Ephram, WI

These pictures were taken by my frined Alan in Ephram, WI...which is in Door County.

Prove It In Pictures

...Another large musky. Bill, a friend of my father and brother-in-law caught the mighty fish on North Twin Lake which is near Phelps WI. The fish is estimated to be 45". Bill was alone when he caught the fish...So how did he get the picture? He rigged his camera to a tri-pod and somehow attached it to the boat.

I'm an avid believer that if you didn't get a picture of the large fish you caught...The fish doesn't/didn't exist. Obviously, Bill believes the same.

Snow Runway

Pictured in this photo is my high school friend Kama and her mother. The photo was taken atop Denali near Don Sheldon Ampitheater on Ruth Glacier.

Ghost Deer

My friend took these photos near Minong WI. At first I thought she was pulling my leg...but she assures me the albino deer pictured is real.

1 - 8

Because of the World Series...I thought I'd include this photo that was taken in August at Miller Park. The Brewers played and beat the Colorado Rockies. Before this game I had attended 8 Brewers games...and all eight games they lost in humiliating fashion. Ben Sheets was the starting pitcher for this game and it was great to see them win. It was game 2 of a 3 game series and the Brewers completed the sweep the following day. After that, they went on an incredible 10 game losing streak. GO BREWERS in 2007!

I COULD TELL YOU...BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU

BIG HONKIN' FISH...

My friend Tammy (in red) caught this huge musky this Spring. When I asked where she caught it she told me to go to hell:-) Actually, she said that its a top secret place near Eagle River. Very impressive fish!

The bottom picture, although difficult to see, is of a deer swimming across a lake.

Sunset

This photo was taken in Door Country, Wisconsin last Fall. The picture is of Clark Lake with the sun setting behind it.

Panama Canal

During Spring of 2005 Liz and I took a cruise which featured a trip through the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal.

The Most Beautiful Place In America?

Remove the question mark! Ok, I'm bias. I've been to Glacier National Park 5 different times over the past 7 years. What makes GNP so special is that the beauty of the park can be easily seen from Going-To-the-Sun-Road which twists, turns, and climbs through the entire park. Although there are many beautiful views away from the "main road", there is enough to see easily from your vehicle.



Above, Myself sitting in a patch of bear-grass.

Above, Myself in a "snow-cave" formed by melted snow and ice turned to water running down a mountain side.

Above, this photo was taken in Many Glacier National Park...which is a short drive from the main park.

Door County

These were taken near Whitefish Dunes State Park in Door County, Wisconsin.


Above, A view of Lake Michigan

The state park isn't that impressive and the day that we visited the stink was awful. These photos are from just north of the park. This area has several walking trails that are great for day hikes. I've always liked the photo above. The entire trail has several cool views of the lake as well many interesting tree and root formations such as above.

Godly Sight

These two photos were taken in Garden of the Gods, located near Colorado Springs CO, during the summer of 2005. This was the first time visiting Garden of the Gods since I was 12 years old. It wasn't as impressive as I remembered. However, if in the area and you enjoy hiking without the hassle of carrying a lot of gear, the park provides several trails 1-3 miles long.

A WHALE OF A TIME

These pictures were taken in the Behn Canal, southwest of the Alaskan island that the town of Ketchikan is located on. Misty Fjord National Monument starts here.

The photos were taken by Aaron, my brother-in-law, one of America's last great white hunter/fishermen.

STINGRAY CITY

After Steve Irwin's death...Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Pictures taken at Stingray City of the Grand Cayman Islands.

Down & Dirty

...Where's the soap?

Chad and Kristin with their ATVs near Bayfield WI. After seeing these pictures I can't wait to get muddy on the trails of northern Wisconsin.

Training Wheels...Lives On

Although my trip is over, Training Wheels Not Included will live on. From now on this blog will show your cool outdoor photos.

Have you ever caught a huge musky? Email a photo and I will post it on the blog.

