I’ve had the Fuji mountain pictured above for a long time, but never really ride it that much. That might all change now, though, as I recently discovered a hidden gem just a mile and a half south of our house.

The Lebanon Hills Regional Park borders Eagan and Apple Valley and contains a really fun series of mountain bike trails.

I think my bike is a little too small, but I got it as a free credit card points reward way back when. It will have to do for now, but I may invest in a pair of $35 riding gloves at some point.

Last night was my third time on the trails and I like it more and more each time. I love that it’s so close, has great scenery and variety, isn’t too difficult for a beginner like me and (probably best of all) is free.

The parking lot is almost always full of cars, but I never see too many people on the trail itself. Since it’s around six miles all in the same direction, I can see where that would happen, though. The only thing missing is a drinking fountain in the parking lot.

Way to go Dakota County!

Last night we visited Canterbury Park in Shakopee to celebrate our friend Gina’s birthday. Our group had two reserved tables on the upper level just off the finish line. I’ve never been up there before and I thought it was really nice – table service and bet runners meant you never had to leave for anything all night, if you didn’t want to.

I used to bet on the horses a lot during my high school and college days – handicapping has a lot of appeal to people who like math and numbers. Never was really very good at it, but I have a lot of theories to use to help me place bets.

Before leaving home, I printed out the jockey and trainer stats for the current meet, along with the Daily Racing Form’s listings for the night. My biggest strategy to making picks is to look at which horses have the best jockeys and trainers. I placed about $45 in bets and left with about $110, so it was a good night for gambling.

It was also fun spending time with our group of friends. We love our kids, but you really need to get away every once and a while. Happy birthday to Gina and thanks for the invitation. Oh, and where are we runnin’?

My friend Brad invited me to a Timberwolves game tonight at Target Center. I’m pretty sure the last basketball game I went to was at least 10 years ago – not really much of an NBA fan, I guess.

I knew things were bad across the river compared to the Wild, but wow. I sort of felt the same way I did when going to Circuit City just before they shut down. Attendance was supposedly 13,119, but I’d be surprised if there were half that many in the building.

The Wolves lost their 11th straight home game 110-99 to the Washington Wizards, a team that ranks lower than Minnesota in the standings and lacks any big-name stars. I felt sorry for the guys trying to sell season tickets after the game – even at $5 per game, that’s a hard job…

It’s been ten years since my first (and only) fantasy football league, but the neighbors asked us to fill an opening in their league this year. We plan to set it and forget it for the most part, but here is the starting lineup (courtesy of fanball.com).

Last week we also stopped out to Canterbury Park for buck night (and to celebrate our friend Todd’s birthday).

I used to like horse racing a lot while I was in college. The Daily Racing Form has tons of stats and I had all sorts of techniques to try to beat the odds. Like all gambling, though, the only way to win is to become the house.

No big winners or losers among our bets – but then again, my bankroll was only about $10.

Kid two came along and loves watching the big animals up close. The night’s races run pretty late, though, so we left before the end.

Can’t beat $1 nachos and Mountain Dew though…

Last night Jake and I went to the Giants-Blue Jays game at AT&T Park on the bay. We sat way up high, but the seats were great, halfway between home plate and first base. We had perfect views of the water–I don’t think there is a bad seat in that place.

The Giants won 4-3 after Barry Bonds hit his 747th home run to center. I don’t follow baseball much, but I do know about the Bonds scandal/excitement. Either way you look at it, it was cool to be there.

We had to have the signature “Gilroy Garlic Fries,” but I’m still regretting that decision today. At least I can say I tried them once. Lunch today at my favorite San Francisco 50s joint, Lori’s Diner, is sitting much better. I ordered the hot, open-faced turkey sandwich with gravy fries and a real cherry Coke–excellent!

Tonight is the Apple Design Awards and Stump the Experts, but I may have to return to the hotel to get caught up on work. Tomorrow Jake and I are splitting out early on the conference to play a twilight round of golf at Harding Park.