Half Century

I entered an organized century ride at the end of July. I began a 10 week training schedule on May 21st. Each week brings one long ride, my first long ride was 30 miles and they progressively get longer each week. So I worked my way up to a 47 mile ride today, I hit the road at about 12:45 anxious to get the ride started. I decided to take hwy C to hwy A and see were that took me. It's a good feeling to be on the road and not in a car. I've experienced things you just can't hear or see in a car going 60 mph. Racine county is very rural west of the interstate, with farm Fields and forests as far as the eye can see. On every long ride I've done so far I've seen several birds you can't find in the city, I've seen a couple of hawks or falcons or both; I wasn't close enough to tell. The amount of wild flowers is another thing you just don't see in the city limits. So after an unexpected detour (road construction) I found myself with a terrific view of Browns Lake near Burlington. I was feeling good after the planned 23.5 mile halfway point, so I decided to go another 1.5 miles to make it an even 50 miles for the day. I took a quick break to eat a Cliff Bar and drink water and then started to make my way back home. I could really see myself living out in the sticks, life seems to run at a different pace. I ended up finishing my 50 mile ride in just under 3 hours. At the halfway point in my training schedule, I'm feeling more and more confident after each long ride.

Winnie

Ok Moon, I've been a slacker on blogging lately. For those who don't know, I'm a huge dog fan. I've always wanted a puppy dog to call my own. When we moved in to our first house, a little over a year ago I thought, "Great now we can get a puppy." But money has been tight, and we had a lot vacations this spring, so the puppy plans were put on hold. Well, my patience finally ran out so I began pressing the issue with Nikki. So after a little coaxing, she finally caved and said ok let's get a dog. She made my day just by saying (let's get a dog). I immediately began researching breeds and shelters in the area. Nikki and I went to the Milwaukee Humane Society to view a few puppies. There was a Cattle Dog there, it was sooo cuuuuute but very naughty, constantly nipping Nikki and myself the entire time we were with her. Even with her nipping me I still wanted her. I kept telling Nikki that all puppies nip but she didn't get a good vibe, so we kept looking. A few days later I set up another viewing with a Black Lab mix from a rescue home in Delavan. After Nikki got home we set off on an hour drive southwest of Racine. As soon as we stepped in the home, two pups came up to us licking and sniffing our hands. The pups were complete opposites of the Cattle Dog pup we saw earlier. These dogs had a much friendlier disposition. So now we had 2 cuuuute Black Lab pups to choose from, I said why don't we just take both of them, after Nikki gave me the look, I decided to take the smaller of the 2. The smaller one had more white markings on her face. After a little debating Nikki suggested we name her Winnie; I couldn't agree more. We've been so busy trying to keep up with her, she is so full of life. Winnie girl is down for running around and acting goofy or snuggling up in your lap for a long nap. Taking care of another being is very rewarding to me, she is already very much apart of our family.