Day 50. Monroeville - 115 miles - Alicia is 50!!

What a day. We rode 115 miles to the edge of Indiana here in
Monroeville. We enter Ohio tomorrow. If we do 400 miles a week, we
have 3 weeks left.

On this 50th day, Alicia turned 50. We indulged in copious amounts of
ice cream at the Whippy Dip. I had so much, I was cold for 30 minutes
after I went back into the 80 degree heat. The orange ice cream
slushes were fabulous ( I had 2.). Alicia had a huge banana split.

So we continued off route at 7:10 am. It was cool in the 60's and the
humidity was way down. I had actual drops of water on my forearms
instead of the unbroken sheet of water I had previous days.

It was pretty windless and we had a plan to take highway 24 up through
Huntington. When we got to the divided highway at Logansport we were
very disapppinted to find it had no shoulder. We aborted that plan
and took business 24 into town. I found that business 24 continued as
other roads along the desired route so that is how we continued. The
roads were ok, sometimes no shoulder, but very little traffic. We
rejoined the route past Huntington.

Later in the day we had some nice tailwinds which made the last 25
miles easier than we felt.

The picture below is an ice cream truck as we entered Monroeville.
What is awesome is it says it is a song truck on the side. For years
we told our beloved children the ice cream truck was a music truck and
failed to mention it sold ice cream so this is like perfect!!

Fish, Food, The Beast, and More

Fish
My fish are hungry. Please be sure to feed my fish when you visit the site by clicking your mouse in the pool.

http://beerraam.blogspot.com

Goal
One of my goals for this trip is to lose weight. Last year, the day before my 49th birthday, I checked myself into the hospital because of some strange feelings in my chest and electric feelings in my arms. The doctors looked in my blood vessels, found some partial blockages, and put in a stent to open up one of them. I did not have heart damage which means, I technically did not have a heart attack. Still when I asked the doctor about alternative to the procedure, he said I could go home a die. Chilling and not much choice.

After all this, one becomes suspicious of every strange feeling. I had a stress test earlier this year with good results. At the end of January I started to diet with the notion of improving my health. So less food, less bad fats (monounsaturated fatty acids are okay), more fiber, less simple sugars, and, alas, no ice cream and other goodies. There is one food that can actually reduce build up in blood vessels: oatmeal. So I decided to eat more of that. Whole oats. They cook up fast in the microwave and have a good nutty flavor. I personally add nothing to it.

So at the turn of the year after bulk up season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, several birthdays and Easter), I started watching what I eat and weighed around 285. I have been floating around this weight for years. At the end of January I started logging my food intake with an iPhone app and weighed 278. To lose 2 pounds a week at that weight I could eat about 2100 calories a day. I also walked. I started walking to the MAX train station which is 3 miles one way from my house. Not every day, but many, and built up to walking for 2.5-3.5 hours at least one day of the weekend often both. I would often cover 11 miles.

When we started the bike trip I was down to 263.

On this trip I estimate we burn an extra 4-5000 calories a day (6-7000 total). There is a lot of room to eat. In fact, I have been more concerned about making sure I eat enough, even when I am not hungry, to ensure I have energy enough for the ride ahead. There is nothing worse than limping into the end of a ride because of bonking from not enough energy. It happens.

Well yesterday I had my first opportunity to weigh. I hope the scale is accurate. It says I have lost 43 pounds at a mid-day weigh in. I weighed in at 223. Nice. If I lose enough I may be able to reduce medications which is another goal. I would love to get to about 185. It looks like I'm losing about 7 pounds a week so sub-200 may be possible and even desirable as the last few pounds would be lost with a more favorable and reasonable diet.

There are challenges ahead, the big one adjusting eating habits to maintain the new weight. But I'm up for that. It's past time to put as much as I can, right. I don't want to be debilitated sooner than necessary as I ripen.

