Adventure North

In late May, the Ride North crew joined two other families for some mountain biking at the Cuyuna Country State Recreation area. Experienced and new mountain bikers, both young and old, put tires to the red dirt. It was a good group, everyone got on well and we all agreed that we should do it again. For some reason, I don't have a ton to say about the trip. It was fantastic, memories were made, calories were burned, the good vibes were felt, and I'm sure we'll be telling tales about the trip for a long time to come. If you ever see me, ask about Cuyuna and strap in because I have stories. For now, the photos can be the documentation. This is my loon picture. Riding through the woods surrounded by birch and water. Crystal clear mine pit lakes. Horse tails and strawberries. Marsh milkweed, I think. Stream side. A storm front rolled through on Saturday night. We stood under a tree next to our fire and watched it pass. Endless views from the top of the tailings pile. I saw thre...

Our annual trout opener fishing weekend is in the book, or the blog anyway. It was cold and windy, and we were missing a few people. My father-in-law has been taking this trip with his buddies for 30 years but for various health reasons, it was just him and I this year. These guys have been taking 3 or 4 annual fishing trips every year for three decades, their absence was felt. The June trip to Lake of the Woods should be better attended and less physically demanding than climbing up and down these hills in search or trout. The evening view from our shack,  we could see trout rising in the riffle. Spring is just starting poke up through the detritus. We fished private land outside of Preston. The farmer is 88 years old, he's happy to chat with us and the turkey hunters who visit him. We got a bit of the family history and some stories from when he was in the marines in the 50s. Around lunch time he came down to the stream to visit us. He and his son-in-law, who was very busy, birth...

 We left the house! It's been a long time since we wandered around the north shore. When Jr. North's spring break popped up on our calendars, we booked an Airbnb in Duluth and got out of Saint Paul for a bit. We were only gone for a few days but it was a good few days, and we had the place to ourselves.  Rock hopping. Gooseberry Falls Sunrise ove Lake Superior. Beaver Bay Beaver River Looking for agates was a highlight. Everything we found was pea sized or smaller, which is normal. The Agate Shop in Bevear Bay is worth a stop. The view from Palisade Head, and more rock hopping. Highway 61, south of Palisade Head. The Crew. Sipping on some flights of beer with Mrs. North. It's been over a year since we've done that. Stopped at Damage skate shop and picked up a soveniour. It's on the same block as Aerostich, Bent Paddle Brewing, and OMC. Early the next morning we hit up a skete park  just up the street from the shop. Ride North Sr. dropping in! Point Park beach. It wa...

 I have so many good things to say about skateboarding. It's art, exercise, and community; and I missed it. It was probably 2004ish since I was last on a half pipe; nobody was listening to pop-punk anymore. What started as "gym" during lockdown has turned into a full scale passion. Jr. North is driven to go, try new tricks, and hang out at the park (with his dad!). For the boy who was shy around strangers and doesn't like people watching him, he gets up in front of older kids and just rides without worrying about it. He's talking to kids, calling them out when they cut in. (a big part of ramp skating is taking turns) Confidence, exercise, passion, joy, and he's good at it too. Early March, we shoveled off the half pipe and let the sun work its magic. Dad gets his sea legs. Shoveling, a Minnesota tradition. Our now weekly pilgrimage to the 3rd Lair skatepark. Carving the bowl, February. Carving the bowl, March. (and dropping in!) At one point, clearing the seco...