“Over The Top Boys!” That was the call made to the doughboys in WWI when the commanders ordered them to charge out of the trenches and attack the Huns. Whipped into a froth of adrenaline, testosterone, blind enthusiasm and youthful ignorance, most of them were mowed down by a hail of machine gun bullets within minutes. Marg and I were channeling the Doughboys just a wee bit this morning on the first real day of the ride. The day was grand, the weather looked divine, and though we were getting a little surge of adrenaline this isn’t our first rodeo and our youthful ignorance had been schooled long ago. We are grizzled realists. We rolled out of the North Branch AmericInn parking lot at 8:54 AM, six minutes ahead of schedule!
Puzzling Over The Gear. Is this all really going to fit?
We jointly decided to dispense with the intended four pre-ride questions because it was just spoiling a good buzz that the start of each day’s ride brings, and all those questions felt like filling out a job application. We’ll still do the Rose, Thorn and Bud at day’s end though.
Early On, Five Miles In. Still Jittery About The Whole Deal.
The only slight downer today was a steady, though not strong, wind coming from the NW that blew all day long. The direction we were riding most of the time? Northwest, of course. It wasn’t awful, but by day’s end our average speed was a sobering disappointment.
The route was a multitude of Minnesota county roads and they were lovely riding. Many little lakes peppered here and there, and the drivers were super courteous. Angry Sedan Man looks to have been a true anomaly. The only rude Minnesotan we encountered today was not driving. He was running. Shockingly, he came bursting out of the bushes about 20 yards in front of Margaret and ran across the road into the opposite field! Crazy! Oh. He was a deer, by the way. Marg hit the brakes fast and hard because where there is one sprinting deer there is usually another, but this one was solo. We have heard many stories of bikers being leveled by deer and we were glad this one was far enough away not to cause harm. The adrenaline rush we got was our version of the Hun machine guns.
Margaret has an inspiration on a tough day of riding
In Milaca, Minnesota we stopped for lunch and and stumbled upon an amazing little coffee and sandwich shop called King Sparrow. Great food. Root Beer for me, Americano for Marg, ice cream for both of us. Then back grinding away into the wind.
Margaret after a sandwhich, Americano, and ice cream. Why so grumpy? Because there has been a headwind for 50 MILES!!!
Today’s Super Mega Highlight is where we are staying … Alice’s Attic Biking Hostel. Alice is a semi-retired nurse who lives out in the country. She discovered about 15 years ago that her place was directly on the ACA Northern Tier bike route after meeting a few bikers who stopped in to return her greeting as they rode by. She thought this was a fabulous thing, and made a few conversions to her barn so that bikers could overnight with a roof over their head in relative comfort. We phoned ahead, she said absolutely come on by. What a dynamo she is too! We are sleeping in the 2nd story of her barn which she long ago converted into a wedding reception area. She let us shower in her basement, and there is a port o’ john outside the barn for the private use of bike guests. Complete with a can of air freshener! That’s living man. She even offers you the use of her washer and dryer if you want. That is a truly generous person. Check out the pictures.
The barn lodge at Alice's. Bikers can either camp on the grounds or sleep upstairs in the barn with their air mattresses and sleeping bags. There is a private Port O' John to the left and the whole feel of the place is straight out of a Fairy Tale. A Happy one, not from the Brother Grimm, just to be clear.
Also check out the pictures of Margaret’s first art project. It represents the diversity of her inner monologue today versus what she perceived to be mine. Honestly, the woman knows how to sniff out a concept.
Margaret's rendering of what she had running through her head today. Naw, she's not that Dark.
