Wednesday, 23 July: After ten hours of sleep and a water-spilled-in-the-tent mishap, I finally started pedalling today. My ride started out crossing the bridge into Wisconsin, then riding up a giant hill that almost killed me. I went to the tourist info center and picked up a map, and the helpful woman there gave me a route suggestion, which I took. It was a pretty nice route, except for the first few miles, which were on a busy road with a lame shoulder, but I knew what I was in for, so it was okay.
The combination of a late start, many hills, a headwind, and few camping options meant I had another short day. Not a half day, just a bit shy of where I would have liked to be. I may have to revise my definition of a good day's ride yet again, because of the terrain.
I am back to free camping in a city park. Whew! I had to pay two nights in a row, and I was starting to hate it. I made a pretty good dinner that all of you cheap and lazy vegetarian backpackers and touring bikers might be interested in: I boiled the noodles from a pack of Easy Mac along with some freeze-dried vegetables and freeze-dried TVP. Then I added the sauce packet, a single serving stick of cheddar cheese, and some pepper and stirred until melty. It was camping-good. I'm not sure why I keep writing about dinner lately. Maybe because I'm trying really hard not to go out to eat, and I stocked up at that hippie store in Bemidji on food that is more interesting than canned beans, so now I'm thinking more about cooking.
Yesterday my brother pointed out how much I have mentioned mosquitoes since I got to Minnesota. I think this subject tops the weather for things to talk about here. In the last two hours or so that I have been in this park, I have heard two people mention them. Yesterday I rode past a church that had one of those letterboard-thingy signs out front that said "Why didn't Noah swat the two mosquitoes?" I should have stopped for a picture.
On a more serious note, a member of my Seattle crew was recently hit by a car while biking. He broke his arm, which is no small potatoes, but at least nothing happened to his valuable valuable face. Or that ultra-zany brain of his. So I wish him a speedy recovery, and implore all of you-- whether driving, cycling, or walking-- to be ultra vigilant on the road. Especially when turning.
6 comments:
You so should have taken a picture of that sign. I got such a kick out of that.
I am sorry to hear about your friend, but was relieved too that it was only his arm.
Thanks for the smiles and laughs you brought.
Will talk soon. :)
Just went in to the pictures. Beautiful. I need to find out if those rocks you see in the Taylor Falls one, are the diving cliffs we dove from. If they are there is a 20', 30' and 40' I think. For some reason, Taylor Falls sounds familiar.
Yeah, Taylors Falls and St. Croix Falls are on either side of the border, and there are two state parks there as well. Andrea had mentioned cliff diving, and I found some reference to it on the internet, but couldn't find anywhere to jump from the Minnesota side. I also heard that they might have closed it down for safety reasons. Maybe there was a place on the Wisconsin side, but I didn't bother to search too hard because the river was chocolate brown and kinda grossed me out.
Thanks for the shout-out. And thank God Mr. Lexus didn't ugly up my money-maker. If my modeling career dried up, it'd be back to the coal mine for this Appalachian boy.
(Cough cough.) Pa! I think I've got the black lung!
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