National Lampoon's Chequamegon Vacation

Little did we know when we woke up Friday morning, that our names had somehow changed to the Griswold's overnight and we were in for a day that was far from normal.

To kick things off, we closed up the shop and loaded the car and the lil Scamp to head up north to camp and watch the Chequamegon Fat Tire Race.  Before we left town, we were excited to join my Dad in celebrating his retirement after 31 great years at Scherer Bros. Lumber.  I felt like a kid again, seeing so many familiar faces from my childhood, or my teen years when I worked three summers there.  It was so fun to watch my dad with his friends, laughing and telling stories... it was obvious that he was going to be missed... and that he was really going to miss being there.

As the party winded down, we said our good-byes and hit the road. Time: 11:30 AM. We stopped for gas before we left town, only to find one of the tires on the camper was flat.   Thinking nothing of it, we topped off the gas tank and filled up the tire and kept on our way.  Leaving early was AWESOME!  We planned on setting up camp, then heading off to meet up with Timmer and the crue for a great ride, followed by dinner at the Sawmill.  That is, until we crossed the border into Grantsburg....

Going up the hill out of the St Croix River Valley, the car started to misbehave.  The RPM's soared, but there was no power to accompany them.  We crested the hill and looked for anything that resembled an auto shop.  We found one quickly and begged for their advice.  He popped the hood, checked all the gauges and fluids, then gave us the sad news that he thought our tranny was starting to go.  After some deliberation, he guessed we could keep it under 50mph and make it to Hayward to salvage our vacation.  So, we turned off the overdrive and settled in for a long ride to the finish.

Time: 12:45 PM.

Jay drove the cruck gingerly down the road, and the three of us held our collective breath in silence, hoping to make it to Hayward with no more troubles.  We only made it 5 miles.  The car was pissed at us, and I really don't know what we did.  So, in a moment of clarity, I told Jay to pull into a gas station and unhook the camper.  "Let's head back to the city, rent a truck somewhere, and finish out our vacation".  DEAL!  We unhooked the Scamp, let the gas station know we'd be back in a couple hours, and headed back West.

We crossed into MN but the car was still mad... this was going to be a LONG drive home.  To top it off, we found out there's laws against towing with rental cars, Uhaul rented off their last truck, Dad's truck was packed for his trip hunting.. we were gonna have to go all the way back to the cities and find a car.  We only made it just south of Rush City before it sounded like a spray can was being used on the other side of the steering column.  Jay pulled onto the shoulder and, after a moment of unplanned silence, we called up AAA.  Just then, Dad called me back to check on us with the family mechanic on the line .... we described the problem and texted him a picture of a hole Jay found that we didn't think was there before.  New plan... get towed back to our point of origin (Dad's former place of work), drop of car for mechanic to pick up, wait for Dad to pick us up and bring us home, find a new vehicle at home, start over and go back to Hayward.

Time: a blur.

The tow driver was awesome and we had fun conversation all the way back to the metro area.  We could have done away with the road construction and rush-hour delays, but all in all, we were keeping it together just fine.  Dad met us in perfect time, got us home, where we found DMC's fabulous Envoy waiting for us - THANKS DMC!!!!  Kinda perfect that Jay had taken him to the airport some 12 hours prior and the hitch was ready to go.  Wait... wrong size ball.  No prob... we had highjacked the hitch from our car, and we just needed to drive to the bike shop on the way out of town to switch them out.  Oh yeah, and the power source was different... off to O'Reilly for a converter.  We hugged Dad goodbye and thanked him for his rescue and party leftovers, loaded up the Envoy, and prepped for our trip back up north.

Time:  6:30 PM... yeah, 7 HOURS LATER!

We got back to Grantsburg, and Rosco and I took a short walk while Jay hooked up the camper.  Poor puppy had been in the car for 9 hours by this time.  Once done, he drove over to us to pick us up, but there were no running lights on the camper.  Dude, forget something?  Nope... the cables were about 2ft. too short.  Now I started to come a little unglued.  I'd taken all the bike blinkies out of the bags since we weren't going to need them.. DOH!  Reluctantly, we pulled onto the road.. only 10 miles to Siren.. there's got to be a gas station still open with some sort of solution.  Cars behind us kept flashing their brights at us and I tried NOT to freak out that we were driving in total darkness with no brake lights or signals on a camper with MN plates, in a WI car under someone else's name.. we're f'd.

