(photos: peacock at Schell Brewery, birdbath garden at same; general view of farmlands, Minnesota wetlands)
Packed up the dorm room and went to the Student Union for breakfast. I've been especially hungry the past few days. This morning was no different: I gobbled up some eggs, hashed browns, juice, coffee, 2 bowls of cereal and 1/2 a toasted bagel. That should fuel me until mid-morning.
Loaded bags onto the truck and headed out of town. Because yesterday's storm prevented me from taking any photos at the brewery, I decided to take a short detour to see what I could capture in the early morning light. The grounds were very quiet, populated only by a a few peacocks. Nice time to visit!
Left the birds and beer and rejoined the route.
This morning, there was dense and very, very humid fog. It made it necessary for me to wipe off my lenses every few minutes. Drops of condensation dripped from my helmet. One solitary drop swayed on the lower rim of my little helmet mirror for the longest time.
Spent the day on Highway 14 East. Rode a short time with Jim, Reuben, and Doug. Reached Mankato (mile 25) and enjoyed the route through some of the older parts of town. Nice old stone buildings. The cue sheet then noted a right turn, directly up to a ridge and along a busy road intersecting a depressingly long string of malls and assorted clusters of national chain stores and restaurants. America at its worst. For miles and miles. Toward the tail end of this 15 minute-long commercial, I spied a Caribou coffee store. Stopped in to try out their product. Enjoyed a decent latte. Watched other riders cruise by, glancing at the building. I'm sure they knew it was my bike leaning against the outside wall. Finished the cup and was glad to see that the Malling of Mankato had come to and end. The route led back to the countryside, adjacent to wetlands, and corn fields.
Reached Waseca, where a check point and lunch stop had been set up next to a public park. A ball game was in full swing (no pun intended), and I glanced across the street to see a classic view of an expansive Minnesota lake. Baseball or boating - take your pick. Made and ate my sandwich right there. Returned to the route for the concluding 15 miles into Owatonna. Rode through new, and older parts of town, skirting the downtown (and National Bank building which I only learned later was worth a detour), and eventually located our campsite on the Steele County Fairgrounds.
"Fairgrounds" is a very general description and can be interpreted in lots of ways - would we be sleeping across from the 4-H poultry barn, horse stables, grandstand? Turns out that we were assigned to a tidy little triangle of grass just outside the hockey complex. It was buffered by buildings on most side, and only a hop skip and a jump across a busy street to a large, 24-hour grocery store. Not bad.
We had been joined on the route today by Vern, an Owatonna cyclist, and Big Rider from 2007. He and his wife Karen purchased some local corn for us to enjoy at dinner, and they secured improved shower facilities than were available last year. Kudos to the two of you - thanks for making us feel so welcome!
When our group passes through a small town - especially at an hour that could be interpreted as meal time - you can see bikes parked outside a variety of establishments: gas stations (Riders probably just using restrooms), cafes, diners, espresso stands. Walk in/up, and you will know half the people there. You can ask what they've ordered or if they know what's good. It's as though your are a local!
Once we've settled into a town for the afternoon/evening, you can go into the public library and you'll probably find a Rider at a terminal. Other Riders trickle out of the grocery store. Some are at the local watering hole. We tend to permeat our destinations. And then just as quickly, move on to the next community.
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