St Louis, Missouri

We expected an easy ride today for our triumphant entrance into St. Louis.  However, the day was anything but easy. Because of predicted early morning thundershowers we delayed our start until 6 a.m. (that is a late morning for us).  We had fresh doughnuts and coffee at Kim’s Bakery before leaving Grafton, IL.  We got about 8 miles into the ride when the sky got black, lighting danced just to our west, and Joe let out an ungodly shriek that stopped traffic.  Joe chose the last day of our ride and our worst weather to have a flat tire.  No sooner did he get off his bike than the sky opened up and we got drowned.  Once we got back on our bikes we cycled another mile and found shelter at an abandoned gas station.  When the rain stopped we headed out again on a bike trail.  The bike trail was so flooded that when our pedals were in the down position our feet went underwater up to our ankles. 

We eventually made it into the town of Afton where we knew they had several restaurants.  Unfortunately, they were all closed but eventually we found a Mac Donald’s where we had another short respite. Leaving Afton we cycled on the levee with an asphalt trail.  Eventually, the asphalt turned into gravel.  Just when we thought that things could not get worse the gravel ended and we sank into mud.  Because we were not paying close attention we both ended up in the mud.  It was so soft and sticky that we could not move.  Mud was caked so thick between the wheels and fenders the wheels would not turn.  The mud was so deep and thick that bikes stood by themselves.  In addition when we lifted our feet we had a ton of mud on them.  With great effort we drug our bikes off the trail and onto the grass embankment.  The muddy section was about 100 yards long so we drug our bikes along the embankment for that distance.  On the other side we again came to a gravel section where we found water puddles and tried to clean our bikes.  It took a good half hour and required some dis-assembly.  As we headed off again, we noticed that we missed our turn to cross the river to Missouri.  Going back to the turnoff would have put us back into the mud.  Going forward meant that we had to carry our bikes for about 20 feet then lift them over a closed gate.  Yes, we were having fun and reminded each other that adversity becomes adventure after 2 beers and a shower—rain showers don’t count!

On the Missouri side we stopped at numerous puddles to clean our bikes and bodies.  About 7 miles outside of St. Louis we hit a head wind.  Joe, the optimist, said that a head wind was good because it would dry our clothes.  This is the same Joe who said each time it lightening that it was great that Jeff was taller than him.

Arriving in St. Louis we headed directly to Amtrak to check our bikes then we took a taxi to our hotel.  The hotel is an upscale Marriott.  When we walked in we were greeted by the manager who wondered how we got so muddy.  We told her that we did clean up and that we would be back in 1 hour and show her that we can be presentable.

Sorry no pictures today. 

Summary statistics for our trip from Bemidji, Minnesota:

Ø      21 days of consecutive cycling.

Ø      1,200 miles.

Ø      57 miles per day average.

Ø      Longest day was 75 miles from Aitkin, MN to Little Falls, MN.

Ø      Shortest day was 26 miles from South St. Paul, MN to Hastings, MN.

Ø      Indeterminable number of bugs swallowed.

Maps:   Toady   Trip to Date

Gafton, Illinois

Our day started out really early as we cycled for about an hour before we saw daylight.  We were ok with this since we were backtracking and knew the road had a nice shoulder and there would be minimal traffic.  We arrived in the town of Pleasant Hill, IL after 15 miles of cycling.  This was the town where we had hoped to spend the previous night but the lodgings were no longer in business.  We did find an open restaurant.  Unlike our previous breakfast stops, the patrons were not overly friendly to us.  However, the owner (the cook) was very grandmotherly to us and fed us well.

From there we cycled to the town of Hamburg, IL were the Mississippi River flooded our route.  We managed to cycle around the closed streets and headed into about 20 miles of rolling hills.  These hills were short but very steep and some required use of our granny gears and lots of sucking wind.  At this point we were motivated by the thunder and lighting that was chasing us. 

Along the way we noticed lots of barns with quilt patches painted on them.  We speculated as to there purpose and came up with one theory.  We know that quilts were used by the slaves to mark trails to freedom for runaways.  If so, we could have been on an underground railway route.  Regardless, they were interesting and provided a new twist to Joe’s old barn photo series.

