Day 36, June 25^th, Lake City, MN to Eagan, MN.  This is the last riding day before my 5-day break, now an 8–day break, at the Rodstein’s Hostel for the Mini Pitt reunion.  We had about 60 miles to go for the day.  Dave was up and moving early because this is his last day on the tour.  For a variety of reasons, some physical and some mental, Dave opted to end the cross country quest in Minneapolis.  As I write this blog, Dave is somewhere in Eagan at Eric’s Bike Shop getting his bike prepared to ship back to Virginia.  Yesterday, actually over the weekend, the KirkWood Krew came up with a plan to provide a riding partner for me for the rest of the route.  Although I appreciate the love, concern, and sense of adventure of the Krew, I fear the logistics and cost would be too much.  Cindy and I will discuss and pray about the rest of the tour over the weekend.  We had the wind at our back today, from the SSE, and the ride was very fast.  We headed north on U.S. Route 61, the Minnesota Great River route, from Lake City about 7:30.  Route 61 was smooth and a wide shoulder.  We were right next to the Canadian Pacific railroad and several trains passed us.  I even saw a pair of SOO engines, a railroad purchased by the CP.  Coming in to Red Wing, I saw the reflection of the farm in a small lake.  We also passed a very unique building that turned out to be a prison built in 1892.  Our first stop, after 15 miles, was the town of Red Wing of Red Wing Boot fame at a Caribou Coffee, although Dave was hoping for a McDonalds or a DQ (too early).  We moved on and finally had to climb the bluffs of the Mississippi.  The climb was long, about 2 miles, but not steep.  Our next stop was in Hastings, MN, at 11:30, after 42 miles.  Wind is quite a friend at your back!!  We decided to eat lunch and got a great recommendation from a teenage girl riding a bike.  Emily’s, a Bakery and Deli, had good sandwiches and great desserts.    I had a Summer Sausage sandwich, potato soup, and an Apple Crispy, very similar to a turnover.  The ride from Hastings to the Rodstein’s went quickly and we arrived about 2pm.  Jay, however, did not inform us that 4349 Dorchester Court is at the top of a very steep hill!  Not the way we wanted to end the day but we survived.  Total mileage for the day was 62.05.  Total mileage from Yorktown to Eagan is 2021.6.