July 11, 2012
My Pathetic Appearance At The Half-Way Point
Downtown Duluth, MN
The early part of today's ride mostly followed Highway 61 North. I had breakfast at a cute little cafe in Willow River. It was called Peggy Sue's. I eavesdropped on several conversations going on around me and picked up a lot of what my dad calls "local color," including the short life-history of my young, not-very-enthusiastic server. Other than the indifferent service, I really liked the place.
Highway 61's generous shoulder was reduced to nothing after Moose Lake, so I reluctantly joined the Willard Munger Bike Trail for about 15 miles. At Atkinson I exited the trail for Carlton County Rd. 5. I trespassed on some forestry research property owned by the University of Minnesota-Duluth. It was a nice forest with really big pine trees and a very nice place to urinate and drink some water--at least until those damn mosquitoes found me. Most animals on this earth have a purpose. Until I am convinced otherwise, I believe the only purpose for mosquitoes is to torment mammals and to provide food for bats.
I emerged from the forest just in time to miss an important turn to the east. I think I rode about 2 miles into the Fond Du Lac Indian Reservation before I became cognizant of my error. When I turned around, I became cognizant of the strong breeze that had heretofore been HELPING me. The new headwind, in turn, made me more cognizant of the 90-degree temperature and then I became cognizant of the sunburn developing on my face, neck and arms. I was cognizant of how much time my navigational blunder had cost me. I was cognizant of the fact that I should have been in Cloquet by that time, and there I was, more than a half-hour away. As I write this, I am now cognizant of my overuse of the word "cognizant."
The ride from Cloquet to Duluth was longer and hillier than expected, and the heat and my sunburn were NOT getting any better. At a quiet intersection, I stopped to look at my map and drink some water. I must have looked pretty pathetic to one driver who stopped to ask if I needed any help. He probably didn't believe me when I said, "no thanks, I'm fine."
At Hermantown, County Rd. 6 transformed from a little country road to a busy four lane highway, and near the Miller Hill Mall it became a mad tangle of congested confusion. With rush hour traffic, no shoulder, and unforgiving motorists, I determined that riding on the sidewalk was a safer option.
Even scarier was the treacherous descent into downtown Duluth. I stayed on the sidewalks, and for seven or eight blocks I was squeezing my brakes with all of my strength to counteract the insane steepness of the hill and the downward momentum of my loaded panniers. "Is it possible for brake pads to start on fire," I wondered.
I had made a reservation for the night at the Holiday Inn--a pretty nice hotel in the city center. When I checked in, I got the sense that people in the lobby were staring at me. Haven't they ever seen an unshaven, sunburned, sweaty freak trying to stuff his loaded bicycle onto an elevator before?
Come to think of it, I haven't either--until I saw myself reflected in the shiny stainless steel elevator door. Yikes!
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After resting in my room for an hour, I washed all of my biking clothes in the bathtub and hung them to dry on the shower curtain rod. Then I headed out on foot to Superior Street in search of something to eat.
Well, I sure wasn't expecting the sight of a twelve-block long antique car show. There were food vendors and live music, and lots of old cars. The city was bustling and it was only mid-week.
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I had a couple of spicy street tacos and continued my walk down to the Canal Park district. There are a lot of trendy shops and restaurants, but the highlight for me was some excellent views out into the expanse of Lake Superior. I only took one picture though.
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3 years ago
3 years ago
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[A VERY IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE] For this edition of my journal I made the mistake of posting a picture that was not actually mine. It was the one of The Marine General Store on page two of this journal. In my defense, I DID admit it was a stock photo in a footnote, but I still feel a little guilty about it. Two people "liked" it before they saw the footnote and they, quite rightly, felt tricked.
Yes, that was at least one more "like" than any of my TRUE photos, but that's not the point. I'm not going to post such photos again, no matter how much I wish I had taken a picture of something truly significant.
Instead, I have commissioned an artist (ME) to re-create a couple actual events that happened during the next few days of this bike trip. (Like the one of me on the elevator.)
Today's ride: 75 miles (121 km)
Total: 210 miles (338 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 7 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
3 years ago
It takes a true cognizanti to be cognizant of the overuse of the word cognizant, much less remember the overused word was actually the word "cognizant." Your half-cognizance is admirable. The paragraph full of "cognizants" was not-so-admirable.
3 years ago
3 years ago
That wasn't G-2, that was me. G-2 didn't exist until he became my alter ego several years later. But thanks for noticing the resemblance.
And, yes, you might have thought you were reading this journal in real time, but I wrote it up on Crazyguyonabike a couple years later--one page at a time. Ironically, my original blogging site, Blogspot, never gave me the boot when I started posting exclusively on CGOAB.
Your pal, Greg
3 years ago