Minus Ten Review 2009-30

Jason and the Fargonauts. Image by Ben Witt

Ten years ago this week I was in Minnesota doing the second Fargo Adventure Ride*. This was one week past my 118 mile GTDRI and a week's worth of RAGBRAI madness at the shop. (Back when that was still a thing) I arrived at Lebanon Hills camping area late and didn't sleep worth a hoot in the humidity. But that all did not matter as it turned out to be one heck of a fun weekend.

The ride started out with some of the QBP guys. (In image, Left to Right: Rob Walters, Mike "Kid" Riemer, Guitar Ted, Joe Meiser, MG, Sean Mailen, Jason Boucher, and Paul Zeigle.) Then they peeled off leaving Walters, MG, Boucher, and myself. We ended up doing a loop in Leb, then the River Bottom trails where the QBP guys left us, then we went on to Murphy-Hanrahan trails, then back to Leb and the cars. It was a 57 mile jaunt!

Walters had to leave, so MG, Jason, and I went to the Chequamegon area, met up with some other guys at a fancy-pants cabin, and the next day we all rode Rock Lake Loop. I didn't get much riding in because by this time all the lack of sleep, beer, travel, and accumulated riding had me tapped out. I recall that it was super-swampy humid. The day was bright and clear. As only a day near the Big Lake can be. There is just something about Northern Wisconsin. Anyway, the guys all came back to the car and we made plans to get back to the cabin for a barbecue. Then when it came time to leave, MG decided to stay behind while Jason and I left to come back to the Twin Cities. Then I had to be picked up by my wife, and a 200 plus mile trek back to Waterloo. Burnt out! Man, but that was a good time.

The Four Fargos: (L-R) Jason's is obscured by the fence, then Walters, GT's, and MG's. Note: Walters and MG have flat bars.

*NOTE: There is some debate about whether this is the second Fargo Adventure Ride or the first. I have maintained that it was the second one based upon the fact that I had been on a ride with Jason Boucher and Mike Riemer, (At that time the heads of Salsa Cycles brand), and almost everyone on the ride were either on Fargos, or prototypes of Fargos. We rode the River Bottoms and a few extra things that day, and that was in November of 2008. To my mind, this was the "first" adventure ride on Fargos, thus, the first Fargo Adventure Ride. But others say this ride in July of '09 was the first "called" a Fargo Adventure Ride at the onset.

Whatever. It's the second Fargo Adventure Ride. (HA!)