Highlight: Crossing over into Wisconsin, state number 6.
Lowlight: Crossing back into Minnesota for a place to stay for the night. Minnesota isn’t bad but this section of road was heavily traveled.
Cyclemeter: Follow this link to see the data I’m collecting with the cyclemeter app. You can see gps information, speed, elevation, distance, cadence and heart rate. Better viewed on a computer where it’s easier to play around with the graphs.
Minnesota and Minneapolis continue to impress. Almost all of my riding out of Minneapolis and St Paul was on dedicated bike trail or bike lanes on the street. Riding in the city feels very safe. For any cyclists out there, if you are considering riding into or through Minneapolis, don’t be deterred by the city, it’s very bike friendly and safer than biking across Montana.
One of my few crossings of the Mississippis River today
I followed Google Maps bike directions today to Prescott, Wisconsin where I rejoined the northern tier route. I headed southeast out of Minneapolis and into St Paul. The route went through some very nice old neighborhoods with houses likely built a century ago. Mature trees made it difficult to take decent pictures.
Bike lanes in Minneapois are outstanding.
Since I was in a city and my route today wasn’t all that long I decided to stop for a proper second breakfast, something I’ve rarely done on tour. Hope Cafe was on my route, a nice breakfast place in an old firehouse. I had a great biscuits and mushroom gravy along with hash-browns made with bacon and cheese. Should keep me fueled for a while.
Starting a bike path in St Paul
My route crossed the Mississippi a few times as it snakes through the twin cities, including the interstate 495 bridge with a large, separate bike/pedestrian path. They really make the city bike and pedestrian friendly.
Made from Mississippis River trash. At a park along the river.
I crossed over into Wisconsin where the St Croix river meets the Mississippi. They didn’t have a Wisconsin sign but I was later able to take a picture downstream while crossing back into Minnesota for the night.
About to cross over to WIsconsin, St Croix River in the background.
For the next several days I will follow the river south into Iowa. By “following the river” I imagined having the river by my side, I didn’t look all that closely at the map. The route meanders away and back to the river as it heads south, into farmland and as I found out, hills. I was surprised by the hills I encountered in Wisconsin. A couple were long 7% grades, the likes of which I hadn’t seen since Montana at least a couple weeks ago. Full on climbing for a while.
Old tractors seem to be lawn ornaments out here.
I crossed back into Minnesota for a place to stay, at the AmericInn in Red Wing. It’s a chain by Wyndham I’ve never stayed in, thought I would give it a try. There looks to be a good ale house down the road for dinner. Tomorrow I may camp at a Wisconsin state park along the way.
Road view in WIsconsin.View of the Wisconsin Channel in the Mississippi River.Crossing into Wisconsin.
Highlight: Riding almost 20 miles into Minneapolis all on bike path.
Lowlight: Starting to feel uncomfortable heat again, I think it’s getting more humid as I move east.
Cyclemeter: Follow this link to see the data I’m collecting with the cyclemeter app. You can see gps information, speed, elevation, distance, cadence and heart rate. Better viewed on a computer where it’s easier to play around with the graphs.
I really like Minnesota, they do a great job with bike paths. The guy I met yesterday from the Lake Wobegon Trail Association said within ten years they will have hundreds of miles of interconnecting bike path allowing you to criss cross the state by bike. I was impressed with how much bike path I rode even today in St Cloud and Minneapolis.
Bicycle artwork along the bike path.
I wanted to get a little earlier start than the past few days so I could be done by 3:00 or so since I’ll be in a city. I’m relying entirely on Google Maps to guide my way. Like searching for driving directions you can use Google for bicycle directions where they use their all knowing powers to select roads with good shoulders or direct you onto known bike paths. The first mile or two was through St Cloud city streets but I stuck to the sidewalk, no one was walking at this hour.
Row houses along the Mississippi River in Moticello.
I eventually ended up on a bike path that took me about 5 miles out of the city where I picked up country road 75 which parallels highway 52, a large 4 lane highway. The Mississippi River was just off to my east but I couldn’t see it for quit a while. Eventually I was close enough in Monticello to see, and unfortunately smell, the river. I think the water was very low in this area because of the drought with exposed mud flats. The river I saw closer to Minneapolis looked and smelled much better.
An example bike path along the road.
