John's Week in the Twin Cities

The week found its groove. Breakfast club at Egg and I with the whole crew under the neon EGG — guest of honor delivered — then the morning storms cleared and the 15.4-mile "Sat Ride with Deluca" rolled as planned: ~1 hr 25 riding, 275 ft of climb, downtown and out west past St. Louis Park. Nancy joined; Dan was missed (family event). First clean-air group ride since Wednesday.

The smoke finally broke — and the skipped ride got its revenge. The alert ended at 11, the heat peaked one last time (95°, heat warning to 9 PM), and Thursday's route finally rolled from Turtle Bread in the afternoon clear. Dinner was John's pick and it delivered: Lulu Ethiovegan — fully vegan Ethiopian, good food.

Smoke day, played smart. The morning went gilded-age — touring the James J. Hill House on Summit Avenue, from the gold-leaf dining room ceiling to the 1891 plumbing. Lunch with Ross at Turtle Bread at 1:00. With the ride smoked out, the day's miles happened indoors instead: a walk through the Mall of America with Nickelodeon Universe roaring below. Outdoor evening skipped — Friday's front clears the air.

The ride beat the smoke. Rolled at 9:36 and got the creek-and-gorge loop in before the air went bad: 7.78 miles, 39 minutes riding, 11.9 mph average, 200 feet of climb. By evening the wildfire haze had settled in thick — the river gorge and Lock & Dam No. 1 half-vanished from the Ford Parkway bridge. After the Sencha drop it was an iced tea, a Whole Foods stop for John's dinner, and a night in: catching up on the state of the family, plus a good chat with an old friend, Steve Church. The bandshell went unvisited — the smoke can have that one.

Day one, done. John's in town, and the night closed out with dinner at Heather's — a good meal in the neighborhood. No pictures tonight; the camera comes out tomorrow.