We found a Holiday with some keychain blinkie lights and duct tape and fashioned up some redneck tail lights.  Before we pulled away, we noticed the wheel had gone flat yet again and filled it up.  48 miles to the KOA.  Time:  9:30 PM.  Jay drove just under the speed limit with the brights on and we feverishly searched out deer, figuring that would the the ultimate frosting to our Griswold-esque cake.  Somehow, though, we made it to the KOA with no road kill or further issues, and were pleased to find Ann and KK chillin' by a fire.  We made it!  Time: 10:59 PM.  Oi!

We chilled by the fire to unwind and shared our day's adventure with our friends.  We were happy to have arrived, but even happier that this was the first year we'd decided NOT to race, so there was no worry about lack of riding or sleep.  Come morning, we were able to begin anew and enjoy the vacation we'd looked so forward to.  Jay and I rode out to Fire Tower Hill and had an awesome couple hours cheering on the racers, giving Coke hand-ups, and a strong push down the hill for the tired few.

  

Afterwards, we headed back down the trail to Telemark to drink beers and exchange stories with the finishers before retiring to the KOA.  Jay wanted a few more miles on the bike, so him and KK headed out and me and the ladies decided to have a cocktail hour at the Turks Inn.  Wow!  Can't even describe it... go there!

We spent the evening with our friends by the fire, listening to tales of the day's race and reminisced on years previous.  When the sandman landed in my lap, we headed off to bed to fall asleep to a movie, but the last thing I remember was the first couple lines.. I was OUT instantly.  Come morning, though, we were all back together, sharing in a fabulous community breakfast on the fire including french baguettes with olive oil, 18 scrambled eggs, fresh breakfast burritos and smoothies in some killer Monster glasses.. it was perfect!  

You could tell no one wanted to leave... but the best part of it all was stepping back a moment and finding that it held a heavy amount of nostalgia for me...  I remember that, as a kid, my dad and I spent the summer weekends camping and at a friend's cabin hanging out, all the kids within a couple years of each other, all playing together as the parents hung out... just now, I'm the adult, watching the kids play and drinking beers by the fire with my friends.  It was one of the most sentimental moments of the whole weekend, and it reminded me of what a great choice we'd made to buy our Scamp.. for these moments.

Trying to keep the fun going, we loaded up our gear and Scamp and headed off to OO to get in some riding before sitting in traffic on the way home.  It was awesome!  We even ran into Jason McCartney on our ride - super pro, old friend of Jay's - so fun!  When we got back, we took Rosco on a sweet loop of single track ... he FLEW!  (video to come soon... just too tired to figure it all out right now)

We cleaned ourselves up, grabbed a bite at the Sawmill, then headed home with smiles on our face.  Luckily, we found a sweet patch-solution at the gas station in Hayward, that filled our camper's flat and kept it going all the way home.  Throw in NO TRAFFIC, and it was a sweet ride home.

Looking back on it, all the troubles were nothing but little hurdles.  Thank heavens we hadn't started out of town at 5:00pm or so... then we would have had to bag the trip.  And thankfully we weren't racing so there was nothing really major to freak out about... well, until we get the mechanic's bill, but why let it harsh my mellow right now?  :o)

Yet another amazing weekend with friends,
Kristy Kreme

Wurkin' on a comeback

So, after taking a whole 8 months off of bike racing (not exactly by choice.. more by necessity), Jay and I decided to head up to the great N Wisconsin to take on the Pre-Fat mountain bike race.  We stayed at our favorite KOA and set up shop for a great weekend of Scamping and riding.

We got up a little later than we planned, so our first night was low-key with dinner at the Sawmill Saloon and a quiet night at the campground with our pal Mark K. and the best lil traveler, Rosco.  Morning came early, but it felt great to tie a number on again.

