Fergus Falls Minnesota to Sauk Centre Minnesota. 71 miles. 2014 miles from the Pacific. today I was in bicycle heaven. the Central Lakes Trail that I rode today is 7 feet wide and over a hundred miles long. smooth pavement on an old railroad grade. it was nice not to worry about traffic. just me, a tail wind, and my bicycle for miles and miles.
today I celebrated 5 weeks on the road and passed the 2000 mile mark. the weather continues to be friendly, and my body is getting used to the eat, sleep, pedal routine.
The trail goes through the beautiful lake country towns of Dalton, Ashby, Evansville Brandon, Garfield, Alexandria, Nelson, and Osakis. There are small lakes and ponds everywhere. I see cat tales, white and yellow water lilies, herons, ducks, and big white pelicans from trailside. I stopped and gathered some fresh asparagus to munch on as I ride. Minnesota dragonflies of every color have replaced the grasshoppers of North Dakota. The sky is cloudess and milky white. just a few days ago it was a purplish blue and crystal clear.
I met Kurt and his wife Jeanne from Alexandria on the trail. we rode together for a couple miles and chat in about life. he owned a restaurant in town and I was hungry for lunch. when I finish my lunch and went up to pay the tab I found out that it had already been taken care of by my new friends. nice people in Minnesota. that is Kurt next to me in the picture of the Big Viking. also a picture of Camp Happy set up next to the lake. Other pictures of the trail and beautiful Minnesota scenery.
sorry about the blog date mess up. Fargo is one day out of order. I will see if I can fix it soon.
Some of your asked, so here is your answer. my bicycles name is Willie (in honor of my father). Camp Happy is in honor of my big brother Dick, who passed away a few years ago. maybe this will be a subject of a road story later on.
Take care, Freebird.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone
Mike …. This morning as I rode my Bike into work … My enthusiasm and energy peaked ! I thought about your century rides and thought I could, I could, yes I could … Then decided it was really because I had to turn left off the trail and get to work … But it was an inspiration nontheless …. Ride on
Hey Mike…..it’s not nice people in Minnesota…..it’s officially called “Minnesota Nice”….. something we’re kinda proud of.
Hope you enjoyed your lunch and your brief visit to our fair city….the “Birthplace of America” no less!! For some fun late nite reading in your tent about our area….. google Kensington Runestone. It’s all true!
And for you and your bride this fall….you will absolutely love this. Do it!
http://www.princess.com/learn/destinations/europe/cruises/emg
Jeanne said meeting you was the highlight of our day. (I guess I need to crank it up a notch) 🙂
Safe travels Mike!
Kurt & Jeanne from Alexandria
In Sauk Centre and no mention of Sinclair Lewis or having your picture taken next to the ‘Main Street’ sign? I am curious how each little town tells its story to you. No one has bent your ear with stories on the great author? You are doing a great job giving us a feeling for what it is like on the road and in ‘Camp Happy.’ Sounds like we also have some good family stories to look forward to.
WOW…. are you a traveling man. You are making great time on your travels. Glad to hear the weather has been kind to you. It’s nice to hear that you are meeting some great people along the way. Life is good. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Love to read them.
Take care my friend,
Ron Prochnow
Hi Mike, I work with Rachel at Siemens. I love reading your blog everyday and seeing your adventures on the road. I want to do it too!! Hey, I have some questions for you. 1. How did you pick the route? 2. How do you secure your bike? 3. How do you protect your food from animals at night?
Keep on rolling. May the winds be at your back.