A Whole New Level of Mini-Tour Apologetics

November 3, 2022

Greater Dakota County, Minnesota

I can't believe I wrote all that stuff about our remodeling, refrigerator, and stress issues yesterday. That was pretty lame, and I apologize for it.

Ending a three day mini-tour after only two days was also pretty lame, and the fact that today's post documents nothing more than a day ride is also pretty lame.

Come to think of it, the mini-tours themselves probably seem pretty lame. They certainly can't compare to the many fine Cycleblazers who are out there touring day after day for months at a time. Unfortunately, for the reasons spelled out on page one of this journal, the mini-tours are my reality right now.

But here's the thing: I AM TRULY ENJOYING THEM. I think they have provided a good way to experience my local territory through the eyes of a bike tourist.

Even so, my original premise was to do these monthly mini-tours until the end of the year and I'm going to stick to the plan. December's will be the last one. I hope to return to a little longer tour in 2023. I wish me luck.

************

With a new plan, I pedaled away from that disgusting storage container in my driveway. I had high hopes. True, the day ride part of my plan was still pretty lame, but the way in which I conducted the day ride wasn't so lame. To me, it was new and challenging.

My first order of business was to ride down to my favorite river. The Mississippi River is pretty famous, and it runs right through MY Town. There is ALWAYS something interesting to see down there, and that usually involves birds. The U.S. Corp of Engineers Lock & Dam #2 is always a good place to start.

A group of ducks. I don't know the species and I'm not even sure I've seen them before. I know there are some bird experts on Cycleblaze who could probably identify them, but I fear my zoomed-in photo is not clear enough. They look like shadows.

I also saw a lot of geese and a few seagulls. Very often I see cooler birds like bald eagles, but today was not such a day.

I pedaled up out of the river valley and headed toward the aforementioned bumpiness. Along the way, I had to stop for a picture of a piece of farm equipment. I think it was manufactured somewhere in the 14th century.

I don't know what this piece of machinery is, but I have a feeling that Martians brought it here many hundreds of years ago to harvest maize.

From there, I rode further upward, further west and further further.

"Always go too far, because that's where you'll find the truth." -Camus

"Always go too far, because that's where you'll find DANGER." G-2

I have something to add to that lame video narrative. If you ride on hiking trails in the autumn, be careful because you never know what lurks below all those leaves. It could be a sharp object, a vole, a squirrel, a fox, or a badger. In this case, it was a cluster of rocks that caused me to lose control temporarily. It didn't help that I was trying to steer and brake with one hand and hold my phone with the other.

There are the rocks that caused me to lose control and almost go flying off the cliff.

I suffered a severe injury when I went flying into those trees. I should have ridden directly to the emergency room for some stitches, but since I'm a tough guy, I continued riding the bumpy trail.

I rode a variety of hiking trails within the park. This one had a nice section of pine forest.

This one went through a prairie environment. It was almost like riding on somebody's lawn. I like how I staged this picture by setting my phone on a signpost.

Don't worry, I also worked in a few miles of gravel riding.

I'll close with this: "A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity." -Franz Kafka

Thank you for reading this lameness that I write. I hope to see you again in December.

Today's ride: 20 miles (32 km)
Total: 556 miles (895 km)

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Scott AndersonCan’t wait. Really, you should extend this into January.
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1 year ago

Keith AdamsAnd really, any tour excuses you from lameness. I liked the mini-tour concept and hope you'll continue it.
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1 year ago

Emily SharpYour mini-tours are fun to read, and it looks like you really enjoy them, so keep it up! I love all my weekend rides, and I found that writing them up helped me remember what I had and hadn't ridden and what certain roads were like when I was planning future rides. I also like hearing about the fridge and stuff because I like to know about the rider and what they are thinking and feeling. Just reading about where someone rode is pretty boring - hearing your perspective and understanding what is influencing the ride is what makes a journal worth reading - otherwise, it's just "I rode here, I saw this, I ate this", and that gets really monotonous after Day 2. :-)
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1 year ago

Rachael AndersonI can’t wait for your next mini-tour!
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1 year ago

Gregory GarceauTo Keith AdamsThanks Keith. And I'm still trying to think of my best and worst touring days for your forum topic. The big problem is that, in some way or another, EVERY touring day is the best.
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1 year ago

Bob DistelbergAnother vote for the mini-tour. I think you need to prove you can do it all winter.
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1 year ago

Nancy GrahamI for one would rather you not stop with a December mini tour ;’-). I like all that you have written for us, so keep on going —
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1 year ago

Gregory GarceauTo Bob DistelbergBob,
I appreciate the comment about proving I could do it all winter, and I'm pretty sure I could succeed. But I also have to consider honor and integrity. A pledge is a pledge, and back in June I pledged to finish out the year with mini-tours. I can't go back on my pledge now. That would make me look like a gosh-darned politician.
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1 year ago

Gregory GarceauTo Nancy GrahamThank you, Nancy, but I just can't do it. (See my previous reply to Bob.) On the other hand, like politicians, I could probably make up some kind of excuse to violate my pledge.
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1 year ago

Bob DistelbergTo Gregory GarceauSo really, you just said you were going to finish out 2022 with mini-tours. No reason you couldn't say that you're going to start 2023 with more mini-tours! Hey, maybe I could be a politician, or a lawyer. Nah, probably not.
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1 year ago