Cold Spring to Little Falls

 We said goodbye this morning to a couple of riders who could not stay for the entire trip.  The route today started out on some country roads, rode about 30 miles on the nicest trail we've seen so far, and then finished off on a road that runs right along the Mississippi River.  There are still farms around, but it seems to me like there is more just "up north" forests, prairies & swamps.  We did see some Elk, but they were in a fenced in field, probably grown for the meat

After about 10 miles we entered our trail for the day

Lots of interesting vegetation, but only one picture of that today.  This particular plant/bush was in a number of places along the trail, and the red color just stood out to me

One of the benefits of a ride like this is the opportunity to think through stuff.  Here is what I was thinking about today. No pictures, because pictures would not do it justice.  I hope my words will.  The subject is rails to trails.  I have known that a lot of bike trails like we are riding are old railroad beds, but the thing that struck me today was the amount of effort that had to go into making the original railroad track surface.  I've heard that trains don't work nearly as well if there is a more than 4% grade, either up hill or down.  That means a lot of filling in and digging out.  We are in Northern Minnesota.  There aren't really any mountains here, but as I was riding along the trail, I noticed that there were some areas where the trail was as much as 20' above the surrounding landscape, and other areas where it was dug out by at least 10'.

I was trying to imagine the engineering that went into designing this, and the amount of construction work that had to happen.  And this was probably all in the mid 1800's.  We bicyclists are grateful, because we prefer to not ride uphill on more than a 4% grade.  The downhill would be okay, but it is a worthwhile trade off.  That's what I was thinking about.

We came to a town on the trail named Hollingford that provided a couple of interesting picture opportunities.  First off a covered bridge where I recruited some locals to take my picture

Another thing I have noticed about Northern Minnesota is that they really seem to like murals.  I've seen probably 6 of them so far, but this is the first one I really found worthy of posting.  The sign on the right even gives a history of the town, if you're interested.  I hope you can zoom in on the picture to read it.

And finally, riding right down main street was a one tractor parade.  This is obviously not a working machine, but fully restored, and classic.  It probably also stood out to me because it is the same brand that my grandfather had on his dairy farm as I was growing up.

Another 10 miles down the road, we came to our lunch stop in a small town named Bowlus.  Of course we had to get lunch at the cafe with the bicycle hanging outside above the front door.  Oh, and also we went there because it was the only place in town.

Now those of you who know me well enough, also know that I am far from what can be considered a food connoisseur (I'm not even sure if that is spelled correctly), but I just have to comment on my lunch sandwich.  I do enjoy a good Reuben sandwich, except I do not like Rye bread.  So any time I order one, I try to substitute the bread.  Unfortunately too often, they don't seem to be able to make that transition, and I have to send it back.  That didn't happen today, but when asking for alternative bread choices, they offered Wild Rice with Cranberry bread.  And it was so exceptionally tasty that I just had to share a picture.

It was more than I wanted to eat because I still had some miles to put on, and when I offered to share it with others in our group, there were multiple takers.  One liked the bread so much that she bought a whole loaf that we can share over the next few days with the whole group.

Soon after the lunch stop we were off the trail and back on the road to Little Falls.  The road was good, the Missisippi river was on our right side, and the wind was in our face.  Here I am at the bridge

Overall a very good day.  We arrived at our hotel, but our rooms weren't ready.  Being an enterprising group, we got a couple of six packs, a couple of bottles of wine & sat on the front porch until they were ready to check us in.

51 miles today.

Spicer to Cold Spring

 Today was going to be a short day.  That sometimes happens when putting together a trip like this.  The average day is 50 miles, but cities with places to stay don't always space them out that consistently.  It worked out nicely for us today, because the weather forecast was for rain after 1 PM.  The group decided on an early start so we could reach our destination before the rain.  We started to get a few sprinkles in the last 30 minutes, and one of the riders stopped to put on some rain gear.  10 minutes later I thanked her, because the sun came out!  I'm sure she caused it by getting protected.

The route today was mostly on trails, which is the main reason we came.  Unfortunately, less than 10 miles out, this is what we saw:

So much for planning.  It turns out they were converting the highway next to the trail from 2 lanes to 4, and they managed to mess up the trail at every intersection:

Some of the more experienced and skilled riders managed to weave around the concrete obstacles and gravel while riding.  

Some others decided it was safer to walk:

There were at least 5 such obstacles to navigate, which slowed us down.  We did come up on an area where they were obviously mining the gravel to complete the roadway.

After that we did get into a trail area that provided a variety delightful vegetation.  I'm not smart enough to identify everything, so I will just show the pictures:

Since every day needs to have some adventure, we had a navigational challenge to overcome.  With 10 riders, we don't all just line up and follow each other.  Some ride faster than others, some stop to take more pictures than others.  The tour coordinator (for lack of a better title) spends a lot of time putting together these routes.  The computer application allows him to print out a page for every day, telling each rider how to get to the destination.  There are also computer files that can be loaded onto a bike computer which allows the riders to have an electronic assistant.  

