30 miles 833 feet

Amy and I had another breakfast together and then relaxed in our hotel room while a rainstorm passed. Then we packed up and I retrieved my bike, and she her suitcase, for my trip to Stillwater and hers to the airport. My ride was easy and relaxed, up the Gateway trail in reverse. This was the 3rd day of my Minneapolis side trip to meet her, and I'm now back in Stillwater, MN, ready to resume the Northern Tier.

I arrived at my hotel in Stillwater at 2 pm and explored the town as I hadn't been able to when arriving 3 days ago. It's an historic, scenic town with many restaurants and stores, along the St. Croix River.

This part of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa were spared glaciation in the most recent glacial period so have more hills than other parts of the 3 states. This means more scenic bluffs, but also more climbing for cyclists.

It was hot—85 with 75% humidity—so I'm glad it was a short day. Fortunately the forecast is for cooler weather as this animation shows.

Click here to see a map of my route this far. Those dots look so close on the map but I can assure you they don't feel close when biking!