In Brussels we stopped at a bakery.  This time it was a real bakery but we were still disappointed in the limited selection.  About 8 miles north we caught the Brussels Ferry to Grafton, IL.  The bike trail into Grafton was also flooded.  Since there was little traffic on the roads it was not a problem.  Two years ago when we cycled the Lewis and Clark route we took this ferry after leaving Grafton.  Another coincidence is our lodging in Grafton.  This is our next to last night on this trip and 2 years ago our second night was at the same hotel and same room.

Arriving in Grafton, we noticed that many of the restaurants were closed despite posting business hours indicating that they would be open today.  The hotel manager told us that the economy is so bad that these places (as well as his restaurant) just decided to close on Monday’s. 

One of us was obsessed about cycling 70 miles and reaching our hotel by 11 a.m.  Despite the many hills, food stops, flooded routes, photo opportunities we made it into town by his 11 o’clock goal.  However, he was disappointed that actual mileage was 2 miles short of 70.

Maps:  Today    Trip to date

Pictures

Louisiana, Missouri

Our morning started out with sunshine and calm air.  Needless to say, we were excited and looking forward to a great cycling day.  You can probably guess what happened to our day.  After 2 hours of bliss we decided to cycle across the Mississippi to the home of Mark Twain.  Hannibal, Missouri was still asleep when we got there and we did not get to see Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer.  As we were eating breakfast we noticed that the sky was getting dark and the wind was blowing.

Back on the Illinois side of the river we got on state route 106.  The author of our guide book describes this road as flat and a place to “find a comfortable cadence and enjoy your ride.”  We had head winds and struggled to “enjoy” our flat ride.

Finding lodging for tonight proved difficult. We had hopped to stay in Pleasant Hill, IL and last night called the 3 places we identified.  The Motel did not answer its telephone and its voice mail box was full, the B&B’s phone number was disconnected, and the third place was expensive, off route, and had no food options.  Expanding our search put us across the river in Louisianan, Missouri at the River’s Edge Motel.  The motel is literally on river’s edge and just feet from the bridge.  We were given a nice room that overlooks the river and were told that each spring Cycle America stops here on their Mississippi River Tour.

We have 2 cycling days left until we reach our ending point in St. Louis, Missouri. When we planned this trip we left open the possibility of going all the way to Memphis, Tennessee.   However, we decided that we are both ready to head to the comforts of our homes.

Maps:  Today    Trip to Date

Pictures

Quincy, Illinois

Last night’s weather forecast led us to expect sunny skies, low 70 degree temperatures, and 15 mph winds from the NW.  The reality of today only brought 1 of the three expectations.  The day was overcast with light intermittent showers and temperatures in the low 60s.  However, the most important expectation was fully met and we flew.

Leaving Fort Madison, Iowa we had to cycle for a few miles on a 4 lane highway with a small 2 foot shoulder with rumble strips every 30 feet.  Not very nice but the traffic was light so it was no problem.  Ironically, about an hour later we cycled 10 miles on a closed road with 5 foot shoulders and no traffic. 

Entering the town of Keokuk, Iowa we cycled along the Mississippi before climbing into town.  There our route took us along “millionaire” row with wonderful restored mansions that overlook the river.  The attached photos are just a small sample of the wonderful homes we saw.  In Keokuk we crossed the river into Illinois and cycled to the town of Warsaw.

For days we have been fantasizing about finding a bakery and getting a slice of pie or fresh pastries.  As we entered Warsaw we saw the Gingerbread Bakery and knew we had to stop.  Upon entering the bakery, the 8 customers there stopped talking and stared at us.  We responded by saying “good morning, we must be in the right place.”  That broke the ice and the conversation flowed.  While the people were friendly we were not in a bakery.  The glass case had 2 cake doughnuts and 4 oblong iced doughnuts; none of which looked like they were baked in the Gingerbread Bakery. A sign that listed the daily specials looked like it had not be changed in years but at one time offered frog legs and peach pie.  Leaving Warsaw we cycled within 10 feet of the Mississippi mud flats and soon came across a youth fishing contest where many children were competing for prizes for catching the largest cat fish and turtle.

The next 20 miles to Ursa was a cyclist’s dream.  The road was relatively flat and went just the right direction for us to take advantage of the tail winds.  We covered these 20 miles in just a little over 1 hour.  That included the time we took to talk to Greg who was cycling in the opposite direction on a day trip.

We pulled into Quincy and were surprised that it is a large city.  We had to cycle 3 miles from the river (of course, all up hill).  Unlike most hotels on this trip, this one is located in a commercial area offering a wide choice of eating places.

