The end of the GravelKings….
In my first impressions post I talked about the weird issues of the Panaracer GravelKing SK+ tires and concrete with grooves in it. In the past week I’ve encountered this situation two more times and each time it was unsettling and frustrating. I finally had enough. These tires just aren’t for me, and have been […]
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Movie Review: Free Guy
Last night the wife and I went to a movie for the fist time in 2 years. A theater near us just reopened and there’s almost no one at any of the showings. There were 6 people in total in our theater for an opening night movie. We’ll see if the crowds come back someday, […]
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First Impression Review: Panaracer GravelKing SK+
Update: I’ve since removed these tires and gone back to my old ones. About two weeks ago I decided to move over to tubeless, and that’s been a journey in it’s own right. However, I also took the opportunity to try out some tires that are all the rage in the gravel world, the Panaracer […]
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The Journey to Tubeless
Last winter I decided to try going tubeless on my fat bike, and had mixed results. I knew that the tires I was using were older and probably not ideal for the use, and there’s other complications that come with fat tire tubeless setups. It was a good experience though, and made me decide that […]
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Sidelined by smoke
Today was only the second time I’ve run since the Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon a couple weeks ago. It’s not that I haven’t had plans to run. In fact my regular Tuesday night crew was all set to go out and do our usual run. The issue is the large amount of wildfire smoke that’s […]
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Parenting adults
Now that all of my kids are adults, parenting takes on a different feeling. Gone are the days when you’re scolding or cajoling because someone didn’t clean their room. The relationship takes a different shape. One where you’re often called upon to give advice, or share insight. It’s a welcome change from the times when […]
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Race Report: Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon
It feels weird to present another race report, given how all races last year were virtual. However, that’s where I find myself after last weekend’s outing at the Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon. I’ve volunteered at this event in the past, but had never run the course (or Voyageur 50). I decided that 2021 was as […]
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Photographing the Afton Trail Run
July 4th weekend is the traditional weekend of the Afton Trail Run at Afton State Park just outside the Twin Cities. This long standing event is a hallmark of summer in the trail running world around the area, and is known for its ability to test runners with stretches of rugged terrain and climbing that […]
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A love letter to the sport of trail running: WSER 100 2021
This weekend was the annual Western States Endurance Run 100 mile trail race, billed as the first 100 mile foot race in North America. What started as a humble brag by Gordy Ainsleigh (his horse went lame for the Tevis Cup, and he decided he could run the 100 mile distance on foot in 24 […]
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The adventure van, part 5
It’s been a while since I had something new to report with the adventure van, but this past weekend I finally got all the supplies to do the Reflectix inserts for the windows! On my last adventure I ended up parking underneath a streetlamp in a parking lot. I managed to get sleep, but it […]
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Minnesota’s instant summer
Just a short post this time to complain about the weather. That sounds like a typical Minnesotan thing to do right? We went from a chilly spring where the daily high barely made it over 60 degrees to suddenly being drenched in 97-100 degree (F) temps. And worse yet… it’s been sticking with us for […]
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Book Review: Stronger Than the Dark
The trail and ultra running world is often a place where you find people who are broken. There’s a paradox to be found in exploring the limits of your mental and physical capabilities, while at the same time battling demons that may have plagued you for your entire life. I joke with people that the […]
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Second Runnings 