Strawberries

So we were riding along and I saw a farm advertising you pick strawberries. I thought: "Why not. We should stop in, pick a few, and enjoy!". We went on. A few miles later there is a farmers market selling strawberries only now I just must stop. I picked up a basket. Now what? How can I ride and eat strawberries. Well, I did. I found a way to balance the basket between my handlebars and brake cable and off we went. I was happily eating strawberries as we streamed down the road. It was bliss. Until I applied the brakes to catch something Alicia was saying. I lost half the berries. Still I had plenty to enjoy!! (Oh, and I did manage to share one or two with Alicia.)



The Beast

Prowling the roads is this immense scary beast. It has a high pitched sound, moves fast, and is tall enough to drive right over a cyclist. When we see these we cringe. They are also normally wider than a lane, extending into the shoulder where we poor, hapless cyclists try to dwell and pass quietly by.

See how it dwarfs the SUV?! A chilling sight to see looming up from behind.




Soybeans and Wheat





~Pete

Day 49. Rest Day in Monticello

This week we covered 445 miles for a total of 2780.5. Wow, the miles are really starting to pile up. We have another day and a half in Indiana; then Ohio. Next week at this time we expect to be near Niagra Falls. We attended church this morning. It is nice to fellowship with others of like faith. The church was small and friendly. It was also communion Sabbath; we enjoyed that.

Impressions

What is it like being on the road? Each day stands on its own. Planning can only loosely extend beyond one day. Mostly it is living in the moment. There is pedaling, moving down the road, listening for cars, checking how you feel, pressing on to gain more speed, slowing up to be sure you can sustain the effort, taking breaks to ease discomforts. Looking around.

It is always joy to move through the countryside on a bike. It is faster than walking, more sustainable than running. We really cover territory. Who would even want to trace out our route; by car even? It's 2700 miles. That is a very long car trip.

We are partners with events. We can't force outcomes. The wind is favorable or unfavorable. We make the best of whatever is provided. Sometimes that means we make only 30 miles in a headwind. Other times we are drenched in rain. Yet other times we fly with the wind and watch the miles speed by. A fellow hails us from the side of the road. We stop, talk, take advise, change plans. All very fluid and dynamic. There is nothing to force,; you just go with events. Life happens.

This is what it really means to "live the life" right now. There is no real planning, just action. Nothing is forced, it just comes. Our faith for safety and blessing is in God and we lay all at His feet (or try too). Literally anything can happen - and does. Act, move, breath, pedal, rest. It is enough. Find nightly shelter, talk to people. Listen.

These are the things that are the joy of bike touring. Yes, there are pains, we are often uncomfortable. These are nothing but annoyances when riding in the stream of life in the way we currently are.

Joy.

The offering

This moist, humid morning the corn stands straight and tall reaching for the the heavens, fresh blades pointing straight up as we slip by on our bikes. The horizon is a bit hazy. There are waves and bands of moisture seeming to rise from the corn heavenward. An offering from the corn.

The sun warms; the moisture continues its rise. Early higher clouds disappear. Humid. Clouds begin forming, it gets warmer. An envelope of moisture surrounds. Droplets form on everything; drops fall on my glasses despite my headband. The corn looks happy. Water envelops my arms in an unbroken sheet. My forearms are wrapped in sheets of liquid.

Clouds build. The horizon is less distinct. Is it darker over there? As we take a turn south, three hills are laid out before our view. The next three miles. It is very hazy and indistinct over the last hill. Rain? The sun is dimmer. The clouds still building.

No rain. We coast into town and take a break at our favorite chain, Caseys. Caseys is store, gas, and fresh daily donuts in one. We are warned of approaching storms on radar. It comes while at Caseys. The heavens open up releasing the moisture, returning the offering, renewing the corn.

For the next 5 hours, drenching rain and wind. Even with full rain gear, we are wet. But from rain or exertion - who can know? The rain hitting my lips as I ride stings a little. Big drops; driving rain. Not altogether unpleasant. We learn to live with feeling sloppy. It is a sloppy day for us.

The corn rejoices.

