June21-22 Cooperstown-McCluskey-Underwood.M-116.13,T-11:19,AVG-10.25,El-2031. M-35.89,T-4:34:38,AVG-7.84,El-896

Another McGoo decision took me away from the rains and road closures on 2. You can see the dark clouds in the picture of N.N.D.I decided to stay on 200 out of Coopersfield so I could visit Teddy Roosevelt Park on the west end of 200 and then I'll hookup on 2 again. Steady headwinds put me on the road longer than I wanted to yesterday. There wasn't any stops either so at he 60 mile pt.I could of turned around and went back to Carrington but decided to go to McCluskey anyway. So I'm a little burnt out but should be ready to go tomorrow.

An ag. bldg I came across yesterday while riding 200. The 1st damage I've seen of the Storm last thursday.

June20 Fargo-Cooperstown.M-101.78,T-9:03:34,AVG-11.23,El-1626

North Dakota. You can see the towns a hour before you get there. A water tower or grain elevator labeling them on the horizon.

A right turn is coming up in a 1/2 hour as a car or truck crosses the road ahead and as I verify it on my map.

Horses on the horizon  as I was entering Coopertown. A saving grace  for my photo shot as I was struggling  with what to take a picture of.

June19 Fargo

It was a quiet sunday morning as I was leaving Fargo. I hung out a extra day and took in Hjemkost. A replica viking ship built by Robert Asp a school  guidance counseler. Eventually to be sailed by his children to Norway.   http://www.hcscconline.org/ 

 A replica of Norway's Hopperstad Stave Church. 

I could of spent another day in Fargo but will have to return someday.Theres a certain attraction to Fargo with it's own culture and identity.

June16-17-18 Waconia-Montvideo-Wheaton-Fargo. M-104.07,T-9:36:54,AVG-10.82,El-1399. M-87.38,T-6:00:37,AVG-14.53,El-1539. M-81.08,T-6:45:31,AVG-11.99,El-946.

On the road again and heading west on 7 to Montevideo. Only a 2 turn day. Right on 10 leaving Waconia and then left on7 for 100 miles. I decided to straighten my route out and not back track though Minneapolis to connect with the AC route. Save some time and I enjoy mapping my way as I go. The appropriatly painted water tower as I was passing through Cosmos and then farther down road this brilliantly white crucifix caught my eye.

I was looking forward to my ride north from Montevideo to Wheaton as the weatherman was predicting 20 to 30 knot winds with higher gusts from the south. The weather forecast also helped with making up mind on which direction to go as I was opting to head west. It was a great day of riding despite the tornadoes that set down on  parts of Minnesota. I sailed along  most of the way hearing the wind howl in the cross wires as I passed through intersections and the shadows of the clouds passing me from above.  I could maintain 20 to 30 MPH at times with little effort.It was hard to stop riding today wanting to take advantage of these easy miles that don't come around very often.

I didn't have the same luck as yesterday with the wind. It had veered around to the southwest which helped a little with allot of leaning. I was always anticipating the turns in  the hiway to the east as I was heading north which brought the wind back to my back again for some easy riding. You can see the clouds congregate in the north in this pic for some fierce weather conditions shown below.

Luckily I missed this! A new friend I met in Fargo a couple of days later showed me this picture his brother had taken the same day only in the northern part of the state.

June14-15-16 Waconia

It's back on the road again after my stay with friends in Waconia an Oasis in the middle of my journey west. Bill,Kellie,Hailey,Claire,Jack and Dot made me feel right at home among there busy schedules of work, soccer games and school. We called my stop the "1/2 way house"and I must of passed as I was released yesterday and out riding again. I regrouped here. Took in some sights and just had some down time. Put a new tire on the bike. Shipped some excess weight home which I had been packing around for a couple thousand miles. 

 

Bill plays on a rec. league hockey team and we took in a game the night before I left. Hockey is big here in Minnesota just like Canada.

Pastoral backroads as I was riding out of Waconia yesterday morning toward 7.

Signs of the past!

June 11-12-13,Chippewa-Hastings-Waconia,M-97.07,T-8:57:20,AVG-10.83,El-4184. M-55.89,T-5:12:32,AVG-10.72,El-1683,

 I left Chippewa in the morning after one last stop at Irvine Park. 