I stopped at a Caribou Coffee for second breakfast. The chain is a mirror image of Starbucks, not sure who is copying who but they could be siblings. I didn’t try the coffee, maybe I’ll have one close to my hotel in Minneapolis tomorrow morning.
There are a lot of small parks along the river.
At about 30 miles or so out of Minneapolis I started seeing a number of new housing developments. These were huge, not just big house but hundreds of them. The area must be experiencing a housing boom.
Bike path along the street outside Minneapolis.
While riding I kept thinking something about Minnesota reminds me of Europe. The small towns I saw yesterday were part of it where everything looked clean, neat and orderly. Closer to the city even some of the buildings had more of a modern European feel. I should have taken more pictures but there’s one here somewhere.
My bike overlooking the Mississippi River. Took me a little over 2,000 miles to get here.
Somewhere around 20-30 miles from the city I started coming across more and more shorter sections of bike path along the road. Eventually it turned into all bike path for the last 15-20 miles. The route stayed close to the river where they have a number of parks and boat access to the water. One even had lockers where you could rent kayaks, like a giant vending machine, never seen anything like it.
Kayak rental lockers along the river.
I crossed over the river briefly at one point. I guess Google found better bike routing on the east side for a few miles. The bridges either had a separate pedestrian/bike walkway or bike lanes on the bridge. Once in downtown there was a lot of foot and bicycle traffic, a very active area. What little I saw of the city looked really nice.
A view up the Mississippi River.
I’m staying in the area known as the Mill District. Back in the day flour mills lined the river, processing all the wheat grown transported by the Mississippi River. The city started redeveloping the area about 20 yeas ago but left some of the old mill ruins standing. The water front park Mill Ruins Park has some of this history. It reminded me of Rome, how ancient Roman ruins are just sprinkled in the modern city.
I saw a lot of building that looked like this. Looks very modern European to me.
My hotel is a Radisson Red, some new chain they are developing that’s kind of artsy with as you can guess a red theme. I found a good deal online for $70. It’s actually quit nice, may not be my decorating tastes but it’s super clean and comfortable and who can beat $70 in a city downtown? FYI, I found the rate by searching hotels on Google Maps. Google does their Google thing and shows you prices. I selected the cheapest from something like lastminutetravel.com or whatever. The regular price is about twice that. Hopefully my credit card now isn’t being used in Singapore, or somewhere.
In some places they have bike and pedestrian paths side by side. Great to keep the two separate.
Tomorrow I’ll use google again to make my way through Minneapolis and St Paul to Prescott, Wisconsin where I hope to rejoin the norther tier. First I have to visit a local brewery or two for dinner.
Bike path in downtown Minneapolis near one of the many bridges over the Mississippi.The Mill Ruins Park area, where old grain mills used to stand, now the ruins are mixed in with the modern city.
Lowlight: Thinking I needed to replace my freehub which would require a 3 day wait for shipping.
Cyclemeter: I had technical problems with cyclemeter today, the data is incomplete. My distance above is accurate but ascent and descent are not, although it was very flat. Follow this link to see the data I’m collecting with the cyclemeter app. You can see gps information, speed, elevation, distance, cadence and heart rate. Better viewed on a computer where it’s easier to play around with the graphs.
Today was a top 5 day for sure. All but a few of my 70 miles were on rail trails with favorable wind conditions. I’m really liking Minnesota. This place is a fantasy land, everything looks like a movie set with quaint towns where you just have to think, that’s not real.
Some lengths of the trail are wide open but all is straight and flat.
I had a slow start again today, had trouble getting up in the morning and I wanted to get yesterdays blog post out. My body does not want to get moving anymore. Last night I was falling asleep so I had to stop writing. Perhaps it’s the few beers I had with dinner last night or the bottle of wine the night before but I don’t think so, my body will metabolize absolutely anything at this point. I feel like I can eat or drink without consequence. I do think I could use some good rest.
Farms here remind me more of the northeast for some reason.
The ride started where I left off on the Central Lakes Trail. At about 15 miles I made it to the town of Osakis and noticed an hardware store. My headlight fell off when descending the continental divide weeks ago and I lost the wing nut that holds it in place, been meaning to buy one so might as well be now. After I went across the street to a coffee shop for second breakfast. They served good tamales which I had along with a mocha. Not something you would stumble across in Montana or North Dakota but maybe in Washington. When I stepped outside I thought, this does not look real. The small main street was fully occupied with store fronts and looked vibrant.
