Day 38 Wadena, MN - Two Far 2018 - Trailing through the Rust Belt - CycleBlaze

June 23, 2018

Day 38 Wadena, MN

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We were back on the roads today after a few days of mostly trail riding.  They were all good for cycling except for some miles of rough pavement.  We had good wide shoulders where we needed them and almost no traffic on the stretches of road without shoulders.  There were quite a few hills which we did not miss on our rail trail days!

We planned at stop at the Prospect House and Civil War Museum in Battle Lake.  It was the home of James Allison "Cap" Colehour, a Civil War veteran.  The home has been inhabited by members of his family since it was built in 1886.  Cap's great grandson is the current owner and  has the house full of family possessions dating all the way back to then.  In the basement, he has an extensive display of his great grandfather's - and other family members' -  Civil War artifacts.  He is quite a character and gave us an entertaining tour of the home.

The current owner, Jay Johnson talking to us outside. He talked almost nonstop for over an hour on the tour.
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The house was built as an inn for visitors to Battle Lake in the late 19th century
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Jay wanted us to know the name and use of all the pieces in the table setting
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This dress belonged to Cap's wife
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For all our golfing friends - some very old clubs
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After we left the house, the route took us around Battle Lake with some beautiful views.

There are summer resorts and cottages around the lake
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Leaving Battle Lake, we found this great bike trail.  It was so much better than the cracked and bumpy road, but sadly, we had to abandon it for the road because it didn't go where we needed to be.

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We're still in the land of dairy farms and lakes.

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Here's a change from the old farm buildings and implements I've been posting.
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Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 1,818 miles (2,926 km)

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