I have such a device, and used it to cross the USA in 2019 with not a single failure.  This morning, when I tried to load today's route, the file wasn't there.  That made me very conscious of not being left out there by myself, because I am not very good at reading the paper route sheet.  I was riding in sight of 4 other riders, when one of them said that another rider had not turned when he was supposed to.  I looked at the route sheet, and it did say to take a slight left, but the turn being suggested seemed to me to be more than a "slight" left.  Since my bike computer was nonfunctional, I just stayed out of the discussion.  

It was decided that a couple riders would chase the supposed errant rider, and the others would head toward the hotel.  I was in the group to go toward the hotel.  The chasers took off, and after they were gone another rider spoke up and said he thought making that turn would be a mistake.  His bike computer said to go straight, the same direction the chasers went.  He verified that with the GPS on his phone.  So we continued on in the same direction as the chasers, but at a slower pace.

It turned out that the original rider was correct, and the chasers were on a wild goose chase.  In fact, the original rider arrived at the hotel, and the chasers went right past.  Good thing this was already a light day.  The chasers ended up going an extra 5 miles by the time they were contacted about their mistake.

Everyone arrived before any real precipitation.  I spent some time this afternoon in the hotel hot tub along with some others.  We had a nice dinner gathering tonight, and will be ready for a hopefully more normal day tomorrow.

I also spent about an hour trying to figure out what happened to my bike computer.  I think I have it solved, but I won't know for sure until tomorrow.

Total of 35.7 miles for me today.

Hutchinson to Spicer

 We started out this morning on the nicely paved Luce Line Trail, but after only 4 miles it became a gravel trail & we opted to ride the roads instead.  It was all two lane roads, mostly with a nice wide shoulder & I felt very safe.  There was some traffic on certain roads, but like yesterday they were courteous.  Didn't see any plastic animals today, but did stop to take a picture of some real wildlife.  Also saw some Canadian Geese flying over, but couldn't get a good picture.

We could tell we were really getting out in the country when we would roll through a town & there weren't even any restaurants to stop for lunch.  Fortunately there were some gas station/convenience stores where we could get something to eat.  A couple riders reported that when we were stopped in Grove City at a Cenex Station, the mayor came out to greet us.  He asked if we were staying in town, but I don't know where we could have stayed.  All we saw was the Cenex, a bar, a couple of churches & a large grain mill.  We were probably the closest they got to a celebrity today, and we felt very welcomed.

Our goal today was to get to Spicer, where we can pick up a nice trail.  The group tends to stretch out a bit on the roads because people ride at different paces.  I was riding close to a couple of others, when one of them took off ahead.  I thought he was going to try to catch the next group ahead, but when he got out far enough ahead, he stopped and took this nice picture of me and another recumbent rider.  Thanks to Jim Aldeman for sharing.

Total of 51 miles today.  Tomorrow we will be mostly on trails.

Maple Grove to Hutchinson

 First, allow me to give you a brief introduction to this adventure.  The trip was put together by a friend & fellow Coast to Coast rider, although he did it in 2014, and mine was in 2019.  The goal of this journey is to ride some of the paved bike trails in Northern Minnesota.  In order to reach the various trails, we have to do some road riding in between.  We start north of Minneapolis, go west & then north & then east to Lake Superior & then south back to where we started.  We stay in hotels every night & are able to enjoy local restaurants all along the way.  We are fortunate to have the spouse of one of the riders who drives a vehicle containing all of our clothes & gear, some snacks & some tools.  The only thing we riders have to do is pedal 750 miles in the next 2 weeks.  Here is a picture of the group when we set out this morning.

We have quite a variety of bikes including a recumbent tricycle, 4 traditional upright bikes, 2 long wheel base recumbent bikes, and my Cruzbike Q-45.  The beginning of our trip today included about 40 miles of roads getting out of Maple Grove.  It was mostly uneventful.  Some roads were better than others, some traffic was busier, but all of the drivers were considerate.  This area seems to have a lot of plastic animal statues.  2 of the images below actually show statues that double as mailbox enclosures & 1 is advertising for a local restaurant.

This is obviously farm country, with lots of corn & hay growing to support the cattle and dairy operations.  After the 40 miles of roads we came to the Luce Line State Recreational Trail.  It is nicely paved, and provided a great finish to our first day. More tomorrow.

Tomorrow I leave for Maple Grove, MN to start my next bicycle adventure.  This is really my first trip since the Coast to Coast in 2019.  That is not to say that I haven’t been riding!  I follow a forum from Cruzbike (the company who manufactured my bike), and an avid participant has been setting up different “Challenges” for the past few years.  Since I always need a goal to keep myself exercising, I have participated.  I could always ride right around home & so never traveled far.  That was convenient, especially during the Covid 19 years.

One year it was pick a 12 mile route & ride it every week, working to improve your speed on that route.

One year it was challenge yourself to ride 3,000 mile between May and October. (I did 3,004)

One year it was build up your endurance throughout the season to ride the fastest century (100 miles) you have ever done.  (15.4 mph for me at 69 yr old.  Not fast compared to a lot of Cruzbikers, but I was satisfied, and exhausted, that day.)