When the horn sounded, I took to the road from three rows back, holding tight to the leaders from the start.   As we climbed the first hills a mile in, I was sitting as the women's leader, but my lack of base miles soon reminded me of how much I've 'trained' without knowing it over the last few years.  Three miles in and the ladies began catching me, but I kept turning over the gears as best I could.  Although my climbing speed wasn't where I wanted it to be, I flew down the descents faster than I'd ever done before.... I guess all the winter riding and minimal summer single-track riding I've done this year is paying off.

At one point, Big Daddy Don and his tandem from hell came by me (they'd had some ragin' technical problems), so I jumped on and pushed myself to ride at their pace.  It was awesome letting go of the brakes and screaming down the ski trails and, to my pleasure, their pace on the climbs was a mellow enough pace for me to recover.

As we climbed the last path to the finishing straight-away, my final reserves fired and I screamed to the finish to take 10th and 1st in my age group.  It was awesome!  Jay had a great race too and, once he finished, we returned to the campsite for a restful night of relaxation.

To our surprise, it was Pet Weekend at the KOA and the fun was endless.   Jay, Rosco, and I went to watch the agility contest only to find out there were still openings for contestants.  As Jay and I pointed feverishly at one another, the crowd giggled and I snatched everything out of his hands to force him to do it.  They were a hoot!  Sure, he had to drag Rosco through the weave, but it was the awesome golf-clap they received when Rosco jumped over the bar that was most fun.

Although they did it in great time, Rosco & Jay finished 4th... but I'm sure the awards went to the kids just cuz they were kids, since 2nd place literally dragged his dog through EVERY obstacle.  :o)  Either way, we put the tired puppy to bed and slipped off into the warm breeze for a rematch of putt putt golf.

Defending Champ - Kristy Kreme - won by 4 strokes Sept. 2011
Challenger - Hollywood

The temps were warm and the breeze was gentle on our skin as we took to the 18-hole course at twilight.  Its silly I'm sure, but these moments make me feel like newlyweds or maybe even newly-dating all over again.  Maybe it's the 'silly' in it that makes everything feel so light and so free... and it's definitely why I love camping and playing like kids at our favorite KOA's!

Anyways, the game was close through the first nine, but then I came on!  Sure, he can ride a bike better than me with one leg, a flat tire, and no chain... but my papa taught me how to putt!  What?  Three holes in one?  Bitch, please!!!  Yeah, not only did I beat last year's score, but I wiped the floor with my beloved and we had a great time doing it!  Thanks, KOA!

Yeah, it was hard to leave come the next morning... early albeit, so I could make it to work by ten... but we know it won't be long til we sneak away again and make another memorable weekend out of trees, dirt, and the great outdoors.

Thanks to our Scamp that has taken us to so many new places, thanks to the KOA for awesome memories, thanks to a crazy bee in my bonnet that told me to by a bike in the first place, but most importantly, thanks to my husband for all the adventures and joy we share... no matter how big or small.  My heart overflows with love and joy..

Simply put.... Happy,
Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 21: Cheq 40 & Camping Fun

For the 5th weekend in a row, and for the 20th time in just over a year, Jay and I loaded up the Scamp and headed out of town for a lil getaway. Back to Hayward we went, for my maiden voyage on the grand Chequamegon 40. This was Jay's 20th appearance so little anxiety plagued him, while the fear of the unknown quietly perched outside our kampsite, wait to catch me off guard.

I always feel like.... somebody's watching me....

We headed back to our new fave place, the KOA, and got a site in our favorite row of trees, deep in the middle of all the excitement with all our favorite 612 Crue. Lucky for us, we headed up Thursday night, so the extra relaxing was super welcome!

Friday morning, I drove Jay out to double O to meet up with none other than Jason McCartney of Team Radioshack and Christian Vande Velde of Garmin-Cervelo! I knew I wouldn't be able to hang at that tempo all the way to the finish, so I only dropped off Jay and met them at the finish, planning to warm up my legs later in the day. Jay had an awesome time riding with the pros!

