88 miles: cambridge, MN, to little falls, MN

what else is new: the miles don’t match what we thot we’d be biking.

but early this morning, as we stocked up at the gorp table, we were our usual oblivious selves about what our day would bring. here are marilyn (in red) & vicki putting together snacks for their bike bags. there are big tins of various kinds of nuts, a bin of assorted snack bars, raisins (& sometimes additional dried fruit), pretzels, pb&j, jerky sticks, m&m’s, gatorade, often bananas … those are the basics. sometimes additional items are included. most of the same items are also in the subaru for snacking at rest stops during the day.

we began our jaunt northward, happy for the tailwinds that gave us a boost on what we knew would become a very warm day. things were going pretty well, with a cue-sheet glitch here & there. then we were to turn left onto CR 9 for 2.7 miles. that plan didn’t go well, for the following reason:

i left the group at an intersection & biked down to see if there was a way across, but clearly there wasn’t. so we biked on northward. soon stephany came by in the subaru & suggested we go east a bit onto hwy 169, heading north ’til we could get to another county road going west. fortunately, there was a wide shoulder on 169, & it didn’t take too long ’til we did find another county road heading west….then picked up our cue-sheet route after wandering around a bit.

stephany caught up with us & stopped so we could refuel. here we are seeming to invade a minnesota pasture filled with hay bales … while a tractor is making a getaway down our road to the left.

it was getting hotter & hotter … & this open minnesota farmland doesn’t offer much shade along the roadway. & we were getting hungry. i mean, we have plenty of snacks on our bikes, but after a while you want some real food, not to mention a break from the heat & pedaling. we pinned our hopes on the town of little rock, mentioned on our route sheets at mile 59.5. we kept scanning the horizon as we biked, more than once catching sight of the rounded top of a silo, which we imagined was the little rock water tower. turns out little rock is 2 houses at an intersection. what a blow!

but we had to stop, so settled for the shade of a couple of trees near one of the houses. before long, a fellow came out of the back yard of one of the houses to greet us. he even let us use a bathroom inside his home. what a treat! then stephany stopped with the subaru; it was good to top off our water & gatorade bottles. the snacks & water from our bikes wasn’t the lunch we’d hoped for, but the stop at tiny little rock gave us an opportunity to meet another kind minnesotan.

i took this photo just to give you an idea of today’s typical landscape. hills were minimal in frequency & steepness. we saw lots of beautiful farms … like this one on the right with the lovely barn & silo.

not too much further along, we came upon a farm with several fields …. one with lots & lots of sheep, another with these interesting creatures.

i took note of the name of the farm, then later looked it up on the internet from the motel. this is azariah acres farm. they are a sustainable operation specializing in old world animals & vegetables. i emailed the farm’s owner, sue peterson. she confirmed that the animals in the photo are tibetan yaks. here’s what she has to say: “They are indeed Tibetan yak. They are essentially a cow from Tibet, and you can do the same things with them. They also offer a fiber which is soft and wonderful for felting.”

it seemed that little falls & our motel would never appear. trying to figure out the route sheets & dealing with the heat were taking their toll. plus today’s ride included a bad dog encounter …. & an almost-serious health problem along the road. it didn’t help that our last couple of miles were through a construction zone. we were all very glad when we were all accounted for at the country inn.

for supper linda made beef (or tofu) stroganoff on noodles (with lots of mushrooms–my favorite part of stroganoff), along with an absolutely delicious broccoli/slivered almond salad, the usual big green salad, & the leftovers of yesterday’s ham/orzo salad…with fresh strawberries & oreos for dessert.

this photo gives you an idea of how long we’ve been on the road. when someone starts scooping her stroganoff with her oreo, as clark is doing here, you know it’s time for us to get back to civilization.

we have a layover day here in little falls tomorrow. & boy do we need a rest after those last 5 days of biking. alas, we’re situated in the midst of an area filled with chain stores & restaurants, but some of us will find our way to the “real” town to see whatever sights there are to see, & to eat some local food.