To Durand

June 5, 2021

Hotter still. It’s already 72 when we wake up, with another day ballooning up to the mid-90s. This looks like the worst of it for awhile, and things should moderate a bit starting tomorrow. Fortunately, on the hottest day we have one of the easiest rides on our schedule. It’s just a flat 35 mile V-shaped river cruise ahead - 15 miles south along the Mississippi to Wabasha, where we’ll cross the River one last time and head northeast up the Chippewa to Durand. Even better - we’re going the right direction and can expect favorable winds most of the way. Almost a rest day.

Our motel doesn’t offer breakfast and there’s nothing nearby other than the uninspiring Burger King option, so we decide to get a jump on the heat by skimping on first breakfast. Sustained for the moment only by the three tangerines we picked up from the Feeshko yesterday, we leave the motel at 7 and set off while it’s still comfortable and slightly overcast. We’ll get the first leg of the V in early, have a real meal in Wabasha, and then hope that a tailwind helps keep us cool when we bike north to Durand afterwards.

As we leave, our motel manager is already out, skimming cottonwood floaters off the swimming pool. He wishes us well and tells us we’ll have lots of company today from riders in the Tour de Pepin.

Leaving Lake City we bike south along Lake Pepin, a broad bulge in the Mississippi.

The registration site for the Tour de Pepin, reactivated after taking last year off for Covid.

I forgot to include this photo from yesterday, but it’s more relevant now anyway. This is the Pearl of the Lake, the paddleboat that does runs across to Stockholm on the east bank. The Tour de Pepin is an organized event with several different length rides,one of which is a half century that begins with a ride across the lake on the paddleboat before biking north to Red Wing and then back to River City.

Easy riding, southbound along the river to Wabasha.

Image not found :( — Uh, oh. Who are those guys, Sundance?

Phew. The posse is apparently after a different set of outlaws.

It’s just turning 8:30 when we arrive in Wabasha and roll up to Stacey’s Kitchen, the spot we’d scoped out for our real breakfast. It’s a small place and packed with hearty-looking eaters when we arrive, but we’re next in line and it’s a short wait. An hour later we waddle out into the heat and head for the bridge. On the way there an elderly woman warns us to be patient - something is happening at the bridge, and she just experienced her slowest crossing ever.

On to Wisconsin

New state already! We didn’t see much of Minnesota this time, but it’s exciting to come to a new border so soon. It really feels like we’re getting somewhere.

And where is it we’re getting to exactly? We posted an overview of the whole route about a month ago, but you’ve probably forgotten by now and it’s changed a bit in the meantime anyway. Here’s a close-up of what’s immediately ahead. We’ll be in Wisconsin for nearly two weeks - first biking straight across to Green Bay, and then spending nearly a week rambling around Door County before catching the Badger across Lake Michigan to Ludington.

Each colored segment represents a single stage. We’re halfway through the third day out, right at the vertex of the green V.

The lady was right - the Wabasha Bridge is a real mess today. It’s a long two laner, and one is closed for what looks like a resurfacing project. There’s a four block long queue backed up at this end, but we’re in luck - traffic is moving in our direction as we approach the traffic control, so I pick up the pace to make the light and yell back to Rachael to do the same. I don’t want to make it through and then have us both wait baking in the hot sun for fifteen or twenty minutes for the lane to open up in our direction again.

Boy, are we lucky! It would be no fun sitting on the bridge in this heat.

A last look back at Wabasha, Minnesota, and the Mississippi.

The ride to Durand is the best that we could have hoped for on a day like today. We’re on arterials the whole way, but the traffic is light and the terrain easy. Best of all, we have about a brisk tailwind the entire way speeding us along and cooling us down. We breeze along at about 15 mph the whole way, and arrive at our motel at 11:15 - one of our earliest arrivals ever.

On the Chippewa delta. I don’t know about being out there on a day like today, but this looks very tempting.

Video sound track: The Gypsy, by Urban Knights

In Durand we’re staying at the Cobblestone Inn, and are very happy about it. Rachael called ahead this morning during breakfast to see how early we could check in, and they said our room was ready already. Awesome - we have no trouble figuring out how to spend the hottest afternoon of the tour - shower, read, nap, wait for dinner.

I like this! My hair is very happy after being pampered with a relaxing green tea and willow shampoo. Who knew shampoo could be relaxing?

An excellent use of a sweltering afternoon. Lay your relaxed head down on a fluffy pillow and take a nap.

Later we braved the heat for the five block walk down to the Kingfisher, a new restaurant on the waterfront. They just reopened two weeks ago after originally opening a year ago, a few weeks before Covid, and promptly shutting down. It’s a surprising higher quality restaurant to find in a place like this. We enjoyed a fine meal with an Italian influence at a window table with a river view. I hope they manage to stay in business this time.

The old Pepin County Courthouse, a Greek revival in use from 1874-1984. Now a museum, and on the National Register.

The Chippewa River and the Durand waterfront.

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Ride stats today: 35 miles, 1,000’; for the tour: 202 miles, 5,500’

Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 202 miles (325 km)

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