I took the day off from work and instead spent the morning cutting down a dying tree at our condo complex. The tree was sizable and I needed to take some of the wood over to a friend's place. So why not combine an errandonee with a coffeeneuring ride? After dropping off and stacking the wood, I continued west to Marshall Park, right at the border between Madison and Middleton. Riding my fixed gear bike with a trailer in tow made the hills a little challenging, but fortunately it wasn't far.
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| Wood in the trailer; coffee stuff in the basket |
Marshall Park is right on the shore of Lake Monona, providing great views. While windy, it was a gorgeous day for coffee outside, and I didn't even bother putting on the puffy jacket I had brought. When I posted about my previous ride, I received some questions about my coffee making setup, and so here is some more detail:
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| Coffee maker, windscreen, potstand, tent stakes, burner, fuel bottle |
The coffee maker itself is a 3-cup Bialetti Moka Express. For a burner I use a very small and lightweight alcohol jet burner that I built a couple years back. It is made out of 5.5 oz tomato juice cans and weighs only 0.3 oz (8 grams). The pot stand is made from a metal illy espresso can and two broken tent stakes. For additional wind protection (which was needed today!) I have cut a strip of aluminum flashing used for roofing. The stove, pot stand, windscreen, a Nalgene bottle for fuel, tent stakes and cup all fit neatly into each other. I highly recommend this setup.
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| All packed up |
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| You'll be hard pressed to find a lighter stove |
On the way back, I stopped by the UW marching band's practice field -- it's always fun to see all the players arrive by bikes, shouldering their instruments!
Distance: 20 kilometers
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