Day 49, July 8^th, Chippewa Pines Resort to Itasca State Park.  The day started out iffy but turned out to be a great day.  As usual, I awoke early at the campground and decided to break camp and get going.  The Pines Restaurant did not open until 8am, I didn’t feel like sitting around for breakfast.  There was an advertised eating stop in Pennington about 2 miles away so I took off at 7:15.  Alas  the restaurant at Pennington had closed so I turned west and headed for Bemiji, the big city in the area.  There was nothing between Pennington and Bemiji so I rode for about 24 miles before breakfast.  Along the way, I met a couple heading on the Mississippi River route south.  Andy and (name forgotten partner) are experienced touring bicyclists.  Andy was riding a Surly with quick release points for easy shipping.  Yesterday was a hard day for me mentally (riding solo) and Andy said several times that he admired someone riding alone and there was some great things about going solo.  His words perked me up.  In Bemiji, home to Paul Bunyon and his Blue Ox, I was looking for a local, non-chain breakfast stop and I met another couple, Gary and Lois, out for a morning ride.  They took me to a local place and asked me to join them for breakfast.  Both are born and raised in Bemiji and gave me all sorts of info about the area and city.  Gary was an interesting guy.  He has worked as a logger, railroad maintenance crew, in the Pressed Board factory, and now as a Registered Nurse.  He said he always wanted to be a nurse and help people, but only took the big step to get the education when the factory shut down.  Gary also provided information about the Great Northern Railroad, now the BNSF.  On my way out of town, I was lucky for a change and a BNSF coal train (empty) heading west rolled through.  I only had about 20 miles to go to Itasca State Park so I took it slow.  It go quite hilly but very pretty.  I crossed the Mississippi 4 times and each time it got smaller.  I am staying at a campground right on Lake Itasca, the start of the Mississippi.  All I can say is WOW.  The park was created to save a huge stand of virgin Red and White Pine forest and was the first state park in Minnesota.  I must add that last Monday, the entire area experience what we would call a hurricane, with 80-100 mph winds.  It was not a tornado effect and there are a lot of fallen trees.  The park staff has done an incredible job to open all the roads and trails.  I ate dinner at the park lodge built in 1905.  I had some Walleye bites for an appetizer, which were good.  Tomorrow I plan to visit the Mississippi headwaters before departing toward Fargo.  Mileage for the day, with the 6 miles to dinner was 65.34.

Day 48, July 7^th, Grand Rapids, MN to Chippewa Pines Resort, near Pennington, MN.  The night at the Itascan Inn was great (NO MOSQUITOS!).  I was able to do some laundry and dry out all my gear.  There was a great Italian restaurant next door and a diner across the street.  I had a good breakfast of French Toast and bacon.  Dave should have been here to try.  It may have been better than the offering at the Chuck Wagon at West Newton, PA.  I headed down the road about 8am.  It was cool and clear; just a beautiful day for a ride.  Grand Rapids is home to a huge paper mill and I saw a Burlington Northern engine in the yard.  The first part of the ride was through a lake region with some nice homes, probably employees of the plant.  As the day went on, it got more and more sparse, but still pretty forested country.  Wilma and I crossed the Mississippi River several times.  Each time the river gets smaller as I near the headwaters.  I turned onto U.S. Route 2 which parallels the BNSF railroad and saw a long coal train crawl through going uphill to somewhere, probably Duluth.  Stopped in the town of Bena, MN, for lunch and then on to Pennington.  It was a somewhat hot, desolate ride through the woods and not much fun.  Lucky it was short.  This area had a bad storm on Monday with 80-100 mph winds for an extended period.  There are trees down everywhere although the roads are clear.         Chippewa Pines Resort was a pleasant surprise.  They are not really set up for camping with no shower/bathroom building.  There is a shower in the restaurant building.  The resort is owned by a young couple from Weaton, IL that moved here 7 years ago.  The best part is that they run a bar and grill so I don’t have to find a place for dinner.  The view of Cass Lake, originally believed to be the start of the Mississippi River, is stupendous.  So far the mosquitos have not been bad.  Tomorrow I finally will get to Itasca State Park and the headwater of the Mississippi River.  Mileage for the day was 64.25.