Rosco at OO

Christian, Dirk, Jason, Hwood, and the buds

Our ride later was nice - a easy 1 hr. out n' back just to spin out the legs, and not overdo it for Saturday's race. After our ride, it was nothing but easy living at the campsite, chilling fireside, enjoying some wine and pasta with my honey...

Come Saturday morning, it was game-on and we didn't hesitate to get out of bed and on the road. The excitement was thick in the cool morning air and I was itching to get started. The 4-wheelers began revving their engines and the riders saddled up, ready to take on the rollout. I kept to the sides and tried to take it all in without getting too overwhelmed.

The course was intense! I rode with everything I had in a sea of 1,800 riders. About 5 miles in, I found my hubby on the side of the trail.. waiting for lil ole me. The front of the pack went out at 38+mph hour and Jay held tight, only to blow a gasket after Rosie's Field. Sweet hubby he is, he pulled over and waited for me to make sure my first Cheq 40 was great. We rode together and held strong to a couple different groups all the way to OO... 1:07 on the clock as we rode through... awesome pace!

We hit the log-jam at Fire Tower Hill and combined riding and cyclocross skills to get through each climb. With 10 miles yet to go, I was feeling great! I wish I would have had a lil more sugar in the brain, though, considering I went off Roadie mentality and chose not to eat.. big mistake.

At 5 miles to the finish, my left leg began to cramp ferociously. I fought it as best I could but blew completely with 3 miles to go. I let 5 women get past me in that short distance, which didn't help the emotional state. Even though the 1 mile sign slurred in front of me, my legs rejected my request for them to pedal hard just one last time. Exhausted, bonked, and emotionally wasted, we rode across the finish line together. Our time was 2:55:59 - 4 minutes faster than my goal (even with a full-on bonking!), and I ended up 30th in the Women's overall (goal was top 50 - Bitch, please!). It was awesome!

Unfortunately, it took more than an hour to find PD and the van, full of warm clothes, beer, and $$ for food. It's kinda hard to roam the grounds searching for our pal when it hurt to pedal and we were too worn out to walk. Once we did find him, though, we bolted fast, wanted to get back to lil Rosco and a warm fire. Although I bested my goals, I still haven't figured out the plan for next year. I think I still need some time to sort it all out and recover from the worst Bonk I've ever had. I get that it happens, but it's still a big deal to accept for some reason..

Anyways, sick as a dog from the full effort of it all, I laid in the camper as Jay made us some grub to recover. Slowly, I came around, and was able to join the Crue at the fire some 4 hours after the race. Rosco was loving the outdoors, digging in the sand and chewing on sticks. Although a nap was much needed, we entertained friends instead, staying up for good laughs and antics until the wee hours of the morning.

The Swan-Fish Newlyweds

Kart wheel or handstand on the fire ring?

Me & Hwood

Hwood & Tyson soakin up the laughs

It rained all night and we found this cool image in the dry sand when we awoke!

Sunday morning, we loaded up early, headed for Sunday Fun Day. The weather was gloomy with rain in the forecast and I was too sore to ride. As we approached the registration table, the sky opened up and washed the hillside with cold, wet misery. We took one look at each other and jumped back into the car, headed home for sweatpants and football. Sure enough, we were home by noon, time enough for a 3-hour nap on the couch as we listened passively to football games on the TV.

It was the perfect relaxation to follow our weekend away. Why oh why can't we get away for a week? I love my family and camping and I truly wish I could spend more time sharing them togther. That, and Hwood wanting a putt-putt rematch, why not get away again?

Happy Camper,

Kristy Kreme

Scamp-venture 20 - Kings of the Kampground

Last weekend Jay brought me up to Hayward, WI to introduce me to the Chequamegon 40 course for the first time. I’ve raced the Short & Fat 16-mile race 4 times ... taking a fast THIRD PLACE FINISH in the Women’s overall last year! Bitch, please!..... but I’ve never taken on the 40-mile beast.

