Have you ever had one of those days where everything goes right and yet as the day goes on you’re kind of waiting for another shoe to drop? After the long string of bad luck we’ve had with weather, wind, obstacles on the road, near accident mishaps and what-not, that’s kind of the way I felt as we crossed the Mississippi River this afternoon.
The day started off with a heavy fog in Austin, MN this morning with our 7 AM roll-out. Our guides contemplated holding us back for a short time given how thick it was but as the sun started to show its face, it started to burn off a little so we departed at the appointed hour since we had 118 miles of asphalt to reel in today. After being on the road for only a few miles as the legs woke up, water was dripping from my helmet and beading up on my sunglasses so it was no use wearing them until the fog was gone. But riding into the sun as it was gleaming through the fog sure made for a cool photo op.
By the time we hit our first SAG stop at mile 22, most of us had ditched the arm warmers and other outerwear as the blue skies had opened up. The best thing about this morning was evidenced by the huge wind turbines that dot the eastern Minnesota landscape – they all sat still! And it was a beautiful sight! The wind has not been our friend for the last week, but today we finally got some relief. I can’t tell you what a difference it makes not to have that incessant wind roar blasting your ears for hours at a time. Just think about it this way – try driving down HWY 17 with your head hanging outside the window and let me know how that works out for you.
After a brief splash and dash SAG stop at mile 44, we stopped for lunch at a small park with flushable toilets in the town of Fountain, MN just 8 miles later. As for lunch, our guides do a great job of keeping us well-fueled with healthy meals – today we had freshly cooked chicken with a rice noodle salad along with freshly cut fruit and assorted accompaniments and dessert cookies and apple pie. I haven’t heard one single complaint about our meals at lunch time.
It was in the town of Fountain that we hopped on the Root River paved state bike trail that took us for the next 38.5 miles through a series of small towns along the Root River and it was fabulous. The trail is part of the “rail-trail” Hall of Fame and thus is generally flat – but since we were once actually following the flow of the Root River, it was mostly downhill and we really made great time at close to 20 mph. I was amazed at how well the trail was maintained. With the exception of having to get around one fallen tree, we made quick work of getting to mile 90 at the end of the trail.
With a quick stop in the town of Houston, MN at mile 100 to hydrate, we were graciously allowed to use the restroom at the local American Legion. You can always count on a helping hand from old soldiers, especially in small towns like Houston. We were on the home stretch at that point and as we kicked off again for one final climb before a sustained descent to the Mississippi River, I noticed once again that I still had a good bit of gas in the tank. After almost a month straight on the bike, I guess the body just adjusts and 118 miles doesn’t seem that hard anymore.
But today we had a great day – we hit our 8th state and have enjoyed our time in LaCrosse, WI, we had much more favorable winds today and we crossed the mighty Mississippi River, we’re now over 2,300 miles into our journey and we’re just 2 days away from Rest Day in Madison. So, on tap tomorrow is another long 103 miles into Spring Green, WI but with a good bit more of “spikey” climbing. With a decent nights sleep and good leg recovery, we should be good to go. And on Friday, Val will be joining me in Madison. With the exception of the 9 months I was deployed to Saudi Arabia and Iraq in 1990/1991, this is the longest we’ve been apart in our 37 years of marriage. The only thing that could make her visit better would be if she could bring our dog Dutch along as well. But for now, I’ll have to wait.