Touring Days with Minimal Drama

After the day in the mud we had absolutely glorious weather the next day (August 5^th).  It was sunny, dry, and cool.  The only issue was a strong headwind that dogged us all day.  We rode from Winnoa to Frontenac State Park where we camped. 

Rest stop on the railing

Lake City fleet idles in the marina.

One of the nicest parks we have stayed in. Five star bathrooms and showers.

Conversation piece.

The next day (August 6^th) we rode short, only about 15 miles to Red Wing, MN and decided take care of some errands, like a visit to the bike shop for lube and a new bicycle computer for me.  Mine had lost a cover in the mud and rain, and at one point said I was going 98 MPH.  I also had to go to the pharmacy and such.   Although it was a “rest day” off the bike, I was busy all day with errands, laundry, and mapping.  There really is no rest for the weary.

Redwing shoes and Redwing shoe signs are everywhere.

August 7^th we went to St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park.  When we were checking into the campsite, we met a fellow cyclist, Jimmy and had a lovely conversation about riding, touring, and the park.  The park was quite lovely and the bathrooms were to write home about!  (The showers were new, the water warm, and they were very, very clean.)  I spent a long time mapping out the next few days and trying to figure out where we were going to land each night.

Jimmy is full of enthusiasm for cycling! We are glad to have shared a moment with him. Ride the good ride, my friend.

Pata at site #1 in Frontenac State Park.

Very beautiful park, clean quiet and relaxing.

The brand new bathroom/shower building. Deluxe all the way!

The navigator plots our course for the next day

Tomorrow (Thursday) we will be in Dalbo, MN at the Bicycle Bunkhouse.  I called Donn Olson the owner to find out if there was anything special I needed to do if we intended to stay there.  There wasn’t; he said to just show up.  However, he also asked if I needed to go to on the Adventure Cycling Route for any reason, as he had an alternative that was less hilly and 22 miles on a bike path.  I said, I was absolutely open to a new route, especially since David says he takes “anti-hill medication.”  He gave me directions which were great. (The only issue being I didn’t know how long between turns.)  We rode about 60 miles and are staying in North Branch, MN tonight and heading to Dalbo tomorrow.