Downtown Osakis, MN. These small towns are so nice and alive.
At this point the Central Lakes Trail became the Lake Wobegon Trail. Fans of public radio know what I’m talking about. Minnesota public radio personality Garrison Keillor lived in the area and told stories about a fictional place called Lake Wobegon in his series named “Prairie Home Companion”.
A nice park along the trail.
At one point I stopped at a boat launch to take pictures when a car approached. The driver stepped out and asked if I was on a cross country bike ride. He’s part of the Lake Wobegon Trail Association. I told him how much I loved the trail. He asked if I knew the Lake Wobegon reference which I did and he asked if I stopped in Freeport to see Charlie’s Cafe. When passing by I saw the cafe from the trail, it sounded familiar but I didn’t know why. Keillor was regular there when he worked at a local radio station. Listening to farmers talk gave him inspiration for a lot of what became a Prairie Home Companion.
Shot taken from the wrong angle but those are all bird houses.
I made several stops along the way. After the coffee shop I stopped at an ice cream place. I must be getting like my mother where I don’t pass up a chance for ice cream. Later I stopped at a grocery store with the intent of buying Gatorade for which I have an insane craving while riding. I almost never drank the stuff in the past. I ended up getting a fried chicken dinner from their deli. Good fuel for the rest of the day.
There are a lot of benches along the way often with a great view.
The other half of the day was not so fun. I noticed yesterday that my freehub may have issues. When rolling the bike my pedals moved and when coasting the top of the chain went slack. I was concerned it would get worse and potentially cause other problems. I made the decision last night to ride straight through Minneapolis so I will be in St Cloud this afternoon where there are a few bike shops. I stopped at the first bike shop on the way in town. They were accommodating enough to look at my bike on the spot. They said it’s definitely the freehub and showed me how you can see it clicking when the wheel spins. Unfortunately it’s not a part they or most shops stock especially in covid times. Ordering a new one would take a few days.
I don’t know if this was a private collection but this house had a lot of old artifacts.
I decided to call another shop, maybe with a bit of luck they will have one in stock. I was prepared to offer them a bounty to procure one from another new or used bike in the shop. The guy took a quick look at my bike and realized the plastic disk between the cassette and spokes on the back wheel was moving. The tabs holding it in place bent and was causing it to jamb the cassette. These disks are required by law on new bikes because you can destroy your spokes if your gears are not set properly. Once removed, problem was solved all for $10 labor. What was a huge relief. I didn’t want to stay here for 3 days, although there are a few breweries in town.
The Great Northern Railway once ran on this line.
I have to figure out my approach to Minneapolis. Once I find a reasonable place to stay I’ll just use Google cycle directions to guide me there. Bike problems aside I figured it best to just ride through Minneapolis. I saw no compelling reason for the long diversion north. There is a popular bike hostel up that way but I’d rather shave a day or more off my time.
What an old bridge.There are a lot of bicycle related artwork along the trail.Long, straight, open trail.
Highlight: Getting a free lunch at Dairyland in Fergus Falls
Lowlight: All day full on headwind.
Cyclemeter: Follow this link to see the data I’m collecting with the cyclemeter app. You can see gps information, speed, elevation, distance, cadence and heart rate. Better viewed on a computer where it’s easier to play around with the graphs.
I hated today before it even started. My plan was to ride about 80 miles to Alexandria heading southeast from Barnesville the whole way while the wind is predicted to be out of the southeast. That’s just a recipe for unhappiness but I think the story of today was more about the people I met along the way and one fantastic rail trail.
Early morning in Barnesville, MN.
I remember waking up in the dark, looking up and seeing stars. It’s been super dry so I typically don’t put on the rainfly unless the sites are on top of each other. I had an isolated spot last night. The next thing I remember is light outside. I usually start waking up around 5:00 with sunrise around at 5:50. Today I didn’t wake up until sunrise but I think the days are starting to wear on me, I needed the rest.
First I’ve seen of sunflowers on the trip.
