MN Winters: How I Keep My Sanity

 Both bikes (+1 at my parents house) are all tucked in for the winter. Washed, stabil run through, and hooked up to life support (battery tenders). Sad.  It's weird how life goes from 80mph all summer to 0mph come snowfall/winter in MN. Though riders in MN were super fortunate to have an extended season - with my last ride on 12/2. So, even though that was only 2 weeks ago.... it sure feels like months since I last rode. Now I will spend quality time with my cager.. which is neglected all summer long. From mid-May to mid-November, I did 0 oil changes on my car and logged a mere 3,465 miles. In that same timespan, I did 8 oil changes on the bike and logged over 30,000 miles. #Priorities

How to stay sane in the winter months in MN:  Have amazing friends and a few fun hobbies. For example... I show up for a dart league (I would say play, but I basically earn a participation ribbon at best). I sub on a broomball league..  I take on DIY home projects, wind up way over my head in said project, and there goes a few weeks! Sometimes I don't take the safest approach... but what could go wrong?!



 

 

 

  MN Sports (Vikings and Wild) can be a lot of fun.  Winter goes a little faster being a Wild Hockey fan!!!! Me and the bestie are HUGE hockey fans and try to hit a few games a year (live) and either watch the other games or have it streaming through the speakers.  

 

 

 Bestie nights ~ every week bestie and I get together- which is never short of anything but fun filled shenanigans and non stop laughter. We have know each other more than half our lives, so we can just look at one another and read each others minds. We do random things each week - from playing bingo, to having drinks <--(sometimes that escalates to DRANKS...midweek..)

 And we go   shooting. It's  always comical ..watching the reactions of the (mostly) men as the two of us walk in, lay out our artillery, and unleash hundreds of rounds...sometimes in heels complete with work attire still on.  Bestie is a HELL of a good shot and the reactions are always funny.  After she shoots the first several rounds, suddenly no one is looking twice at us. Most of the time there is a sheer speck of where the bullseye once was on her targets.

If we ever get enough (good) snow, we will probably bust out the cross country skis as there is a park 1/2 mile from my house that has miles of lit trails. I'm not saying I will ski for miles right away since I haven't been on the skis in 2 years... but maybe something to work up to ;)  MN really does have a lot to offer, even in the cold winter months - there is always some fun to be found!

And on chill nights when it hurts my face to walk outside (because its damn cold), I spend endless hours daydreaming on where my bike will take me next. I ordered a bunch of Butler maps when they went on sale and have begun filling my mind with 1,000 new riding destinations for 2018. There are so many amazing places in the USA - and so many fun roads.... I will spend the next 2 months reigning in my over-ambitious riding goals....

 

 

The 2 wheel shadow pics are the best... but this 4 wheel cager needs a little love too