Date: August 14, 2005
Route: St. Paul to Redwing
Distance: 62 miles
Ride Time: 4h 30m
Elevation Climbed: 2540
Weather: 70s and 80s
Log
No rest for the wicked … second day out and we have a century. This was one of the easiest centuries I’ve ever done. The elevation gain was modest, the scenery beautiful, and the weather perfect.
We loaded our luggage at 5:45AM then rode a short distance to the restaurant. Five of our group are enjoying a riding reunion and today they showed up in their “team” uniforms. The two women and one of the men are from Michigan and the other two men are from California . Their connection is cycling and they try to do a ride together every year. I’m going to try and join their team tomorrow by wearing the same colors as they plan to wear.
We warmed up on about 10 miles of rollers then trudged up the only significant hill of the day. It was about 2 miles long and I was able to say good morning to almost everyone as they passed me. At the top the Scenic Overlook gave us a fabulous view of Lake Peplin. The sign gave some statistics and history. It is huge: 22 miles long and at some places 2.5 miles across. We continued cycling up and down the bluff for a few more miles then settled along side the river. On my right was the train track and the river, on my left curly-haired bluffs.
We passed the locks of Alma and Trempealeau but no boats were going through them at that time. It is just as well that I only saw the sign but didn’t find this saloon. With “adventure, danger, and romance” I’d be there yet!
The soy and corn fields are lush and verdant. I’m told I will see more of these in the days to come.
