July 2, 2025
Up the Great River Road
Stage Seven: Pepin to Hastings, MN
We started the day at Lake Pepin, which is an enormous naturally occurring lake in the Mississippi. Also, it is the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder of Little House on the Prairie Fame.
Once again, it was cool when we started and the Great River Road was shaded. We knocked out 15 miles pretty quickly, stopping for some snacks in the village of Maiden Rock. Just beyond that, we came to the longest climb of the day—two miles up to more than 1,100 feet. We stopped at least twice, but we made it.
In Bay City, at mile 20, we stopped for second breakfast since our first one was a little meager. This made up for it: Chocolate milk and breakfast sandwiches on a bagel at Sunrise Coffee. The café seemed like the center of town; the owner and her helper were very friendly.
When we rolled on, we headed to climbs two and three. They were substantial, too, with lots of rolling hills between them. And this time, the sun was out in force.
I always knew that this would be a hard day, given the three climbs along the course. What I didn’t realize was how many smaller hills there would be. Descriptions of the route say that it as flat but for those climbs. It is not! The most generous explanation is that people in the Midwest define flat differently than we do on the East Coast.
Anyway, the sun was out in force and there was no shade to be found. So we pressed on and really didn’t stop for photos from this point on.
As a result, we got to the hotel early for a change. The place is called The Confluence, and it is located where the St. Croix River joins the Mississippi. We are cooling off in their patio / garden area, watching the river flow.
Haiku of the Day
Sometimes question goals
Better to pause, feel the heat
Be humbled by the sun
— Michelle
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Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 366 miles (589 km)
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