Making the Best of a Bad Sitchyation

I done got myself furloughed.

That means for 10 days (of my choosing) betwixt now and September --> no workie, no pay-me. Ugh.

The entire Management Team, including the Senior Team (VP, CEO etc) is taking the hit. They say it will save close to a million large and keep 20 people in gainful employment. Color me circumspect but, if it had to happen, I suppose this is the best alternative.

I will be trying to make the most of my unpaid vacation days by getting out for some day trips to fabulous Iowa, and other Midwestern, mountain biking destinations. My rough driving limit for a day trip is about 3.5 hours, any further and it makes more sense to just spend the night. I’m planning to hit Fridays if possible so returning to work the next day won’t be an issue, but weather will dictate, as it always does. I like to roll out of town early, get to the spot around late morning, ride 4-6 hours, and hoof it home happy as a clam.

So, where to go within a 3.5 hour radius of Des Moines? Well, I’ve already been to a bunch of places like:

Seven Oaks, Boone
Lake Manawa, Council Bluffs
Lewis and Clark, Council Bluffs
Crowder State Park, Trenton, MO (crap, that reminds me – I need to mow)
Beverly Park, Cedar Rapids
Sugarbottom (relax Justin, its not that bad)
Creston (Matt McCucthen’s secret stash – shhh!)
Igwanis, Waverly
Decorah (I will be visiting in late May – yeehaw!)

I would go back to any of these places. Other places I haven’t been include:

Platte River State Park (Louisville, NE)
Swanson Park, Omaha
Landahl, KC
Lebanon Hills, Twin Cities area
Murphy Hanrehan, Twin Cities
Clinton Lake, KC Kansas
Perry Lake, KC Kansas

Numero uno on this list is probably Platte. Landahl and Lebannon both look great but are both over 3 hours (Leb is closer to 4) Platte is only 2.5.

The top 3 might be Platte, Crowder (2.25 hours) and Sugarbottom (2.5). I'm new to Platte, Crowder was awesome - and I haven’t ridden all of it yet - and Sugarbottom is classic. The added incentive with Sugar is the possibility of dragging along Justin, who like Cameron from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , “hasn’t seen anything good today” (at Sugarbottom).



First dry Friday, Platte or Crowder or Sugar, who’s in?