Tag: Bike Across America

Friday, July 21, 2017

Start: La Crosse, Wisconsin
End: Mauston, Wisconsin
Mileage today/cumulative: 78 / 2,435
Elevation Ascended: 2,667′
Weather:  Cloudy, 70° at start; rain, 77° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

Today was one of those “best laid plans” days. After pushing it pretty hard the past couple of days, we planned for an active recovery ride because the middle 32 miles of our 75-mile route was on the Elroy-Sparta trail. This is a hard-packed crushed gravel  bike path that was the first Rails to Trails project in the United States. It includes three tunnels that you must walk your bike through because once you enter them you cannot see the other end. It’s so dark that you cannot see your hand in front of your face without a flashlight or headlamp.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate with our plan. Before we even arrived at the trailhead, we were detoured due to road construction. Then we came upon a road crew assessing a bridge that sustained serious damage last night from flash flooding. They allowed us to ride through the debris but the bridge was closed to automobiles. It was impressive to see what a sudden onslaught of water can do to asphalt and cement. When we showed up to begin the Elroy-Sparta trail, we were told by our ABB team leader that we would not be allowed to ride on the trail. She showed us the weather radar, which was basically one enormous blob of green, orange, and red that was coming toward us. It also included a flash flood alert. Because the trail is hard-packed, it could become messy and difficult to navigate, with mechanical or medical support unavailable, if needed. So, we were rerouted onto a paved road that paralleled the trail. It also meant that we had to climb three hills that we would have “tunneled” through. We were disappointed but now we have an excuse to come back and ride the trail.

A trip like this requires going with the flow and staying positive, so we hopped on our bikes and rode like mad to stay ahead of the looming storm we saw on the radar. So much for active recovery – at that point it was just ACTIVE. We didn’t beat the rain – it finally caught us with about 40 miles to go – but nothing that required us to stop or seek shelter. We did slow down long enough to wave at the Amish gentleman riding into “town” in his buggy. All was forgiven and forgotten when we reached our second SAG stop and found that the staff had bought cheese curds. I’m pretty sure we ate our weight in cheese before getting back on our bikes for the last 20 miles or so. Team Pea fueled by Wisconsin cheese. Blurp.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Start: Rochester, Minnesota
End: La Crosse, Wisconsin
Mileage today/cumulative: 87 / 2,357
Elevation Ascended: 2,661′
Weather: Partly cloudy, 69° at start; sunny, 87° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

We are officially in the East! The last few miles of today’s ride included crossing the Wisconsin state line and riding over the Mississippi River. For some reason, the Mississippi is the demarcation between east and west even though we’re still in the Central Time Zone and we’re still in the Midwest. Go figure.

Minnesota sent us out on a positive note today with a couple of real climbs, nicer roads, and a slight change of scenery. There was still corn and soy as far as you could see, then kale and broccoli appeared out of nowhere. WOOHOO!!! After seeing nothing but corn and soy for days, it doesn’t take much to get us excited.

We were clearly in Scandinavian country with bakeries prominently featured in each town we rode through. In fact, our route featured ten miles on a bike path that ended at bakery/coffee shop. We devoured a couple of strawberry-cream cheese pastries that were memorable. Minnesota farmers also have a sense of humor. One of them painted a sign that read “We hope you enjoy our dairy air.” Nordic humor is an acquired thing.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t give a big Happy Birthday shoutout to my Mom, who has always encouraged me to live a full and rich life by being curious and adventurous. I would never be doing something like this if not for her.

 

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Start: Mankato, Minnesota
End: Rochester, Minnesota
Mileage today/cumulative: 101 / 2,270
Elevation Ascended: 2,083′
Weather: Sunny, 71° at start; cloudy, 82° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

Today’s ride was windy. How windy, you ask? On today’s ride I’m pretty sure that I saw Dorothy, her house, and Toto, followed by my ex-mother-in-law riding a broom.  This ride was a complete Minnesota beat down and we were never happier to see our hotel at the end when we finally rolled in at 3:00. And then this popped up on my phone while Bev was showering:

This was soon followed by a “Minnesota nice” Hampton Inn employee knocking on the door to inform us that we were under a tornado warning and that “if the wind picks up, get in the bathtub.” Well, okay, if I MUST get back in the shower/tub with my hot wife…

Today, the view on both sides of the road had four variations: corn and corn, corn and soy, soy and corn, soy and soy. It’s also apparent that every town in Minnesota schedules all of their road construction in July. I guess that’s what happens when winter begins in September and ends in June. Because of that, we had detours that added a mile and one-half to the ride. That wouldn’t have been a big deal except that we were already riding 99 miles into relentless, punishing headwinds with repeated gusts that moved our bikes where we weren’t pointing them. It also pushed us over 100 miles for consecutive days. The road conditions were rough for most of the route, so combined with the wind and mileage, we agreed that this was the toughest day so far.

