June 21, 2017
Alice's Attic to Sauk Centre, Minnesota: The Wind Gods Declare Us Worthy
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We did not respond to the 7 AM reveille call this morning with great enthusiasm. In fact, we both laid there and listened to the phone play Frank Zappa’s “Must Be A Camel” three times before it finally gave up the ghost and decided we didn’t truly intend on getting up. That's even after falling asleep in the barn before 10 PM. But, those bikes weren’t going to ride themselves so we screwed up our courage and staggered downstairs. Once we went through the morning ritual of firing up the camp stove and starting the coffee and oatmeal things started looking up. The morning was sunny, already pleasantly warm, and birdsong was everywhere.
After twenty minutes or so Alice, our hostess, walked down from her house with a carafe of coffee and extra cups to shoot the breeze with us. She traipsed down in her robe and slippers and we three had a great coffee klatsche together. She had so many interesting stories, but the highlight in brief was this: Her son is trying to make a living as an actor. A few years ago, through a complicated process too long to explain, he was selected as a contestant on a Swedish reality TV show! The show selects (after stringent vetting) Americans of Swedish ancestry and winnows 10 contestants down to a final winner. Unlike American reality TV the contestants don’t have to publicly embarrass themselves but instead take part in challenges where they demonstrate their knowledge of or participation in Swedish traditions. The upshot is that her son was the winner, where the final episode payoff was for him to meet a group of about 150 people who were the relatives of his ancestors in Sweden! A year or two later Alice, her son and a few other relatives went over again to meet those same relatives and it was great. Hey, biking tourists, you should stay at Alice’s if you are out there. What a grand and generous she person is, and as down to earth as you’ll find.
We almost shrieked in delight when we got on the road, because there was a rippin’ SE wind and we were still heading NW today. We covered the first 20 miles with an average speed close to 16 MPH. The wind gods had declared us worthy of their largesse.
At that 20 mile mark we hit the village of Bowlus, which is alongside the Lake Wobegone State Trail. It also has a great eatery called Jordie’s Trailside Café. It is directly across from the trail and the old railroad station which has been perfectly rehabilitated. The whole area has awesome JuJu. We were enticed to eat either our second breakfast or our first lunch, depending on your view. It was delicious and the outdoor eating area was tough to break away from. Our waitress, after taking our order, told us she had seen us biking on her way in to work. After we finished eating Margaret was on her way to the ladies room when a woman stopped her and asked if we had stayed at Alice’s Attic last night. Marg, surprised by the question said, “Well, Yes! We did. Alice is amazing, but how did you know?” The stranger said, “Oh, I saw your picture on her Facebook page.” We’re famous now, of course. Small world I guess.
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Once we remounted the bikes we had a existential crisis to confront. If we stuck with the route planned we would have to ride into the teeth of that SE wind for about 16 miles. If we headed north we’d probably be able to coast for 40 miles. After MUCH debate (regarding whether we were sticking to the original plan, whether we were being pansies to take the headwind, about the need to ride counterclockwise because counterclockwise is worldwide “standard”) we decided to grab the tailwind by the reins and ride it hard. But, after ½ a mile Margaret shouted “Wait! Stop!!” After coasting to a halt she said, “I can’t do it. We have to ride the original plan. I’m emotionally attached to it.” I understood. I was on the fence myself. So south we went.
The trail was a nice break from the roads. The winds weren’t so bad because it was flanked by trees and the little towns en route were lovely. We were both again crestfallen to see our average speed so low even with a huge tailwind, but we realized that having dropped anchor in Bowlus for 90 minutes probably killed any chance for a brag-worthy speed. It's a tour though, not a race, so we decided to recalibrate our expectations.
We reached our destination and had a second existential crises to confront. Two in one day! Good Heavens. The crux: Camp, or find a motel? Our essence always urges us to camp. That’s where our heart is. Well, maybe used to be anyway. The weather said there was only a 30% chance of rain. No clear excuse not to camp there. We rode through town to check out the city park campground. It was well used, but populated by campers vans, Winnebagos and other mechanical titans of the camping world. There was one lonely tent pitched under a depressing, isolated tree far away from the sunny, open spaces. Marg and I looked at each other, probably waiting to see who would blink first. After a lot of “What do you think? I don’t know what do you think?” we remembered that we had been to this town a year earlier when delivering daughter Riley to Amtrak and there was a historic, and allegedly haunted, hotel dating back to 1901 on Main Street. In unison: “Let’s stay at the haunted hotel!” We did. That’s where we are this instant, writing and drawing. And best of all, it’s been raining the last hour. Win, and win. See you tomorrow!!
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Rose: Marg – Staying at the Haunted Hotel. Mike – The Martini Burger at Jordie’s Café
Thorn: Marg – Still her handlebar bag (she may be obsessing on this). Mike – My Heinie hurts
Bud: Marg - Having the wind at her back. Mike – sleeping on a mattress tonight
Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 134 miles (216 km)
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