Post for May 27

On the day before, May 26, I woke up in the home of my new friends Taylor and Cami. I was packed and ready to leave when Taylor told me that the day would be rainy and cold. Since Taylor has completed several triathlons and bike tours, he knows that wet or cold is tolerable. But both are very uncomfortable. He asked if I wanted to stay another day and catch up on my writing. I gladly accepted.

On May 27, it was still cold enough that I had to wear rain gear to stay warm, and sometimes, rain drizzled down. I still excited to get back on my bike. Taylor joined me for about 20 miles and showed me some great sights nearby.

Even though it was drizzly and cool, I had a tailwind and maintained speeds around 15 mph. My normal average is around 9-10 mph. I know I could go faster, as many cyclists do, but bike touring is my vacation. Going faster would cause a bit of pain, and I try to avoid pain on vacation. I also like stopping for pictures and treats.

My goal for the day was to cycle for 60 miles. My overall goal for each day is 50 miles, but with the tailwind, I cycled 80 miles. For the first 70, I thought I’d become much stronger, but the last 10 miles showed me otherwise. The road changed from flat to a steep, long hills. I can’t remember if I pushed my bike toward the top, but I was definitely tempted. Those climbs did make me sleep better, at Boulder Creek Campground.

The song for today is Wonder Why We Ever Go Home. The song feels right for a day when the road is flat with a tailwind.

Taylor and I at a relaxing park near the Mississippi River

The roads to the park Taylor showed me were wonderful, smooth and curvy.

This ice-cream shop looks great, pity it was too cold for ice-cream.

Taylor’s far in front of me.

The Mississippi River always gives some great sights, even on a grey day.

I saw several of these train cars. They had more bits than other cars, like rooms and what seem to be AC units on top.

I found an open fire-station, so I took a break here for lunch.

More sights of the Mississippi River.

Near Prarie Du Shein, I saw a few tiny-homes

In the distance, there were even more tiny homes.

This ship was likely a work-horse on the River decades ago.

Another past river workhorse

Roads toward the end off the day

This house seemed abandoned, but I enjoyed the archatecture.

The bluff on the right shows that the roads were no longer flat.

More hard hills