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Sometimes, at the end of the season, old Bessie needs to get taken for one last gallop through the fields, then she gets brought out behind the barn.  In this case, I took my trusty steed out for a four-hour Epic on the new CAMBA single-track with Gregg, Campbell, and Jackson.  It was everything a mountain bike could hope for: muddy and fast.  Afterwards, it was time for the Chopping Block.

I brought my bike and new poles over to the shop this afternoon.  Had to clean up my ride for the season and get my new poles cut for the winter.  All CXC skiers will be sporting Swix poles for the 09/10 season.  Our old One Way poles (which I was very happy with) will be donated to the new CXC Adaptive Program, giving more people the opportunity to get out and experience Nordic skiing – pretty cool.  I’m psyched about our new Swix poles, especially since they make a 180cm skate pole for all of us tall dudes.  New Moon’s shop was made for working on both bikes and skis, which meant doing a professional job on both projects.  Don’t worry, old Bessie will live to die another day.  She’s in her stall with a fresh coat of oil and bucket full of oats.

Enjoy these photos from Saturday’s Ski Clinic and 350 Action.  It was held on, by far, the nicest morning of the week.  We didn’t need to use the Lenroot Lodge, but it sure was entertaining to see a bunch of Nordic skiers in a fitness studio.  Don’t worry, we got our fair share of M.N. (you know. . .Mother Nature) as well.

Great CXC/Birkie clinic and 350 Action in Seeley this morning.

Thanks to Jay Tapper and ActivEdge for hosting the clinic and for donating the chili feed at the Sawmill afterwards.  Thanks to Bill McKibben for his relentless efforts and inspiration to make our world a better place to live.  We had a perfect morning for the clinic today.

25 participants with a combined to total of 253 Birkies skied

Teague will get his first Birkie soon. . .

More later. . .

The past week has been damp, dark, wet, and cold.  My clothes, and more importantly boots, are barely drying out between workouts.  Not ideal conditions by any means, but fall is still my favorite season and I’ve actually been enjoying the recent weather.

Check out Donovan Dums‘ blog for the report on our successful hunt Wednesday afternoon.  For a guy who’s particularly secretive about where he hunts, I’m always surprised that he named his blog after his favorite place to hunt.  At any rate, it’s a great site and definitely worth checking out.

Last week, my CXC teammate and roommate, Brian Gregg discovered that we have a Crock Pot in our kitchen.  The Crock Pot has always been on a high shelf and pretty much got overlooked during the past three years that we’ve lived here at Cresthill Resort.  That is, until Maria Stuber used the Crock Pot to make awesome pulled pork sandwiches at our last camp.   Since then, Brian’s been using it to make all kinds of meals: Maria’s pulled pork, homemade chili, and beef chuck roast.  The Crock’s sure made coming home after the cold, dark, wet afternoon workouts much more enjoyable.

Chuck roast, brown rice, and fresh bread - all part of the fall harvest

Happy Birthday, Wa!  Congrats to my little sister Laura on her big Golden Birthday, bringing sunshine down on us all.

Looking for roller ski workout ideas?  Check out this article on Ski Specific Strength Training published for fasterskier.com.

photo: Alistair Duncan

Thanks to Mark and Pam for hosting a great clinic and fundraiser last Saturday on their Little Siberia trails.  Here are some numbers and facts from the afternoon:

• Participants: 40
• Furthest traveled: Toss up between Texas and Germany
• Oldest: 80
• Youngest: 16
• Pizzas cooked: 50
• Pizzas consumed: 50
• km hiked: over 300
• total vertical: 4 km (thanks to the Double Plunge!)

Enjoy these photos from the afternoon & thanks to everyone who made it for their support!

Stick 'em up!

Bob and Deb leading the way

Build your own pizza

Mark and his brick pizza oven

Pam bringing out endless pizza dough

FR 236, Brinks Road, Ino Forest Road. . . it doesn’t matter what you call it, this is one of the best training roads in Northern Wisconsin.  The best part of the ski is cruising through the Moquah Barrens.  Check back soon for photos and full report from the Little Siberia fall clinic at Mark and Pam Dryers.

Moquah Barrens

Fall is here.  Need proof?  Check out these three sure signs. . .

Leaves are changing color

Birds are flying south

The Pisten Bully is right around the corner!