Rest Days: Minneapolis

In my week 5 ‘Stats and Obervations’ post, I declared that Mitchell, SD was the unofficial halfway point of my trip. But I realized today that in reality, visiting the Twin Cities should be the unoffical halfway point.

Sure, in actual distance, I’m pretty sure I’m significantly closer to my finish than I am to my start. However, pretty much everything else seemed to suggest an obvious division point from what has come before to what is yet to come.

For example, I took not one, but two rest days. I’ve only had four rest days total to this point, so to have two consecutive rest days is obviously unusual. Unless I run into some crazy weather before I get home, I don’t anticipate taking two consecutive rest days again.

I did it mostly to visit with all the people I know in this area, and I got to see over two dozen folks. At no other point, other than my conclusion in Boston, will I see more people that I know in one place.

I also took my bike in for a servicing, to make sure that it continues to run in tip-top shape. There was some drama when a necessary replacement part could not be found and it looked like I might be staying a third day here in Minneapolis, but the part was eventually located and I’m back on my original schedule, thankfully. While I have already taken my bike in for a check-up once before, back in Idaho, and I’ll probably do it again before I’m done, this feels to me like a half-time tune-up.

In addition, this marks the start of a distinct change in the distribution of friends along my route. I knew very few people in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota. I met some wonderful people, including fellow cyclists and gracious hosts through WarmShowers.org, but I only got to re-connect with old friends twice prior to entering the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But from here through Boston, I have about a dozen friends, and every third day or so I’m visiting and/or staying with family or friends. It’s going to be wonderful to reestablish so many old connections.

For all those reasons, this weekend felt like more than just another one on my trip. So while it doesn’t happen to correspond with the midpoint of the mileage (at least, it shouldn’t if I’ve mapped everything out correctly) and I doubt I’ll still be on the road in another month unless somethng goes horribly awry, this is a natural place to split things into “before” and “after”.

As for the weekend itself, I had some wonderful meals, including some brats with corn on the cob, a thai meal where I ate and ate and ate, and did some serious pasta loading with spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad. I also got to try some local ciders (all of which were great), and I got to bond with hosts Colin and Lisa’s daughter Emily. We played non-stop all weekend, and at the end she was sweet enough to give me something she had made at camp just last week.

I got to witness a HUGE thunderstorm Saturday morning shortly after midnight, with dozens or possibly hundreds of lightning strikes that kept the sky constantly lit up as well as providing a consistent rumble of thunder that lasted for what seemed like a half hour. We spent the rest of the weekend surveying damage from the high winds and heavy rain. I’m glad I wasn’t biking in that, let me tell you!

Saturday night I got to “attend” a wedding of some friends back in Boston. While I knew that my trip would be an incredible experience, my biggest regret in doing it this summer is that I would be missing the wedding of dear friends Phil and Kim. But, wonder of wonders, I was able to be there in spirit, first as a cardboard cut-out of my head that was shared among the attendees at the reception, and then through the miracle of technology as my wife Marsha did a walk through of the after-dinner celebration while I was video-conferenced into her smart phone and I got to wave to all the people I knew there. It wasn’t excatly the same as being there in person, but it was pretty great for being over a thousand miles away! Special thanks go out to Marsha, not only for helping me experience a taste of the party, but because it happened on our own wedding anniversary, which we sadly spent apart. We’ll make up for it when I get back, I swear!

The bride and groom with the faces of Marsha and Lee.

On Sunday afternoon I hung out at a nearby park and visited with over a dozen friends from several different walks of life. I don’t know that I’ve seen people from so many different groups since my wedding! I’d list particular people as highlights, but it truly was wonderful to see each and every one! Much of my trip has been spent by myself on my bike, so to be able to socialize with so many people, and talk about different aspects of my journey, was a terrific change of pace. Some of the people I saw are near and dear friends while some I haven’t seen in decades, but all of them made the day a special one that will be a highlight of my trip and helped make memories that will stay with me for as long as I can remember them.

High school friends together once again!

But all good things come to and end, and tomorrow I’m back on the road to my next destination. Colin is going to ride about half the day with me, and while the weather conditions look favorable, I think it looks to be a challanging day as I ride in and out of the bluffs along the Mississippi River. Even though I’m sad to be leaving all my friends behind, I look forward to what lies ahead.