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Sometimes you have to get away from the regular weekend deal of washing socks, scooping out the cat poop, and scrubbing the lineoleum. Occasionally, if you live in a cool place, you can take a vacation pretty close to home. As luck would have it, there's an old log cabin on a farm not too far from where I live that you can rent out and also chill out. As luck would continue to have it, there's a real nice trout stream running through the property. So, me and the missus farmed out the kid to some grandparents we know and hit the bricks.

Winter's been pretty mean this year, so weather in the 50s and sunny meant it was a perfect chance to ride the ECR decked out as the new and improved Trout-Stalker 3000. I had fun. The ride was pretty short really, but I haven't had the ECR for long and I wanted to give 'er the old what-can-she-do. Why yes, I took some photos. Thank you for asking.

Here's Iowa in Spring. Note the elevation gain that's about to happen. Forget what you knew about this flat midwestern state.

Straight away view of a gravel road, with bare trees on the sides, going up a hill

 

This is looking back the way I'd just come

Straight away view of a gravel road, with bare trees on the sides, going down a hill

 

Me and my shadow and my Surly Pants

Downward view of a cyclist's leg, on the left side of a bike, on a gravelly ground

 

Here's the setup on the ECR. Loaded down like this it doesn't mind the hills one bit. Super fun.

Left side view of a Surly bike, parked on a grass field, with photoshopped text and arrows pointing to parts of the bike

 

Here's the place we stayed. Built in the 1800s and recently taken down and rebuilt on this site. Completely awesome.

Left side view of an old, white farm house with a porch, on a grass plot, with bare trees in the distant background

 

Here's me reeling in the big one.

Right side view of a person, standing in a stream while fishing, with bare trees and hills in the background

 

And... here's me losing the fish. Shit, I was just going to let him go anyway.

Rear view of a person, standing in a stream with a fishing pole, with bare trees and hills in the background

 

Later on, we did some high quality resting.

Front view of a person, sitting in a chair, on the porch of an old, white house at sunset

 

Then there was a crappy sunset.

A view of a field at sunset, looking out from a front porch

 

So, get out there. Take a close-cation. Do some riding and some fishing and some porch sitting. Lord knows you've been kind of bitchy lately, and all your friends are talking about that. Go take a breather. Trust me, you need it.

Maybe you could go here: http://www.troutriverlogcabin.com/

-Skip