Day 47, Jul 6^th, Palisade, MN to Grand Rapids, MN.  I spent a good night in the tent.  It was quiet and I slept well.  I was awakened about 5am with the sound of rain which became a series of thunder storms lasting till about 8am.  When the rain stopped the mosquitos came back in force.  I packed everything and got ready to go inside the tent and made a quick take down of my camp.  The northern Minnesota area has had so much rain the mosquitos are everywhere.  I packed the bike quickly, but as I started to ride I realized my back tire was flat.  I had to pump it up yesterday and was afraid the slow leak would prove fatal.  I walked my bike to the local gas station and changed the tube.  The sun was out and I was hopeful for a good day.  At the local diner, the rain returned during breakfast but ended as I left.  It was a late start at almost 11am.   I must add that the people in Palisade, MN were the friendliest the whole trip.  Some were visitors, but all the locals were great.   I headed out on the Mississippi River Road, Route 10, and the rain returned again.  This was the first day the entire trip with a pouring rain.  The rain lasted until about 2 pm.  There were no towns or stops along the route so I just rode all the way to Grand Rapids and finished the day at 50.1 miles.  Every time I took a break along the road, the mosquitos would attack, so breaks were few and short.  My legs were very tired although the terrain was pretty flat.  The 2 hotels on the Adventure Cycling Map were full, but I found the Chamber of Commerce.  The C of C directed me to the Itascan Inn, which is not fancy but clean and dry.  As I finished dinner, the sky cleared with a promise for a great day tomorrow. I am headed toward Lake Itasca, the start of the great Mississippi River.

Day 46, July 5^th, Isle, MN to Palisade, MN.  After yesterday, I wanted to sleep in a little.  Breakfast didn’t start until 7am so that made it easy to stay in bed some extra time.  At breakfast I met another bicyclist heading east to Maine.  He started his cross country tour a couple of years ago and stopped in Grand Forks, ND.  He started in Grand Forks and was doing the second half.  He was headed for Dalbo to the bicyclist only campground.  Left the hotel and headed north along the shore of Mille Lacs Lake which was formed by a large moraine to the south as the glaciers retreated 50,000 years ago.  This is different than the Great Lakes which were formed by glaciers gouging out the hole.  Mille Lacs Lake is very large and you can barely see the other shore.  Other than the tourists, this area is sparsely populated and not many vistas, but still a scenic ride.  I was suffering some from the long day yesterday and took it quite slow with many stops.  First big stop was the town of Aitkin, MN, a riverboat and railroad town on the Mississippi River.  Both the riverboats and railroad are gone.  There was a neat looking railroad museum (Great Northern Railroad) but it was closed on Thursdays..  It was only 20 miles to my stop in Palisade so I took it slow.  The road, Route 169 was horrible with very little shoulder and a lot of traffic (trucks and tourists hauling boats).  I was not comfortable and hit the gravel shoulder more than once.  Drivers were very courteous.  I am camping tonight at a County Park in Palisade on the Mississippi River.  There has been a lot of flooding In this area due to huge amounts of rain.  The mosquitos are BAD!!!!  I spent the late afternoon and early evening at several eating places in town to escape.  I spent an hour or two at the Rustic Trail Bar next to a SOO Line Rail-trail.  I had a great conversation with several residents and learned about the area and a shortcut for tomorrow to Grand Rapids.  Mileage for the day was 60.24.

