We made it to Minnesota!
Broken sunlight, a slight tailwind, and the prospect of getting home propelled us during a 93 mile journey along the Mississippi River into the Twin Cities area. Fourteen hundred miles from my apartment in New York to my parent's house in Eden Prairie, MN marks the unofficial halfway point of my trip (even though in mileage, I am only at the 45% mark). Andrew's journey ends here, and I will take the next several days off before starting west again at the end of the week.
Despite riding along the banks of the Mississippi River, our ride today was surprisingly hilly as the Great River Road occasionally veered away from the river forcing us into extended climbs out of the river valley. Nevertheless, the ride offered many great views of the Mississippi and the topography of the region - particularly the monadnocks of the Driftless Area along the river. We passed many cyclists today - some on long-distance tours and others just out for a long weekend ride.
Today's ride also featured the first flat tire of my journey so far, but it struck Andrew's bike instead of mine. We were about 10 miles out of Prescott pulled over to the side of the road, and managed to locate a small tear in the tire. I folded up a dollar bill to stick inside the tire - a makeshift boot - replaced the tube, and we were on our way without further incident. For my bike, my Bontrager hard case tires have not let me down yet (knock on wood).
The last couple days from La Crosse to Minneapolis along the river have offered many great culinary experiences. The Harbor View Cafe in Pepin is a must for anyone traveling on the Great River Road, the Brickyard Pub and Eatery is a good stop for a bite for anyone on a bike ride out of the Twin Cities, and La Crosse offers several great food options. Additionally, the river road features many vineyards along the road and just inside the Driftless Area - perhaps a nice organizing principle for 3-4 day bike tour of the region.
A special thanks to Tom Pryor and Catherine Courcy - our good friends who we met in Minneapolis and who rode with us through uptown Minneapolis on the way to the western suburbs.
Distance - 93.0 miles
Cumulative Distance - 1413.5 miles
Vertical Elevation - 4589 feet
Broken sunlight, a slight tailwind, and the prospect of getting home propelled us during a 93 mile journey along the Mississippi River into the Twin Cities area. Fourteen hundred miles from my apartment in New York to my parent's house in Eden Prairie, MN marks the unofficial halfway point of my trip (even though in mileage, I am only at the 45% mark). Andrew's journey ends here, and I will take the next several days off before starting west again at the end of the week.
Despite riding along the banks of the Mississippi River, our ride today was surprisingly hilly as the Great River Road occasionally veered away from the river forcing us into extended climbs out of the river valley. Nevertheless, the ride offered many great views of the Mississippi and the topography of the region - particularly the monadnocks of the Driftless Area along the river. We passed many cyclists today - some on long-distance tours and others just out for a long weekend ride.
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| Sunset over the Mississippi River in Pepin, WI |
Today's ride also featured the first flat tire of my journey so far, but it struck Andrew's bike instead of mine. We were about 10 miles out of Prescott pulled over to the side of the road, and managed to locate a small tear in the tire. I folded up a dollar bill to stick inside the tire - a makeshift boot - replaced the tube, and we were on our way without further incident. For my bike, my Bontrager hard case tires have not let me down yet (knock on wood).
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| Harbor View Cafe in Pepin, WI |
A special thanks to Tom Pryor and Catherine Courcy - our good friends who we met in Minneapolis and who rode with us through uptown Minneapolis on the way to the western suburbs.
Starting Point - Pepin, WI
Ending Point - Eden Prairie, MNDistance - 93.0 miles
Cumulative Distance - 1413.5 miles
Vertical Elevation - 4589 feet
Counties - Pepin, Pierce, WI; Washington, Dakota, Ramsey, Hennepin, MN
Wind - variable tailwind
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