We checked out of our room early this morning, saying goodbye to our host Tony and his good natured dog Rufus. We'll be back to stay with them again at the end of the tour and to reclaim our suitcases which he's storing for us. Great host, great place to stay. If you're looking for a place to stay here, look for The Green House on Wabasha on the Air B&B website.
In Saint Paul we stayed at Anthony's home on Wabasha, an Air B&B lodging. This was our first Air B&B experience, and we loved it - a beautiful home, great host, good location. I'm glad a friend of ours convinced us to give this a try.
The Wabasha Bridge again, on the way to breakfast. We had a look at its radiant display of pride flags a few nights ago, but it's worth a second look in the daylight.
By just after 7 we were in Lowertown, locking up our bikes outside the Black Dog Cafe and anticipating sitting down to breakfast. I picked this as a convenient breakfast spot that opened early, and arranged to meet there with our MYSTERY GUEST. It sounded like a fine plan to me, but it didn't occur to me to find out when this breakfast place actually begins serving breakfast. As it turns out, they open at 7 but don't serve anything but coffee and day-old pastries until 9. We instead walked across the street to Golden's Deli, after leaving instructions to refer our friend onward as well.
Almost immediately, Greg Garceau walked in with his escort for the morning, The Feeshko. Mystery solved! They sat down and visited with us while we tried our best to wolf down an embarrassingly large breakfast heaped before us, until we gave up and walked back with them to the Black Dog and our waiting bicycles.
The Feeshko, Greg, and Rocky: outside the Black Dog Cafe, where we did not have breakfast.
Since Greg had the afternoon off and was able to post his narrative of our ride to his home in Hastings while we were still on the road heading further south to Red Wing, we already have a description of the morning's ride at hand. I'm sure I could write a finer and more entertaining version of the morning than Greg did, but that would be churlish after he so generously freed up his day to spend with us. No need for me to add a second version, so you can read all about our morning together here: [page 509882].
Also, I'm feeling a bit intimidated. Rachael read his version of the day last night, laughing out loud continuously. She never laughs at anything I write - at least not in that way.
There are a few other comments I can add though. First, we were both delighted to have The Feeshko join us for a visit over coffee before we whisked Greg away from her. She strikes me as a woman with much patience who has a calming effect on her excitable best friend. And, of course, Rachael and I were both delighted to have Greg's company and guidance for the morning. He was informative, showed us a fine route we would have missed otherwise, and provided terrific companionship. We were sorry when the time came to part ways. It's a morning we won't forget.
The deer that crashed through the trees beside us before racing across the path and collapsing when he failed to make the turn really was astonishing. Greg failed to mention that part of the deer's problem was that a different pair of bikers coming the other way rounded the corner just as he crossed the road. It must have startled him into making an abrupt change of course. The eyes of the other bikers went big at what must have felt like a narrow escape.
As anyone who's lived around here for thirty years of course knows, this is the famous Stockyards Exchange Building, on Concord Avenue in South Saint Paul. Built in 1887, it provided office space for the major stockyards nearby and associated businesses - in the early 1900's, Saint Paul had the largest stockyards in the country.
A tower of the Stockyards Exchange. It's really a beautiful Romanesque structure, constructed of brick and limestone. It was restored about twenty years ago and converted to a hotel (the Castle Hotel), which didn't pan out and closed a year later.
One of a pair of fine bridges on the brand new Spring Lake Trail north of Hastings. I'm so impressed by this trail, and the state's willingness to invest in infrastructure like this.
The beautifully preserved historical heart of Hastings. After later visiting congested Red Wing, I looked back at this peaceful photo with appreciation. Looks like a lovely place to live.
After spending the morning with our own private tour guide, the rest of the day felt a bit anticlimactic. From Hastings we biked south on the highway for about 12 miles, until reaching the turnoff to Welch. The highway was exactly as Greg described it - shoulderless for about a hundred yards, and then with an abundant shoulder the rest of the day. Safe, fast, unscenic. We made great time through it, blown along by our steady, strong tailwind.
At the turnoff we stopped at a small picnic area on the grounds of a beautiful Lutheran church and enjoyed the deli sandwiches we had picked up in Hastings. It was a very pretty spot, and I'd liked to have lingered a bit and wandered through its small cemetery; but Rachael reminded me that it had been an uncomfortably long while since she last saw a restroom.
The Cross of Christ Lutheran Church (built in 1878, and on the national historic register), on Highway 61 at the turnoff to Welch.
Three fast downhill miles later, we arrived at the small riverside village of Welch. We immediately pulled in at a canoe rental shop, lured by the sign directing us to the restroom. Almost as immediately, a woman came out of the shop and informed us that there were real public restrooms just a hundred yards away, by the entrance to the Cannon Valley Trail. She then proceeded to give us a complete history of the town, causing Rachael a bit of anatomical distress. We tried to break off about half a dozen times, not wishing to be rude but not wanting any accidents either. Finally we were successful and quickly moved down the road to the public facilities.
The stylish new post office in Welch. A village resident and descendent of the first postmaster gave us a lengthy, detailed history of this building (which was a bar in its earlier life) and the original post office across the street.
The Cannon Valley Trail is a conversion of the last twenty miles of the abandoned Chicago Great Western Railway line from Mankato to Red Wing. Established in 1983, this must be one of the earliest rail-to-trail conversions in the country. The paved trail runs from Cannon Falls to Red Wing, and is paved the whole way. We biked the last half only, from its midpoint at Welches. This stretch is very flat and very green, passing through lush bottomland bordering the Cannon River. It was very pretty today, but I'll bet it is very beautiful in the fall. It would also be a great spot to visit in the winter, when the trail is groomed for cross country skiing.
The Cannon Valley Trail is a rail-trail conversion that runs for about 20 miles, from Cannon Falls to Red Wing. We picked it up at its midpoint, in Welch. The sign is nice enough, but mostly we liked the massive, daredevil ski runs on the hill behind it. I'm surprised to learn that Welch Village with its nine chair lifts is one of the most important ski resorts in Minnesota.
Biking toward Red Wing on the Cannon ValleyTrail. It's a pretty ride, but maybe eventually just a bit monotonous - like riding through a green tunnel for ten miles.
We ended the day in Red Wing, a town I've long been curious to see because an ex-wife came from Red Wing and always spoke reverentially of it. It was a bit of a disappointment though. It has some beautiful vintage buildings in its core and lies in a dramatic setting on the river, backed by a surprisingly steep sandy bluff. It's one of those unfortunate towns though that is cursed by the highway structure. Highway 61 runs straight down the historic district, spoiling a bit what could be a lovely, pedestrian-friendly area.
The recently renovated Amtrak station is one of the finest structures in the town. Behind it is the massive Red Wing Grain terminal; and behind that, Barn Bluff.
