June 14, 2022
Pure Delight: A Wind-Assisted Finale To Phase One
Hastings, Minnesota
There are several routes one can take to get from Cannon Falls to MY Town. I chose the hilliest one. Now, don't go thinking "here we go again with that same old 'Tough Guy' routine Greg brags about in all his journals."
While it IS true that I'm a Tough Guy and I do like to brag about it, that isn't the main reason I opted for the hills. No, my thought process was less complicated and less heroic than it might seem.
In truth, I went for the hills because otherwise today's ride would have been literally TOO EASY. First off, it was only going to be around 20 miles no matter which route I took. Secondly, there was a powerful breeze blowing from the south and I was mostly going north. Thirdly, I was getting an early start, thereby avoiding the temperatures that are expected to get well into the 90's today. See what I mean? TOO EASY!
Even so, while loading my bike at 8:30 a.m., I could already feel the increasing heat and humidity. You know it's going to be a hot day when sweat starts rolling off your forehead during the simple task of taking down your tent.
Before leaving the campground, I had to have a last look at Lake Byllesby and the Cannon River dam that created it.
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The first quarter mile out of the campground was eastward. I could feel the strong crosswind and I could not wait to make the turn to the north. The tailwind was everything I hoped it would be. It's possible I could have made it to the first hill without pedaling at all. I pedaled anyway so I could go even faster.
The first hill, which I mentioned in the last paragraph, was nothing. The wind practically lifted me to the top. The next couple miles were flat and fast. Then came a bigger hill. That one required a little more effort, and I broke a pretty good sweat.
I kind of like sweating. It usually means I've been working hard. It usually means I've accomplished something. That's not exactly what it meant today. I guess I did accomplish something, but today's sweat was mostly the result of the increasing heat and humidity.
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1 year ago
1 year ago
In my opinion, New Trier is one of the coolest towns in the entire world with a population barely over 100. I believe it was named after the bigger city in Germany named Trier, but I can't swear to that. I know nothing about Trier, Germany, but if it is anywhere as nice as New Trier, Minnesota, I'd like to go to there.
New Trier, as I said, is very small population-wise. It doesn't have manufacturing, or a retail district, or even a convenience store. What it does have is two very popular bar/restaurants. They are especially famous in this area for their Friday night fish fries during the Lenten season. It also has a very pretty Catholic church situated on a hillside above.
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1 year ago
Heading east from New Trier is where I encountered the five mile stretch of real hills. The hills aren't all that long, not particularly steep, and not too physically taxing. But they did produce some nice scenery and some more sweat. And not to sound too overly dramatic, but the rough shoulder and the strong sidewind did reinforce my self-image as a Tough Guy. It's a busy road and I had to stay focused so as not to get blown into the traffic lane.
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1 year ago
A couple miles after that last picture, I turned north again. The tailwind was fantastic. I believe I rode the fastest nine miles in the history of fully loaded bicycle touring. Hard pedaling in the highest gear. No electronics, so who knows how fast I was going. Maybe 80 miles per hour. Probably somewhat less than that. But fast.
Then I was home.
Today's ride: 22 miles (35 km)
Total: 101 miles (163 km)
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