After a slow start I was on the road at 8:00, should have been earlier but it will have to do. The first 30 miles worked out as expected, I hated it. Peddling into the wind, about all I saw was the 2 feet of pavement in front of my bike. The road was fine, a quiet road through farmland. Most of the roads lately have been perfectly acceptable. If I were to complain about anything it’s the cracks in the roads every 10 yards or so. I keep banging into them which is tiring physically and mentally.
More long, straight roads.
At one point a jeep passed me and pulled over a half mile down the road. Roads are flat and straight so you can see off to the horizon. I saw a guy get out of the car and meander around the road, crossing over to the other side and back. I thought maybe he had car troubles but it looked like he was waiting for me. As I approached he pointed up in the tree across the street, a bald eagle. He asked me where I was going so we started talking. He’s about my age, maybe a little older. He did this ride back in the early 90’s and was dressed up for biking today, heading to a rail trail about 20 miles from here for a day ride.
The Prairie Chicken Statue in Rothsay, MN, the perhaps self appointed prairie chicken capital of the Minnesota.
Just after passing him I entered the town Rothsay which has a large prairie chicken statue. They seem to be, perhaps self appointed, the prairie chicken capital of Minnesota which I think makes them the prairie chicken capital of the world. A few miles back I spooked two birds from the side of the road which looked somewhat like partridge to me, probably prairie chickens.
The trail passes numerous small ponds and lakes.
I made it to the town of Fergus Falls which is where I’ll pick up the Central Lakes Trail. Minnesota has done a great job with rail trails. This one connects to a few others making for a 180 mile stretch of paved rail trail (not sure if the whole length is paved but most at least is). I’ve been looking forward to this for a while so I’ll try to not let the wind spoil todays segment.
The trail passes numerous small ponds and lakes.
I stopped at Dairyland on the way into town, a local ice cream/lunch place. The woman taking my order asked about my trip. We talked for a while then she said lunch is on the house! Very nice! Turns out she and her husband wanted to do the southern tier in 2020 but couldn’t because of covid. I later went up to pay for a sundae but she also gave it to me on the house.
Areas of the Central Lakes trail that aren’t surrounded by water often have interesting fields.
The rail trail was very nice. The pavement was mostly in good conditions, some sections with deep cracks or mounds with crack filler so a bit rough at times. The first part was surrounded by trees so protected from the wind. I was able to ride at my usual rail trail pace of 12-15 MPH without too much additional effort. The trail later opened up at times so I was back into the headwind but still way better than riding the road. I’m very much in the Minnesota lakes region. There area lot of ponds and lakes along the trail.
More ponds along the Central Lakes trail.
I stopped to check my map, I still didn’t have a place to stay tonight, wasn’t sure if I would make it to Alexandria in the wind. I ended up deciding to go for it and booked a cheap room at a Super 8. As I started back up I saw a cyclist approach and start to pull over. It was the eagle guy from a few hours ago. He was making his way back from his day ride. We talked again for a while.
Building in a sea of wheat.
When I was about 10 miles from my destination I saw a cyclist off in the distance ahead of me. I was slowly gaining on her (figured a her with the pink). Eventually I passed her and she asked where I was heading. I slowed down and we road together and talked for a long while. She was very interested in my trip, said it’s all she’s going to talk about with her friends over dinner tonight. She was on the trail training for a triathlon. After turning 60 she wanted to do 10 triathlons in 10 states, or something like that. It’s always nice to speak with random people I meet along the way, makes the day more interesting.
I eventually made it to Alexandria and headed south into town. My motel was a good 3 miles off route which seemed to take forever at the end of a long day. There’s a Boulder Ale House across the street so that will be dinner tonight.
Some of the ponds looked clear while others were covered in algae.
I’m unsure about how to approach the next few days. The route continues on the rail trail to Albany then heads northeast, I think also on a short branch of rail trail. It continues to loop along the northern side of Minneapolis then south to the west side into Wisconsin. I’m debating riding straight into St Cloud on the rail trail then using Google to navigate through Minneapolis to rejoin the route. I see no compelling reason to travel that far north other than to avoid the city. I think I prefer to shave a day or so off my travels so I’m going to look into how to get through Minneapolis by bike.
Highlight: Getting a new tire and chain at Paramount Sports in Fargo
Lowlight: I hate to mention it again but wind.
