Day 46 The Bonus Ride

Today was a great ride! 71 miles in 4 1/2 hours... I carried only 2 small panniers and just a fraction of the weight I was used to carrying. The temperature was a gentle 70 degrees, and the wind was at my back... a perfect day for riding.

The sense of urgency that had always been in the back of my mind during the main body of the trip was gone today... every peddle stroke was "gravy". However I did want to make it all the way to the Canadian border in order to have to travelled the entire length of the U.S. from South to North...plus I'd said that that was my personal goal from the outset of the trip.

This brings my official trip mileage to 1791 miles...only 209 miles left to go before classes begin on August 27th.

Day 45 Detroit Lakes to Thief River Falls, MN

We began today with the intention of stopping somewhere around Erskine... Well, we really hit our stride right out of the starting gate and with a nice tail wind we didn't need to stop much, even with the heat. So each time we discussed stopping it was always at the "next" stopping point. At Erskine we finally quit kidding ourselves and decided to just go for it and run straight to TRF.

It turned out to be a 95-mile day for us getting back home. I went out this evening and rode just five more miles to bring the daily toll for me right up to 100 miles. I keep thinking of Jay Trimble doing all those "century" rides back in Quincy, Illinois and I wanted one for myself... except I wanted mine on a loaded touring bike.

We rolled into Thief River Falls at 2pm, having done 93 miles since 6:30am. We were met first by Norma who had bicycled out a few miles into the wind to escort us back in to town. Along the way Andy's relatives were a veritable paparazzi, snapping photos at every intersection and then speeding ahead to the next one! Of course we had to stop at the city limits sign and take the group photo... traditions must be observed!

We stopped at the Hayloft for a late lunch (actually our 3rd or 4th meal of the day), courtesy of Andy's parents-- Thank you Janeen and Ken! Afterward we split up, each going our own way. It felt strange to be riding without Andy and April, but I reminded myself that we still want to make it to the Canadian border, so we'll probably do that jaunt together after a couple days off.

People have been asking me "how do you feel having made it all that way?" Well it feels GREAT to be home and in familiar surroundings, with faces that I recognize, and people I know and care about! As for the experience, I have learned that achievement is its own reward, and finishing is just one small part of the overall experience. It was the journey itself that was important, not just finishing. I can say definitively that whoever said that "the person who begins the journey is not the same person who finishes it" was absolutely correct.

I'm certain that Andy and April will agree with me when I say that the trip was absolutely worth every peddle stroke, every early morning, every swallowed insect, every discomfort and irritation. Meeting all the great people that we did, and experiencing the regions of the country as we did was an excellent adventure. I'm also certain that there are still many unforeseen benefits waiting to reveal themselves to us in the months and years to come.

Our total mileage to date is 1720 miles or 774,000 peddle strokes. The ride to the Canadian border should bring that to 1790 miles, and I intend to continue riding locally until I bring that total to an even 2000 miles.

I want to thank everyone that has been involved in this journey including: our sponsors, friends made along the way, loved ones and family waiting patiently at home, all the great people that offered us their encouragement, and of course those of you following along in this blog.

Its easy to forget amid all the excitement that our main purpose in making this journey was to raise funds for part-time student scholarships, and to raise awareness for these under-represented students in our communities.
If you haven't already contributed to the "Pennies for Parttimers" scholarship, please consider contacting the Northland College foundation and pledging to help us meet our fundraising goal.

We had a change in plans for our last two riding days:
Today (Saturday) we are going to ride as far as we can to take advantage of the 15mph tailwind that we'll be enjoying.
Therefore tomorrow we will not be starting out in Mahnomen as we originally planned. Anyone wanting to join us for the last leg of the journey should meet us either in Plummer or at the Casino turn-off. We should be reaching Plummer around 8:00am and the Casino turn off shortly before 9am. The forecast for Sunday is for a 10mph headwind and much lower temperatures so please dress accordingly if you're planning to ride with us.

Day 44 Fergus Falls to Detroit Lakes, MN

Fergus Falls is an interesting place to try to get through on a bicycle. The route through town is definitely a locals only secret, and it was an adventure just getting to county road 88.

However, once we hit county 88 our progress was good. No wind to speak of most of the way to Pelican Rapids, so the riding was easy.
Shortly after Pelican Rapids, I had an huge RV flag me down and tell me that one of my riders "was broke down a ways back". Andy then called and told me he had a flat tire... I am so used to not seeing him in my rear view mirror, that when he pulled off I didn't even notice! So April and I turned around and peddled back about a 1/2 mile and lent a hand to get him up and running again.

