Day 2 - Cannon Falls to New Prague - TOM

June 17, 2024

Day 2 - Cannon Falls to New Prague

Tail of the Dog

I crawled in the tent about 9:00 pm and lay there sweating for the longest time. I had the tent fly open despite the forecast rain to get some ventilation, but the wind dropped to nothing.

The rain predicted to begin at about midnight last night didn’t arrive until 5:30 am. I woke up and checked the weather radar at 5:00 am and saw it coming. I hurriedly packed up and started taking down the tent. Just then the gust front before the storm blew in, and if I hadn’t left a few stakes in the ground the tent would have blown away. I put my gear in the luggage truck just as the rain started, and walked down the hill with my bike, an hour early for breakfast.

I leaned my bike against a post under a picnic shelter once I took it down the hill, and there it sat for 4 hours.

I didn’t capture the radar at 5:00 am, but this is what it looked like at 7:25. No one left in this. I heard that at Rochester, 40 miles away, there was quarter sized hail. We missed that bullet.

I am supposed to be a sweeper today on the long route, about 64 miles. Because of the weather and the fact that so few people expressed an interest in the long route, they officially cancelled it. I feel like I got a reprieve from the governor. I’ll still sweep but on the short route, about 48 miles . A sweeper rides behind the slowest rider to make sure everyone is off the route at the end of the day. I’m the tail of the dog, so to speak. It’s a good way to turn a 3 hour ride into a 6 hour ride, but I have a chance to talk to the slowpokes, who are interesting people, too.

As I write it’s after 9:00 am and there are still riders who haven’t left. Not only these but folks scattered among other buildings and shelters. Hopefully by 9:30 I’ll get to go.

Eventually there was one other bicycle (that I knew of) left at the fairground. The name tag said Sister Mary. There was a woman slowly packing her bag and rolling up her tent. I asked if she were Sister Mary. Yes. Are you planning to ride? Yes. So I waited some more. Finally she was ready to go, and we rolled out at 9:50 am. As we left the fairground we discovered two others who had been hiding elsewhere also setting out. The four of us left in pouring rain. The heavy rain lasted about an hour, then lightened up and became intermittent the rest of the way.

As we rode along I asked Sister Mary if she was a nun. She said yes. A while later in the conversation I asked which religious order she belonged to. She laughed and fessed up that she was not a nun. It was a nickname given her because as a child she dreamed of becoming a nun so she could wear those cool nun outfits.

Eventually I accumulated a group of 6 women riding slowly and they decided to ride together. So I had a posse. We rode together a goodly part of the rest of the day.

We stopped at the first rest stop at 17 miles, and while there several other riders caught up with us. They had left the fairground before us but took a wrong turn and got lost, which put them behind us. Then two showed up who had stopped at a DQ to use the bathroom. Ok, surely I’m behind all the riders now.

At the second rest stop at 33 miles a group of men who had left their hotels at 11:00 am caught up with us just as we were ready to press on, so I stayed behind. I followed them when they left. They rode fast enough that we caught up with the posse. The men rode on, and I was behind the women again to the end of the day.

As sweeper I had to wear a sash that identified me as such. When we got to New Prague I turned in my official regalia and became a civilian again.

Now I want to know where the other sweepers were. I was supposed to sweep the long route, which was cancelled. There should have been two sweepers for the short route, but I never saw them. Perhaps they skipped the day. A lot of people didn’t ride because of the weather. The weight of the world was on my shoulders, and I didn’t even know it.

At 2:30 at the second rest stop all the rain was north of us and moving away. The forecast was for no more rain today or tonight. We arrived at New Prague at 4:00 pm just as it started to rain again. I checked the radar again. Where did that come from??

The good news? Due to the weather we have permission to camp inside the high school gymnasium. Just 2 days ago Doobie said that rain was not a justification for indoor camping. It would only be possible in severe weather. I guess that’s this. We just heard at dinner that we have permission to camp indoors tomorrow night at the middle school in Waconia. We’ll be there for two nights. When it rains, it pours?

The bad news? The brewery in New Prague is closed on Monday.

My abode in the gym. This is what the inside of my tent normally looks like. Hot showers down the hall. Food served in the cafeteria. In the lap of luxury.

I took very few outside pictures today due to the rain. I’ve never used my new top tube bag in the rain to hold my phone and wallet, so I don’t know if it’s waterproof. I put my phone into the little dry bag that I normally stuff my rain jacket into, and put the dry bag into the pocket of the rain jacket. Just imagine a dark sky, wet roads on rolling hills and lots of puddles.

The picture I really wish I could have taken was at the spillway of Lake Byllesby on the outskirts of Cannon Falls. The water coming out of the lake was a raging, muddy torrent whose spray competed with the rain.

I did learn one good thing today. My old rain jacket had a hood large enough to cover my helmet. My new better jacket does not. I’ve tried a waterproof helmet cover but didn’t like it. Today I saw someone put their helmet on over the hood of their rain jacket. I tried it, and it works like a charm. Why do it take me so long to figure that out?

8:15 pm rain update. A few moments ago there was the sound of a heavy downpour on the roof of the gym, accompanied by a boom of thunder. A few minutes later another downpour. Not much on the radar, but there’s something out there. The forecast is for low to moderate chance of rain tonight and tomorrow, with a high chance tomorrow night, and a fairly nice day for our day off in Waconia on Wednesday, but this coming from the same folks who have done so poorly the last couple days for asking the timing of the storms.

But I’m ready!

Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 93 miles (150 km)

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