Can you say bonk?

So we skied our last full day at Big Sky on Saturday. The plan was to depart immediately after skiing, stop halfway and stay the night, and drive the rest of the way Sunday. The drive takes about 17 hours with the time change, and refueling stops.

Well, we got to Bismark, ND (a little past half-way home) @ 4AM, and I was still feeling good and awake, so we decided to drive through the night. The kids fell asleep in the back, and Treb grabbed a couple z's, so he could relieve me from driving later. I cracked @ 7AM in Fergus Falls, MN, and turned the wheel over to Treb. I caught a solid hour nap. Surprisingly, I felt refreshed, and took over driving again after a breakfast stop in Saulk Center. We made it to Treb's @10:30AM, and we were home-sweet-home @11AM.

Having been off the bike for 10-days, I decided to unload the truck, quick catch-up with the girls, and then do the loop. I was on the bike by 1PM. There was a stiff headwind all the way down the MN side into Prescott. It took me longer than normal to reach that point, but I just chalked it up to the wind. I was unaware how depleted I was at this point. I refueled with Snickers and Gatorade, but it didn't seem to help.

As headed home into WI, I slowly realized I was bonking. It was the weirdest bonk I've ever felt. Not your typical lactic acid buildup, cramping type bonk, I am familiar with. This was an odd fatigued feeling, clearly a result of my lack of sleep (and skiing 8 out of the last 9 days). I quickly opted for the more direct route home, rather than go through River Falls. Even with the strong tailwind, I had nothing. I was on total auto-pilot, with one objective: Make it home without having to call for a ride.

Thankfully, I made it without incident. Time for a much needed nap, before I go to bed.