Just outside of Detroit Lakes we were flagged down again. This time it was Andy's parents, and they came bearing cold bottles of Gatorade. I told them they were too late to fix the flat, but the beverages were really appreciated! A huge thank you to Ken and Janeen for being the D.L. pit stop crew!

Once inside the Detroit Lakes city limits we were flagged down yet again, this time be the chief of police. I was fairly certain we hadn't been speeding, so we pulled up along side his squad car. He told us that there was a great deal of road construction just ahead, and pointed us in the direction of a frontage road around the traffic jam. Thanks Chief!

Tomorrow we're off to Mahnomen... so close now we can taste TRF in the air!

Day 43 Morris to Fergus Falls, MN

We started this morning out with a beautiful sunrise in Morris... and then made really good time into Barrett. However, after our brief rest stop in Barrett, the wind began to steadily pick up speed out of the north. Within the hour we slowed to a crawl by this daunting headwind. At 1:00pm we reached interstate 94 and I thought we were home free. But then it was another 5 miles into Fergus itself, and then at least another 5 miles all the way across town... by 2:00pm we were very glad to be reaching our stopping point for the day!

When I think back on the trip, the most difficult obstacle has not been the terrain, the traffic, the road conditions, or the over all distance. The most difficult thing to face has been the wind. It makes every peddle stroke an effort, and forces your mind away from music, daydreams, and other pleasantries, makes conversation impossible, and really tests your will to continue.

Speaking of peddle strokes, I counted 450 peddle strokes (single side count) per mile today. Our mileage at the time of today's peddle stroke counting was 1570 miles; meaning that our approximate peddle stroke count is 706,500!

Day 41 Willmar to Morris, MN

Highway 12 West, heading toward Benson could use a bit of shoulder work. The entire 30-mile stretch of shoulder is not much more than loose collection of crumbling pieces resembling a dried riverbed after a prolonged drought. Of course that surface does wake you up in the morning, but the charm soon wears off!

We made it to Benson in good order, but soon found it necessary to stop and don our rain jackets. About 50 yards further, we stopped and completely suited up. Thunder, lightning, and wind followed, but we received very little actual rain. After a few miles we realized we were probably wetter inside our rain gear than outside, and stopped to strip down to our normal riding wear. The humidity was powerful, and a steady side-wind did little to alleviate the clamminess.

We rode more or less straight through from Benson, through Clontarf and Hancock. It was a relief to see the outline of Morris materialize out of the haze... we had a day off to look forward to! We will be taking the 4th off, and I'd like to wish everyone a happy Independence Day!

Day 40 Hutchinson to Willmar, MN

Today was an interesting day.
We started out with April's rear tire going flat right off the bat. Once that was fixed, we tried unsuccessfully to follow the Highway 7 detour out of Hutchinson. Twice we stopped and asked for directions and twice we became even more confused. Finally, a very kind Hutchinson city worker stopped and asked if we were looking for #7. When we said "yes", he told us that it was very confusing and that we'd best just follow him... he didn't need to tell us twice!

We did finally make it out of Hutchinson 45 minutes after we started, and then settled into a nice rhythm and a strong cross-wind from the south. Shortly before Corvuso a car pulled off in front of us at a field entrance and as we approached I recognized my dad. He had brought us a variety of "goodies", and we had a great chat while we took a break.

We had no more than set out again, when I decided to pull over and put on my rain jacket, as it had begun to sprinkle. 500 yards later, we stopped and very quickly pulled on all our rain gear... shortly there after, I was forced to spray a couple of dogs that attacked us in the driving rain, while their owner sat on his front step and drank coffee...thank you whoever you are. I have discovered on this trip that it is probably the snapping dog's owner that needs a good spraying and not so much the dogs themselves! From there we rode in driving rain, heavy traffic, and fading adrenaline from Cosmos to the 7-71 intersection.

We took quick break at Harry's corner to remove the rain gear, stretch, and have an ice cream. Then it was a 13-mile sprint into Willmar with a very strong tail-wind. We do like a good tail-wind!

Day 39 Gaylord to Hutchinson, MN

We had a magnificent ride down into the Minnesota river valley after New Prague yesterday. The long, steep decent into the town of Henderson was a white knuckled thrill! A bit less thrilling was the long, steep ascent back OUT of the Minnesota river valley after leaving Henderson. But we just dropped into the granny gears and "ground it out". We managed around 70 miles by the end of the day into Gaylord, and slept soundly as a result. An amusing side note was that we met a fellow cyclist from South Africa who was riding from Minneapolis to Henderson and back and was putting on over a 120-mile day... and he thought WE were nuts.

