Had
a great ride today! Started out in La Crescent, climbed out of the valley
into the bluffs above (killer climb) and had a beautiful panoramic view of the Mississippi Valley. Good winds from the south,
good roads, and beautiful scenery made for a wonderful trip. After traveling
about 10 miles, the route took me back down into the valley. Now that was a fun
ride as I reached speeds of 38 mph... Could've gone faster but I
thought if I were to hit a bump my panniers would fly in all directions! I felt
like Mario Andretti on a bicycle! From there it was on to Nodine, Pickwick,
Homer, and then Winona. From this point on the skies opened up... You really couldn't call
it rain...it was more like standing
under a waterfall. My rain gear held up marvelously and knowing that I would
float as opposed to melt, I just kept trucking on. The rain and I traveled on to Minneiska,
Weaver, Kellogg, and ultimately arrived at Wabasha. My Warm Showers host, Terry Stroot, noted that
he had a tepee that he would allow people to use. The joke was on me as you can
see from the picture below. I can tell already
I'm going to like Terry. He left his whole house unlocked for me but keeps his
bicycle locked up and owns more kayaks than I do. This is a man after my own heart! This was
really a fun day.
 |
| Climbing killer hills again |
On the bluffs overlooking La Crescent, MN, and I found the land rich with apple orchards.
Looking down on the Mississippi River
Really cool peak outside the window of the restaurant in Winona. I wonder how many people climb to the top of that.
