Journalist Inflicted By Bad Case Of Excessive Wordiness Syndrome On Last Day Of Bike Tour

September 5, 2023

Hastings, MN

For the first time on this winging-it tour, I felt very lucky to have found a place to sleep last night. Northfield is a college town, and it was back-to-school week for St. Olaf and Carlton Colleges--both of which are like the Harvards of the Midwest. Plus, tomorrow was the going to be Day One of the town's annual celebration of Jesse James Days. When there were no rooms available at the Americ-Inn, I started to worry. Thank the god of the Church of the Great Outdoors, the Country Inn and Suites had a couple rooms. I did not want to have to wild camp somewhere on the outskirts of town in this heat.

At least the Northfield motels didn't jack up their prices to take advantage of the increased demand. A few years ago, I showed up in Pullman, WA during back-to-school weekend for Washington State University. There, the motels raised their rates by 30-50% to gouge the many, many parents dropping their kids off to begin a new year of college. I managed to get what I think was the dumpiest room in town for a most outrageous price.

One of the things I've had in my back pocket for much of this tour is that Minnesota State Parks have a "no turn away rule" for cyclists and hikers. If no sites are available, they are required to find some kind of alternative accommodation--usually in the group campsite. I've never needed to take advantage of that rule, but I have encountered a few park rangers who did not know about it. For this trip, I had the official policy saved on my phone just in case I had a problem.

Unfortunately, the park offices are rarely staffed these days. They require reservations for campsites, and if a cyclist doesn't have a reservation, who can he whip out the official Minnesota State Park policy to? (The good thing is, reservations can be made by phone when you arrive.)

Wouldn't it be nice if motels had a policy that if no rooms were available, they must allow a cyclist to camp in its back yard.

I'm such a dreamer, aren't I.

************

I slept in a little. Then I packed up and carried my bike down to the lower level. At every motel stay on this trip, I've carried my loaded bike up and down stairways. I guess I'm still cut out for this touring business.

I did it! I carried it down without falling and breaking my neck. Then I ran back upstairs to take a picture so I could brag about it.

************

I hit the road, but I only made it a couple blocks before I had to make an adjustment to my skipping derailleur. As I worked on it, I noticed a couple of women walking up the street. One of them, to my best estimate, was about 60 years old. The other, who I imagined to be her granddaughter, was probably still in her teens. One of them was kicking a rock up the street. Kick, walk, kick again, walk again, etc. The thing I liked was that it was the older gal doing the kicking. That's the kind of kid I am too.

************

I thought about riding up to the campus of St. Olaf College for the sake of old times, but I already displayed its beautiful campus in the October chapter of last year's "Touring DIFFERENTLY" journal. No need to test the patience of my readers by posting more of that.

In addition, there was no need to test my own patience by taking pictures from most of the first part of today's ride. I've ridden between Northfield and Hastings many times in the past. This is, after all, my home territory. The thing is, I've always ridden the route on my skinny-tired roadie bike. This morning, I worked out a route that included some rougher riding.

I heard a distant train whistle, so I DID look for trains. It never came, so I figured out the train I heard had already passed by here.

Perhaps you can see the Jeff Lee influence in this photo.

I passed this ditch mowing operation on busy 240th Street.

New Trier is the second town I've been through that named itself after a German city. It was in name only, because I didn't see any truly German stuff like I saw in New Ulm.

Surprisingly, some of the most scenic stuff I've seen came in the last 15 miles of this trip. I often ride the hilly area south and west of my home, but I've never veered off the paved roads. (Probably related to those skinny tires on my roadie bike.)

The main thing I noticed while planning today's route was a small area on the map called "Chimney Rock Natural and Scientific Area." How could I have not known about such a thing before? NOW was the time to learn about it.

Glad to have bigger tires for this view.

The gravel is so hard packed that it's nothing like the loose gravel I rode in other parts of this trip.

I had one more turn and a short hill up to the Scientific Natural Area. When I got to the point where the site should have been, I looked closely for a sign or something. Luckily I was focused, because it would have been very easy to miss the tiny little sign that was partially hidden by leaves and branches.

This was the only indication from the road that I was approaching something special.

Even after seeing the tiny sign, I could easily have missed the narrow hiking trail next to it. I didn't though, and I was rewarded BIG TIME.

I did try to climb it, but this is as far as I got. Not as far as I got in the ten seconds my camera timer allowed, but as far as I got, PERIOD.

A little further up the trail, I found another sandstone formation. Wish you were here!

I can't explain with my limited vocabulary how impressed I was with this newfound area right in my own backyard. There is no doubt I will be riding back here within the next few days--after I hug The Feeshko, unpack my gear, launder my disgusting clothes, wash my camping dishes, and reacclimate myself to everyday living.

It would be a lie to say that the last few miles were easy. All I could think about was how much I'd miss Diggity's excitement and face licks upon my return.

With a ray of light sent down from the god of the Church of the Great Outdoors, I am a block away from home.

Heart

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Today's ride: 31 miles (50 km)
Total: 297 miles (478 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	12
Comment on this entry	Comment	7

Jeff Lee"Wouldn't it be nice if motels had a policy that if no rooms were available, they must allow a cyclist to camp in its back yard."

Haha! That's one of the (very, very many) random thoughts I've had while bike touring.

Another one: Post Offices. They are in even the tiniest villages. It would be great to be able to, uh, exploit their ubiquity and camp outside (or even inside!) without fear of arrest.
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1 year ago

Graham SmithExcellent tour and journal Greg.
Very entertaining and informative.
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1 year ago

Bill ShaneyfeltGood job! Waiting on the chimney rock update.
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1 year ago

George (Buddy) Hall"Wouldn't it be nice if motels had a policy that if no rooms were available, they must allow a cyclist to camp in its back yard." Interesting thought - on my Northern Tier tour in 2021 I stayed at the Pine Knoll Lodge in Old Forge, NY - lodging was just reopening at the time from the COVID shutdown the previous year, and oftentimes it was hard to find anyplace indoors to stay. The proprietors of the Pine Knoll Lodge (basically just a motel) told us that they would never turn away a touring cyclist, that they would let them camp on their lawn if no rooms were available. So, it never hurts to ask, some motels may indeed let you camp out back.

Enjoyed your tour and especially the discovery you made of something new (to you) close to your home. There are some sights close to me that I've yet to explore, you have encouraged me to do so. Best of luck,
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1 year ago

Gregory GarceauTo Graham SmithThank you for reading, Graham. And thank you for saying the journal was entertaining and informative--even after reading that stuff.
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1 year ago

Gregory GarceauTo George (Buddy) HallThere ought to be a website dedicated to bike-friendly motels (like Pine Knoll Lodge) just as there is a website dedicated to pet-friendly motels. I would tend to stay at such places even when not traveling by bicycle.

Yes, get out there and explore those local sites. I'm sure going to see if I can find more hidden gems in my area.
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1 year ago

Keith Adams"Wouldn't it be nice if motels had a policy that if no rooms were available, they must allow a cyclist to camp in its back yard."

You need to visit The Frontier Hotel in Cambridge, ID. They did exactly that last year, when I was stranded there for three days and nights.
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1 year ago