Maps:  Today    Trip to Date

Pictures

Fort Madison, Iowa

Like yesterday, we woke to a heavy thunder storm forcing us to delay our start for over and hour.  We hoped to find breakfast before leaving town but nothing was open.  So we hit the road with 2 bananas each and a bag of Twizzlers (Joe’s favorite food).  Once we were underway we faced strong headwinds for our 3 hour ride into Burlington.   Besides our breakfast stop for the bananas and Twizzlers we only made one stop at the Toolesboro Indian Mounds.  We were there before the interpretive center was open so we did not get much out of the stop other than seeing mounds of dirt. 

Arriving in Burlington (a large city) we expected to have our choice of at least a dozen breakfast places.  In the “downtown” area we asked about 10 people where to eat and the best that was offered was either the gas station or a 2 mile ride out to the highway where there were many places to eat.  With a heavy heart we parked our bikes at the gas station. There we were approached by the first person we asked about food.  He told us that he felt bad that he could not give us a better answer the first time he talked to us so he kept asking until he found us a spot.  That spot was only 2 blocks (meaning 8 blocks) further on our route.  So we headed off to Jerry’s Diner, a very small place with about 10 stools at the counter and no tables.  We squeezed in on the 2 available stools and were welcomed by Michele, the chief, and several of the customers. Michele has the warmest smile and a twinkle in her eyes that made her customers feel extra special. Even though we were hungry and our objectivity may be questioned, the food was fantastic.  Thanks Michele!  And the price was also amazing: 2 eggs over, coffee, and 1 very large pancake was only $3.50.

Next we headed toward Fort Madison, our destination for the day.  About 8 miles out of town our route indicated that we should get off the fast highway that we were on for only a short time and take country roads the rest of the way.  The highway had a 2 foot shoulder and the speed limit was 65 mph; not a good option but only 8 miles to town.  Our country road route was 13 miles and had hills; also not a good option.  We flipped a coin and took the country road which had less traffic and allowed us to stop at a rodeo, a bison ranch, and gave Joe time to take some pictures. 

We are safely tucked in at a nice hotel and glad that we did not get caught in any storms today.

Maps:   Today    Trip to Date

Pictures

Wapello, Iowa

We woke to auspicious skies and decided to turn on the TV for a weather report.  The local station’s broadcast was dominated by severe weather warnings and related weather news. We were directly in the path of the storm that recorded a front with 50 plus lighting strikes, 50 to 60 mile winds, and golf ball size hail.  Related news was about the damage the storm was causing—trees and power lines down and flash flooding.  We waited an hour and let the front pass be for heading out.  It was raining but we were determined to move on.  Within 3 miles we found a breakfast spot and walked in looking like drenched rats.  Other patrons were either questioning our sanity or praising us for our spirit of adventure.  After breakfast we went another 15 miles and sometimes enjoyed a tail wind.  However, when we reached a town that was home of the “Rockets” (the school’s mascot but we don’t remember the town’s name) the headwinds stopped us in our tacks.  It was time for a second cup of coffee and hot cinnamon rolls. After a half hour layover we got back on our bikes and got drenched in a downpour that lasted until we reached Muscatine, Iowa. 

After reaching Muscatine one of us wanted to stop but the other wanted to go on.  We flipped a coin and headed to Wapello.  For the most part the rain held off and we had a slight tailwind to carry us along.  Depending on the weather for the rest of the day, we may either venture downtown for dinner or just hibernate in the motel for the rest of the day.

Maps:  Today    Trip to Date

Videos of today's storm from our hotel room door, about an hour before we left on our bikes. 

Rock Island, Illinois

Last evening in Savannah the hotel staff invited us to a reception that was planned to show off their newly renovated rooms to the local community.  We had hot and cold snacks, fruit, wine, and beer.  It was very good and allowed us to skip dinner.

Today we had bike trails for most of our 65 mile journey.  Leaving the hotel we had to backtrack into town to catch our first bike path.  It took us 15 miles to Fulton where we caught another bike path.  It was like that all day.  It was not even difficult to navigate.  All we had to do was keep the Mississippi River on our right and route 84 on our left and head south. The morning heat and humidity were uncomfortable but by mid-morning a storm front moved in and it cooled us off for a while.  Even though the storm brought the headwinds it also produced some cooling rain. 

