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.

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