~ Pete

Day 48. Monticello, Indiana

We have made it to Indiana!

It is very humid - 71% at 5 pm - and about 85 degrees.  Rain was in the forecast, so we hoped to get here early, which we did.  We covered 71 miles by 2 pm.  About 5 hours ride time unassisted and unhindered by wind.

I prayed this morning that we avoid being rained on.  At 12 miles from our destnation I looked back to see storm clouds bearing down on us.  We stopped to tale a quick break 4 miles further on and heard thunder.  So we cut that short and got into our hosts place.  No sooner did we step on their covered porch than the rain started.  Giant, huge dollar bill sized drops.  Any single one could drench you.

Whew!  Thank you Lord!

Our hosts are Seventh Day Adventists.   They have graciously agreed to let us use the guest room in their home for the next couple days.  We will rest on the rest God gave man - the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.

We will continue Sunday and expect to be poised to enter Ohio Monday.  We expect to be done 3 weeks from Monday.

Here are some more pics from yesterday.

Day 47. Ashkum

This photo is from Kempton, IL. A town we nearly zipped through. A
fella stopped us on the way out of town and insisted we really needed
to see the bookstore. While the bookstore was nice and cozy, it was
two other things that really struck me. There were all these great
murals on the buildings.

See how Alicia added her touch to this one.

The other unusual thing for this town of 150 was the scooters and
unicycle. We saw 4 different scooters and one unicycle complete with
friendly kids guiding them around. It was almost surreal.

A cool-ish start today. Humidity you can feel. Light wind. As we ride the corn fields seem to offer up clouds of moisture to the sky.

Day 46. Wenona, IL

Before we left Kewanee this morning, we checked all the weather reports we could find and got conflicting reports. Mostly though, it was supposed to be cloudy, with winds out of the SE at 4 mph. So we left feeling we could get our 80 plus miles in easily. We soon found out that the winds were much stronger, around 20-25 from the ESE. When we got to the town of Bradford, about 20 miles out, we stopped for cold drinks, as we were there the sky got darker and darker and the clouds were building. People were telling us that it was going to rain this morning. One lady even offered to take us were we needed to go. We graciously declined, chatted with her for a few moments, then as she was getting ready to head to her pickup, we all noticed at the same time that she had a flat tire. Just then it started raining. Pete helped her with her tire, and it started pouring. When Pete was done helping her, we geared up with our rain gear and headed out. The rain poured and the wind continued to blow, we did 43 miles in this rain and wind for a total of 63 miles today, and decided we had enough weather when we arrived in Wenona. They are calling for thunderstorms possible tomorrow. No matter what, we will try to get our mileage in, even if it isn't the goal amount.

Of Windbreaks, bugs and corn...
When we are cycling on windy days, every once in a while, the wind will just gently disappear, then we notice that some farmer had planted a wind break perpendicular to the road. As we ride past the end of the windbreak, BAM... a wall of wind hits us square on and reminds us that it is indeed windy. It is amazing how well those windbreaks work.

One of the harder aspects of this expedition for me has been the bugs that we have to deal with. Besides the mosquitos, gnats, and flies of all types, there have been a few other "buggy" incidents. When we were camping in Idaho, we had our cookware, panniers, and other things on the picnic table, then we noticed these little yellow things dropping from the tree, and looked and there were hundreds of little inch worms crawling over everything we had on the table! At another campsite, I was in the tent and had my stuff next to me but outside the tent. I looked over at my stuff and there were about 15-20 daddy-long-legs crawling over all of my panniers, shoes, helmet and tent!

It is interesting to see the corn in the early morning, the new leaves are all pointing upward, like they are ready to greet a new day and the sunshine. Later in the day the leaves are bent downward. The corn is starting to creep me out though, it is everywhere and it is taller than me and the leaves are starting to look like arms reaching out to grab me as I ride by!! (Obviously I have been spending too many days in the hot sun!!) - Alicia

Day 45. Into Illinois - Kewanee

We entered Illinois today bidding farewell to Iowa and the
Mississippi. Temps were in the 80's with thunderheads building in the
afternoon, though no wind to speak off.

