May 1st-3rd, Levis Trip

Darrin has a lot of great places to train around Milwaukee, but nothing (Except perhaps out west) can replace Levis Mound near Neilsville, WI. So we packed up the bikes, some clothes, and headed to Marshfield for the first weekend in May.

When we arrived in Marshfield we headed straight to the bike shop (The Sports Den) where we found Craig, Darrin's brother. Darrin was in need of a few items and Craig wasgoing to help him with a little bike work. Darrin is good at biking, but still needs a little guidance when it comes to working on his bikes. After a good chat with everyone at the bike shop and $70 in bike parts later, we headed to Craig's house to fix up the Surly.

The next morning Craig picked Darrin up for an early Saturday morning ride at Levis. After their ride they headed to Willard to "hold bikes" for Dar's Time Trial. (This was their 4th straight year!) Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Mom and I picked up Tiernan, made our way to the grocery store and then stopped at the hospital to see my cousin Debbie and her son, Ben. We were happy to see Ben smiling and ready to go home when the nurse walked in a few moments after we did to discharge him. He had been in the hospital four about 3 days with a stomach complication. After visiting with them and helping Debbie to the car, I made my way to Loyal for some much needed quality time with my good friend Rebekah. Mom made her way back up to the hospital as Reegan and Killian were both hospitalized due to dehydration from the stomach flu. (not the H1N1 flu)

Later on Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a cookout at my parent's house to celebrate a few of the birthday's that had passed in April. (Dad, Cory, and Darrin) Dennis and Heidi, Mom and Dad's friends made their way over from Wisconsin Rapids and the party began. The night was filled with good food, a bike ride through the zoo, laughter around the campfire, and a very good cake! Darrin and Tiernan kicked off the marshmallow roasting and almost emptied the entire bag! The evening drew dark and we all headed off to bed.

The next morning Craig, Darrin, and I headed to Levis for another ride. It was really nice to get back out there again and see the great view from the lookout point. I rode with my new clip in pedals for about an hour and a half, but lost my confidence somewhere along the way. Normally pedals are just platforms you place your shoe on, but clip ins are pedals that your shoe attaches to via a clip on bottom of your shoe. This allows you to have a better pedal stroke...so I've been told. (Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong!) I had already wiped out with Ginger while we rode on Earth Day and really felt uneasy about my new "connection" to my bike. I had to get off and walk a few sections, but hope that next time I can ride more!

Late in the day, we headed back to Marshfield. My niece and nephew were still in the hospital and so was the rest of my family. Darrin and I packed up, rested on the couch for a few moments, ate some lunch and then headed for Milwaukee. The weekend provided us with much entertainment and we enjoyed seeing everyone.

Although the weekend was filled with lots of good memories, Darrin and I had a little hiccup. With the stress of everything beginning to way in on both of us, we just weren't connecting the way we usually do. The weekend could have been a lot better had we just talked through everything on our ride to Marshfield. Apologies go out to everyone who had to deal with our squabbles. In the end, our car ride home provided us with a place to talk through everything we had been avoiding the last few weeks. This trip home was a much needed regroup of our thoughts and emotions. Who knew a car ride could be so helpful.