September 21, 2023
A nice, easy day
Day 15: Duluth to Sturgeon Lake
"I'LL BE off the air for a bit" says A D, as he removes his hearing aids and heads for the shower. "That's a mistake you learn early on to avoid."
We're roommates for the evening, ensconced in room 26 of the Sturgeon Lake Motel, a very modest one-man operation next to I-35 a couple hours north of the Twin Cities area. It's adjacent to the Sturgeon Lake freeway exit (surprise surprise) and appears to be the only motel in the area. It's something of a wonder the large chains haven't moved in to poach off his territory but then again Sturgeon Lake's not exactly a booming megalopolis so perhaps there's not so much surprise after all.
We're glad it's here though, since it lies a convenient distance in the right direction between yesterday night's accommodation in Duluth and tomorrow's destination in North Branch.
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And really, it suits our (or at least, my) needs adequately well. It's clean, big enough (provided the bikes stay outside our rooms), quiet, and the owner's very accommodating- far moreso, for example, than the very grumpy manager of our hotel in downtown Virginia two nights ago.
Having only about 48 miles to ride today, with very little topography to surmount, we've elected to make a 9:00 start leaving Duluth headed for Sturgeon Lake. That's about as late as any of us can stand to wait. It's warm- the warmest day yet for us- but we're riding a tree-lined bike path nearly the entire way so it's not going to be a problem.
The trail follows (surprise, surprise) a disused-and-converted railway line, so we never have more than a two percent grade to contend with. In fact for most o the day it's impossible to determine visually whether we're gradually climbing or descending. We can feel it in our legs, though, and get the additional confirmation of added speed for less effort in the stretches where the path pitches even slightly down rather than up.
We're following the Willard Munger Trail. A few miles in we meet a setback: a Detour sign alongside the usual orange and white Trail Closed barricades. A D, leading the group, somehow misses seeing the Detour marker and proceeds past the barricade in hopes that whatever the outage is can be walked or portaged, and that there's only one.
Most of the group follow, but I and one other choose to follow the detour (we've actually seen the signs, so we know there is one) rather than have the adventure of portaging our bikes.
It works out well enough for all parties, and the group's eventually reunited farther down the trail.
There's a significant (i.e., noticeable) crest to get past in the first ten miles, followed by a much more subtle "hump" that spans several tens of miles.
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Just about at the peak of the hump we stop for a break along the trail. An alert member of the group spots TJ's Country Store across the way and sets off to investigate. On return, he confirms there's ice cream to be had- all the information I need to make a decision.
TJ's is full of good-natured kitsch. There's also a bike rack out front, with a placard bearing the name of the donor. I read it aloud as a woman is passing behind me, and she immediately stops. "What was that about Al Lambert?" she asks. I repeat the text and she says "Ah. He's my brother. I had no idea he had donated this, but it fits with his character."
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Just as we're about to depart, the shopkeeper comes out to tell us about the fountain they have, made from a 1950s-vintage Buick. "It's right over there" she says. "You should have a look." So we do.
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7 months ago
Since we're past the hump in the day's profile, it's easy riding the rest of the day. (It wasn't really hard riding before, it's just that it's even easier now.)
We stop for lunch just eight or so miles before the end of the day's ride, because we know there won't be much at the end. We've passed out of the logging and mining areas and are back in farm contry- a fact verifiable by both sight and smell as the unmistakable aroma of cow manure attests.
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Autumn colors continue their seasonal takeover from the greens of summer. We're blessed once again with beautiful riding conditions: bright blue skies, warm dry air, negligible wind, and basically flat, good-quality pavement.
Leaving the trail at last, with under three miles to go to reach the hotel, we're on a beautiful county road. It's got a wide shoulder, and what little traffic there is gives us the usual very polite wide berth.
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After the now-customary afternoon routine, we troop over to the pizza joint for dinner. Then it's back to the hotel, where I spend a bit of time hand-writing today's entry (I'll transcribe it later, when there's an internet connection) and then it's bedtime. At the late hour of 7:15 p.m. I'm in bed, and asleep by 7:20.
Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 670 miles (1,078 km)
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Yep, swapped one sunset for another. Good eyes!
We've had a number of nice sunrises and sunsets this trip.
7 months ago
7 months ago