72.17 Miles / 1994.59 Total Miles
886 Ft. Elevation Gain / 72,077 Ft. Total Elevation Gain
,After a restful night in a comfortable bed, and breakfast cooked in a kitchen, instead of over a camp stove, Jake jumped on his bike and led us to the start of our route, this morning. He was also heading out to swim in his favourite lake, which happens to be along our route, but I’m pretty certain he guides all his guests to the trail. We bid him farewell and will never forget his amazing hospitality.
Once on the Central Lakes State Trail, our route kept us on a bike path the entire day. It was nice not having to deal with cars, except at trail crossings, but we missed riding through the downtown areas of all the little towns. The trails are former railroads, so the run alongside towns, but not down the main streets, so we had to venture off the path at each little town, of which there were many.
When they say Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes, they’re not kidding. I lost count, but am guessing we passed at least 60 lakes of various sized, today. And if we weren’t passing a lake or small town, we were passing farm land.
In Alexandria, we it the motherlode of the day, for statues. The Viking was built for the 1965 Worlds Fair, in New York, and is 28 feet tall.
In Osakis, the first trail ended and Lake Wobegon Trail took over. And that reminded us of Garrison Keillor and the Prairie Home Companion. Whatever happened too Garrison Keillor, anyhow? I googled it, and it’s not a pretty story. I’ll just leave it at that.
In West Union, we were presented with a choice of outhouses. The modern porta potty was our top choice by about 1000 points. The old fashioned 2 holer was dirty and creepy.
When we arrived Sauk Centre, there were signs of Sinclair Lewis everywhere. We stayed in his campground, rode down his Avenue, and checked out the murals and statues by his library. His book, “Main Street,” made Sauk Centre famous.
The town has several really nice murals. Being a fan off public art, I really enjoyed all of them. Wish I could take that artist home with me and have her muralize the walls in my new back yard.
,We camped out by a lake and enjoyed the cool air, but once it got dark the mosquitos turned evil and came after us. That’s when we got in our tents, which are tightly sealed, so mosquitos and other bugs can’t get in to bother us.
Living Our Bucket List 