Post for 21-05-11
I haven’t posted here for a few days which often happens. Like past bike tours, I get behind in my blog after a day of long miles, camping, or both.
After leaving the cozy church in Aitkin, I enjoyed cycling through town and didn’t see many more towns all day.
I even cycled on gravel for several miles, since it was part of the MRT. But out here, I got used to gravel. Eventually, my normal speed on gravel resembled my slow speed on tar, about 10 mph.
A funny bit is that the gravel road I cycled on was called “Great River Road,” as shown below.
It’s quite different than the Great River Road I saw in the Twin Cities, which is a tar boulevard surrounded by elegant houses.
The MRT follows that road since it is the closest road to the Mississippi River. It was fun seeing the river so small, about 25 feet across. Eventually, I got back on tar and enjoyed some surprises that always happen. I’ll save them for the pictures below.
At night, the rustic and remote nature of today’s ride continued. The only campsite was a State Forest that allowed “dispersed camping.” That’s a nice way of saying you just find a place for your tent, pitch it, and do without a bathroom, shower, or water. I didn’t see another person in the forest. After living in a city for years, that was actually relaxing.
Fun seeing the pictures and reading about your adventure.