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Today I find myself sniffling and sneezing my way through the first cold I have endured in a long time. But I earned it!

Yesterday was another warm, melty February day, perhaps the sixth in a row, and we took full advantage.  After the long dark days of housebound isolation (and one week of self-imposed technological isolation) it is so gratifying to see the massive snow mounds diminish, to shovel the roofs of our sheds, to dig out the downspouts and hear the water moving away from our house prior to the ground thawing.  Will the Red River flood this spring?  Does a bear go potty in the woods?  But at least the small scale watershed in my basement will have an easier year thanks to this run of warm weather.

We went on our longest radventure since December today, loading up the bicycle trailer (both kids packed in tightly due to wearing all their winter stuff) and pedaling to Davy park.  Dylan wanted to see the river, so we wandered over to the gazebo where the homeless and shiftless often gather in warmer seasons and took a gander.  I couldn’t believe it, the pedestrian bridge was down and open to cross into Fargo’s Oak Grove park!  It was a bit of a challenge due to the snow pack on the bridge, but I was able to drag the bicycle trailer with Julia inside (while Dylan pushed) into the cleared paths on the Fargo side of the river.

Do the cities of Fargo and Moorhead work together to maintain the bridges in our community?  I had a similar rough time crossing the Center Avenue bridge on foot and bicycle last week.  I imagine they do, in a spirit of competitive cooperation as in so many other things.  Tomorrow we expect a return to colder temperatures, another season of locking before the great thaw.

Peace on the journey, see you next spring.