Day 4

I cooked cornmeal pancakes with dried cranberries this morning for breakfast.  I made about three servings.  I usually eyeball how much of all the ingredients and when they cooked up, that is how much I have.  While eating the pancakes, I figured I will get tired of this breakfast relatively soon.

I left the Windswept Inn around 9:30am.  My knees didn't ache after going three miles, but my butt did.  I continue to have problems with my seat.  I suspect that the bike shorts I am wearing are the cause of the pain, but I don't have anything else to change into for cold weather. 

My mind wanders while riding.   Where did it go to?  It went into changing my plans.  I rode past Peterson, MN.  I saw a campground with several different families cooking breakfast.  Then my mind remembered that I wanted to see the US with a motorhome as home base. 

I stopped again to cook lunch.  I had trouble with the alcohol stove not keeping lit when my small pot was on it.  So I switched to my pan and then I still had to add more fuel to the stove.  The wind was starting to pick up.  The menu item was dehydrated lasagna.  I had picked up the food on sale at a store that was going out of business.  The lasagna was ok.  I think I added too much water.

While riding today, I figured out that I don't like be alone on the ride.  I probably could do the ride with someone else, but there was no one available.  I also believe that at this time, I am not ready for the long, epic ride I was planning.  I am unfit.  This ride has become tiring and not fun.  I have overestimated my abilities at my current age and fitness.  I based this trip on my abilities about 10 years or so ago.  The remaining part of the ride was me trying to figure out where to go from this conclusion. 

My pride (curse it) wants to complete the ride.  My body and emotional mind doesn't want to continue.  So far, God has been especially kind to me as I figure all these things out.  I am still wanting to go to Portland, OR.  There I can get a temporary job and rent a room.  Then I can be part of a community and still travel.  Other times, I'm not sure Portland, OR is the place to reside for now.  Madison, WI does have a great biking community, although I keep forgetting about the swarms of mosquitoes in the summer. 

I figured that if I got to Rochester, MN and rented a car, I could go back to Madison for a couple of days and then rent another car and drive to Portland.  Or I could rent a car in Rochester and just head to Portland directly. 

I arrived in Lanesboro, MN.  This is 18.9 miles from Rushford.  My butt is really aching.  I walk my bike to the visitor's center and check out the town.  This is a really busy town.  The town is the center of all the activities centered on the trail and for the surrounding towns.  I walk the bike to Rhino's Pizza and Sub Shop.  The pizza is good and the two young girls are even better.  I sat a talked with both of the girls for quite a while.  The older one is Kelly.  She is a beginning tattoo artist.  The other girl is a junior in high school, but acts older.  I told both of the girls what I was doing and what my plans have changed to.  Kelly offered me a ride to Rochester to pick up a car.  However, she couldn't do it until tomorrow, her day off.  I accepted the offer. 

After a good pizza, I went to the campground in town, Silvan Park.  The wind was cold and the promise of rain was getting stronger.  It had started to rain several times, but stopped.  I decided that I would find a room for the night.  I know, another budget busting room.  I went to Coffee Street Inn.  The front desk was unmanned so I started to leave.  The lady running the place came up and I asked for the prices.  The ground level rooms were $70.  The upstairs rooms were $55.  I showed her that I had my bike and couldn't get it upstairs.  I was about to leave when she gave me the ground level room for $55.  That I could live with.

The lady has had an interesting life.  She used to work for the US embassy in Iran for about 8 years.  She has traveled all over Europe.  She just came from Colorado and running a B&B.  She said she has been working at the Inn for a month.  She picked the Inn sight unseen and will be working here for the time being.  This is a lady I really like.  No I didn't get her name.  We continued to talk about Europe and other things, like I could even get a room for a couple of hundred of dollars and pick up some part time work around this area.  I told her that I would have to think about where I really want to settle for now. 

I'm in a really nice room.  I've had my shower and updated my journal and blog.  Now the rain has begun.  This time it hasn't stopped.  Radar shows that this will go on for several hours if not all night.  The TV doesn't have really good cable, but that is ok.  I will be pondering all the things God has brought to mind.  Maybe I'll even knit.

Where do I go from here, I don't know.  I just know that my epic bike trip has come to an end (for now).  I'm not sure when I will start it up again, if I do.  Life goes on and God still has a lot to clean out of me.