.

Those 98 riders in front of us - including you, crazy Mr Hoogendam - did nothing by way of improving the trail conditions for those of us behind you!

Lynx + Munger Trail with Mom

Tuesday, September 12th - Wednesday, September 13th, 2017

Adventures with my mom!

#1 - Lynx game at Williams Arena

We had a fantastic afternoon walking around on campus, tasty shakes at Annie's Parlour in Dinkytown, then to the game!

Here is a video of the Lynx players introduction:

Pre-game excitement!

Sporting our best Lynx gear, ready to cheer on our ladies!

I couldn't resist including this lovely sight... 1 million dollars will get you this: retro-fitting AC for Williams Arena.

#2 - Biking the Munger Trail from Hinckley to Duluth: 70 miles!

Woke up to get an early start and drive to the trailhead in Hinckley. We had an absolutely stunning September day! Possibly the nicest weather all summer.

Here is a map of the route:

At the beginning of the trail in Hinckley

Lovely company, lovely sights!

Beautiful bridge over the St Louis River.

Oscar was up for the challenge!

There was a portion of the trail that was under construction, but only one major obstacle - and it didn't slow us down!

We rolled into Duluth around 4 PM, where Sam picked us up and treated us to an early dinner at Crooked Pint.

What an awesome adventure and way to spend a day with my mom! Thanks for great memories :)

At 5290: And... we start! September 2017

Our first home: 5290 Project

SEPTEMBER 2017

5290 is big project, and we're up for it! I hope to capture the progress and transformation with ~monthly blog posts.

Closing date = 8/29/2017

Goals for September 2017:

• Remove all carpet
• Patch and paint LR, K, BR1, BR2, hallways - including ceilings
• Refinish flooring in BR2, BR1, LV, FR and hallways
• Install closets in BR1, BR2, and Hallway
• Install new exterior door

Let's start with - what we're currently calling - the Great Room. So fancy, right?
These are pictures from the posting at Realtor.com:

Here are before/after pictures with carpet removal:

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Then, a little bit of this ...

 ... and the Great Room became this:

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Yes, we have a church pew.

Now, onto the 2 bedrooms.
Picture of BR-1 from the posting at Realtor.com:

BR-1 Here are before/after pictures with carpet removal:

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A little bit of this, again ...

... and BR-1 became this:

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Picture of BR-2 from the posting at Realtor.com:

 There is no light in this room (yet), so bear with the pictures on this one.

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Finally, for September 2017 -
A new exterior (back) door!

 

And so, the story of the 5290 Project continues...