Celeste

Mystique of the Bianchi

OUR bicycles aren’t
aquamarine
they’re not turquoise
not seafoam
but they do resemble
the color of
Crest
toothpaste
...
.



- ob

5:30 in February

I wanted so badly to enjoy my weekend of skiing. Monday off. I had THREE DAYS to do nothing but forget work and go skiing. As the weekend got closer, my attitude soured and I didn’t feel like heading out of town...and I always want to get outta Dodge for a few full days of skiing until I drop.

On Saturday, we skied close to home because I was tired.

And on Sunday, when we hit the hilly place that I love that is only open for a fraction of the season because conditions have to be nearly perfect to even allow skiers on the trails, I was tired...the melt-into-a-puddle-right-where-I’m-standing tired.

Monday, I woke up with the latest crud. A vacation day no less. I’ve been home from work since then, but there’s been plenty to do around my office that has had me sitting on my backside, resting-up, yet somehow feeling productive in between naps and looking out the window.

And speaking of looking out the window, have you realized that it used to be dark by 5:30?

- OB thinkin' a quick spin on the Nokians sounds great, but I'd better sleep on it!

Day Old

I picked up yesterday’s legs by mistake.

They were right next to today’s fresh ones, but I must have missed the Day Old sign. I poked one a couple times and it seemed to spring back just fine.

But out on the trails when it counted they were a bit stale.

- OB that’s what I get for not at least jumping up and down on them a couple of times to test them out

Lake of the Isles

Luminary Loppet
Minneapolis, MN
Feb. 2, 2008








- TOB along with 200 of her closest ski buddies....

The Last Ski of the Day

Afterhours Ski Trail, Brule WI

Aspens gather
just on the other side
of the curve in the trail
unobtrusive
but
striking
in their winter white

- OB it was one of those kinda skis

Epic at 2 Degrees

I experienced IT the other day.

We headed out to the local skiin' hole after work. Temps were a bit chilly and the trails were duly slick it's tough to keep a nice corduroy when it's 2 degrees.

It's just durned cold here. Don't get me wrong...we've had one of the best winters in years: good snow cover for cross country skiing, a few single-digit days to keep us humble, and a ton of sunny days with temps in the mid-20s. I like it, really I do. But the bi-polarness of the temps is enough to send me to the prescription bottle some days. The swings make the ski trails hell. Moisture freezes to the street and sidewalk surfaces making running treacherous damn, and I love running SO much.... I know, the Nokians are ready and waiting, but I'm just not wanting to get them out these days. Winter is for skiing, dammit.

It was during one of our previous deep freezes that I reluctantly headed out to the ski trails after a long day at work. Sometimes, exercise is just the thing to do at the end of the day....best not to even think about it, just go. I needed to work off some slog.

I took out the old skate skis, assuming the trails would have dirt and sticks showing through the freeze after the previous meltdown. The trails were clean, but the old skis were like ice on ice. For a good 7 k I skittered around curves and down hillsides. My legs fought for balance. My poles jabbed in random attempts to keep me upright, and my torso lurched from side to side.

Temps were rapidly dropping in that late-afternoon, dark-setting-in kind of way. The cold was taking its toll on my energy level. Once back at the car, though, I wasn't ready to go home.

I took out the new skis this time and decided to hit another loop. I know what makes one bicycle different from another, but I didn't know how one pair of skate skis differs from another and I wanted to see.

Epic. Can a half-hour on freeze-hardened ski trails be epic? Definitions of epic include words like heroic, impressive and surpassing the ordinary.

The skis bit and we set-off flying. At 2 degrees on a 5 k icy trail not 8 miles from home, the experience transformed flailing to grace.

Ordinary?

Not a chance.

- TOwowB

And I didn't look like the Staypuft Man

Skiing at 1 degree

We headed out to a local ski joint prior to the high temps of the day after all the Packers were playing later and pretty much had the trails to ourselves. There were a few high school team kids out getting their workout, but for the most part there's nothin' like 1 degree to keep the rifraff away. As we were wrapping-up around 3:00, a couple of dads with their kids were hitting the trails. Dad and dad were obvious skiing/skating buffs -- it was fun to see their kids (two pre-teen boys and a couple early-teen girls) skilled on the boards as well and thoroughly enjoying themselves. There's hope for the future of the sport!

Skiing comfortably at 1 degree requires:

Weather Conditions
sunny
bright
calm

Snow
crisp

Skis
stiff SOBs

Head
balaclava
headband
wool hat
neoprene face mask

Body
wool tank
zip T wool 260 long sleeve
full windstopper cycling/skiing jacket

Hands
wool glove liners
windstopper lobster mittens

Legs
silk longjohns
wool 200 longjohns
wind front ski pants

Feet
wool liner sock
thick wool sock
heat packs upside and underside of toes
boot covers if'n ya got em!

- TOB

Baby, it's Cold Outside

We won't see temps above 0 until Monday.

We get one of these stretches each winter. This winter has seen more than its share, but at least snow is on the ground which somehow makes the bone-chillin' cold bearable. After all it is winter and it's supposed to be cold. Last winter's dead, brown ground and dirty streets left us all in a funk when the sub-zeroes hit: nothing worse than dangerous temps with ground that looks like spring is supposed to be nearby.

This time around it's white and bright. The sun is shining and the wind is at a minimum. The 50 ft. walk from the house to the garage was totally pleasant in my headband and wool hat, wool sweaters, shin-length wool coat, flannel lined jeans over long johns, two pair of mittens, wool socks, and wool-lined boots.

Anyone actually cold is just plain wimpy.

- TOB