Every Last Second

Amidst our year of weird weather in MN, Pop came to visit. It was over 90 degrees when he arrived. Two days later it was in the 40s. Good thing he and Liz brought jackets! I discovered where I inherited my love of exploring while they were here. By the time he left, I think Pop had seen more backwoods WI and MN than most people who live here. He thought it was really funny to tell people I kept taking him to the same town called, "Dead End". Whatever- he loved it. Or at least he pretended to for my sake. I seem to remember him telling people, when I was 16 and asked him to take me fishing, that when your daughter wants to bond, you take the chance. Thankfully he still tolerates my need to bond over adventures (and good food). 

 (And in case you were wondering- yes, I did finally catch a big fish the summer I was 16. We named him Biff. Then we ate him for breakfast.)

In return, I still tolerate his history lessons. (Mostly because now that I'm older, they're actually pretty fascinating.)

Pop filling me in on the history of Bayfield, WI

Unfortunately, all Pop and Liz got see of Madeline Island was a lot of fog.

Of course, we did brave the cold to have a drink in Tom's Burned Down Cafe and read the signs.

My personal favorite. 

Thankfully, it warmed up for the rest of the trip. Even better, somehow this guy managed to score a 9.9 with Pop.

Apparently no one had their race face on...

Now that Pop is gone, it's back to work and my attempt to find a different way home every day.

Unfortunately this route wasn't one of my better ideas. A short way down the trail, I ended up pedaling through weeds up to my waist, refusing to unclip and walk the bike for fear of stepping on a snake or some other critter hiding underneath the brush. When I popped out in someone's backyard, I opted just to pedal like hell and hope they didn't see me rather than have to ride back through the jungle.

Of course, in the end, the ride home is always worth it, especially when I time it just right and get to enjoy every last second of daylight......