Cyclemeter: Follow this link to see the data I’m collecting with the cyclemeter app. You can see gps information, speed, elevation, distance, cadence and heart rate. Better viewed on a computer where it’s easier to play around with the graphs.
I didn’t take many pictures today, I was solely focused on getting into Fargo, procuring a tire and getting out. I thought it might be a long day since the ride alone would be about 80 miles and I don’t know how much time I will need searching around Fargo for one in stock. There are several bike shops in town, two seem most recommended online and by people I’ve met, Paramount Sports and Great Northern Bicycle Company. Paramount is the closest and only about a block off route so that will be my first stop.
My campsite last night at Patrick Pierce Park, Enderlin, ND viewed from the bridge
I have about 55 miles to get there and not much in between other than a gas station at about 30 miles. Winds are predicted to be out of the southeast so I will have some amount of headwind most of the day. My route would take me due east for about 30 miles then a couple zigzags north and east into Fargo.
First I’ve seen of this type of cattle.
The morning ride was good as usual, a little windy but not too bad. By the time I made my turn north the winds were blowing strong. I stopped at a gas station for sausage, egg, and cheese on a biscuit for second breakfast. While eating my sandwich an older guy came up to me asking about my trip. He said he used to live in Seattle in the 70’s-90’s and did a lot of cycling in the area. He wishes he did this trip when he was younger, now in his 70’s or 80’s he didn’t think it possible. He always stops and talks to cyclists when he see’s them passing through.
Seemed to be some kind of large agricultural research facility
With my northerly turn I flew into Fargo, making 18-20 MPH with minimal effort. I know this was a loan I would have to pay back once I head out of town back into the headwind.. After some searching for Paramount, riding by it a few times without noticing, I was able to find a tire that fits my bike. I planned on installing it myself either outside the store on later at camp but they asked if I would like them to install. I said sure, I can go across the street to Subway for lunch, I also asked for a quick tuneup. He measured my chain and said it’a at about 100% stretch so really needs to be replaced. This bike shop like most across the country are crazy busy now but they make special effort to fit in tourers. Greatly appreciated.
Passing through the town of Kindred, ND
I’ve heard bike parts are in short supply which is why I was a little concerned about my tire situation. I knew I could get one, just not sure if I could today. I thought I may have to stay in town a few days and have one shipped. The bike mechanic said the shortage is far worse than I’ve heard. He said new bike custom builds that would take a week in the past now are more like a year. I recently heard something similar from a local I met who wanted a bike like mine. A bike shop said they could get him one in September, of 2022.
Nice bike paths on the way into Fargo.
Once patched up and ready to go I headed southeast out of town and soon crossed over the Red River into Minnesota. There was no sign, just a marker saying I was entering Clark County. The road had a good shoulder but wide cracks every 10 yards so a lot of banging down the road, gave me a headache.
Crossing over the Red River into Minnesota. There was a fire off in the distance, you can see the smoke.
After about 10 miles due east I turned southeast directly into the headwind. My already slow speed was cut to about <10 MPH for the rest of the ride. I treated it like climbing, just keep peddling but it’s way less fun. Scenery was more of the same crop but I am seeing fields other than corn and wheat, namely peas, I think. I’ve been seeing them for days but much more now.
No Minnesota sign so this will have to do.
My plan for tonight is to stay in Barnesville. Two camping options are listed on my map, the county fairgrounds and a town campground. The fairgrounds was on the way to the campground so I stopped by there first. There was a fair going on, no camping. It would have been nice to walk around but I was way too tired. I made my way to the campground which is nice, a section for RV’s and a section for tents, $12/night with bathrooms and showers.
My campsite at Wagner campground in Barnesville, MN
Before leaving Fargo I stopped at a grocery store to restock my dinner supplies. I wanted more cooked rice which I often can’t find in the small town stores. I also bought a can of beans and later when I made it to Barnesville I stopped at the liquor store for a bottle of wine for a change, celebrating making my way to Minnesota. So dinner was cooked brown rice, black beans in a chili sauce and a can of sardines all heated up on my camp stove, washed down with a bottle of wine. I’m ready for tomorrow.
I don’t have a plan for tomorrow other than head towards Alexandria. I looked into making reservations in a motel since I haven’t stayed in one since Bismarck but decided to just play it by ear, see where I end up. It’s a Sunday night so shouldn’t be too bad.