We covered 79 miles. The roads were smoother. A nice bonus.

That's all for now...

Day 44. Muscatine, Iowa

Downtown Muscatine, Iowa

Iowa Farmland

Iowa Countryside

Today we are feeling battered and pummeled. This Ride Across America is not a joy ride, it is an expedition. As Pete says, "We are still looking for cycling bliss!" The roads have been so rough the last two days, "KER-chunk, KER-chunk, KER-chunk," for mile after mile after mile, for 96 miles yesterday, and then again for another 50 miles today, uphill and downhill, over and over again. The hands, wrists and arms hurt, the neck and shoulders are in agony and the head is pounding, nothing that several ibuprofens and getting off of the bicycle for the night won't cure! The air is so thick and humid and the sun is beating down incessantly, there is no shade around because there are no trees anywhere near the road. The feet start to literally boil in our shoes; they cramp and feel as if they are on fire. So you've taken about as much as you can take and pull off to the side of the road, whip off your shoes and try to find some freshly mowed grass to sink your feet into. Temporary cooling relief...can't waste too much time beside the road so it is on with the shoes again and off you go. Next thing you know you are enjoying the beautiful scenery...BAM...everything feels mushy and your back tire skids to the side. You just hit a big rock with your back tire...broken spoke, wheel out-of-round...now you have to "limp" for the next 100-150 miles to the next bicycle shop that is actually still in business.

And so our saga continues as we enter Muscatine, IA today. I hope you can kind of get a feel for what we are enduring out here. The scenery is still beautiful in its own way. It is just amazing the amount of corn growing here, corn as far as the eye can see in every direction, and most of it is already over 6 feet tall. The smells out here though are another thing altogether! The little bit bigger towns are quaint, Muscatine has a nice historic downtown near the Mississippi River and a lovely riverwalk. The first thing we did when we entered town was take care of Pete's bicycle's broken spoke and out-of-round wheel, and he has also worn through another back tire so, had that replaced also. The guys at Harleys Cycling Shop took care of us right away, and even checked out our gears and adjusted our shifting. Thanks again! While at the shop we discovered sandal cycling shoes, Pete and I are now the proud owners of new pairs of cycling sandals, hopefully that will solve the baked feet problem. Tomorrow we will give them a test run. If they work we will be mailing back our other cycling shoes, don't need the extra weight!

Yesterday we went through a small town called Petersburg (pop around 600). It has a large, beautiful Catholic church. The inside was as amazing as the outside. Such a beautiful edifice in such a small town in the middle of the countryside. then in Dyersville another huge basilica.

Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Petersburg

St. Francis Xavier Basilica, Dyersville

We have met quite a few wonderful people here in Iowa. Tomorrow we will be crossing into Illinois. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures taken in Iowa. - Alicia

Day 43. Oxford Junction, Iowa

Today it is hot and muggy. It got to the mid 80's but, wow, the
humidity really steamed us up. We covered 91 miles over rolling hills.

Across south eastern Minnesota and now Iowa have been these wonderful
patches of wild lilies. It so cool see these growing naturally.

Day 42. Rest Day in Elkader

Finally, the sign we never saw!

We never saw a welcome to Minnesota sign either of the two times we entered the state. This was looking back from Iowa. Is there a message here. :)



What do you see?

This is our dinner setup at the camp location in the city park before we actually set camp up in Wabasha.

(1) It is warm, but I wear a coat. I was freezing. After expending high energy output all day, once I relax I find I get quite cool.

(2) Alicia's bike has a spare tire attached. I will shortly replace the old one. You can see almost a continuous ring of red showing from the inner layers of her rear tire now. The new one is a slick, so we will need to take more care in wet conditions. It should have less rolling resistance and be faster. Something Alicia does not need. She is loafing around too much already waiting for me. Ha! Alicia has since reported it is a harder ride. It does take more air pressure, so I'm not surprised.