Near Moline we passed a hotdog vendor in a park.  His dogs smelled so good that we stopped and ate.  This hot dog vendor was very popular.  In addition to a steady stream of customers, a small bus from a retirement community stopped so the residence could feast on his dogs.  While we were eating, 2 women cyclists stopped to ask about our journey.

Our hotel for the night is an older hotel that is undergoing renovations.  While the room is nice the desk clerk sat behind bullet proof Plexiglas.    The neighborhood isn’t much better.  The streets are lined with “car title loan” businesses and pawnshops.  We don’t plan to go out after dark.  This is far different from all the other places we have stayed.

Maps:  Today    Trip to Date

Pictures

Savanna, , Illinois

Savanna wasn’t our planned destination but with the heat index rising above 100 we decided to stop early.  Backing up, we left our hotel this morning at 5:00 and headed into Illinois.  Our first town along the way was Galena where we stopped for breakfast.  The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and was the residence of Ulysses S. Grant.  It is an amazing river town that has been restored and full of interesting shops and restaurants.  We had breakfast in the Victory Café where we were greeted like regular customers.  Some stops ago we found out that if we sit at the counter we are quickly integrated into the morning conversations.

From Galena we headed south along the river on some country roads before reaching Savanna were the bank temperature showed 92 degrees at 10:30 in the morning.   The ride to Savanna was fast and very pleasant cycling.  If it weren’t for the heat we could have cycled forever.  Finding a hotel became a priority.

Maps:  Today     Trip to Date

Pictures

Dubuque, Iowa

To get a jump on the heat we left the hotel before 5 a.m. and quickly found a place for breakfast.  Later in the morning we stopped for cherry pie and coffee and near the end of our ride we found a place with great lemonade.  When burning 5,000 calories a day, food takes a dominate role in our trips.

Whine time: hills, heat, humidity, and headwinds.  Nor can we forget the bugs.  That being said, we had a great day but it was tough.  We came down through Iowa and the roads go along the river then climb to the bluffs.  After cycling on the bluffs the road drops back down to the river. Then it starts all over again with another climb, 6 times!

In Dubuque we found the best way to climb a hill.  In 1882 a rich banker wanted to go home for lunch but the buggy ride took to long to go around the hill and up to his home.  The banker built an incline railway up to his home on the top of the bluff.  Since then the Fenelon Place Elevator Company has changed hands and been restored.  It now operates as a tourist attraction. After our many climbs, riding up the hill in a cable car was easy.

Maps:   Today     Trip to Date
Pictures

Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin

One of us is an early riser and the other is an even earlier riser so we were ready to have breakfast at 5:30 but the hotel did not start serving until 7:30.  Therefore we started cycling south looking for a place to stop.  After 10 miles we found a place for coffee and doughnuts but that was not very satisfying.  Our next stop was 20 miles later in a bar that served breakfast.  It was dingy but the food was very good and the men took an interest in our trip.  With our early start we got to our hotel by 11:00.  While still early, the heat made us glad that our cycling was done for the day. 

We decided to spend another day cycling in Wisconsin. Other than a 5 mile stretch near our destination, the road was flat with good shoulders. The 5 mile stretch was through rolling terrain with not so gentle inclines.  Most of the ride was along the river and very scenic.  However, we did not take a lot of pictures because the rive views have been pretty much the same. Hopefully, we are not becoming jaded.

Maps:  Today    Trip to Date

Pictures

La Crosse, Wisconsin

We started our day at the Eagle Café in Wabasha.  We knew we were at the right place for breakfast because several men were waiting at the door for them to open at 6 a.m.  We sat at the counter with the rest of the local men (it seemed to be a men only place).  The first thing discussed was the Grumpy Old Men movies.  According to this crowd, the story was set in Wabasha but filmed elsewhere.  With some bitterness, the men indicated that the film people found a town that looked more like Wabasha than Wabasha.  The next topic for conversation was our trip.  After they analyzed our trip to date, today’s route was discussed. One man had his computer opened and showed us a route down the Wisconsin side of the river.  Based on his advice we changed our plans and crossed the Mississippi.  It turned out to be a great ride with 2 lane roads and minimal traffic.  We stopped in Buffalo City (not really a city but a rural community of less than a 1,000 people) for our second breakfast.  While they did not have any pies, we did get another plate sized pancake. 

We crossed back into Minnesota (a shorter route on a long day) and took a slow ride through the town of Winona.  From there it was just highway cycling until we got into La Crosse, Wisconsin where we are spending the night.