This year he didn’t have a challenge, so I needed a different incentive.  I saw a post on Facebook from another Coaster about this trip, and it was just what I was ready for.  I’m looking forward to this ride, meeting some new folks, and enjoying Northern Minnesota in late summer.

Not much has changed with my Q 45 Cruzbike since 2019 when I rode it across the country.  Here is a current picture:

I have replaced the chain & the tires a few times because they were worn out.  The biggest change for me is where I store my water bottle.  Notice it is under the front boom.  I have a tube that I drink through, and I find this very convenient.

Thanks for checking out this blog.  If you leave me a comment or question, I’ll try to reply, but I’m going to be kind of busy riding my bike.

 Starting September 7, 2023, I will be doing a 750 mile bike ride around Northern Minnesota.  I am thinking of reactivating this blog, and wondering if anyone who followed my Coast to Coast ride in 2019 is still signed up to receive an email when I put up a new post.

Please let me know if you do.  

This is not as ambitious a trip as I did before, and it is a much smaller group, but I am looking forward to it.  I have been getting my miles in preparation around home in West Bend so that I'm in shape to handle an average of 50 miles per day.  

Hope to hear from you!

Jim

Update & Reflections

Well, it's been over 2 weeks since this picture was taken at the Atlantic Ocean in St Augustine, FL

I have had a bunch of time to look back on the whole C2C experience.  I even read all of my past blog posts.  It is time to share some of my thoughts and feelings.

First a medical update - loyal blog followers will remember that April 4th I went down with the bike on a muddy shoulder.  It was totally my fault & could have ended my cross country quest.  I should have seen the mud slick, and avoided it just as 15 or so bikers ahead of me did.  Can't change that, so no need to dwell on it.

After going to the local ER and hearing that the X-Ray showed no fractures, I decided to monitor how I felt & decide each day whether I could ride.  I took one day off and things improved somewhat.  The next morning I got up early & took a ride around the parking lot at the hotel we were staying at.  I found that pedaling did not really hurt, so went out that day ready to stop if things changed.  I did the same thing every day until we reached St Augustine & never missed another mile.

The troubling part was that walking was still painful, even though I could bike with no problem.  I hoped that once I stopped pedaling, walking would become easier too.  That didn't happen, so about a week ago I had an MRI done.  They found what is called an avulsion fracture in one of the knee bones.  It is apparently not easy to see in an X-Ray & is not a large fracture, but explains why walking was painful.

My next stop was an orthopedic specialist who said I should not have biked that last 800 miles!  Fortunately it appears to be healing anyway, but I am now wearing an immobilizer for 2 weeks.  If it continues to heal properly, no surgery will be needed, but probably a bunch of Physical Therapy.

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I decided to put my reflections on the whole Coast 2 Coast trip in the form of bullet points.  Each one could have a full paragraph, but that would take a long time to read (and write).  Let me know if there is something in particular you would like expanded & I will try to respond when I can.

*The amount of planning, work & support needed to put together a trip like this is something I would never want to do on my own.  Thanks Bubba's Pampered Pedalers.  It was worth every dollar.

*I saw the Southern tier of the USA in a way that I will never forget.  12 - 15 mph is the perfect speed to really see mountains, deserts, ranches, cities large & small, hills, farmland, swamps, rivers, hurricane devastation, The Gulf of Mexico, etc.  The most memorable for me was to see the desert in bloom.

*The quality of the roads can vary greatly from one county to another.  There were many times we would see a County Line sign, and the road conditions would change instantly.  Overall Louisiana had the best roads.

*The people made the experience complete - this includes the other riders, the staff & the locals we encountered all along the way.

*Why people insist on riding those terribly uncomfortable upright bikes is a total mystery to me.  My Q45 Cruzbike recumbent performed flawlessly & I didn't experience back or wrist or neck or butt pain as so many other riders complained of.  There is a learning curve to riding a recumbent, but for me it is an easy trade off.

*I started biking 4 years ago to improve my physical condition as I get older.  That has been a great success.  I did not expect to enjoy riding as much as I do, so that is a pleasant surprise.

*I was not prepared for the constant barrage of bad weather we experienced on the 2019 C2C.  Everyone involved in past trips agreed that this was the worst weather year of the 10 trips Bubba has done.

*The best thing I did in preparation was my "Motivational Partners" routine.  It made the trip become a review of my whole life.  I had plenty of time each day to reflect on my MP.  I would draw energy from them, or send it to them & I remembered lots of life experiences in the process.

*I knew early on that reaching St Augustine would be an emotional experience for me.  I remember thinking ahead at various times what it would be like & the end result lived up to my expectations.

*My family is the best!  What a support crew.  All the other Coasters were amazed.  Here we are in St Augustine.

*I am happy to have taken on this challenge.  This was not a lifelong quest for me as it was for some other riders.  I wanted to learn about myself in the process & I think I have.  I hope it makes me a better husband, father, friend, colleague . . . . and mostly, a better Child of God.