Some familiar faces made today's ride the best so far on my trip. My dear friends, Gabriel and Stacey Gillett made the trip from New York to get a taste of my life on the road by bicycle. Flying from New York to Minneapolis on Friday and then driving some 150 miles out to South Dakota, they met me for lunch at Peg's Place - a typical if somewhat weathered diner in the small town of Appleton, MN. Gabi and I grew up in Minnesota and have known each other since junior high, and I have known Stacey, his better half, for the better part of a decade. I think they particularly enjoyed honking at me as they drove past on the highway.
Handing off my gear to lighten the load in the headwind, I crossed the Minnesota-South Dakota border just south of Big Stone Lake. During my days off in Minneapolis, another friend from junior high, Peter Euphosin, mentioned that yet another Hopkins High School alumni, Phil Stern, works in South Dakota during the summers. Figuring that the odds of finding one person in South Dakota would be minimal, I did not ask where exactly he might be. But Peter mentioned that he works at a fireworks store across the border.
Low and behold, as I crossed the border I immediately saw signs for fireworks shops in the dusty hamlet of Big Stone City, SD. With time to kill, I decided to hop into one of these stores and ask if Phil works there. The first person I met when I walked in was Phil who was, needless to say, a bit surprised to see me come through the doors.
That evening, Gabi, Stacey and I drove back to the border and joined Phil for dinner in Ortonville, MN on the shores of Big Stone Lake. It was a reunion of sorts - Gabi and Phil actually went to elementary school together and had not seen each other since high school graduation in 2001. We enjoyed a decent meal and an excellent lakeside view on the patio of the Lakewood Supper Club. My guests also managed to convince the somewhat spacey waitress that it was my birthday - dessert was on the house.
We ended the evening by heading back to Ken's Fireworks owned by Phil's uncle and carefully staffed by Phil during the busy weeks before July 4th. Stacey managed to dissuade Gabi from our tentative plans to set off fireworks at the motel, but he did leave with a bag full of fireworks to bring back to the Twin Cities for Father's Day. No word yet as to how that went. It all made for an excellent evening at the halfway mark on my cross-country ride.
Distance - 83.3 miles
Cumulative Distance - 1590.5 miles
Vertical Elevation - 1062 feet
Handing off my gear to lighten the load in the headwind, I crossed the Minnesota-South Dakota border just south of Big Stone Lake. During my days off in Minneapolis, another friend from junior high, Peter Euphosin, mentioned that yet another Hopkins High School alumni, Phil Stern, works in South Dakota during the summers. Figuring that the odds of finding one person in South Dakota would be minimal, I did not ask where exactly he might be. But Peter mentioned that he works at a fireworks store across the border.
Low and behold, as I crossed the border I immediately saw signs for fireworks shops in the dusty hamlet of Big Stone City, SD. With time to kill, I decided to hop into one of these stores and ask if Phil works there. The first person I met when I walked in was Phil who was, needless to say, a bit surprised to see me come through the doors.
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| Action shot |
That evening, Gabi, Stacey and I drove back to the border and joined Phil for dinner in Ortonville, MN on the shores of Big Stone Lake. It was a reunion of sorts - Gabi and Phil actually went to elementary school together and had not seen each other since high school graduation in 2001. We enjoyed a decent meal and an excellent lakeside view on the patio of the Lakewood Supper Club. My guests also managed to convince the somewhat spacey waitress that it was my birthday - dessert was on the house.
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| Motley crew in Ortonville, MN |
Starting Point - Willmar, MN
Ending Point - Milbank, SDDistance - 83.3 miles
Cumulative Distance - 1590.5 miles
Vertical Elevation - 1062 feet
Counties - Kandiyohi, Swift, Big Stone, MN; Grant, SD
Wind - moderate head/crosswind
Have a safe trip! Glad you made it to Ken's. Actually, it's owned by Phil's mom and her brothers. They inherited it from their parents, who had operated in Big Stone City for more than 50 years.
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ReplyDeleteUpdate: we delivered fireworks and Burger King crowns to all the fathers on father's day, and brought Stella her new Ken's Fireworks t-shirt. Everyone appeared delighted by the gifts, and no one lost a finger (at least by the time we left).
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