Day 45, Jul 4^th, Lindstrom, MN to Isle, MN.  Up early again, mainly because I had a restless night camping in the heat.  Since I was trapped at the campground, I did get into the tent early and had a lot of hours trying to sleep.  I felt rested just still hot.  The morning was warm and humid.  I decided to not make coffee hoping to find breakfast on the road.  I made good time on the gently rolling terrain of northern Minnesota.  This is a sparsely inhabited area and the first town was Sunrise, birthplace of Richard Widmark.  There were 2 bars but nothing open.  Next stop was Harris and the only restaurant was closed for the 4^th of July holiday.  I was joined on the ride in by a cyclist out for his morning ride.  He recommended going east to the next interstate exit but I chose to follow the route.  Problem, with all the conversation I took a wrong turn.  Thank goodness for my compass which was reading North and not West.  I only had a short detour and then back on the route.  I found a gas station open and had a couple of Poptarts, coffee, and orange juice for breakfast.  It was enough to keep me going along with some cold water.  I made a decision to leave  the route and go to a larger town for a real meal.  Rode into Cambridge, MN and found a Perkins for breakfast.  The meal and some air conditioning hit the spot.  After Cambridge, I rode to Dalbo, where there is a farm that caters to touring bicyclists.  Since it was only noon, I made a decision to ride on.  This would mean an 80+ day to Isle.  As mentioned the terrain was rolling and Route 47 had a wide shoulder.  There was no shade on the road, but I broke the ride into segments and stopped frequently to sit or stand under a tree to keep semi-cool.  The temperature was over 90 and I went through a lot of water.  I arrived at Isle about 4 and made a call to find a hotel if possible.  Isle sits on Mille Lacs Lake, which is quite large and a haven for fishermen.  McQuoids Inn is ALL about fishing.  There was no restaurant close, but I needed some food, so I rode to Buzzies.  The desk clerk made it sound close, but I have found “non-cyclists” do not understand distance.  With the trip to Buzzies, the mileage for the day was 94.25.  This is the most miles for any day and I picked the hottest one!  Still, I feel very good and ready for tomorrow. 

Day 44, July 3^rd, Eagan to Lindstrom, MN.  I was awake early this morning, nervous to get going again.  I had a cup of coffee with Jay and breakfast with Sheila.  I loaded up the bike and was on the road by 7am or just after.  I line of thunder storms had come through last night so it seemed a little cooler.  I headed directly north on Route 3 toward St Paul to link with the Adventure Cycling Route.  Route 3 was under construction, like almost every other road in the area, but I was able to shift to route 73 and cruised on in to downtown St Paul.  There was surprising little traffic at 8am and I got to the route relatively easy.  The next 20 miles were on an old rail line (paved) that dropped me near Stillwater, MN.  I met a lot of cyclists on the trail and all wanted to know all about the trip.  I missed the turn while riding and talking and had to back track a little to Stillwater.  Stillwater is a gem.  There are numerous old buildings (1880s) with great architecture and lots of interesting shops.  To my surprise there was a Kathe Wolfarht shop that Cindy and I went to in Germany!  I had lunch at a 50’s style sandwich and soda shop and had a chocolate milkshake just like the old days.  Sheila had mentioned that she thought about taking the Pitt Crew to Stillwater.  We will have to come back to spend a day or two there.  The route went across a neat drawbridge, but I took an alternate way based on my discussions with riders on the trail.  I stayed on the west bank of the St Croix River on MN Route 95.  I was a good ride and shorter but out in the sun.  I had to stop frequently to get in the shade to stay a little cooler.  I got to Lindstrom and headed to the campground.  I probably picked the wrong night to start camping more.  It is still hot at 8:30 and there is no breeze tonight.  The Blue Water Campground is pretty simple but the price was right (free).  I made a rookie mistake and didn’t eat dinner before getting to the campground so I dined on granola.  I wasn’t all that hungry in the heat.  Tomorrow I will find a big breakfast early.  Mileage for the day was 76.24.  I realized that my camera had sweat on the lens on July 4th.  Cindy and I will have to visit Kathe's to retake the picture.