Have you caught a lot of small fish from a lake near Minong WI? Email me a photo...It will be posted.

Cool pictures of you on an ATV riding through a giant mud puddle? The photo will be posted.

Have you ever had a run in with a sting ray...lived to tell about it and have a picture to prove it? The photo will be posted.

...And of course...Photos of you and your bicycle will always get top billing.

Who's photo will be posted first?

The only pictures that won't be posted are those of thirty/forty-somethings re-living their youth near the Apple River. No one is interested :-)

Coast to Coast

...In 52 days.

A week after I got home my wife threw me a welcome home/congratulations party. Over 30 family and friends showed up for food, drink, and stories.

Above...The trip is complete.

Above...The morning I started my trek across the states.

Not Quite the Pacific Ocean

The last 10 miles of my journey was tougher than what I thought. Anacortes is located on a peninsula that stretches into a bay that leads into the Strait of Juan de Fuca...which becomes the Pacific Ocean. My route took me up and down the bluffs of this bay. Ironically, it reminded of the hills of Virginia...50 days before.





Above: 8 miles to the finish line.

Above, Anaco Beach: The last 10 miles of the route took me past several marinas like above. The fishing boats and yachts were very impressive.

Above: Fidalgo Bay

Nearing the Finish Line

The first Anacortes sign seen was about 15 miles from the finish line.

The second picture was taken on the Padilla Bay Trail which ran along Padilla Bay. It was low-tide. The stink was awful with swarms of flies hovering over me when I stopped to rest and while I peddled.

The 3rd picture was taken from a large bridge that went over the Swinomish Channel...Roughly 11 miles from the finish line.

Skagit River: A Time of Reflection

Crossing the Skagit River near Concrete WA ... Day 52, last day of the trip. Photos taken on a bridge.

The last day. I was up by 430AM and on the road by 5. About a mile south of Concrete I crossed the Skagit River. I was way ahead of schedule and was expecting to be finish by 1PM. I decided to wait on the bridge and contemplate my 52 day adventure. My thoughts turned to the past 10 days and the 6 passes that I peddled up and over. I continued to think about the desolate land of North Dakota and Montana and the winds that I fought each day. I thought about the 7 times that I crossed the Mississippi River and realized that I could have cut more than a few miles out of the trip if I would have only crossed the river 5 times. I shivered as I remembered the Blue Ridge parkway and the hail and sleet that I experienced. Then my thoughts came to the morning 52 days earlier. It didn't seem that long ago when I saw my Mom and Dad in my rear view mirror waving goodbye after following me for 2 miles in their mini-van.

My thoughts turned to Liz and all of the love and support she gave me in the months and weeks prior to the beginning of my trek. I then began to peddle...It was time to knock this mother out.

Not A Drop

Still fighting the wind down the west side of the Cascades.

The 3 pictures above are of the same mountain peak. When peddling around a curve and seeing the top sight I thought for sure I was going to get wet. An hour later, when I took the 2nd photo I stopped peddling and got on my rain gear. Still, an hour after that when I took the 3rd picture I was trying to get down the mountain as fast as possible because of the potential rain storm.

It never happened. The clouds seemed to stop at the top of the peak and simply rolled in place all afternoon. I was in Washington for 6 days and didn't see a drop of rain. The cycling Gods were very kind.

Lake Diablo: Part 2

Lake Diablo was the most beautiful lake I saw on the trip. I will for sure visit it again in the future.

Diablo Lake & Ross Lake

Two beautiful lakes




The top 2 pictures were taken at the Diablo Lake rest area. I was exhausted. The wind felt as if there were two hands on my chest constantly pushing me back. For lack of a better phrase, I felt "beat up and bruised". I waited at this rest area for over an hour.





The bottom 2 pictures were taken near Ross Lake...Still fighting the wind on the west side of the Cascades. Other than the wind and the slightly cool temps...It was a glorious day of bicycling.