We had our half rest day yesterday, in hopes of making 70 plus miles today. It was looking pretty good when the weatherman predicted a strong tailwind out of the East. We were all excited when we woke up, but quickly learned that the forcast had been revised and the wind would be out of the North. Darn! We have to go North West!.

All of our fans were lined up along the road.

After our first hour of riding, we had averaged only 7 mph climbing out of the river valley. It was not looking good. Things sped up nicely after that. Going North was slow, but we averaged 13mph when heading West with the wind mostly crossways......maybe slightly to the rear.

We ran into a neat little town called Harris where we stopped for Lunch. The food was awesome, the prices were cheap, and the strawberry pie was too much to resist.

The roads here in MN have been perfect. They are smooth, have great shoulders, low traffic, and are free of debris. Thank you Boogers friends.

Later, with about 20 miles to go, we ran into the Bicycle Bunkhouse near Darbo. This is an amazing stop for cyclists including cheap food, drinks, tv, wifi, and even lodging for almost nothing. The owner, Donn, built this place when he noticed the neat. He has hosted hundreds of travelers, mostly those on the ACA trail. If we were more exhausted, we would have stayed...but we had our hearts set on Melaca before the storms arrived tonight.

After 75 miles, the headwind had wiped us out. We were crawling, and starving. In the distance a beacon appeared above the trees...........our hotel. Oh my, I have never been so happy to see a Super 8.....the first building we could see in Milaca.

We crammed the bikes in the rooms in an event similar to that traffic jam game we have all played, and quickly stumbled accross the street for food. Check out this sandwich. Chicken, pineapple, bacon, lettuce, and onions. Wow. Amazing. Too small though..........although no meals have been big enough lately. I am starving 10 minutes after stuffing my face.

77 miles (340 total)