Today was another pleasant riding day, with all conditions in our favor! The fact that it was a shorter day today made us push a bit harder without really stopping much... so the effect was that at the end of a shorter day we felt similar to our longer days. Hmmm.

Day 38 Waseca to Gaylord, MN

Its a little after 10am and we've stopped at the library in New Prague to post on the blog. I didn't know if Gaylord would have any access, and its been a few days since I've posted.

We're 33 miles into it today. The weather is once again fabulous! In fact it was actually COLD this morning when we set out. After more than a month of 90-degree and higher days, this weather is really a gift! We will eventually have a SE wind which is great as the rest of the day we'll be traveling almost straight west toward Gaylord.

Our itinerary for the rest of the ride should be as follows (weather permitting):
Sun. 7/1 Gaylord to Hutchinson
Mon. 7/2 Hutch. to Willmar
Tues. 7/3 Willmar to Morris
Wed. 7/4 Rest day in Morris
Thurs. 7/5 Morris to Fergus Falls
Fri. 7/6 Fergus Falls to Detroit Lakes
Sat. 7/7 D.L. to Mahnomen
Sun. 7/8 Mahnomen to TRF

I've been informed that the NCTC foundation is planning a reception for us on Monday in the student commons area at 2pm. I'd hope that you would all consider joining us for a root beer float! Also, I'd like to invite anyone that would like to join us on any part of the last day's ride to join us along the route. We'll be coming up highway 59 from Mahnomen. I'd recommend a short ride in from the casino, but if the mood strikes you, join us at any point along the way!!

Day 37 Austin to Waseca, MN

A great big THANK YOU!!! goes out to Bruce and Nancy Rindflesch of Austin for their fantastic hospitality and good humor...our abs still hurt from laughing!!!
Bruce gave us a Ruckus escort out to the Austin city limits, and we on our way. Riding was GREAT! Cool morning air, south wind, and only rolling hills. We made great time to Albert Lea, and stopped at a very odd McDonald's for breakfast. It was all done up like a viking lodge. A few breakfast burritos later we were back on the road and once again made great time all the way to Waseca. It was 57 miles of riding of the kind I had day-dreamed about way back in January!

Andy finally checked his tire pressure... under protest. And found that he was at about 60psi... 40psi low. Well it didn't seem to slow him down too much. Of course we all got a good laugh out it anyway!

Day 35 Charles City, IA - Austin, MN

As luck would have it, the heat broke last night when a small front moved though northern Iowa... and as luck would also have it, the wind changed switched as well and was right out of the north at 6 o'clock this morning at 10-15 mph. We began the day in bigger hills and they lasted for the first 36 miles into St. Ansgar (pronounced: Sintansger). I was somewhat cursing our luck when in the midst of that thinking I passed a cemetery. I began reading the names on the nearest tombstones as I passed, and from that point on I felt very fortunate to be riding a bicycle in ANY weather conditions... always a nice wake up call passing a graveyard!

In St. Ansgar we met up with my cousin Bruce Rindflesch who then provided "local knowledge guiding" and a motorized escort us on his Ruckus scooter.
The terrain evened out and we crossed the Minnesota border on highway 105 and stopped for the traditional border-crossing photos.
The wind continued to pick up and so we just kept crawling along at between 7 and 10 mph all the way into Austin, Minnesota... even Andy had to admit that he was tired and the wind "sucked". All told we spent nearly 10 hours travelling a mere 62 miles.

Bruce and his wife Nancy have the grill fired up, and the alluring scent of some huge burgers (with all the fixings of course!) are prompting me get off the computer. It is GREAT to be back in Minnesota!!!

Day 34 Traer to Charles City, IA

After a great hamburger at the Sunshine Tavern, we enjoyed a real treat last night in Traer, we took in a film at the restored Traer movie house. It was like traveling back in time to the glory days of American theaters in the late 50's and early 60's, and tickets are a DOLLAR... a must visit if you're ever in the area!

This morning we were on the road promptly, but just haven't made the best time. Its nearly 3pm and we've still got about 20 or so miles to go to Charles City. Its hot, humid, but we have a tail wind... not sure whats up with our lack of progress! Iowa is a sea of long low hills, and while its not flat, its also not too bad cycling-wise.