In our true form, we brought the puppy and the Scamp, set up camp under a peaceful canopy of tall pines, and kicked it into relax mode for a couple days. The weather was perfect for camping, and we slept until 10:30 on Saturday morning. We rose lazily to make coffee and sit quietly outside with Rosco as we welcomed the day.

Sunrise

By early afternoon, we were awake enough to gather ourselves and our bikes to get our ride on. We chose to break the ride into two sections to avoid any headaches: Saturday we rode the start to Cty OO, and Cty OO to the finish on Sunday. It was awesome to actually see Rosie’s Field for the first time - all the horror stories make it sound like a war zone - but having an real image in my head for the first time made this lil rider much less anxious. As for the Birkie trail, it was pretty standard. I love riding the Birkie and fire roads and could do it all day!

I’m confident in my ability to climb, but Jay pushed me to challenge my comfort level descending. I wrapped my fingers around my bars on the descents, avoiding my brakes with everything in me, and let the little white fox rattle and bounce frantically beneath me. It was exhilarating! This summer has improved my mtn. bike skills by leaps and bounds, and I am so excited to take on this challenge.

When we returned to our campsite, Rosco was ecstatic to see us and sniff around the great outdoors. The warm afternoon air kept us comfortable as Jay worked on his bike and we made ourselves a tasty spaghetti and meatball dinner. Afterwards, we decided to have a date night and went to play some mini golf together. I don’t know what it is about mini golf, but it felt like we were dating all over again. Jay was talking a little more smack than the club could back up, but we had an awesome time! We each shot a hole-in-one... Jay’s was the best - the hole had a loop-de-loop in it and Jay nailed it on the first try. Too bad he hadn’t given me the camera to film it as I’d asked.. oh well, we know it happened. By the end, I had him by 7 strokes!! Bitch, please! (I guess I forgot to tell him that I used to golf with my dad in high school)...hehehe

Gilly...

Rosco & Hollywood, Kings of the Kampground

We returned to our campsite to snuggle with our puppy as the sun tucked itself away, and drifted off to sleep as a cool breeze passed through our windows. We set the alarm early for Sunday to gather up our things and get to OO in time to catch our bud Tyson as he rode. He was riding it start to finish, so I met him at OO as Jay drove the car to the finish then rode the course backwards to us, then we would drive him back to his car on our way out of town. It was the perfect set up.

Tyson picked me up and let his heart rate come down a bit as I used the first couple miles together to warm up my legs after a quiet hour long wait at the parking lot. Jay surprised us early, having found a short-cut back to double OO just after we’d departed and chased on from behind. By then, my body was ready to go and we amped up the pace a bit. The day was much warmer than it typically is on race day and we quickly worked up a sweat. We ran into a few people, but spent most of the time enjoying the course and spending time with each other.

On one of the fire roads, we got behind a couple pick-up trucks and paced them down the road as we bounced over the rocks and railed through the turns. I think the hunters even got into it, upping the speed and having to shut it down in the turns to maintain to control. We turned when the trail turned and said goodbye to our pace cars. We got to the dreaded Fire Tower climb, but I was so happy once we completed all four tiers of the slow, will-testing gravel trail, discovering that the legend was much more frightening than the real thing. I won’t lie - I walked one section, but remounted and took on the next - it’s gonna hurt, but not as much as I thought.

With 10+ miles to go to the finish and the worst behind us, it was time to enjoy the trail and the stunning woods that spread out around us. I don’t remember what mile we were on, but I remember the quiet peacefulness of the trail as we rode in silence. I took some time from my exhaustion and wondered at the trees that towered over us. The midday sunlight cut through the trees in long sheets of light so bold I was sure I’d feel it brush gently across my skin as I passed through it. It was stunning!

Muddy and tired, we were full of joy as we loaded up the bikes and headed home for the weekend. The early start was awesome, getting us home in no time, ready to take on the work week yet again. It’s weekends like these, though, that make me salivate for a long vacation away... relaxing night after night beneath the stars, enjoying my family, the great outdoors, and the peace in life we work so hard to have.

Madly in love with my life,

Kristy Kreme