Along the way we were told that the Mississippi is still high and flooding because the Corps of Engineers is trying to retain as much water as they can in the upper basin to avoid worse problems on the lower part of the river.

Maps:  Today    Trip to Date

Pictures

Wabasha, Minnesota

Do you remember what movie was made in Wabasha?  Hint, while you are thinking about that, we want to whine a little.  Today we faced the 7 biblical plagues:  (1) bugs hitting us while we were cycling, (2) bugs eating us alive when we slowed or stopped, (3) headwinds, (4) humidity, (5) traffic, (6) heat, and (7) one big hill.  Now that we got that out of the way, the 1993 movie Grumpy Old Men and the 1995 movie Grumpier Old Men were filmed in Wabasha.  Fitting, that we are 2 old men cycling through the 7 plagues but we are not at all grumpy.

Our first stop was in Red Wing were we enjoyed coffee and pie at Bev’s Café in the heart of the town’s historic district.  The town was settled in the 1850s and is the home of Red Wing shoes, a name that many old-timers remember.  From there we cycled through Frontenac to Lake City (a resort town on the Mississippi). On this section we met Anders Forselius, a Swedish journalist who is cycling around the United States to participate in marathons.  After our day we are lucky to be able to walk to a restaurant and here is a guy that runs 26 miles at the end of his day’s ride. In Wabasha we saw 3 more touring cyclists.  Since all these cyclists were heading north, they missed cycling through the 7 plagues.

In Wabasha we stopped at the National Eagle Center where we participated in an educational program and saw several different eagles in rehabilitation.  Walking outside we saw several free eagles above the river.    The town has kept its historic character but is also a resort town with many modern restaurants and downtown lodgings.

Maps:  Today    Trip to Date

Pictures

Hastings, Minnesota

Like the river, our terrain has begun to change.  The Mississippi is getting wider and barges can now be seen moving down river and the gentle rolling hills are becoming real hills.  When we started this morning we anticipated another 70 mile day.  However, the headwinds proved to be stronger than us.  After 27 miles we were whipped and decided to stop in Hastings for coffee and a discussion about how much further we should go.  We went into Benny’s Café where Benny not only made us fresh coffee but served slices of his wife’s apple cake. Before we left Benny also introduced us to his 9 month old son who helped entertain customers.  

Hastings is near the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. It has a population of over 22,000 and is a riverboat port. The City dates back to the 1800s and the downtown area has been restored and is lively.  We toured the downtown and went to a river overlook before cycling uphill into the headwinds for a hotel.  As we sit in our hotel and watch the trees quake, we wonder why cycling 27 miles into a headwind is much harder than yesterday’s 70 miles of cycling.

Maps:  Today   Trip to date
Pictures

St Paul, Minnesota

We had a great day.  The weather was wonderful and the cycling easy.  We left our hotel at just after 6 a.m. and caught a slight tail wind that allowed us to fly for about 30 miles before we hit the trails that would take us through Minneapolis St. Paul metropolitan area.  The trails either ran along the river or overlooked the river.  Some of the river trails were flooded, requiring some alternate routes.  At one location we asked a woman about an alternate route.  She told us how to go through the woods to bypass the flooding.  She indicated that near the end of the bypass we would have to lift our bikes over a fallen tree.  “Following” her instructions we climbed a dirt path that was soft sand and difficult even to push our bikes.  When we finally hit paved roads we wondered where we missed the fallen tree.  We cycled another 20 minutes and got back on the trail only to see the same lady in front of us.  Yes, we missed her turnoff and took a much longer route.

In St. Paul we stopped at the old flour mill in the heart of the downtown.  There we met Bill, a Segway tour leader.  After his group passed, Bill let us ride the Segway along the bike path.  Afterward, we had lunch at a Thai restaurant before continuing south. We arrived at our hotel at 2:30 p.m. While it was a long day we were both amazed at the amount of time we spent on bike trails.  Looking back at our GPS log we believe that we had about 32 miles of trails.

Map:  Today     Trip To Date

Pictures

Monticello, Minnesota

According to yesterday’s weather forecast, today was to bring mid-morning thunderstorms and winds gusting to 40 mph.  Therefore we left St. Cloud at 6 a.m. and headed south.  About 10 miles into our ride we were hit with about 30 minutes of rain.  After that the weather got strange. We had periods where the sky was as dark as night and then periods when it seemed as bright as the sun at the beach.  Also, the winds kept changing directions.  Sometimes it blew from the west then changed to slightly northwest giving us tailwinds.  Other times it blew from the south giving us headwinds.  However, we must have had perfect timing because the strong winds did not start until we were just a mile from our hotel. As we write this entry we are looking out our hotel window watching the trees being whipped around and thankful we are not riding.

