So here's a new theory on the knee. It was significantly better all day today, feeling almost normal after a very flat, nearly sixty mile ride. We kept a faster pace than the last several days, and at the end of the day it felt better than when we began. Now though, it hurts a bit and has stiffened up again. Why now?
We're staying this evening at a cool old historic hotel - the Grant House, in Rush City. It got its name because president Grant stayed here several times back in the day. Our room is on the second floor, and the stairs are quite steep. I carried up both bikes, and I don't think my knee liked it.
The evening before I first noticed my knee pain, we stayed at Lenwood Lodge, in Seeley. Our room was on the second floor, and I carried the bikes up - something I'd forgotten about. My knee didn't like it then either. And, when I discussed this with Rachael she reminded me of the difficult sets of stairs in Bayfield and Duluth also. It sounds like maybe I need to start including a different sort of training in my routine.
So - the most probable cause? Knee injury. I'm going to keep taking the antibiotics though, in case I'm wrong.
As far as the ride itself, it was very pleasant and much better than we expected. A few days ago it looked like today would be very wet but the forecast kept getting better. Conditions were fine all day, although for the last ten miles it looked like we might get dumped on. The first half of the day was on the Munger Trail again, and the last was on quiet, broad-shouldered Highway 61. Very flat the whole way - barely 600' elevation gain in almost sixty miles.
Today's ride picked up just where yesterday's left off - on the flat, green, ultraquiet Munger Trail, under grey skies. We didn't see any real variation of this for about ten miles.
Crossing the Kettle River just south of Willow Creek, we stop to apply insect repellant. We should have done it sooner - Rachael stopped at the outhouse in Willow Creek, and while I waited for her I knocked about a dozen mozzies off my legs.
The former Northern Pacific station at Finlayson, on the Munger Trail. Several of these small communities along the path have the old station still standing. The Munger Trail follows the right of way of the old Saint Paul/Duluth passenger line that was abandoned in the early 1970's. Such a loss. As great as it is having this bike trail, I'd rather that the train line still existed. I'm not alone - there is a proposal afoot to develop a high speed rail line from Minneapolis to Duluth.
This wasn't the picture I was hoping for, but I'll take it as a consolation prize. I had the zoom camera out, trying to get a shot of a pair of birds that kept darting up the trail in front of us - brown thrashers maybe, but I never got that good a look. When I finally gave up, I looked around and saw this little guy checking me out.
We've been biking through Bunnyland ever since hopping onto this trail. Every few miles one will flush out of the grass, dash across the trail, and dive into the underbrush. Rachael thought this shot was passable, but wants to see one that shows the cottontail.
The Munger Trail ends in Hinckley. It's still pretty early in the day, but as far as we know this might be the last spot to stop before we reach Rush City. We decided to eat in rather than be mosquito bait during lunch. We"re in the Firestorm Cafe, a colorful little diner with a firefighter theme - model fire trucks and firefighting plaques and posters line all the walls. We've just arrived, and Rachael looks pretty enthusiastic and expectant. Nearly an hour later the bloom has worn off, and we're still waiting for our meal to arrive. The place gets very good reviews for its food and service, so we probably just came at an inopportune time.
This is so exciting. I didn't now that Sandhills cranes nested in Minnesota, but this is prime ground for them. I was also surprised by the color, because they're not grey like those we see in Oregon. I thought it might be a variant or summer coloring (I've only seen them in the winter months before now), but no. These are grey too, beneath their artificial coloring. One of their behaviors is to preen themselves with Iron-rich mud.
Five miles from Rush City, and I'm getting worried. This cloud formation has been building up quickly, and I can see rain off on the horizon. We keep a healthy pace all the way to the hotel and arrive dry, but we needn't have bothered - it never did rain here today.
After dinner I sat here on the porch of the Grant House Hotel, eating cookies, drinking coffee, and catching up on the journal (because there's no wifi in our room, where Rachael is reading). Very pleasant.
