Rained out in Duluth, too

June 28, 2017

It has been a long time since Rachael and I have taken two rain days so close together, but there was no question in either of our minds about today. Our plan had been to take a day ride along the north shore out to Two Harbors, but from about 10 this morning until sundown it has rained hard, nonstop. We aren't minding at all hanging around our room listening to the rain hammer on the roof outside our window.

We might have gotten out right at dawn for a short ride if we trusted conditions enough, but that wasn't the first priority anyway. Duluth is the first place with medical facilities since my knee started troubling me, so our big excursion for the day was a walk to the nearby Essentia Heath urgent care clinic.

I was very impressed with the facility and the doctor who met with me. We talked through the various possibilities, none of which seem convincing: overexertion (why now, on probably the physically easiest tour we've taken in years); an infection stemming from a poorly healed ankle wound I incurred a month ago in Utah (gouged it on my pedal; it's still not healed because I pick at wounds compulsively); and Lyme disease (why no other symptoms?). I was given a blood test for Lyme, but haven't recieved results yet. The test is notoriously unreliable though in early stages, so she didn't base treatment on the result. She prescribed a two week dose of an antibiotic (doxycycline) that should treat either a Lyme or wound-caused infection.

So do I have Lyme disease? Perhaps. If so, prognosis is reputedly excellent if caught early and treated with antibiotics. Hope for the best.

After leaving the clinic we splashed our way over to nearby Va Bene, a well reviewed Italian restaurant, for a leisurely lunch. It was pouring out when we arrived, so we took plenty of time over our meal, looking out over the lake and the downpour from our window seat. Finally the rain slackened enough for us to walk the mile back to our room without getting soaked.

Now, it's nine in the evening, and still raining. It has rained continuously for the last eleven hours straight. The forecast calls for it to end about 7 tomorrow morning, which would be perfect if it actually occurs.

If we can't bike today, at least we can enjoy a good lunch. We're at Va Bene, with a table overlooking the waterfront. Rachael is enjoying a salmon and pasta dish, and I'm having amatriciana. We're also enjoying the fact that it's Wine Tuesday, and bottles are half off. We'll take the bottom half back to the room with us to help weather a wet afternoon. This photo can also remind us of Rachael's mistake in choice of footwear today - sandals work poorly in the pouring rain and on puddled sidewalks.

Our timing at the restaurant was perfect - we left to walk back to our room at the driest part of the day. It's still raining, but just lightly for a few minutes.

There's always something to worry about on a bike tour. If it's not the weather, it's Lyme disease. If it's not Lyme disease, it's equipment. What are the odds that this tire is going to last me to Saint Paul? The casing is showing through nearly all the way around it.

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