I'm writing from the Clarksville library. "... just take a left at the post office, you can't miss it." Clarksville is another typical midwestern town with friendly people, a drive in, and a downtown area that still has business in it (no Mall!).

Well its back on the road and into the heat. The vague promise of a hot supper and a shower is driving me on... that and the very limited catalog of songs in my mp3 player. Tomorrow at this time we should be in Minnesota!!!

Day 33 Iowa city(Coralville) to Traer, IA

After a longer rest break, Andy and April were up for riding today... While they rested this past weekend I flew to Dallas, TX and attended the 45th annual black belt training clinic for Juko Kai International. I was not quite so rested this morning!

But we hit the road, and the miles seemed to click off pretty regularly today. We put 75 miles behind us, and we are now just over 100 miles from the Minnesota border. Along the way today, I had to turn around and take this photo. It was just too good to pass up! However, in all fairness to the great state of Iowa, the route really was scenic after we passed the corn fields!

I am currently blogging from the Traer public library, and it is a great facility. It is obviously valued by the community as it is state of the art, very well kept, and signs point the way to it in this town of less than 3000.

We're off to find a bit to eat and a shower... the 90 degree weather continues to follow us northward.

Day 29 Mt. Pleasant - Iowa City

After reaching Iowa City today, we have scheduled a long weekend for ourselves. So we will be resting and recovering in Iowa City until Monday Morning... I probably will not contribute much to the blog until leave Iowa city.

The photo is of the storm we thought we would be riding through on our way to rest, but as luck would have it we got all rain-suited-up and it blew right by us!

Day 28 Keokuk, IA to Mt. Pleasant, IA

After enjoying the extensive complimentary breakfast at the Keokuk Hampton Inn, and grabbing a to-go breakfast as well, we hit the road. The difference in topography between Illinois and Iowa across the Mississippi is night and day. Today was by and large flat roads, with a few long, relatively low hills. Riding was very enjoyable, and the "wind", actually a barely perceptible breeze, was at our backs. Again the humidity was well within the tolerable range.

We stopped at a station about 10 miles out of Mt. Pleasant, and while I called KTRF radio in Thief River Falls, Andy went inside. He emerged with a sheepish grin on his face, and told me "they have burgers here"... so he had his 3rd breakfast of the morning and then we set off towards the end of our day.

Upon arriving in Mt. Pleasant we were stopped in the city center looking at a map, when a guy on a little red scooter stopped and asked if we needed directions. We told him we were looking for the library, and he told us to follow him. He led us to Mt. Pleasant's new library and explained that the town had recently spent 6 million to renovate the old high school and turn it into the new library. I would have to say that they did an excellent job, and that the new facility is first rate.

I have found Mt. Pleasant to be exactly that. It is a charming little town, and I'd highly recommend it as a stopping point if you're ever in the area.

Day 27 Quincy, IL to Keokuk, IA

Norma had told me that highway 96 was hilly, and we chose to ignore this and took 96 instead of following the river. It was 40 miles of hills, true enough. However what really made the day was the constant 15 mph headwind, and then the gusts...we actually had to peddle down hill. However we did enjoy a substantial drop in the humidity level, and truth be told the headwind was actually rather pleasant!
Andy rode on ahead to check things out, and April and I followed about an hour behind.
We crossed the Mississippi at Hamilton, IL and rode into Keokuk, Iowa. The change from one state to the next was tangible and riding into Keokuk felt a lot like riding into your hometown. We had bite to eat, checked our bearings and set off.

I stopped at the first motel we found to check on the rates... I was stunned to learn that it was nearly $100/night! I have never stayed at a Hampton Inn, so needless to say I didn't quite know what to expect. I asked the desk clerk if they had any discounts available, and she said "no", but summoned the manager.

McKenzie Slater, the manager, didn't strike me as the type of person to put up with a lot of non-sense, so I was quick to explain that we were on a fundraising ride, and that their rates were simply beyond our means. She asked what exactly our scholarship would fund. I said that we were raising money to help struggling part-time students such as working single moms... and right there and then Hampton Inn of Keokuk, Iowa put us up for the night for FREE!
If I was stunned by the original room rate, the generosity that was extended to us really threw me for a loop!! A HUGE thank you to Hampton Inn of Keokuk and especially to Ms. Slater!!