(3) I am featuring a can of cashews. We will be having mashed potatoes and mac'n cheese.



Mystery Beasts

What are these. They are not large enough to be elk. Certainly not deer. Alicia thinks reindeer, but I thought their horns were more wacky. They are behind a high fence keeping them in. This was taken just south of Prescott, Wisconsin.



Waiting for a gaggle of Geese to mosey across the road in Stillwater



Yellow Finches at the Donn Olson Farm



A divide between the Mississippi and Hudson Bay drainages



A nice country Church



Whew! A break after our biggest week yet. 484 miles this week. 6 days of cycling without a break. Though several days were long, we consistently turned out nearly 80 miles a day. Our plan was 60. This also shows that we are still getting stronger which is a great sign and a relief at those times when our attitudes are flagging.

We have covered 2335.5 miles so far. We are solidly past half way. Calculations show we have 1775.5 to Bar Harbor. But we will almost certainly cut that shorter to Portland, Maine. We have managed to find a few shorter alternates as we have gone.

This morning I woke to rain at 7am, I went back to bed and it had cleared and dried when we woke this afternoon. The weather outlook is 75-85 degree days for the next several. No rain but plenty of humidity. Not sure about wind. After another 140 miles south, we head east into Illinois and Indiana on our 8th map section. Some of Indiana does not observe day light savings time so we will not be on Eastern time until Ohio. We will be close to Ohio by the end of the week. The cycling sounds like it will be easier than ever, but we'll see...

Tall Grasses

The grass can be so tall in this country. Back in Minnesota, rounding a corner with a tall, lush, grass choked stream to the right, there was a loud rustle. A white tail deer tried to leap away from the stream but could barely clear the grass. It bounded away jumping high to see over and clear the tall grasses, nearly disappearing in between. Awesome!

Flying with Friends


When on the bike trail on Donn Olsons alternative, zipping along at 16 miles per hour, a bird came in from the left and took up position about 6 feet in front of me. We flew together for many seconds, the bird flapping only enough to hold position. Finally, he pealed off to the right.

Later the same day on the same trail, a bumble bee swooped around the right side of my helmet and took up position in front of me for a second or two before swinging off. I do like bumble bees. He was a welcome, if momentary, companion.

Trains

When passing through North Dakota, we often paralleled the Great Northern train tracks on the hi-line (highway 2). As we approached one train, I gave a slow double fist pull and the train responded with a whoo, whoo. Nice! We did that a few times. That never failed to impress us.

Enjoy your 4th! God's Blessings to all!

~Pete

Thoughts on MN & IA

Wexford Catholic Church & Cemetery


An Iowa Barn

It was interesting riding through Minnesota, basically flat with thousands of lakes, right beside each other. The towns were quaint and clean, usually brick buildings, and a few, such as Afton reminded me of East Coast Victorian towns. The farms were very neat, clean and well kept, beautifully landscaped with trees and flowers. The barns have a more rounded shape to their roofs. Minnesota I would compare to a carefully built pile of Legos. Then we enter Iowa, and it was just as I had imagined it would be, think of a pile of Lincoln Logs thrown in the air and landing where they will. The barns are very pointy and square, the farms are more of a mish-mash of buildings, not well taken care of, and pretty landscaping is missing. The very first town we entered was all old wood buildings not in a pleasing arrangement. I actually like the contrast, it keeps it interesting. (Although, since then I have seen some, quaint little towns such as, Elkader). And yes, there are corn fields everywhere. After climbing out of the Mississippi River Valley, we were on top of a very large plateau, and it feels like the top of the world, with rolling hills. Very different. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the 140 miles in Iowa look.

