Day 31 -- Green and gorgeous Minnesota farmlands

July 21, 2004

ROUTE: Mankato to Rochester, MN           
DISTANCE:  102.58 (including a detour)                  
WINDS: Northwest about 8 to 10 mph

WEATHER: Overcast and threatening rain until early afternoon; temps reached 88F                TERRAIN: Flat to rolling            
TOTAL CLIMBING: 3,110'

RIDE OVERVIEW: Susan here: Yahoo! What a great day!  I rode "Float" today (meaning I didn't pull sweep or SS duty) and the day was tailor made just for moi, daahlinks -- overcast and with a mild tailwind on many of our stair-stepping legs. Even with the overcast conditions, when I reached the motel I was a sodden mess.  Both my helmet and my shoes were filled with sweat.  When I took off my socks all my toes were white and wrinkled just as they would be had I stayed in the swimming pool too long. Er, but let's talk about something a little more appealing, such as the Minnesota countryside we've been cycling through.

Minnesota farmland is beautiful to say the least.  I know I've said it before, but the farms are magnificent diamonds set in emerald fields of corn or soybeans. Each farm is a gem:  neat and tidy, houses painted, lawns mowed right up to the outbuildings, hanging flower baskets and large flower gardens, and shade trees. (One house I noticed even had phlox planted on either side of the whistle under their driveway.)  As we departed into the eastern sunrise, the dew was heavy and the reflection on the foliage was serene.  Everywhere you looked there were tree islands sheltering silos, barns, and farm lots.  Meadowlarks sang their summer songs in the early morning as we pedaled to our destination.  Mike says that when people ask him why he rides bicycles across the nation, he realizes that days like this are what draw him to the road.  I second that.  You can just let your mind wander as you pedal through changing scenery . . . or you can solve all the world's problems, depends on whether you're Type A or Type B, though come to think of it, I don't think I've ever met a Type B cyclist.

I started out with Mary Jo, Pam, Evelyn, and Patricia this morning, and within a block we were climbing the steep hill out of town (300' in about three tenths of a mile).  Pretty tough on cold muscles. We were all moaning and groaning. Not too far out I thought I had a flat, so asked Mary Jo and Evelyn to check my rear tire as I rode by.  Evelyn said that "it was definitely flat." So, I pulled over, got out my tools and pulled off the rear wheel preparatory to changing the tube. The tire was hard as a rock...no flat, no nuttin'.  Though they claim they couldn't catch me after this incident, I'm thinking that maybe E and MJ were too embarrassed to ride with me anymore.  I told Evelyn that she owed me one. I'll collect the next time we decide to split from the group and eat dinner together again. Anyhow, as a result of losing these two, I picked up Neal's wheel as he rode by, and we two later picked up Ted. The three of us rode together for the rest of the day. I had a fun day with these two men, and thank them for helping to pull me into what wind we encountered and up some hills.

HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY: 

• "All his grey cells went to his hair, I think."  
•  Susan: "How long is this leg?"  Louis: "About 32 inches." [ha, ha, ha]
• "Drafting behind a manure spreader....that was a first!"   
• "Susan, shame on you. Bill would give you two demerits! You didn't wave at that guy on the lawnmower. " "Ah but daahlink, I smiled and called good morning! Doesn't that count?"  
• Susan: "I went to a little one-room schoolhouse similar to that one for 3rd and 4th grades."  Ted: "When was that? In the 20's? HA, HA, HA!!!"

DUH! OF THE DAY:  Goes to me again. I got Neal all set up to take a shot of him riding his bike out of a cornfield. He endured the mosquitoes and crossed a muddy ditch to oblige me.  Then--DUH!--I discovered that the camera battery  was still in the charger and the charger was still in my luggage.  Well, I suppose there will be a few more cornfields before this ride is over.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY:

Reading whilst the wash washes. Did Judith throw her shorts
in the machine and then forget to put on another pair?

Jim--sentenced by Mike to 50 toe touches after failing to match his shoes
to his handlebar tape, jersey, and helmet--takes his punishment like a man.

Mickey D's was placed just right to attract a number of riderswho gladly used the nation's No. 1 public bathrooms and got themselves cold drinks and soft ice cream. Ian couldn't talk him out of it, so Russell also rode the big slide and sat on Ronald McDonald's lap. See what a happy camper he is?

Hey, let's limbo mon!  How loooow can you go?

There Dan was riding along deep in thought when he suddenly found
himself in the middle of Minnesota in the middle of a cartoon.

If  Minnesotans counted their lakes after a good rain, they'd probably
come up with 20,000 lakes . . . and a new license plate motto, too.

Imagine that you are a Viking and can't move a muscle. Wouldn't
you be thankful to Andrew when he volunteered to hold
your shield and to help you with a stuffy nose?   But of course, daahlinks...