7/29

i guess technically, i'm still west of the mississippi.  at least most of the day.  i started on the east side, rode down to little falls and crossed back to the west by camp ripley army base.  checked out the dam at little falls, i think it's the futherest one upstream, unlesss there was one at brainerd i didn't see.  then ate breakfast at the royal family restaurant.  pancakes and eggs, carbs and protein.  and two pots of black tea.  little falls is also the home of charles lindbergh and the accompanying museums and parks.

then down the great river road, the road along the mississippi.  last year we were on it briefly in memphis starting out our bike trip.  a little disappointed that i had a head wind.  only about 5 mph out of the south, so not too bad, but i did have to work a bit harder.  i had arranged a warmshower outside of minneapolis, but had a long way to go to get there.

it's odd riding along a river i minnesota that i associate with the south.  it's a lot narrower here and people build right on the river with docks and all.  the country side is relatively flat with farmland.  corn and soybeans and some crop i couldn't identify, leafy but no pods.  might be beets or some other root.  there are an awful lot of towns named after saints here.  st. this, st. that,  even st. hwy.  and a lot of catholic churches substantially built and nicely designed, even out in small towns.

relatively uneventful ride, just some rolling ups and downs, some construction, twisting through small cities.  found a few bike paths to incorporate.  eventualy, 115 mi later, did arrive at jay heumann's house.  we had talked, and i wasn't going to be able to stay with him.  he and his wife and two girls were leaving for colorado in the early morning, but he called another cycling friend of his to get me a place to stay.  i did spend over an hour with him, though, and he showed me his woodworking and we talked about routes.

jay's friend eric came and met me.  Eric and joan have 3 boys, 15, 19, 24.  he's a lutheren minister, originally from california.  joan is a marriage counselor, born in minnesota.  their house is located on the mississippi.  they have a boat dock right out the back door and a soccer goal against the back of the house.

i ate pizza and a beer at jay's, tortellini, salad, and a beer at eric's.  (and i'm losing weight.)  got that warm shower, clothes washed, and a comfortable bed to sleep in.  very fortuitous, since it rained during the night.  which is keeping things nicely cool.  i seem to continue with good luck as far as weather is concerned, two weeks ago it was 100 degrees here.  it's in the upper 70's now.

tomorrow i do cross east of the mississippi for good, and head into wisconsin.