Day 34. Stillwater. HALFWAY POINT
82 miles 2,762 feet
The Northern Tier is about 4,200 miles, and since Anacortes I've biked 2,200 miles, so about half way across the country! We'll celebrate this weekend when Amy arrives.
Taking stock: I'm still feeling healthy with just minor twinges from joints and tendons that come and go. Including the half-day rest in Many Glacier I'm averaging 69 miles per day. The bike is in great shape and it has a look-over in Minneapolis tomorrow. So things are looking very promising for completing the trip.
I divide the trip into 4 sections: Anacortes to the top of the western passes at Logan, east from Logan to Moorhead, Minnesota when I start going south, Moorhead to Muscatine Iowa where I start east again, and Muscatine to Maine. After a day and a half resting in Minneapolis with Amy, I'll continue south to Muscatine and then head south of the Great Lakes to New York. The unknowns: wind, heat, and things I don't know about.
Today was generally biking south but hampered by a 10-15 mph headwind which lead to me arriving at the usual 5:30 even though I left early. Temperatures were in the mid-80s so I had lots of water and iced tea. Coming into Stillwater was complicated—the ACA map had a direction change every few miles, and it included a hot freeway stretch that was not fun. But the last few miles into Stillwater were beautiful, as is the town of Stillwater. I did not do it justice because the motel where I made my reservation, without knowledge of the town layout, is on the edge of town, not in the historic center, and it is a granny gear climb from the St. Croix River up to the motel. But I am well positioned to join the Gateway State Trail in to Minneapolis tomorrow.
The Northern Tier is about 4,200 miles, and since Anacortes I've biked 2,200 miles, so about half way across the country! We'll celebrate this weekend when Amy arrives.
Taking stock: I'm still feeling healthy with just minor twinges from joints and tendons that come and go. Including the half-day rest in Many Glacier I'm averaging 69 miles per day. The bike is in great shape and it has a look-over in Minneapolis tomorrow. So things are looking very promising for completing the trip.
I divide the trip into 4 sections: Anacortes to the top of the western passes at Logan, east from Logan to Moorhead, Minnesota when I start going south, Moorhead to Muscatine Iowa where I start east again, and Muscatine to Maine. After a day and a half resting in Minneapolis with Amy, I'll continue south to Muscatine and then head south of the Great Lakes to New York. The unknowns: wind, heat, and things I don't know about.
Today was generally biking south but hampered by a 10-15 mph headwind which lead to me arriving at the usual 5:30 even though I left early. Temperatures were in the mid-80s so I had lots of water and iced tea. Coming into Stillwater was complicated—the ACA map had a direction change every few miles, and it included a hot freeway stretch that was not fun. But the last few miles into Stillwater were beautiful, as is the town of Stillwater. I did not do it justice because the motel where I made my reservation, without knowledge of the town layout, is on the edge of town, not in the historic center, and it is a granny gear climb from the St. Croix River up to the motel. But I am well positioned to join the Gateway State Trail in to Minneapolis tomorrow.
Many Minnesota farms are beautiful.
I was in Wisconsin for a few hours before returning to Minnesota.
Freeway for bikes descending to the St. Croix River
Stillwater Lift Bridge over the St. Croix River
The beautiful town of Stillwater on the St. Croix. Looks like New England