The tornado warning has been lifted, torrential rain has stopped, and skies are clearing. Tomorrow is our last day in Minnesota and we’re counting on better conditions to push us over the Mississippi River and into Wisconsin!

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Start: Worthington, Minnesota
End: Mankato, Minnesota
Mileage today/cumulative: 111 / 2,169
Elevation Ascended: 1,325′
Weather: Cloudy, 70° at start; partly cloudy, 82° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

It took thirty days and 2,090 miles, but we finally got wet. We were hoping to outride the rain today but it finally caught us thirty miles into the route. Nothing hard – just enough to make a mess of our bikes and clothing. We skirted thunderstorms for the first half of the ride, keeping our eyes out for buildings that could provide shelter from lightning and grateful that we didn’t need them today. In the end, it turned out to be another beautiful ride in Minnesota with rolling farmland and interesting skies. We ran into our share of road construction and minor detours over dirt and gravel roads but nothing that did more than make an even bigger mess of our bikes. We’re also still in search of an unkind Minnesotan but I think they must deport them to New Jersey.

The towns between Worthington and Mankato are small town Midwest with tree lined streets and green lawns. Each town has a grain elevator, which can be seen from several miles out. There were also lots of hog farms that are hard to miss because the smell can be detected from miles away. We spent some late miles on a shaded bike path that had a few downed tress from the storm that we managed to miss. A little bush whacking and tree hurdling with bikes made the ride that much more interesting.

Because it was a longer mileage day and the forecast called for a high chance of early afternoon thunderstorms at our destination, we pushed hard to “get it done”. The forecast turned out to be wrong but that was okay. It just meant extra time for a Dairy Queen visit, bike cleaning, a quick load of laundry, and showering. We silently apologized to Holiday Inn Express for all of the dirt and grime that ended up in our shower drain. When riding a bicycle, everything sticks to sunscreen. Sand, mud, even the road spray from passing cattle trucks (lovely!). Showering tonight reminded me of returning home from week-long Boy Scout summer camp and my mother making me strip down before entering the house (presumably so that she could burn my clothing) and getting in the shower, which was hopelessly overmatched.

We began this adventure exactly one month ago by dipping our wheels in the Pacific Ocean and we’ve ridden our bicycles more than 2,000 miles in that time. You’d think it would get old but we wake up with just as much excitement and anticipation of what the day will bring as we did on day one. Tomorrow is another day and it’s “only” 99 miles to Rochester, home of the Mayo Clinic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, July 17, 2017

Start: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
End: Worthington, Minnesota
Mileage today/cumulative: 69 / 2,058
Elevation Ascended: 1,217′
Weather: Sunny, 75° at start; sunny, 91° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

Rest days are good but it sure was nice to get back on our bikes again and head east. Sioux Falls was good for massages, afternoon naps, and a Lycra-free day but it’s not going to show up on any Best Places to Live lists. To their credit, the city planners built a nice bike path that we spent our first nine miles on today, but otherwise it’s not yet a cycling or pedestrian friendly city.

Once we got out of Sioux Falls, it was a short ride to the Minnesota state line, where we took photos and celebrated entering our fifth state (and adding a new state to our cycling map). The humidity level kicked up a notch today and we’ll be adding bug spray to our growing list of things to apply every morning. Our pores may be permanently clogged by the end of this tour.

Today’s landscape was corn and soybeans for as far as the eyes could see. Unlike central South Dakota, which is suffering from a drought, the corn fields in southern Minnesota look healthy and provided some Field of Dreams photo opportunities. With fresh legs and, at 69 miles, the shortest day we’ll ride in the coming week, everyone made quick work of the route. Bev and I rode the second half of the day by ourselves and worked efficiently to cut through the wind and maintain a strong pace.

Minnesota holds a special place in my heart because so many old friends from Wells Fargo still call it home. I  loved traveling to Minneapolis on business (even in winter) because the people here are extraordinarily kind. When we checked into our hotel today, the staff were Minnesota nice and so excited to see us roll in. They had an entire table with granola bars, bottles of Gatorade, and fresh bananas set out for us.  Welcome to Minnesota!

Mother Nature is shaping up to throw something new at us tomorrow – rain. Staff and riders have all been surprised by the complete lack of rain in these first 29 days but that streak could end tomorrow with a chance of thunderstorms building on a day when we’re riding 111 miles. We’re hoping to outride it but, if not, we’ll be ready.