day 25: red wing to minneapolis, minnesota 61 miles

done!

i'm still not sure how i'm feeling right now.  a bit numb.  very tired.  definitely elated.

forgot to add this one from yesterday afternoon's entrance into minnesota

today was such a funny day.  if you talked to any of the riders, they all felt sluggish today.  i think, to a person, we all felt that yesterday was the basically the end of the ride, particularly after last night's dinner and speeches.  so we were all caught a bit off guard by today's ride.  in a nutshell, today's ride was a microcosm of the entire tour's rides.  we had it all.  hot sun, cold rain, flats along the river, substantial hills in the farmlands, chip/seal roads and newly-paved road surfaces, tailwinds and headwinds, country pastures and downtown city streets.  cows, horses, turtles, eagles, llamas...everything except rabid dogs.  oh, an one last flat tire.

on the final leg of the trip; the bike path along the mississippi with st. paul in the background

after miles in the country, around mile 43 we started riding on the outer edge of an extensive bike path system throughout the minneapolis/st. paul metropolitan area.  it's really an impressive bike path system.  two more miles on the path and we turned a corner and saw the skyline of st. paul in the distance.  it was at that point that i started to really sense the end of this all.  i was both excited to be near the end and anxious for all things to go well through those last 15 miles, especially as the temperature dropped quickly as a cold front came in, bringing soaking rains with it.  the roads and bike paths became very slick with the rain mixing with the oils from the previously hot road surfaces.

safe and sound in minneapolis

fortunately, all went well.  as quickly as we arrived at our destination hotel, we all broke into various sprints as people dismantled bikes to ship home, grabbed bags to catch shuttles to the airport, or simply got room keys for a much needed shower and nap.

a bunch of us all went to the mall of america, the largest mall in the world, for dinner and a 20-minute back massage as one of the mall outlets.  it was a last chance to relax, review and reminisce.  we all said our goodbyes and, just like that, it was all over.

tomorrow will be my last blog.  i need some time to take this all in.

day 24: la crosse to red wing, minnesota 101 miles

the penultimate day.  the ultimate century.  the last supper.  it's nearly over.

just came back from a farewell dinner with the riders and crew.  instead of the usual buffet affair, tonight we ate together in a private room at a local italian restaurant here in red wing.  after a summation of the tour from the ride leader (including the perfunctory "no, i'm not kidding.  you guys were the best group i've ever had the pleasure of leading.") and our usual evening instructions for the final day's ride tomorrow, we each were given a turn to say a few words.  we told stories and very funny and poignant anecdotes from the past three and a half weeks.  we were all presented with certificates of completion.  we laughed.  we hugged.  and we recognized the special experience we all had just shared.

i'll save the "what i learned along the way" for another day or so.

early morning on wisconsin highway 35 in the shadows of the bluffs

bluffs on the minnesota side at the river bend by bay city, 15 miles before today's finish

today's ride, with the exception of a nasty two-mile climb starting at mile 87 and an equally daunting headwind that popped up for the last five miles, was a relatively easy century.  mostly flat as we rode along the mississippi in and out of a dozen small towns, none with a population greater than 1000.  i actually rode through one town, fountain city, that i'd ridden through some 13 years ago during the twin cities to chicago aids ride.  was amazed as we came upon the town that i remembered it from the very brief time i was there so many years ago.

sondra "assisting" a turtle across the road.  hope she got the correct direction.

it was another beautiful day to see the bluffs along both sides of the river.  and, as has been the case ever since illinois, the local fauna has changed from armadillo road kill to live turtles.  and, thank goodness, most of them have been able to make it across the road without incident (and sometimes with our help -- hoping, of course, that we've placed them on the side of the road that they intended to cross).

a bald eagle in hiding in the branches.  wish i had telephoto on my smartphone.

we've also had a fair share of bird experiences.  i don't think i mentioned the flock of vultures that followed us out of st. louis the morning we were on the levee for many miles.  i thought it was fascinating as they stayed with us for at least five of those miles.  in the past few days, we've had several run-in's with local flocks of red-winged blackbirds.  according to those in the know, it's currently their nesting season.  as we ride near a nesting site, a sentinel blackbird will seemingly jump out of the brush along the roadside and signal to some of the males in the flock who then proceed to attack us.  seriously, there have been at least five incidents of these birds swooping down and hitting the helmets of some of the riders.  it's probably very serious to them, but it's both a bit funny and scary to the riders who see these birds coming at them in dive bomber formation.  also, as this particular area of wisconsin is raptor territory, we have been watching out for eagles.  once in a great while, we actually catch sight of one.

