Day 62 Thief River Falls, Minnesota: Total Shutdown

July 1, 2011

The State of Minnesota shut down last night, as the Democratic governor and Republican house could not agree on the budget. People were thrown out of the state parks, rest areas on the highways were closed, and all but most essential state services were stopped.

We too came to a halt, as we decided to stay on at the "C'mon Inn" for a rest day. Just our luck, this is the day that had what would have been a tail wind. When we went out for our big foray to the Walmart, we felt that wind and almost lost our resolve to do a rest day.

At the Walmart we stocked up on US flags for July 4 (need to offer space on the bikes to match the Canadian flags, so as not to offend our host country here). We also got a plant mister, which we intend to use to help stay fresh in case of more scorching weather.

Our search for ways to stand out on the highway, and ward off side swipers continues. How about this as an idea?

Also, as we reported on Facebook we overheard the following explanation: "Right now it's the 4th of July in Canada". Well, sort of!

Here are a couple of shots of the pool and lounge area just outside our door. It's easy to see why we are hanging around. On the other hand, we are eager to go again. Our plan is to get up as early as possible and beat it!