Mississippi River Views




We really enjoyed our camping beside the Mississippi River. It was fun watching the barges and tugboats. I am very thankful that the black flies and mosquitos had not had their large hatches yet. We had been forewarned that Minnesota would be quite miserable with the black flies especially.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Independence Day. We got much needed rest, slept until 1 pm! Will continue the adventure tomorrow. - Alicia

Day 41. Elkader, Iowa

Well we've said our goodbyes to Minnesota. Also temporarily to the
Mississippi, though we will cross it one last time in a few days.

We had all kinds of weather and all kinds of riding as we polished off
83 more miles. It was a long day, many steep hills, muggy temps, fog
even for the first hour. It even threatened rain.

Elkader is a nice small town on the Turkey river. We had pizza for
dinner and we stocked up for our rest day this Sabbath day - this
evening and tomorrow. Though it is the fourth, we expect it to be
quiet away from the Mississippi.

The picture is along the big M in Iowa.

Day 40. Wildcat Landing, Brownsville MN

Another 81 miles down. We are tired, yet enjoying our camp here
beside the Mississippi. Watching barges, boats, and people. Not too
busy here yet, considering the 4th is coming.

Tomorrow we enter Iowa as we continue south to Muscatine before
heading east again.

This is a picture of the Mississippi valley from atop the bluffs along
the Apple Blossum scenic byway.

Day 39. Wabasha

81 miles. We had good winds though the many hills negated the
tailwind effect some. There are many high bluffs along the
Mississippi (and St. Croix) rivers. Some of these the highway
engineers knew just had to gone up and over. Again and again and
again. You know there actually is a plateau at the top that could be
followed. But then for a motor vehicle there is no issue.

The pic is looking from Prescott Wisconson back into Minnesota where
the Mississippi joins the the St. Croix.

Leaving this morning we had to wait while a large gaggle of geese
sauntered slowly across the road. Wow! That was cool.

In all a good day considering a late 10am start.

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

Day 37. The Donn Olson Farm, Dalbo, MN

Today we raced before the wind yet again. Another fine day of
cycling. It was cool starting off around 53 and feeling cool all
day. We covered 94 miles.

The Olsons are the finest of hosts. They made a room and shower
available to us. Fed us dinner and dessert. Drove me to town in a
fruitless (alas) search for a new tire for Alicia. Toured us around
their amazing patch of heaven (It is a wonderful farm.). Mapped out
route alternatives for us.

And great conversation as well. They have feeders that attract the
most interesting birds. I especially enjoyed the bright yellow finches.

'Till tomorrow...

~ Pete (iPhone)

Magnificent Winds

Waves of wind washing over the tall grasses. Corn rustling silver green leaves. North by Northwest blows the wind, ideal for cycling south and east. Southward sustained speeds of 16-18. Eastward 26-29 miles per hour as winds reach speeds of 25-35 miles per hour. Cloud shadows race ahead of us on the road. Racing cloud shade on the road moving ahead: morphing, shifting, disappearing. The wind moaning through the air. Side winds whistling through the bike. The wind, the glorious, powerful wind; such a blessing from behind.

~Pete

Day 36. Battle Lake to Longs Prairie

We enjoyed having a bed last night so much that we slept in and didn't hit the road until about 9 am. The winds were in our favor today coming out of the northwest, and the temperature was in the 70's, ideal for me. The gusts were between 20 and 35 mph, which were great when we were heading west, but a little bit rough as we rode south. We did a zigzag pattern today, east for a few miles, then south for several miles, then east, etc. We road 66 miles today, crossing the Hudson Bay/Mississippi River Drainage Divide. Our destination for the day is Longs Prairie, MN. Population 3000. Downright metropolitan! They even have a Burger King here, so am looking forward to a vege-burger this evening. We got a cheap hotel room and Pete immediately laid down and slept. I, on the other hand cannot do anything until I have had a shower, and today's luxury and surprise was a blow dryer! So my haircut this afternoon looks the way it was intended to look!

We stopped at a diner in Parkers Prairie for lunch and they had 24 flavors of soft-serve ice cream, such as amaretto, black cherry, creme de menthe, peach, etc. As you know I love the ingenuity of these little towns and businesses, I hope you enjoy the irony of this sign as I did.


