57 miles. Nice tail wind following the Mississippi into Minneapolis

After a great dinner and night’s sleep we got away early. John was kind enough to hop on his bike and guide us out of town and on our way.  Several days ago we met a cyclist from Minnesota who advised us that the official American Cycling maps take a big semi circle around Minneapolis and bring you in from the east and he suggested staying on the rail to trails into St. Cloud and into Minneapolis from the west. This change saved at least a day on our trek if not two and many miles.

So, thanks to John we got on our route quickly and enjoyed a full day of tail winds. His directions were turn perfect and Susan’s cookies kept us energized til we reached our rendezvous point where our friend Steve from Paradise Valley (he and Craig also have a fantastic house in the Golden Valley part of Minneapolis) met us. Like a well coordinated military maneuver, Steve loaded our bikes onto the car and drove us downtown to the One on One bike shop recommended by Surly, the manufacturer of our bikes, for a mid tour overhaul.

We are back at Steve and Craig’s and will luxuriate for a two day rest!  Woo!

Hard at work on the blog!