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Miles to date: 1,998.3

I’m going to tell you upfront, Bob Dylan’s “Idiot Wind” is going on the playlist. I’m sick of the wind. We still managed to ride 12.5 MPH for 82.6 miles today into the wind; but it’s draining. There’s no break from the wind in the forecast. Thankfully we’re off the prairie and hopefully will get some wind breaks from trees as we traverse Minnesota.

We were excited to reach Minnesota shortly after we began the day…

Funnily, that celebratory video took three takes!

After that video, most of the day just felt like a chore. The first 25 miles were on county and state highways; the auto traffic was minimal, as was the scenery. We saw a lot of yellowing soybean fields and dry rows of corn. The headwinds sapped our energy and spirits; we spoke little and simply went through the motions in taking our 10 minute turns leading the charge into the teeth of the wind. And… the Gypsy got another flat on the rear tire; we’ve gotten good at changing flats, but they act as another impediment seemingly scheming with the wind to sink our moods. (Flat tire score – Gypsy: 7, Lecy: 4, Geeto (pronounced GHEE-tow): 3).

We stopped in Fergus Falls to provision for lunch. We suddenly felt we’re back in the Midwest. We’ve seen a lot of country that is out of our ordinary, and now we suddenly felt closer to home. It’s both comforting and dejecting, though I know we’re all excited to see our wives, family and friends soon.

At the outskirts of Fergus Falls, we picked up the Central Lakes Trail. We were initially exhilarated to be away from roads, but the 32-mile grind to start the day took a toll and the gusting winds persisted for the remaining 50 miles.

Because of our late night at Grumpy’s, we were later starting this morning. Over 6.5 hours on the saddle plus some breaks put us in Alexandria around 6pm. Thankfully, we found space on the Labor Day weekend at the Lake Victoria Resort. The owner, Raj, was gracious enough to offer the mother-in-law apartment above his house. Then, after I took a swim in the lake, Raj took Lecy into town to pick up our pizza dinner. This resort is a side hustle and retirement project for Raj that he’s been developing for 5 years; I’m confident he’ll see his dreams come true here.

Tomorrow we’re planning to make it to Clearwater MN. We may need to take a break at 1.7 miles to celebrate the 2,000 mile milestone. The entire day will be on trails, and we should get an early start after a quiet night. Then we should have a “short” 65-mile day to my brother-in-law’s home in Minneapolis. Day 28: Alexandria to Clearwater

In addition to the homage to the incessant wind, I’m adding one other… this one for my daughter Caroline who shares an appreciation for the Fruit Bats: My Sweet Midwest