I like to ride my bicycle.

Miles cycled: 275.
Towns used as campgrounds: 4.
Number of rest stops: 20.
Finished lines crossed: 1.
Visits to First Aid for Icy Hot: 6.

Well, those are the statistics for last week's vacation. Most of you may be saying, "Vacation? What?" But, it's true. It was a vacation much needed and much appreciated. In case you don't know, I biked the MS TRAM last week, which stands for Multiple Sclerosis, The Ride Across Minnesota. It was amazing. All in all, I was able to raise $445, which was 148% of my fundraising goal of $300. Here's a big shout out and THANK YOU to all who donated to the cause. So, in short, thank you, thank you, thank you for making such a meaningful contribution to supporting clients with MS and finding a cure for the debilitating disease!

Our first day began in Duluth, where we checked in at the University of Minnesota-Duluth campus. Duluth is truly a beautiful city! We were then bussed to Grand Rapids, MN, for our first night of camping and getting ready for the ride. Each night, about 1000 riders and many other followers (perhaps 300+ more people? of supporters, family members, RV drivers, volunteers, etc.) took over these small towns in northern Minnesota and created tent cities, beer gardens, entertainment stages, and long lines at the shower trucks (yes, we shower in trucks).

Monday, we began our first day leaving from Grand Rapids on the Mesabi Trail. After about 8 miles, we stopped for coffee at the first little town just to wake us up (well, tea for me, but that's neither here nor there). We rode about 60 miles on Monday and ended up in Chisholm, where we would spend the next two evenings. After much-needed showers, we headed for food, and boy, did we find FOOOOD! (See, this is why I don't really lose weight when I cycle...I keep needing to refill my body with the calories that I've burned). Rain found us on Monday afternoon and evening and soaked our tents, but fortunately it wasn't while riding. Our second day in Chisholm involved about a 60 mile loop as well, returning to the Minnesota Museum of Mining in Chisholm on Tuesday evening. Chisholm seemed to be your All-American Town, if I ever did see one. So cute. There were so many people that were just so nice and so excited that we were there. In fact, when we first rolled into town, we were waiting at a stoplight and an old (old, old, olllllld) man rolled down his window and yelled, "I hope you folks really enjoy your stay in Chisholm!" So cute and welcoming. Tuesday night, we enjoyed gourmet pizza and a rockin' country band as entertainment. The band went late into the night and accompanied the migraine I had. I spent much of the night rolling around and cursing the band (it seemed like they were right outside my tent), trying to figure out if I wanted to just unzip my tent and chuff (slang for puke, vomit, throw up) right outside. Blech. Fortunately at some point through the night, I was able to fall asleep and the migraine was a bit more mild in the morning.

Our next day, Wednesday, was our easier day with a 55 mile trek to Biwabik. We started the day at Black Bear Bakery...delicious. Our final rest stop along the route had root beer floats for sale, so it made our day. Yum. Again, refueling with calories. Necessary. Although the mileage was a bit lower, we had a headwind for much of this day, as much of it was going either South or East against the Southeast wind. We did a great job. We ended in Biwabik and camped at some sort of field area, which was apparently a city park. After a hot day on the bike, we were greeted with shower lines with about an hour wait in the sun. In Chisholm, we had another option for showers in a field house, thus eliminating long lines. In Biwabik, we were not so lucky. Oh well - we were finally clean, so it all worked out. That night, we decided to camp close to the port-a-potties, which ended up being a not-so-great move in the morning. At about 5:00 AM, I awoke to a voice directly outside of my tent saying, "Wow, it's a little too quiet around here. I better talk loud so I can wake people up." Thank you, oh so kind and considerate sir. Oh well. An early start to our 70-mile day.

Thursday, we biked our hearts out in order to beat the impending rain, and we did an okay job. We biked through probably 20 minutes of rain the entire day, which actually wasn't too bad. The last stop supplied us with ice cream from the Schwann's man....yes, they totally made my day. This was by far the toughest day though, despite the ice cream. We had a strong headwind the entire 70 miles, as we were again heading South and East. Also, we were faced with a lot of hills and the rain. There were also a bunch of miles with really rough road in the beginning. The last eight miles, however, were some great downhills to Lake Superior and the town of Two Harbors. Great times. We spent the night at the Two Harbors Ice Arena and did mucho celebrating for our last night.

Friday was our easy day with 26 miles along Lake Superior straight into Duluth. And by straight, I do not mean flat! In Duluth, we were faced with a 3/4 mile hill...whose butt I did kick. Yes, that's right - I made it up on my bike! Awesome. It felt so good, and then it poured (rain) at the top. Great welcome to Duluth! Fortunately, within the next two miles, the rain let up so that we were able to cross the finish line without raindrops. Crossing that finish line, though, it amazing. It's hard to put words to it, but you're literally greeted by hundreds of cheering people who are all there to remind you of what it's really for--Multiple Sclerosis, perseverence, and helping each other out. Such a great experience.

Obviously, I won't be able to participate next year, but I know that my mom and Linda (our other biker) would love to form a team! It only takes four people, and don't be intimidated by the mileage. You can do it! It just takes a bit of training...trust me, I saw so many people on this ride that I was like, "They're biking?!?! That's awesome." The average age is probably about 60, so my belief is that anyone could do it. And it's fun - I'd recommend. So please think about it!

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