 In 1906 William Irvine had a dream to establish a reserve that would enhance and protect the Chippewa Valley environment. Mr. Irvine then donated a number of acres to the city for this purpose. The size of the park has grown throughout the years and is now 318 acres. It has been a recreational resource of pride for Chippewa Falls residents and visitors for many years.

There is a continuous sound throughout Irvine Park-Laughter. Laughter of children playing at the numerous playgrounds in the park, at the monkey cages and throughout the zoo.

The sites are also numerous. Picnic areas, the historical pavilion often used for weddings and family reunions, the unique Irvine Park museum and Sunny Valley Schoolhouse which is over 100 years old.

Beautiful Glen Loch Dam is part of Irvine Park. With its scenic overlook it draws tourist during all seasons.The park also has many walking and cross-country ski trails. Hiking the trails is one of the best ways to truly experience the beauty of the park.

A misty morning ride to Hastings Mn. through Wisconsin. My last day in this biker friendly state. It wasn't the rolling hills I was use to riding in  the past few days but climbs that leveled off on to plateaus with descents leveling off again. 

Monoliths along 46 from Hastings to Waconia just south of Minneapolis. I can't quite figure out what these were for. Maybe a abandoned project. So if  you know drop me a line.

June10 Chippewa

I was hoping to leave to Hastings Mn. this morning but was awakened by the "BANG" of thunder and a deluge of rain along with  recent memories of my  trip-cut-short Abbotfords. I decided to postpone my departure a day and enjoy the lightning from my Motel room. It's nasty out there this morning.
I'm starting to figure out the weather reports around here. Usually everyday theres a  report of a chance of thunderstorms and rain. At first I was real cautious of these reports not being from here.. I think they just warn you to be on the safeside.  With no rain or thunder the majority of the time. But today the weather report went with Heavy Thunderstorms along with heavy rains following  They were right on the money, no "chance" today.

So today is my R&R day. Usually if I stay a extra day somewhere it's just a day-off from the bike with my time spent running errands,cram in a little sightseeing in and then pack up to get ready to go again. So today feels like a real day off.

I also spend sometime in my RouteWeatherResearchCenter below with all the latest technology.

June9 Abbotsford-Chippewa M-73.09,T-8:33:12,AVG-8.54,El-2289

Hills,headwinds and sunny yesterday which I'll take anyday over rainy,sidewinds and semis. It was a constant headwind 5 to 20 and then when you thew in some hills it got pretty slow. But I kept just plug'n along and the more I ride I can see that it's just spending time on the bike slow or fast.
As I was riding through these rolling hills and not much going on I could see in the distance another cyclist maybe or something coming my way. As they got a little closer I could pick up a baby blue color. Different colors for riding and some panniers to. They must be from another country, and  I was looking forward to meeting up with them as they were getting closer. Oh, I see who it is. A young Mennonite girl on a trike pulling a cart full of laundry. I missed that one by a mile. I waved, she waved and we both road on. That completely caught me by surprise as I was riding in a Mennonite country most of the day. I saw a few horse and buggies, bikes and even a recumbent they use for transportation.

June7-8 Shawano-Wausau-Abbotsford M-62.62,T-6:57.30,AVG-9,El-994. M-51.13,T-5:25:11,AVG-9.43,El-1968

I finished up the Mt.Bay Trail yesterday for time well spent off the road. It was just me and the girls,Olga,Marta,Beatrice and Thelma .Who posed for a pic for my blog.Not camera shy at all!! Alls it took was to open my map up and they trotted right over to help........I like Wisconsin.

Olga wanted here ears scratched again and a chew on the map as I was saying goodby to the girls.......Mt.BayTrailGals!

This was the Hi-Lite of a cool wet blowing rainy day today. I had my earliest start, 6, hoping to reach Chippewa but got beat out by the rain and road construction. Finaly I gave in and asked the flagman where the closest Motel was, Abbotsford ,and here I am. Chippewa tomorrow.

                                                                                                                                                                                       

June6 GreenBay-Shawano M-41.12,T-4:37:14,AVG-8.89,El-594

It was a nice relaxing day on the Mt.BayTrail  today so much so that i decided to layoff early and take a snooze at the Comfort Inn and a swim to.

Back to the maps.. There working well and probably a little to good. No wrong turns in Wisconsin so far, Just a right and I was on the trail till I hit Shawano. 40 miles later. The to well part is that I don't have to ask for directions anymore and there fore I'm meeting less people. So I think I'll just have to fake I'm lost on the right street  corners of course to get my social life back up to what  it was.