A Dog On a Blustery Day

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We  hoped to arrive in Hayward today by 10 a.m. to ring cowbells for Birkie skiers as they come up Main Street and cross the finish line.  

That's what we do.  We ring cowbells.  We're expert cowbell ringers.

Some people skate ski in the Birkie.  Some people ski classic style.  Both take skill and endurance.  

The rest of us stand around ringing cowbells.

I am a cowbell ringer extraordinaire. 

HOWEVER, our "slip slidin' away" adventure of the morning (see previous post) took soooooo long we didn't hit Main Street until 1:17 p.m.

I know - I checked

By that time it felt so late the cowbell ringer extraordinaire didn't even bother to bring her bell.   She just hurried to Main Street and - - -  

Snapped some pix of skiers turning the final bend.

At this point I digress. 

These Birkie cross country skiers ski over hill and dale all the way from Cable to Hayward.  (look on a map) That's a 30 mile track for skate skiers and 32 miles for classic.

I SAID 30 OR 32 MILES.

I thought the three blocks I had to walk from the car was FUR 'NUF on a blustery 9° winter day.

So after taking these two snaps I was ready to find lunch.

This was not our first rodeo, er I mean Birkie, so I knew EXACTLY where to find a delicious brat.

I just gotta tell ta, there ain't much better on a 9° blustery day than eating a steamy "dog" right out on the sidewalk while Fisherhubby rings a cowbell in your ear.

Except I just really did think my brat holding hand was gonna freeze off before I could shove that dog down my throat.

Seriously.

After lunch and cowbelling we headed to one of Fisherhubby's favorite haunts - The Fly Fishing shop.

We've vacationed here for so long and hubs has hung out in the Fly Fishing shop so many times that the owner Larry is now a friend.

Good times.

Larry's shop even has fly humor!

Our next stop was Backroads Coffee - where skiers come to warm up and refresh.

(And cowbell ringers extraordinaire come to find a little girl's room.)

It was warm, cozy, crowded and the little girl's room was available.

In Backroads I met Ken.  Ken skied 32 miles on the classic Birkie.

In one day. 

In just a few hours of one day. 

I couldn't walk 32 miles in 10 days, so Ken is my hero.