Days 37-43, June 26^th through July 2^nd Layover in Eagan, MN.  Abi met us on our arrival at Dorchester Ct.  We unloaded and Dave headed off to find Eric’s Bike Shop and UPS store to start shipping his bike and gear home.  It was an early evening, partly because we were tired and partly because Jay and Sheila had to work the next day.   On Tuesday, June 26^th, Sheila was gracious to give us a car and Dave and I did a tour of St Paul.  We visited the Minnesota History Museum, which had a couple of interesting exhibits, one on the creation of the Constitution of Minnesota and another on the Greatest Generation of Minnesota.  Minnesota has 2 original Constitution documents, one signed by the Democrat legislators and one signed by the Republicans.  The two parties hated each other and would not agree on several wordings so each group signed a different document.  Luckily, both documents were similar in meaning.  General John Vessey, former Chief of Staff of the Army, is from Minnesota, and served as an enlisted man during WWII in the 34^th Infantry Division.  GEN Vessey was instrumental in putting together the collection from Minnesota’s Greatest Generation.  There were many items that Dave and I remembered from our youth purchased by our parents who were part of this generation.

On Wednesday, Jun 27^th, we shipped Dave’s box of gear at the UPS and discovered the stuff Dave was carrying weighed over 70 lbs!  No wonder it was a slow go up the small hills of the Eastern U.S.  I started immediately to find a way to lighten my load for the rest of the trip.  Dave’s bike also got packed and shipped and weighed 38 lbs.  This was another reason to relook my load.   I took Dave to the airport and we bid so long until Glacier Park.   I really appreciated Dave riding with me.  His riding experience and good humor made the trip always enjoyable.  He made several “good calls” along the way that saved us time, distance, or kept us out of bad weather.  I will miss having him along.  Bob and Patty Bastain arrived late in the afternoon to start the Pitt Mini Reunion.  Cindy arrived around midnight and was a welcome sight after 5 ½ weeks.

On Thursday, Jun 28^th, Arba 4 arrived as well as several others of the Pitt Crew for our mini reunion in Minneapolis.  Jay took us on a rambling tour of the sights of Minneapolis and St Paul.  The Twin Cities area is quite a large metropolitan area.  Minneapolis, St Paul, and Bloomington are the 3 largest cities in Minnesota.  There was a lot of road construction and a new light rail line is being built from Minneapolis to St Paul which hampered our tour.  Jay drove like the New Yorker he is and got us through.  We ate lunch at Lake Harriet, one of the many (Land of 10,000 Lakes) lakes that dot the area and near an old Street Car line.  The weather was warm and clear and it was a very pleasant lunch with Walleye pike sandwiches and cheese curds.  We also saw a BNSF train in the Energy Park area so the tour was very successful.

On Friday, Jun 29^th, Jay organized a bike ride on some of the many walking/biking trails in Minneapolis.  We rode up and down the banks of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers and ended near the confluence of the two rivers.  Mileage for the day was 20.6, but I am not sure if it counts toward the total miles on the tour.  On Friday, we also moved to a new venue to the house of friends of the Rodsteins.  The house is quite the palace with an indoor pool, electronic games, pool and ping pong tables, TV’s everywhere and plenty of sleeping arrangements.  The Pitt Crew got into gear with orders to “finish the keg” and spent a wonderful, lazy afternoon and evening catching up and enjoying the company.

On Saturday, Jun 30^th, everyone was moving slowly and we bagged any bike rides.  We took a tour of Fort Snelling, the first buildings in the Minnesota territory.  It was another beautiful day although hot (about 90 degrees) but inside the stone buildings it was pleasant.  We learned a lot about early Minnesota history and the life of the soldiers and civilians sent by the U.S. Government to the area.  We also visited the Mall of America, the high holy place of American consumerism, but didn’t stay more than 2 hours including lunch in the food court.    Next up are the Pitt Olympics in the back yard, more beer tasting, and relaxing.   We were so exhausted from the Olympics were very sedate but everyone participated in Ladder Toss, Beanbag Toss, Ping Pong, and Pool Antics. 

On Sunday, July 1^st, (where did June go!), the Pitt Crew began their departures for home.  The Rodsteins, Gates, and Williamsons did do a short bike ride so Nancy and John could show off their tandem bicycle.  We spent the rest of the day recovering and moving back to the Rodsteins.

On Monday, July 2^nd, I said so long to Cindy until Glacier, cleaned up my gear, and got ready to head out for Montana.