Day 2 - Clearwater to Sauk Centre - It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon...

August 30, 2022

Day 2 - Clearwater to Sauk Centre

Well, I survived the night next to an interstate highway full of trucks in a rather rustic campsite with nothing but the seat pad from my velomobile as a cushion. Now, I’m not saying it was the best night of sleep ever or that I slept a lot, mostly because I believe it is wrong to lie. I was not sore like I expected from sleeping in such suboptimal conditions and that is a point for celebration. My body is not as young as it used to be….

I “slept” until around 9am. At that point I gave up any pretenses of sleeping and packed up camp. That went relatively quickly and I’m pleased to say that I found a more efficient way to fit my gear in the velo. This is a key point because I purchased a sleeping mat for curbside pickup in St Cloud and would be needing a bit more space.

The nearest breakfast food was back 3 miles in Clearwater. I’d rather not backtrack, but the 10-12 miles I’d need to ride into St Cloud for the next food availability was not the way I preferred to start the day. I opted to use the drive through again, 1. because I don’t want to leave the velo unattended, and 2. because it probably is the most interesting thing these kids will see during their time working drive through at a fast food joint. While this trip may not be the epic scenery and phenomenal bakery type trip that I’m accustomed to, I do think I can at least bring a bit of joy to rural Minnesota with my curious bicycle. (I really need to get a sticker advertising my YouTube channel to put on the velo….)

I sat in the broiling morning sun at the picnic tables out front of Burger King. Had I been smart, I would have ridden a bit down the road to a park with shade and nicer picnic tables, but frankly, who thinks of such logical things when they’re ravenously hungry?

My appetite in the broiling sun turned out not to be quite big enough to devour an egg and cheese biscuit, large hashbrowns, and 7 piece French toast sticks. I saved some of the French toast sticks for a snack later on.

By then it was around 11am, not exactly an early start, but definitely better than the first day. I had 60 or so miles ahead of me, and I knew there would be less elevation gain, especially once I hit the rail trail on the edge of St Cloud. The ride into the south side of the city was as my dad had said, not as hilly. I made decent time and picked up the Beaver Island Trail. It’s a nice trail through wooded areas in the vicinity of the Mississippi River. However, I had routed myself onto a trail along a more direct road. Unfortunately, that trail has apparently been around for awhile and has rather a lot of bumpy cracks. It was not the fastest riding experience despite being more direct. I shall opt to stay with the Beaver Island Trail on the way back and, should any of you ever attempt this route, I would recommend you do the same.

Now, St Cloud is the only place I’ll be passing through with a camping goods store. Last night I purchased a cheap foam pad for curbside pickup in St Cloud. It should have been a straight shot down Waite Ave to Dick’s Sporting Goods, but then it wouldn’t be an adventure, would it? Naturally that road is completely torn up. Like yesterday, I attempted to use the sidewalk. It was initially a good idea, until the bit of sidewalk that was torn out. I ended up getting out and maneuvering the Quest over a curbside into an adjacent parking lot which I then rode through to a road crossing. The road crossing was honestly the most dangerous part of the trip. I had the right of way, but clearly the long line of SUVs in oncoming traffic wanting to turn right did not get that message. I ended up sitting in the middle of the road waiting for them gesturing in a polite but exasperated manner while hoping not to get run over. Given that I am writing this blog post, you can safely assume that I did survive the experience. I can also tell you that I found a different and much less-trafficked route to the Lake Wobegon Trailhead. I also got to make that bit of the ride with a foam mattress awkwardly stuffed next to me after the salesperson asked his questions and took the obligatory picture. A sensible person would have repacked there in front of the store, but I am not that person.

Hmm. Yes. Rather a bit cozy. Need to rearrange some things here.

It was a fairly short little ride up to the park and trailhead. After the hairy experience of riding through St Cloud, I was VERY VERY happy to reach the trailhead. The first section runs along still-working railroad bed and is not 100% flat. Little rollers are still better than the big ones yesterday and I did my best to take them in stride knowing that the trail would be flatter later on.

The ride to St Joseph was straightforward. Just follow the trail. The pavement is quite new and smooth, though not always very flat. Scenery was meh, but that was expected. Tree cover was not-so-much. That was the case the majority of today. The trailhead facilities in St Joseph are superb. Bathroom with running water, water fountain, picnic tables, bike tool work stand, and a block or so away, food. I was going to do Taco John’s, but after the heavy breakfast, I opted for a Subway sandwich. I road back to the trailhead and ate there.