Day 26 Quincy, IL

We opted to stay in Quincy in order to take advantage of the bike shop in order to get April's rear wheel trued up and to fix the mystery noises that her bike was making. We easily found the Madison & Davis Bike shop thanks to Jay Trimble's directions, and Ryan their ace mechanic quickly had us under way. They are a professional shop, very knowledgeable and I highly recommend them if you're in the area!
In addition to the repairs we bought some needed supplies including tire patches, a new mirror for me, and a new helmet and set of shoes for April. I mentioned to the owner that they came highly recommended by Jay and he said, "Oh sure, Jay is one of our high mileage riders"... I checked the Big Dog roster and last year he logged over 11,000 miles, and put on 30 centuries...humbling.

Day 25 Kampsville to Quincy, IL

We found a campsite just outside of Kampsville at the McCully Heritage Project. The caretake generously allowed us access to his shower, which was wonderful. The entire Project site was very well maintained and the only drawback was that, as with so many other sites we've stayed at, they put the actual campsites down in the bottom land. So the result is that there wasn't a breath of air that got in there! That combined with the humidity really makes for an all-night steam bath.

The weather forcast for Sunday was for hot, and we weren't disappointed. However, the SW wind that was to accompany the heat took until after lunch to materialize so we missed out on our tailwind most of the morning.

We put on just over 70 miles, and we rode through the worst of the heat as a result. But with frequent stops to cool down, it wasn't too bad at all. At one point we were sitting in the shade an ancient tree next to a cattle farm. The cows were very vocal, and it lulled me into a nap. I was awakened when the farmer, Gary, came up to see if we were alright. His wife told him she thought there had been a motorcycle accident... Gary was great conversationalist, and we shot the breeze for quite a while covering a wide range of topics.

Back on the road, we were trudging along when a cyclist pulled up next to us. He was fully outfitted and his bike spoke to the fact that he knew what he was about. This was Jay Trimble, and as it turned out we'd seen him earlier that morning heading the other direction. Jay was putting on a "century" or 100-mile day, returning from Atlas where he said they have "really great" milk shakes.

He slowed his pace, and rode with us the last 12 miles or so into Quincy. Riding and conversing with Jay really helped the remaining miles fly by! He was wealth of information, and being a cyclist his information regarding distances and rest stops were accurate! I have yet to receive accurate information from anyone on this trip that was not a cyclist. In fact most people don't even know distances between towns, only the approximate time it takes them to drive there in a car.

Just outside of Quincy there were a series of mines cut directly into a cliff face that sat parrallel to the road, and as we passed them we were sort of blasted with a nice cool breeze coming from the mine shafts! It was a real treat in 90 degree weather with high humidity... Welcome to Quincy long-distance cyclists!

Day 24 Alton, IL to Kampsville or maybe Belleview?

We got on the road promptly this morning and have made some great time. Stopped briefly in Jersyville at the hardware store to buy some washers for one of my toe clips that fell off right as we pulled into town-- great timing! I noticed that I had already repaired the other pedal, and I wonder why I would have decided not to simply do them both at the same time?!
We are currently in Carrollton, Il, at their lovely public library--surprise there, eh? We're trying to locate a stopping point for today. There isn't much in the way of facilities between here and Quincy, and no marked campgrounds at all. But of course we're resourceful and ready to camp wild. The only real concern for me is that the temperature is supposed to crest above 95 degrees today, and sitting out in that heat waiting for the sun to set doesn't sound smart or too appealing.

With the help of Donna and Angie, Carrollton's "ace" librarians, we were able to locate the McCully Heritage project that has a primitive campsite south of Kampsville. A quick phone call to the project's headquarters confirmed that we can indeed pitch our tents there and that while there are no showers(yet), there is well on site and actual restrooms...always a great bonus!

So we'll linger at the library doing "research" until their 2pm closing time, and then try to eat VERY slowly at the Dairy Queen until the heat breaks later in the afternoon. At that point we'll put on another 20 or so miles to our campsite. Along the way we'll need to cross the Illinois river and so we'll catch the Kampsville Ferry, which amazingly runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week...or so says their website.

Tomorrow we'll be trying to reach Quincy. From there its the push into Iowa and hopefully Cedar Rapids by Wednesday or Thursday. Town and city names are starting to sound more and more familiar!

Day 23 Day Off in Alton

Not much to report, just sleeping, eating, and doing the necessary
bike maintenance to keep us rolling.

I've been doing some calculations, and we are right on track to arrive in the NW
Minnesota region around the 4th of July... if the weather holds, and the bikes
stay rubber side down!

Currently writing from the Hayner Library in Alton. An excellent facility, and friendly staff. Well done, Alton!