Day 27 - July 19th - layover day in New Ulm

(photos: New Ulm at dusk as seen from the Tower at our dorm; friends Katie and Rick)

Layover days always fly by, and this one went exceptionally fast. Last night, I managed to figure out when/where I could go swimming. So, first-thing this morning, I trotted down the hill from MLC to Steinhauser Field House to swim some laps. They had lanes set aside for such from 7-9am. The water felt great and there were only 2 other people in the pool - one of whom was simply doing water walking. The pool was very large: lap lanes were set up on the shorter side of the rectangle.

Went back up the hill - under cloudy skies. In fact it was sprinkling at times. Walked to the main parking lot and saw a car with bike in the roof rack, drive right in. My ACA (Adventure Cycling Association) friend Marty emerged to say "Hi Liz!". He was on a road trip to the upper peninsula of Michigan (and beyond), and knew from my blog that I'd be in town on the 19th. It was a wonderful surprise to see him. At the same moment, my friend Carolyn from Mpls was already in the parking lot waiting for me to jump into her car and go to breakfast. After chatting with Marty for a few minutes, he got back into his Prius and continued on his way. Carolyn and I then drove downtown to the Ulmer Cafe for breakfast. Standard fare, but a very satisfying chunk of time to exchange personal news, talk about the ride, and also her upcoming family vacation to the east coast. Carolyn brought me a fantastic press pot from REI that her husband J had picked up per my request. It is sizable, sturdy, and I know it will be a big hit at the next camp breakfast.

We finally gave up our table after a couple of hours at the Ulmer, and drove around town looking at neighborhoods and such. We also made a stop at Walgreen's so that I could purchase some items to help with the Big Ride camp coffee operation. The new press pot deserves a protective box all its own, as well as soap and towels for cleaning it.

Carolyn dropped me back off at the dorm in time for me to meet up with Chuck and Elizabeth (friends from Mpls), who had driven down to have lunch with me. We went to the Kasierhoff and had a very good time catching up, talking about the ride, etc. At 1:30, Katie and Rick (former neighbors from 18th Ave) phoned to say that they had arrived in downtown New Ulm. They joined us at the restaurant and the 5 of us talked for awhile.

We split up, late afternoon, and Katie and Rick drove me over to the Schell brewery so that I could see this local landmark. However, the weather had different plans. A thunderstorm that had been bottled up all day - while I was busy inside various restaurants - broke open. It was an intense show - thunder, lightening, and buckets of rain that poured down and rushed through the streets. Water was several inches deep in places. Katie referred to it as a "real gully-washer". No chance to take any photos on the grounds of the brewery. But we were content to wander around the museum and passed up the hour-long tour. We left the brewery in a downpour and Rick and Katie drove me back to MLC. Before departing, they presented me with 2 wonderful gifts: a bottle of August Schell Pale Ale and an oversized pint of fresh raspberries picked from canes in their yard just that morning. And I had thought that I'd miss out on fresh raspberries all together (the fruit on my home canes having been enjoyed by family and neighbors in my absence). What a rare treat!

I walked back to my dorm room to gather my thoughts and was met by Diana who was on her way out to dinner with Barb and Janet - along with a couple of Janet's friends from Taylor's Falls. We drove to the Lamplighter in downtown, had a filling, early evening meal, and then I finally made it back to my room to decompress.

What a day.

Spent a few minutes in the evening phoning Peter (his birthday today), David, my parents, and a couple of RedSpoke contacts. Tim told me that the ride this year has nearly 100 participants and is going well. I hope to be back in the fold in '09. The Big Ride will certainly give it a new perspective.