Now, if you’ll recall yesterday, I tended to have conversations with strangers about the Quest every time I stopped. I stopped twice at the St. John’s trailhead and ended up with lengthy conversations both times, the second while I was attempting to eat my lunch. I’m not typically one to talk to strangers, but I do like talking about Velomobiles and people definitely like asking about mine. The conversation usually involves how fast it goes, does it have a motor, did you build it, was it expensive, etc. I don’t mind genuine inquisitiveness. Most folks will probably never see another velomobile. I can’t fault them for wanting to check it out. I mean, it IS a pretty sweet ride.

St Joseph trailhead. I wish every twin along the trail had a setup like this.

The trail passes through a series of small towns: Avon, Albany, Freeport, Melrose, and finally Sauk Centre. Aside from Avon, I could not find a single bike oriented wayside along the trail in any of those towns. No water fountains, No porta potties. There are some park areas, but nothing to serve trail users. I stopped by a little park area in Freeport seeking out a restroom. I didn’t find one, but I did meet a couple on trikes loaded down with touring gear, the only other touring cyclists I’ve seen on the trail. They were headed in the same direction, but at rather a different pace, namely 7mph (I was averaging a rather woeful 13mph.) The wife was suffering from classic recumbent butt and I offered her a tip on how to try and fix that (try reclining the seat more.) We also exchanged horror stories about the crazy swarms of grasshoppers. Even at their slower speed they are getting pelted by them. For me it sometimes looks like I’m riding into a snowstorm with the way they fly up at me. She actually had some welts on her legs from them. They are camping as well and were hoping to make it to Sauk Centre. I told them it was the next closest camping because the campground in Melrose is closed for the year due to bridge construction. While we were chatting about our trips and the velomobile, another couple up for the day from Shakopee (the suburb directly south of me) came along and also had to ask the usual questions and take a picture. The husband ended up chatting with them while the wife peppered me with further velomobile questions and took her requisite photos.

This is a very Catholic area. Each town has a fairly notable church.

Finally I extracted myself from the conversation and proceeded on towards Sauk Centre. The trail is mostly exposed to the sun and often quite near the highway. I put what I could into pedaling, but it felt like rather an uphill battle. The sun was getting to me as well and I knew I needed to eat some snacks. I have a few things with, but I didn’t fancy any of it. That is, until I remembered I had bought two bags of Haribo Cola gummies. That hit the spot and gave me just enough power to get to Sauk Centre. I never did find a restroom beyond Freeport, but I took that as an incentive to try and make better time. There was still a fairly roaring headwind just like yesterday, but even so, it just felt like it was always uphill. I’ve ridden the rail before, but not under these conditions. When I checked my ride stats tonight, I discovered just why it felt always uphill.

Okay. So it wasn’t my imagination. It’s gonna be one heck of a ride home!

Memoryville. I remember this curious trailside attraction form last time I rode here. I have no idea what the deal is.

I did not have a route loaded to take me to the campground in Sauk Centre. Also, Sauk Centre is larger than I recall from last time I was here. It took me a bit to find the campground and, of course, I had to navigate through deep loose dirt to get to it because the street is under construction. I think I now know where all the funds from the new Infrastructure Bill passed by Congress is going….

When I pulled into the park, I had the good fortune of straightaway encountering the proprietor who had me follow him to checkin. There are four nice grassy campsites with picnic tables and a lake view right by the bathroom. It is a much more pleasant setup than last night, save the water pump thing from the roadworks that runs non-stop. The proprietor did put me in the site furthest from the pump. Points for thoughtfulness. He also said he had seen a group of around 25 Velomobiles out west a few years back, I think likely the group from Europe that rode across the US. Naturally they asked the typical questions about the bike, and then sent me on my way to set up my tent. I then took a much appreciated shower, washed out my stinky clothes, and walked into downtown for Mexican takeout. I am now laying in my tent writing you this blog and discovering that my cheap sleeping pad isn’t much more comfy than my seat cushion. Clearly if I ever do another trip like this I’ll need to invest in a new air mattress. Please note my options for pads were limited. This was the best of the lot.

This time I arrived in camp early enough to show you how nice my velomobile looks in our lakeside campsite.

And that’s the news from Lake Wobegon where the trail always goes uphill into a headwind with no bathrooms or water fountains. But hey, would it be an adventure if there was no adversity?

Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 134 miles (216 km)

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