Camper Can't Stop Scratching Huge Welt After Bite From Tiny Bug

September 3, 2023

Sakatah Lake State Park

Today was a day of reckoning: ME vs. 99-degrees of blistering heat. I blinked first and the blistering heat was the winner of round one by virtue of me chickening out and escaping my motel room by 8:00 a.m.

Before leaving town however, I stopped at the local Hi Vee pharmacy to see if they had one of those carousels of cheap sunglasses. They did not. With no desire to look elsewhere, I left town, squinting into the sun.

The Minnesota River from the St. Peter bridge

Like yesterday, after a mile long climb away from the river, I emerged into wide open farmland for the next five miles. The next town was Cleveland, and the entire way I hoped that Cleveland wouldn't turn out to be another Klossner.

I also had hopes that the town had created representations of the more famous Cleveland, Ohio, taking cues from New Ulm creating an illusion of Ulm, Germany. I had visions of a fake Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a Terminal Tower, a Cleveland Browns football stadium, acres of heavy industry, and a heavily polluted river.

Alas, Cleveland turned out to be a pretty nice small town. I took some time at a park dedicated to veterans of foreign wars to drink water, smear sunscreen on my face, and play.

Looking back at St. Peter from the top of the hill.

When I turned south from Cleveland, it was the end of the long and straight road through soybean and corn fields. There were many curves around small lakes. Some ups and downs too. Then came some bigger lakes.

While gawking at the lakes and the resorts that surround them, I missed a turn that took me three miles in the wrong direction. Rather than backtrack, I looked at my detailed DeLorme map and found a gravel road to get me back on route.

These days, a resort seems to be a place to park your RV instead of a place with cabins and recreational activities and friendly hosts--at least around here.

By the time I took this picture, I was already well on my way in the wrong direction.

There is nothing like gravel to jostle one's body and brain out of the sameness of road riding.

Back on route, I rode into the rising heat. I stopped every couple miles for gulps of water, application of cherry Chapstick for my chapped lips, and spoonfuls of peanut butter for energy. I was determined to win this battle with the heat.

It's not official, but I think this might be the smallest of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes.

If it wasn't so hot, I'd be tempted to ride down that minimally maintained road.

From here, I could feel the cooling effects of a breeze blowing off Lake Tetonka. I lingered.

The breeze off Upper Sakatah Lake was pretty nice too.

In the town of Waterville, I picked up some ice and a bottle of Minnesota wine. I carried it three miles to tonight's campsite. Yes, I made the conscious decision to camp. Take THAT Mr. 99-degree blistering heat!

Ninety-nine degrees here can't be as bad as the time a buddy and I camped in the backcountry of Death Valley, where it was 110-degrees. It was still 99-degrees at MIDNIGHT. They say it's a dry heat, but it was still the sweatiest night of my life.

I made it to my campsite. My chores included setting up the tent, chilling the wine on the bag of ice, washing my body with a bandana and cold water, changing out of my very stinky biking clothes and into my slightly less stinky off-bike clothing, and writing about my day in my notebook.

There were a few mosquitoes about, but I mostly ignored them. That is, I ignored them until one of the SOBs stuck what must have been an abnormally long proboscis into my leg.

Sorry the photo is too blurry to show the huge itchy welt.

It was time to open the wine. I had intended to write one of my in-depth wine tastings and a complete review. Unfortunately, as soon as I decanted the nectar into my wine glass, a swarm of bees honed in. Suddenly, mosquitoes were the least of my problems. The bees didn't bother me though. All they wanted was the wine.

It seems bees like wine better than I do. I even had to dig a couple of them right out of the wine with my peanut butter spoon.

After that ordeal, all I can offer is an abbreviated review of Indian Island Winery's Itasca:

It was actually very good. It had nice tannins and acidity, and hints of honey and bee excretions.

Interestingly, as soon as I finished the cup of wine and put the cork back into the bottle, the bees disappeared.

************

The final result of my standoff with the blistering heat is: I WIN. I stared the heat down and it backed off. I kept cool by drenching my shirt and hat with cold water. In the end, the temperature never got above 93-degrees.

Heart

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Scott AndersonSo strange to have a place named Waterville in this state. Why here?
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8 months ago

Gregory GarceauTo Scott AndersonYou got me scratching my head (and the huge welt on my leg) over that one!
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8 months ago

Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 234 miles (377 km)

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Scott AndersonCongratulations, tough guy!
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8 months ago

Jeff Lee"Yes, I made the conscious decision to camp. Take THAT Mr. 99-degree blistering heat!"

Impressive.

I almost never make a conscious decision to camp - and if I had to do it when it's that hot I would have had a literal and figurative meltdown.
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8 months ago

Mark BinghamYou beat the heat because you're such a cool dude!
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8 months ago

Bob DistelbergI’ve heard bee excretions are the secret ingredient in all the best wines.
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8 months ago

Gregory GarceauTo Mark BinghamI know! I tell people all the time about how cool I am. Thank you, Mark.
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8 months ago

Gregory GarceauTo Bob DistelbergSo true, so true.
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8 months ago