LOONS Rally in Crosslake, MN—August 5-7

Rally Day #1—Friday: 26.21 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 1 hour 38 minutes, average speed: 16.0

Following an enjoyable 4.5-hour vehicle drive north to Crosslake, MN we were ready to do some biking. After checking into the Pine Peaks Lodge, we unloaded the bike and went searching for a route map. We chose to bike the long route which headed south of Crosslake and placed us on beautiful wide-shouldered roads winding around the many lakes in the area. Whitefish Lake was just beautiful and we were able to ride close enough to the lake to enjoy the sparkling waters. A nice bike trail brought us back into the city where we met up with tandem teams returning from their ride—Mike and Mary shared their Kayaking knowledge and were interesting to visit with, Linda and Roger visited some with us and remembered riding with us last year at the LOONS Chili Ride and Margaret and John are always quick to welcome us back into the group.


Following our ride, Dennis and I walked to Zorbaz for a pizza supper. This was a very unique restaurant with a help yourself attitude. We ordered our pizza from the bar, collected our plates and utensils and seated ourselves to wait for our pizza to be delivered. The Mexican pizza we ordered was huge and piled high with toppings—leftovers for later. Back at the hotel, we took a short rest in the hot tub and then off to bed to rest for another day of riding.



Rally Day #2—Saturday: 13.78 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 1 hour 10 minutes, average speed: 11.6

We got up early this morning to get breakfast before heading out for an expected 60-mile route. The weather began to sound threatening and our small LOONS Tandem group had our eyes to the skies and every electronic device known to man out and watching the storm cycle roll into the area. We all decided to regroup later in the day with hopes of getting at least a few biking miles in.

Dennis and I decided to take a drive in the van south to Brainerd. We went looking for kayak information. Because of the variety offered, I think it will take some time to sort out which unit will be best for us. While we were in Brainerd, the sun came out so we sprinted back to Crosslake, got the bike out and adventured out west of town on our own.


We stopped at The Warf, a restaurant along Whitefish Lake, for a delicious meal. I had a walleye Caesar salad which another customer recommended and it was the right choice for me—very good! We had a great view of the lake as we enjoyed our meal. Not much riding today but we did have a fun time just hanging out and spending time enjoying the area.



Rally Day #3—Sunday: 28.18 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 1 hour 54 minutes, average speed: 14.7

After our breakfast at the Pine Lodge Restaurant, all tandem riders gathered together one more time to visit before pedaling along our chosen routes. We were able to take off at the planned time this morning as the weather was beautiful. Dennis and I only had time for the short route today because we wanted to make a stop in South St. Paul to visit Amy, Luke and Kennedy before heading for home. We were back at the lodge by 11:00 a.m. and packed up to go by noon. We enjoyed the quietness of this rally and spending time with each other but are also looking forward to some busier rallies yet to come this season.


On our trip south to the Cities, we stopped again for lunch at Happy’s—a fun little fast food joint along highway 169 near Mille Lacs Lake. The menu is unique and abundant. Dennis tried the Ruben Balls and they were an excellent treat—a fine ending to a restful rally.

Rans miles since purchase: 15,330

Pedal and Party in Pardeeville

40-Mile Pardeeville Route
Comments: Ride Time was 3 hours 29 minutes, average speed: 11.7

We spent the night before our Pardeeville ride in the Comfort Suites Hotel near Portage, WI. Joining us for this event were Alan and Michelle Andersen from Spring Valley, MN. After checking into our room on Friday, we drove into Portage for cocktails at the Blarney Stone Bar & Grill. While chatting with our bartender, Carolyn, Cimaroli’s was mentioned as a great place to try for our evening meal. We took Carolyn’s advice and drove out into the country to find the supper club. The restaurant was packed full but we decided to add our name to the 45-minute wait list. The food was good but the noise level made it hard to relax and enjoy our meal. Back at the hotel, we rested in the pool area and chatted with a few guys taking part in a Tough Mudder running contest? We found out that this contest is a nationally known, 10-mile obstacle course where the participants run, climb and sludge through any apparatus in their way to get to the finish line. It was exhausting just listening to these young men describe their event. We then shared our biking activities and our plans to ride in Pardeeville in the morning. It was now getting late so we wished the guys good luck with their race and found our room to get some rest before our 7:00 a.m. breakfast appointment with Michelle and Alan.

