Day 38. Stillwater

Today we see the St. Croix river from Stillwater. Winds were again good. North by Northwest at 15-25 mph. Temperatures were cool starting at 54 degrees. I never felt really warm today. We left the route and took an alternative suggested by Donn Olson.

Turkeys. We saw two groups of turkeys. Mommys with babies. It was very cool.

At Rendezvous Coffee in Isanti we met three other cyclists who were enjoying a break from their local ride before setting off into what for them were headwinds. We also met Mona, an elder Adventist who frequents the shop. She was a joy to talk with and was quite pleased to meet us. I had espressed eggs. These are made using the steam wand also used to steam milk. They added cheese for a tasty, light, fluffy egg dish.

The Donn Olson Alternative

Head south on highway 47 to highway 5 (13 miles). This is just past Bradford which has gas/grocery/restroom. On 5 there is a jog in the highway when reaching highway 10. Go south, right .5 miles on 10 then left again on 5. Go into Isanti. Be sure to stop at Rendezvous Coffee: good mocha on a cool day. On 5, go to North Branch about 35 miles. Just before going under the interstate, 5 ends in highway 95, go to the right/east on 95. Before highway 30 which is also known as Forest Blvd., a bike trail heads off to the south. Take this. For lunch, leave the trail at Forest Lake, go down highway 61 in Forest Lake and eat at Babs. Good bagel sandwiches. Get back on the trail. At mile 56 you will see 170th avenue. This is after passing through the town of Forest Lake. Take 170th left or east about 9 miles to Norrell Rd. which is also highway 55. Go south or right. This is a hilly road. You'll come to Square Lake Trail (highway 7) after 3-4 miles; take this to the right (west) about .5 miles then left/south on the continuation of Norrell Rd. (55). At Pine Point Park there is a bike path starting across from the entrance to the park that follows Norrell on the east side. This path is only a couple of miles long but gets you off the awful conditions of Norrell Rd. Continue south past Dellwood Rd. into Stillwater. Norrell becomes Owens St. Total distance from Donn Olsons farm to the south end of town: 79 miles. The hills at the end are tiring, otherwise the route was pretty flat and the bike trail was nice.

~Pete