Day 9 – June 7 – Ashby to Albany
Finally – a glorious day! The kind of day that keeps a cyclist going, maybe like a gambling addict?
We woke at Dave's regular time, about 6:30, but it was a bit later before I got up
. Other than frying bacon, we had a cold breakfast of cereal and muffin/donut and fruit. Dave changed his flat tire, and by 8:30 the kids were getting things packed up, and by 9 we were off – to Wal-Mart. The guys needed to buy some washers and screws to attach the chain guard more tightly on the Trail-A-Bike that Haydynne would ride this morning. Becca and I and the kids bought some groceries and essentials for the camper. Then back on the road with everyone, this time to Ashby, some 40 minutes away.
With all this, it was nearly 10:30 before we were on the trail. It was such a fun morning ride! Haydynne is impressive on the Trail-A-Bike. For those of you who don’t know, it’s a small bike with no front wheel and it attaches behind an adult bike. The adult does most of the pulling, but Rodney says Haydynne adds a noticeable push to their speed. And she was sure pushing hard for the first few miles! She had tons of energy, and the trail (on an old RR grade) went so gently up and down that it didn’t wear us out at all
. PLUS we had a TAIL WIND! Yes, a real wind out of the west/northwest that pushed us along. The trail was beautiful, too – lined with green trees and thick grass. And they don’t call Minnesota the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" for nothing. We passed lake after pond after lake, sometimes on both sides of the trail. Beautiful! We talked and took pictures as we rode, and had a great time.
Averaging 14.8 mph, we pulled into our first stop at Garfield, 20 miles down the trail, at a bit before noon. Haydynne had been a champ, but was ready to be off the bike. Becca had found the elementary school, and she and Sammi were waiting for us. Much of the laundry from the night before had been still damp/wet this morning, so she’d strung the rope between a couple small trees and the flagpole and hung up the laundry to dry. (Clothespins had been an important purchase at Wal-Mart.) We decided to have lunch, even though we still had a bit over 50 miles to go today. That way Becca would be free for the rest of the afternoon and wouldn’t need to meet us again in an hour
.
It was a great lunch break. The girls played on the playground, we all ate lunch, the laundry flapped in the breeze as it dried in the sun. It was only when we were getting ready to leave that I really looked at the scene – did we look like tramps, parking in the school lot while we dried our laundry on ropes tied to the flagpole? We sure enjoyed it, and I hope the community didn’t mind!
Dave, Rodney, and I mounted up and rode down the school driveway – and I promptly got a flat tire! The first one on our cross-country ride since the first year! So we went back to the camper and the guys fixed the flat, and then we headed out again. Ooh, and we had a headwind to get the ¼ mile back to the trail!
The trail continued beautiful and a delight to ride. How many pictures of a tree-lined trail and lovely lakes can one take? Lots, if today is any indication! As we rode on, we did leave the lakes behind and moved into more rolling Minnesota farmland, with big barns and tall silos
. The sun shone, and it got a bit warm, so we made sure we stayed just a bit faster than the tailwind so we still had a breeze. At Osakis (18 miles from lunch) we took a break to get off our seats, and what did we see? The Tip-Top Drive-In, operating since 1955, and with a big cut-out of an ice cream cone on the wall! So our seat break turned into an ice cream cone break! It was yummy!
Becca says I need to explain my cycling sleeves that show in so many pictures, and this is a good place to do it, as it was warm enough I decided to take them off for the rest of the afternoon. As many of you know, I don’t have much pigment left in the skin of my forearms, due to vitiligo. Therefore, they sunburn really easily. In previous years, I’ve had to really lather them with frequent doses of sunscreen. This year I decided to make some loose-fitting sleeves of a lightweight fabric that wouldn’t be too hot and would let the air pass through, but would protect my skin from the sun. I still used some sunscreen, but lots less, and as long as the breeze is blowing, they are very cool and comfortable. So that’s the white, puffy sleeves you see in the pictures! Not “cycling stylish” but very practical for me.
After our break, we started off again, with some 32 miles to go. Still a decent tailwind, a generally level road, and lovely scenery. At one point we were riding along, and Rodney motioned off to one side
. There was a little place called “Memoryville.” The owners had collected large memorabilia from all eras of the past – a restored caboose, a stagecoach, an early gas station, signs and billboards from the past, lots of interesting stuff (or junk, depending on how you look at it!). We liked it.
Every 6-10 miles we’d come to a little town. So many of the little towns we’d ridden through in western & central North Dakota seemed to be dying. Here in Minnesota the towns are neat and tidy and have some charm. They seem more prosperous. We stopped for a Coke break in Melrose, 12 miles from our finish. Becca and the girls had gotten a motel in Albany, and texted that they were swimming in the pool! We rested a bit, then took off for the last leg. Rodney is definitely a stronger, faster rider than we are, and he’d leap-frogged us for much of the afternoon, sprinting ahead, then slowing and waiting for us. He’d gotten up over 31 mph at one point (on the flat, but aided by a tailwind)! This time he decided to just ride hard on to the motel. Dave and I continued at a more leisurely 16-20 mph, finishing 73 miles with a 15.8 average. A great day – and totally marvelous compared to most of the days on this ride!
We showered and went to dinner at a great local restaurant a block away. Then we came back to the motel to use the wi-fi and relax. Dave and I plan to sleep in the camper in the parking lot – after all, it’s the vehicle Becca and Rodney are driving and they have a room here, so their vehicle should be in the parking lot. And if two people just happen to sleep in their camper… It worked for us last night!
May the Wind be Always at Your Back!
Sunday, June 07, 2015
Albany, Minnesota, United States
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