Some of my pictures today are a little off center due to those same wind gusts. No matter how many times I took a picture of that sign I couldn't get it centered, will take care of that later by cropping it with the computer.

Some of you may not understand my fascination with roadkill, as I believe I have commented on it before, if not I definitely have in my journal. The thing is, you can tell what type of wild animals are in the area. Since we crossed into Minnesota, the roadkill has consisted of snapping turtles (lots of them), red potatoes and large corn kernels! We were lucky to see alive and crossing the road: a skunk (he was so cute as he waddled across), and a mink. One of the local people said that there are a lot of wild mink around. I also saw several white-tailed deer. Another interesting sight was a field of prairie grass with miniature horses in it. I could just see their heads as they looked up at us as we rode by.

The barns, silos, and farms have been so picturesque: the barn shapes and silo arrangements are interesting and all of the farms have grass, not dirt and gravel, which makes them look so neat and clean. Two or three more days and we should be out of Minnesota. Can't wait to see what is in Iowa. - Alicia

Day 35. Battle Lake Rest Day

Yesterday wrapped up with a thunderous bang as we were pounded with thunderstorms and heavy rain throughout the night. I was awake forever. The bright glow of lightening through the tent walls is truly remarkable.

At 6:30 we woke to yet more rain. After consideration we decided we were taking a rest day. It is Sabbath and our 27th wedding anniversary (on June 27th). We lay down again and did not wake until 1:38 pm. We were exhausted. The rain stopped, the sun came out, and the temperatures were cool as we gathered up our snacky lunch and sat by the lake. There was a Walleye fishing tournament this morning and we watched as a lake full of fishing boats waited their turn to get pulled from the water onto their trailers. One fellow took it on himself to help everyone else out. He seemed to enjoy guiding the trailers into the water and hooking the boats to the trailers.



Battle Lake

This lake and town gets its name from a 1795 winter battle between the Minnesota Sioux and the Chippewas (a band of Pillagers as they were locally known by the French traders). There was a Chippewas who was intent on fighting the Sioux. They tracked down the Sioux as they were moving camp and mistakenly thought they were fleeing so joined in the chase. Three lead warriors chased them right into a large lodge camp where preparations for a war party were underway. One was killed, a son of the leader. The others ran back with a warning to the smaller 30 warrior Chippewas party and they fell back to a position they could defend knowing they were fighting to the death. The leader and his three sons ultimately were the only ones to stand the ground and they lost their lives but not before making a good account dispatching far more Sioux than their 3 lives. Battle Lake is named for this, a battle among the natives.

The Lake Regions

Here in Otter Tail county there are more than 1300 lakes. During this hot muggy weather the lakes seem like lakes from other areas. They even have snapping turtles. The setting is pleasant; clear water lakes surrounded by deciduous trees and grasses. It is good to remember that winter here really sets this place apart. Heavy snows, frigid temperatures, hard frozen lakes, and adaptable people who set up virtual cities on the lakes to ice fish. Some of these shelters are moved onto land to locations that serve as summer cabins.

We are supposed to have a nice tailwind tomorrow. We will see. The winds were very strong today. It would have been tough to ride against. We have observed that the panniers on our bikes catch the wind and either improve our speed in the case of a tail wind or really work against us in the case of a headwind.

Looking at our maps, it appears we have about 2200 miles yet. We are not quite halfway to completing the 4322 mile route then. This week we completed 405 miles for a total of 1851.5 miles in 35 days. We have taken a couple of shorter alternate routes that should shorten the trip some.

A Conversation

Two bicyclists approach each other on the high plains road. A road running east to west. The westbound rider has a tailwind the eastbound a headwind. The eastbound rider looks at the westbound rider thrusts his fist in the air with a loud Arrrghhh!!. The westbound rider sits up, thrusts both arms into the air and yells Yeah!!!! They pass.

Cheers from the road...

~Pete