Maps:  Today        Trip to date

Pictures

St Cloud

Today it took 2 tries to get out of our hotel.  Our fist exit lasted less than 10 minutes as the thunderstorm overwhelmed us.  We checked back into the hotel but were going crazy flipping the channels. We were looking for a weather forecast that we liked which was hard to find.  We also watched parts of several movies before we flipped out.  After a 2 hour wait the rain stopped and we decided to go to St. Cloud, 40 miles south into a 15 to 25 mph headwind.  It only took us 5 hours but we made it.  Since the headwinds are to continue tomorrow, we plan another short day.

The lilacs have been in full bloom but today was the first day that it got warm enough for their fragrance to permeate the air.  Lilacs line the highways and their smell took our mind off the wind. 

Maps:  Today

            Trip To Date

Picture

Little Falls

Do we look malnourished, in need of mothering, or are we just charmers?  It happened again when we went for breakfast at the Roadside Family Restaurant in Aitkin.  Babe, our waitress took charge of our meal.  We both wanted the “one pancake, egg, and 2 slices of bacon” breakfast special.  Babe did not think that was enough food for 2 hungry bikers and told the cook to make our blueberry pancakes larger.  Our one pancake extended far beyond the plate and was half an inch thick requiring us to eat it starting from the center.  Before we tackled our pancakes she insisted that we take 2 of her fresh baked cinnamon buns that were also huge. We each ate most of our pancake and took the buns for lunch.  Thanks Babe, we had a great breakfast and lunch and enjoyed your warm personality.

The beginning of our ride followed along the Mississippi as it headed west.  In Crosby both the river and we turned south. We pushed along until we got to Brainerd where we stopped for coffee to go with our cinnamon buns.  At the coffee shop we joined 2 motorcyclists at a sidewalk table and swapped stories.  From there we headed south toward Little Falls.  Finally, the winds were in our favor and they pushed us at 15 mph over the remaining 30 miles of today’ ride.

The Mississippi River at Little Falls changed its nature as it poured through a hydroelectric dam.  It was no longer the sleepy river we had been following.

Maps:  Today  

           Trip To Date

Pictures

Aitkin

Last evening was eventful.  After posting our blog, we went to the restaurant next to the hotel.   The bartender took a liking to us and gave us free beers and then reduced the check further by giving us a motel discount.  The euphoria of that kindness evaporated at 3 a.m. when a band of motorcyclists decided to roost after a night of drinking.  Joe asked one of the women to be quiet but about an hour later the noise started again with pounding on a door.  Before Joe jumped into action he sized up the 6 foot 4 inch monster in leathers and tattoos and decided to just slink back into our room.  The next morning hotel management was apologetic for the noise and reduced our room rate.  It was great that Joe lived to see some financial benefit from his disturbed sleep. 

The first part of our route was 50 desolate miles with no services and no cars. Joe likened it to cycling in Kansas but with trees.  Our ride started with cold temperatures and overcast skies.  By mid-morning the sun came out and we got to ride along the Mississippi River. Both of which gave us pleasure.

Our first and only stop was at Palisade Café in the town of Palisade.  One of our guide books reported that the café had the best pies on the entire River Road.  We could not let this claim go untested.  After viewing all the pies in the case and making a selection we agree that the quality of their blue berry pie is outstanding.  Just for the record we ate our pie before we ate our sandwiches and promised to test additional pies further down the road.   From Palisade we only had to cycle another 20 miles to Aitkin.  In hindsight we should have stayed at the café and eaten pie all night.  Our 20 mile ride was directly into a 15 to 25 mph headwind and took us 3 hours to reach our hotel.  

Today's Map 

Pictures

Grand Rapids

Because we extended yesterday’s ride, today’s journey was relatively short.  Neither the terrain nor wind conditions changed.  However, our surprise was the 32 degree temperature when we woke.  The desk clerk told us that if we wanted spring weather in northern Minnesota, we would need to stay around until August. While waiting for the temperature to warm up to a balmy 40 degrees, we ate a slow breakfast and drank lots of coffee. 

