Day Three and the Big Highway Bicycle Blues

The video as always is at the bottom of the page.

We woke up in the most comfortable bed in the Air BnB we rented in Mountain Lake, Mn and 
lazily put our stuff together. If you remember from last week we’d gotten a flat but having fixed 
it we were curious if it stayed inflated through the night. To start this series from Day One go to 
this Place. The new tube had stayed pumped all 
night and we were in luck. The sun whispered it’s promises for a beautiful Summer morning. 
Like most mornings its kisses were hopes for an even better day. This turned out to be one of 
the most memorable days on the road. 

Shortly after starting out we stopped for a drink of water and a staring contest with a cornfield. 
While we were so engaged a lady in spandex riding a very expensive bicycle zoomed by so fast we 
barely saw her smile and the two finger salute she gave as she touched her helmet. 

     “Well, that’s not something you see everyday.” we said and went back to our staring contest only 
to be interrupted by a gravel truck with a hangover. So we swapped some spit (that’s kissed to all of 
you single folks out there) got on our bikes and meandered down the country road at comfortable ten 
miles per hour.

Now some folks will sit right there in a comfy chair and tell you that one country road’s as good as the 
next. We know better but we let them think that. It just means there will be less people on our beautiful 
Rubenesque roads stretching into forever. My Minnesota is filled with just such beautiful roads as 
these. It turns out that a group of cyclists who were traveling across the country happened to be on 
these same 

byways. Which meant every so often we would get passed by someone. They tended to be older, male,
 and had huge muscled legs. They were going from Washington State to (I think) Massachushetts. To
 make it on time they had to do one hundred and twelve miles a day. UN-Fing-BELIEVABLE. There is 
still hope for me.

The first town we entered St James and were we glad it was there. We got to stop at the local grocery 
store. We bought egg salad croissants, blueberry muffins, and a liter of water which we shared. These 
are the best places gang. If you ever end up riding like this or just driving through a small town go to
 the local places. While I stayed outside Elissa met several people one of which ended up donating 
money and told us to buy a burger or something when we got to Mankato. We ended up with burritos 
in Mankato, but thanks to that lady. 

After leaving the grocery store we ran into those folks on bikes again and just ended up chatting and 
we ended up going the same direction to Mankato. It really was fun to bump into people going the 
same way we were; as a matter of fact, it was because of them that we disobeyed the Google Maps 
Mistress and stayed off of MInnesota Highway 60 for a little while longer. 

 We ran into their Sag wagons occasionally, and I really wish we would have stopped to say howdy to 
the people driving. For that matter I wish we would have thought to interview a couple of them, but we 
didn’t. Oh well live and learn right?

This was the day we hit our hundred mile mark. It’s funny because those other travelers were doing 
more than that every day but it took us three days to just get to a hundred. Hey we’re not shaming 
ourselves it’s just a funny thought. 

Madelia, Mn came as an oasis to a camel for us. We needed a break and some food. You burn tons 
of calories while doing this sort of thing so it is said that you can almost eat anything darned thing 
you want. Which we did. Anything which was intriguing went “in my belly” to quote an Austin Powers 
movie. We sat under a tree and ate two pieces of pizza each, a giant kitkat each, and there was 
something else I can’t remember and a lot of water. I have to say I really felt naughty eating like that 
because I never ever do.

Back on the road and getting so much closer to Mankato and our arch nemesis the Big Highway Bicycle
 Blues. Minnesota highway 60. 

On the map it looks mundane and gentle. A short cut diaganally through a large portion of the state, 
but it’s not. It’s a snake, a lier, a hell of a good road if you’re in a car, truck, or tractor trailer but not on 
a bicycle. When we eventually got to it we loved the shoulder. It has a huge shoulder while almost 
none of the other roads on our journey did. It had gentle hills, and large vistas for viewing the world in. 
It also had wind. Oh but not just from in front it was from all around. Wind from the semi’s going near 
eighty miles an hour just six feet from you. Zoom zoom zoom. I saw a map once which stated Mn 
Highway 60 had ten thousand vehicles pass every day. We were only to glad when our turn off came 
and we back to our gentle country roads.

Mankato has a lot of bike paths going hither and yon and if you ever get a chance to stop there and 
try them I really recommend you do just that. The good towns folk have spent a lot of money to keep 
the paths in good shape as have the people of Minnesota. Everywhere you go here you can find a 
nice bike path. It would be worth it for you to make a trip. 

After we got here we found our hotel, had supper and went to bed. We had riden more miles then 
we’d ever expected we could do. Sixty one miles in one day one bicycles. This was big for us and 
we loved it. 

Thank you for spending your time here with us today. We hope that you will return next week when 
we ride the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail. 

Thanks for popping by. 

   The Marty’s