June 28, 2017
Walker, Minnesota to Pequot Lakes, Minnesota: Rainy Rolling Rest Day
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Marg and I spent far too long last night scouring the internet for weather information. FAR too much. Depending on which source you landed on it warned of anything between a decent chance of light rain to a death trap of a significant thunderstorm. In a car that difference is an interesting bit of trivia. On a bike it makes the difference between launching into a ride which is bothersome versus miserably scary. Eventually, realizing we were both pretty well spent and had too little data, we hit the sack to see what information was available in the morning, although we were reserving the possibility that today would be a weather enforced rest day.
In the morning light the forecast seemed more benign than the night prior. No doubt a chance of rain, but the one inch hail, 1/2 inch of rain, and frequent cloud to ground lightening strikes were all far to the east. The verdict? Hell Yeah, let's go! As a concession to the fact that there was still a decent chance of a multi-hour rain event, we decided to make today a short ride to Pequot Lakes, only 40 miles away.
The first 25 miles were pretty good! Overcast, but no rain at all and a non-existant wind. We stumbled upon some fantastic bits of Road Whimsy on a titanic scale, and confirmed that Margaret is a true Pied Piper when it comes to animals. They came out in droves to see her.
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Then the curtain dropped on Act I, and rose on Act II, where our heroes were to suffer the trial of ten miles of steady, gentle, rain. We proceeded to get quite wet. Fortunately it was a warm-ish rain, so no fits of shivering or such other symptoms. We almost missed our exit to the AmericInn just north of Pequot Lakes! We had stopped at an intersection to change out our maps and grab the hand drawn directions I'd made this morning. As I was fumbling around I told Margaret, "Yeah, it has to be about two miles from here, max!" After I said that Marg asked, "What's the name of the motel we're staying in again? The AmericInn?" Exactly, said I. "So, that's it across the road then?"
Damn! It was!! Had we not stopped right there and Marg been watching her surroundings we would have just kept truckin' down the road leaving our destination farther and farther in the distance. I think its fair to say it would have been a massive disappointment to discover that error two miles down the road, in the steady rain.
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But that DID NOT HAPPEN good readers! We caught our near tragic error and hung a hard left toward warmth and dryness. We popped in to the A-Pine restaurant for a hearty dinner (Liver and Onions for Marg ... Burger and fries for Mike ... I wish she'd eat healthier, you know?) and then a piece of pie for us both. We have done the laundry and hung it to dry. We are also in the thick of Paul Bunyan lore, and the motel has the neatest display case of vintage Bunyan toys, advertising, and other knick-knacks. It's neat.
Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 519 miles (835 km)
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