Date: August 14, 2005
Route: St. Paul to Redwing
Distance: 62 miles
Ride Time: 4h 30m
Elevation Climbed: 2540
Weather: 70s and 80s
Log
What a beautiful morning to start our adventure down the Mississippi! We gathered at 8:00AM for our “before” picture, all fresh and eager and clean. We then departed in clumps to head north through St. Paul… counterintuitive, I know. We followed a very intricate route that took us through the center of St. Paul on a bike path. The great river was sparkling in the early morning sun and many of us stopped to enjoy the waterfront. We turned south from St. Paul and crossed the river into Wisconsin. The road was smooth and the scenery lovely. We cycled several miles up and down the bluffs catching sight of the river far below. Our rest stop was in Prescott where the St. Croix River joins the Mississippi. The rest of the route was basically a straight shot into Red Wing. At one point I was neck and neck beside a train. Both the engineer and I were laughing as I tried to keep pace then he tooted his horn and left me in the dust. Red Wing is known for its pottery and boots. There are 32 of these whimsical boots sprinkled throughout the town, each decorated differently. I wish I had time to find them all.
My arrival at the motel coincided with the arrival of the luggage van. I helped unload the suitcases and now Karen, one of our leaders, thinks I am a really nice person. I’ll use this to my advantage as long as I can!