Dennis and I met up with the Andersens following breakfast and caravanned towards Pardeeville, WI for our ride start at Chandler Park. Registration was in progress so we joined the group getting ride information. Pardeeville bandanas were given to each rider with warnings to take precautions around the poisonous wild parsnip growing along our route. We were on route before 9:00 a.m. and enjoying the rolling countryside. The temperature was in the 80’s at ride start with a promise of higher temps later in the day. It instantly felt muggy but it was not storming as predicted so we had no complaints.

Our first rest stop came at the 17-mile mark. Eggs and other snacks were being served here so we stopped to take a rest and chat with other riders. We didn’t want to stop for long because the temperature was heating up. It was only 10:30 in the morning and already the temperature was in the 90’s. So, on down the road we pedaled.


This route provided so many beautiful sites. I enjoyed being on my single bike so that I could really enjoy the view. It was a little hard to take photos but I did manage to get some beautiful shots once stopped and this gave me time to rest along the way. I rolled past an Amish lady mowing her lawn on some kind of riding lawnmower attached to a horse and also passed many Amish children out in their yards. They were all friendly and waved as we passed.


Our next stop was at an Amish grocery store but we didn’t find much of interest here so we went on down the road and pulled into an Amish furniture store—Hey Dennis, do you think we could get that home? I found the perfect porch glider made out of permanent decking material with cow heads for back rests. Alan and Michelle offered to bring one of our bikes home so that we could fit the glider in the van. This was just meant to be so we asked the salesman to put a “Sold” sign on the piece and promised to return when our ride was over. The Amish do not take credit cards and that is all we had on us. It was quite the adventure getting back to the store to collect our seat but we are very happy with our purchase.


We made it back to Pardeeville by 1:30 and in time to join all riders for a party at the Caddy Shack Bar and Grill. Burgers, salads, desserts and beer were provided by Kay Lum and her ride organization team.


The live music was being held out on the patio for those tough enough to withstand the heat. The bar was very crowded so we ate our burgers and began our drive back to the hotel. We ended this mini vacation with a DQ treat and an evening of cards and games with Alan and Michelle. We are happy that biking is becoming more popular and more biking adventures are being offered to allow us to see and experience a variety of travelling opportunities. It is always extra special to share these adventures with good friends and biking companions.

COWS Wrangler Ride in Waupaca, Wisconsin

Laabs’ Neighborhood Loop: 27.92 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 2 hours 13 minutes, average speed: 12.5


We left the Johnson home in Dorchester early this morning to drive to the COWS Wrangler Ride being held at the Laabs’ Lake Home near Waupaca, WI. We arrived in time to join six other teams for this enjoyable ride in northern Wisconsin. Because of the dangerous high temperature expected for this day, John and Joan altered their planned route at the last minute to protect us all from the possibility of heat exhaustion—and it sure did get hot! The temperature soared into the 90’s even before our 10:00 a.m. start.


We met three new couples and enjoyed this chance to get to know them. The Wrangler Rides have been wonderful to gather smaller groups together and allow couples new to tandeming a less intimidating event to jump start their cycling career.


Our ride included a stop in Mount Morris for an ice cream treat and a chance to cool down. The group gathered out on the deck of the ice cream shop to visit and rest before continuing down the road back to the Laabs’ lake home. The group stayed together throughout the ride and arrived back at Joan & John’s by 3:00 p.m. The lake looked very inviting after 28 miles of biking so most changed clothes and went in for a swim. Dennis decided to dive in bike clothes and all. A late lunch was served out on the deck and Joan did a great job feeding these hungry travellers. Sandwiches, salads, fruit and cookies satisfied our appetites prior to our trip home. We again had a wonderful day biking in Wisconsin with our COWS friends and look forward to future Wrangler Rides planned for this biking season.


Wrangler Ride Attendees: Joan & John (host & hostess), Kathi & John, Carol & Bruce, Al & Sandie, Barb & Glen, Tim & Marla, Dennis & Deb.