July 5

Day 28:

Nothing says welcome to the bike trip like a flat tire, and after only 5 miles Mom experienced just that. We were able to quickly repair the rear tire and get back on the road, but everyone made sure to point out that I have been the lucky one, with no major bike problems so far. They better not have jinxed me!! From there we continued on, down highway 10, a fairly busy road. We rode on that same road all day, the entire 58 miles…that must be our record so far. Having stopped to fix Mom’s tire, and of course Jake’s wheel a few times, we had not gone very far before our first snack break. Even when we stopped for lunch we had logged just 20 miles. We debated getting off the main drag after lunch because of the traffic volume and the dirty shoulder; though nice and wide, the shoulder was covered in rocks and other debris waiting to cause a flat. It cleared up as the day went on, and the traffic wasn’t too bad heading west so we decided to stick with the most direct route. As usual we managed to cram most of our miles in during the afternoon part of the ride, stopping only a few times for drinks/ice cream. During our ice cream break, we decided our destination would be Royalton, MN. We continued until we found dinner at the Country Creamery (Rice, MN), and then got back on our bikes for the final 5 miles to the campground. We arrived at the Two River’s Campground, a gorgeous spot along the Mississippi River. With a full moon above, our tents lie right along the river…an incredible spot to camp. On the site next to ours, we met John who is Kayaking down the Mississippi River…very cool! After warm showers, and a little relaxing by the fire we are headed for bed. Mom’s first real day went well, and she is doing great! We figure by now, after 4 weeks and roughly 1600 miles, we are half way done! Tomorrow we are back on our Adventure Cycling route, after the slight detour to pick up mom, and will be heading across Minnesota for the next few days.

Maggie