The most remarkable thing about today’s ride was the lack of traffic. For most of our miles we had the road to ourselves.  We enjoyed the Minnesota’s Forest History Center just outside of Grand Rapids.  The center houses a museum and a reconstructed logging camp staffed by docents in period costumes.  As can be seen from the attached pictures we enjoyed the experience with several groups of middle school children.

Today's Map 

Pictures

Deer River

Like yesterday we cycled gentle rolling terrain in cool weather.  Unlike yesterday, the head winds were not a big factor, but they still blew.  We cycled through the Chippewa National Forest with the hopes of seeing bald eagles that make it their home.  However, they were no where to be seen.  We did stop along the Lady Slipper Parkway where we were told that a large flock of birds off in a distance were pelicans. Since we associate pelicans with the ocean we were skeptical.  Besides, we wanted eagles.

Our day’s destination was the Gosh Dam Place motel.  In hind sight we missed some significant clues that would have had us call ahead for reservations.  As we turned off the highway we had a 12 mile ride to the motel.  Numerous campers and trucks passed us all pulling boats.  When we got near the hotel we saw a large lake and many resorts filled with campers and boats.  As we pulled into the motel’s parking lot we saw 2 dozen pickup trucks with boats.  In our defense, neither of us are fishermen and did not know that it is fishing season. 

As eternal optimists, we went into the packed bar/motel and asked for a room.  Lucky for us Linda, the owner, was very kind.  Despite being swamped with customers, she located a motel for us 12 miles away in Deer River and called for reservations.  While neither of us wanted to cycle another 12 miles we were thankful that we had a place to stay.  Linda is this trip’s first trail angel.  Being smarter, we have decided that we will call ahead for reservations at our future stops.

Maps:  Today
Pictures

Bemidji, MN

Bemidji, the first city on the Mississippi was named after its lake of the same name. It is an Indian name meaning the river runs through it.  The Mississippi River here is nothing like the mighty muddy found further south.  In Bemidji we saw a rendering of its famous lumber jack, Paul Bunyan, and Babe, his Blue Ox companion.  In addition, we had the opportunity to enjoy the town’s “art walk” where commissioned artwork sits on many of the corners in the historic district.

Today started out early with the bright morning sun shining through the window and the birds calling us to wake up and ride. The cool morning air was somewhat mitigated by the warm sun and the anticipation of our adventure.  Bemidji is 32 miles northeast of the Mississippi’s headwaters at Lake Itasca State Park.  Our ride to the headwaters was over country roads with no traffic.  Getting there involved an elevation gain of only 300 feet and the terrain was gentle rolling hills.  So far it sounds like a cyclist’s dream ride.  In fact, we even had a slight tail wind pushing us.  Our ride to the park was fast and easy.

It was sort of sad however, to see the Mississippi getting smaller as we got closer the headwaters.  Lake Itasca empties over a spillway and becomes the Mississippi.  Heading back to Bemidji we got to see the river grow, as it should.  We are looking forward to seeing this small stream evolve into the river that we know as the "Mighty Muddy". 

Leaving the park we found that the slight tail wind was now a strong headwind.  Our trip back was not the easy ride we had earlier.  By the time we got back to our hotel we wondered if we would ever cycle again.  However, as we learned early on during our first trip, “adversity becomes adventure after 2 beers and a shower.”  Lets hope tomorrow’s winds will be friendlier.

Pictures from Today (and yesterday) -- Pictures

Map of today's ride -- Map

Planning

We planned our trip following the 2008 guide written by Bob Robinson: “Bicycling Guide to the Mississippi River Trail:  A Complete Route Guide Along the Mississippi River.”  In addition we used various state tourist information web sites including the Mississippi River Trail site http://www.mississippirivertrail.org/.  We put our route and lodging information into GPS format, developed elevation charts, and created mileage and route options.  We also researched things "to see and do" along the route and entered them in our GPS.  

Getting to the start of our bicycling adventures always seems to be the most challenging part of our trips.  To get to the Mississippi headwaters in Minnesota we plan to meet in Chicago (Joe from New York and Jeff from Virginia) via Amtrak.  From there we will take another Amtrak train to St. Paul and then drive a rental car northwest to Bemidji.  From there we plan to cycle to the headwaters at Lake Itasca State Park.

Technical details:
    A Google Map of our planned bike trip Map 
    The elevation profiles by state Profiles