July 6

Day 29:

Waking up wet was not at all what I expected. The forecast had said zero percent chance of rain and the sky was clear, so we left the door to our tent open to let some air in. Well, I woke up to the sound of rain, and shortly thereafter, wet feet from the water coming in. But by the time we got out of the tents, the sun was shining and it looked like another gorgeous day. We climbed the hill out of the campground (though it was a nice end to yesterday, we all commented about how we were not looking forward to going back up the hill in the morning) and rode about 5 miles to town for breakfast. From there we continued on the county roads for about 25 miles until lunch at Granny’s Café in Swanville, MN. We are happy to be off the highway and on the back roads again, away from all the traffic. It was a very hot day here in Minnesota (I can feel the sunburn on my back right now) and the thought of 47 miles after lunch seemed very daunting to Mom especially. While stopping in Long Prairie for ice cream, we debated whether or not we should stop there or finish the last 33 miles. The boys were pushing for the Super 8 next door, but with Mom’s support we headed out towards our original destination. After a long 75 miles, and a beautiful day for riding, we arrived in Parker’s Prairie, MN for the night. It was certainly a long day for all, and an even longer day for Mom. 75 miles on her second full day, she’s a champ! The only motel, with just 4 rooms, was full so we are camping in the city park (right across the street from the motel of course…the boys are not happy about that), free of charge. After a quick dip in the pool and luke warm showers we headed down the street for dinner and ice cream (again!). We quickly set up our tents, just as it began to get dark and the mosquitoes started to come out. We three kids are still getting used to being crammed in this small tent (Jake joined Zach and I now that Mom is here) …hopefully waking up tomorrow will be a little less eventful – this morning was hilarious. Jake was very unhappy about the rain, and it didn’t look like he was even going to get out of the tent. But even with the slow start, we managed to log some big miles. Therefore, the next few days will be shorter, and if all goes well we are hoping to make it to North Dakota Wednesday night…

Maggie

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