Day 110 - ending at Preston, MN - The Great Plains Trail - Sort Of

September 1, 2023

Day 110 - ending at Preston, MN

Day 110 - Marion, MN to Preston, MN

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I slept warm last night in a set of clothes. Up at 6:25am. I worked on yesterday's report until I got it posted using this KOA campground's wifi, which works very well. I ate my last Casey's cookie, which I see expired 12+ hours earlier. At 8:15am I went to the campground office to pay for last night's stay. Got packed up and was ready to leave at 10:21am. It was a short trip to where I was going next - Jeff's Little Store across the highway from the KOA entrance. I bought items for breakfast, which I ate at their outside picnic table. I called my wife while eating to get more details about our new grandson. All is well.

Harvest Farm Camping Resort near Cresco, Iowa was my destination for today. I had it down as 54 miles away. Google Maps indicated there are steep hills between here and there. And, the wind was blowing strong from the south today, the direction I would be going. For the first part, I'd routed back roads to get to Fountain, Minnesota, where there's a bike trail. My state map indicated that highway US-52 goes to Fountain. Bikes are allowed on this section. I decided to pass on the probably hilly, probably gravel, quiet back country roads this morning for the hopefully less hilly paved shoulder of US-52 with its traffic noise.

I took off on the highway going southeast at 11:18am. By noon I'd completed 5.0 miles. I arrived in the town of Chatfield after a downhill coast. I passed their Dairy Queen and decided to get a Blizzard. I also got ice for my thermos. I was sitting at an outside table when a fellow set a DQ sack down in front of me. He then showed me text on his phone. It was an English translation of what he had said earlier in Spanish. It wasn't completely clear to me, but I figured out he was giving me a hamburger. Using the translator app on his phone, we communicated back and forth. I ate the hamburger, which was actually a cheeseburger, after he went on his way. This was very kind of him and filled me up so I won't need another meal today.

I was back riding on US-52 at 1:45pm. There were several uphills today, and I rode up all of them, until I came to the hill past the Root River. Part way up I decided to walk some. As I was doing that a pickup truck pulled up at an intersection ahead and stopped. The driver got out and walked over. It was the fellow I'd talked with yesterday morning at Zumbrota's covered bridge! This time I got his name: Wes. I was happy to see him because after our visit yesterday I was regretting that I hadn't given him my journal's address. And I also wished I had taken his picture for my journal, if he'd been willing. Well, I remembered to give him the journal address. The fact that I could have also taken his picture just then didn't come to mind until he was gone. Wes provided me more helpful information during this visit. That was about the bicycles trails ahead to Preston and Harmony. He also confirmed what I had only been thinking: that I wasn't going to make it into Iowa today. I reset today's destination to be Harmony, Minnesota.

I got off US-52 when I arrived at Fountain at 3:35pm, riding streets south to the trailhead for the Root River State Trail. I took a break at a pavilion there before I got started riding on the trail. Wes had told me this was a rail trail, so I expected the grades to be gentle, and they were. Actually, it was downhill for me for a long way. Long enough that I nearly fell asleep again coasting.

At 4:55pm I came to the intersection where the Root River State Trail continues east, or you can turn south onto the Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail. I made the turn south to get to Preston. At this intersection they have a "Selfie Station", so I tried it out. I think their station isn't quite level. This trail I was on now wasn't as downhill, but still a very pleasant ride.

I arrived in Preston at 5:55pm. I'd been giving some thought as I rode to maybe stopping at Preston. Google Maps indicated there was camping at the fairgrounds in town. Anyway, before I decided, there were lots of pictures to be taken at the trailhead. As I was getting a picture of the town's 1902 elevator, a car pulled up and the driver asked if I'd like to see inside. He had a key. So I got a personal tour of the ground floor. Afterwards, he went back to his car and got me a map of the area's trails. Harmony was 12 miles away using the trail, though the person who gave me the map cautioned that it's 12 miles uphill. I could probably make it, but it would be another late night. I went over to what used to be the train depot to get some ice cream and make a decision. I decided on butter pecan for the cone, and to stay here in Preston tonight. The worker who made my ice cream cone told me about the times she had done RAGBRAI. She was always able to avoid the party side of that event, and had great times with her friends.

I could see the fairgrounds from Preston's trailhead. I made it there at 6:40pm. Of course I had to check out the whole place to get the best spot. Tonight this was checking out two spots, which was all that was left. One was barely acceptable. The other one is perfect. I'm set up at site A6. It's nice having this extra daylight and extra time in the evening. But I've messed up my schedule now and I don't know where I'll be tomorrow night. I'll have to spend some time figuring that out. I see it's past midnight, so now it's bedtime.

Jeff

Spent: $20.69 (breakfast items, Gatorade) + $8.26 plus $1 (Blizzard) + $3.85 plus $1.15 (ice cream cone) + $30 (campsite) = $64.95