tomorrow's the big day.  starting to sort out how i'll get my bike back to the east coast and how i'll feel when this is all over.  for now, i'll settle for trying to get some sleep.

day 23: prairie du chien to la crosse, wisconsin 66 miles

what a beautiful day.  a bright crisp morning as we rode with the mississippi river on our left  and towering bluffs on our right.

river islands and bluffs along the minnesota side of the river

since we only had a 66-mile ride with only light rollers on a basically flat route, we had plenty of time to stop and smell the roses.  so lots of pictures today.

one of the many lock and dam systems on the upper mississippi

along the ride, we have passed a number of locks and dams from the central mississippi up to the northern sections of the river.  one of the largest was in keokuk, where the hydroelectric power used to light up st. louis.

must have been nearly a dozen trains driving by us today

we rode up much of highway 35 north all day.  it runs right along the mississippi all the way from prairie du chien into la crosse and beyond.  between the highway and the river are two sets of rail lines.  for most of the day, we watched quarter-mile long freight trains traveling up and down the river.

don't know if this can show the incredibly steep slopes of the bluffs on the wisconsin side

on the right side of the highway were a series of towering bluffs.  as opposed to the long, continuous line of bluffs on the minnesota side of the river, the bluffs on the wisconsin side were more like a series of camelbacks.  we'd ride along flatlands for half a mile, then boom, we'd come up on a bluff with incredibly steep slopes.  

an old marker from the black hawk war

a newer version of what took place 

turns out, the area we rode through today is also steeped in history.  the famous black hawk wars were fought here in the mid 1830's.  a very young abraham lincoln cut his military teeth during these battles.  

an alternative to the john deere tractor for the remainder of the trip?

yesterday, rollie, bill, john and i passed a horse-drawn carriage as we were sailing down a long, steep hill.  our assumptions of it being an amish carriage were confirmed a few minutes later when we passed through a small town with an amish store in its center.  today, we passed a set of carriages by the side of the road with their horses resting in the grass.  don't know if my photo clearly shows it, but there's a horse lying down between two of the carriages.

finally, today's ride seemed almost like a day off.  it was a pleasure ride up the river.  we finished in la crosse, riding down streets with some of the most beautiful houses (including, if i'm correct, two designed either by frank lloyd wright or one of his assistants) in this area.  it was a recovery day for my legs.  they still ache, but it wasn't an overly challenging day.  tomorrow, we ride our last century of the tour.  that will be the challenge.  but, with only 180+ miles to go, we'll get through it.

day 22: galena to prairie du chien, wisconsin 73 miles

yes, the name of the town means prairie dogs.  but the area is hardly prairie land.  more farms.

lots of farms dotting the wisconsin countryside

today was all about roller coasters.  all day.  up one hill; down one valley.  rinse, lather, repeat.  over 4400 feet of climbing.  it all started with an 18% climb right out of the hotel and calmed down to long, slow climbs throughout the rest of the day.  the last half of yesterday's ride (3500 feet of climbing) and all of today were not fun.  they were work.

final bike adjustments before heading out this morning

actually, it all started with a last-minute repair to my chain ring.  andy kaplan, our mechanic, was great at adjusting the tension on my cable, enabling me to shift easier as we climbed the hills today.

dickeyville grotto

not much on the ride except a religious phenomenon in dickeyville, wisconsin.  apparently, the dickeyville grotto, an homage to all this catholic.  all the apostles.  all the items used to build the grotto were found items from the area:  everything from sea shells to geodes (yes, this area used to be under the sea millions of years ago).

detail of the the grotto materials

i've been counting down the days to the end of this ride since sunday.  i'm feeling more and more weary about riding.  the miles have really taken it out of me.  i think it's a combination of the mental challenge and the physical fatigue.   we've got a little less than  250 miles to go and i'm looking forward to friday and the finish line.  three more days on the bike.  i'm sore, but i'll get there.

day 21: moline to galena, illinois 93 miles

oy!  part 2

you know you're in trouble when people make faces as you tell them you're biking to galena.  three different times yesterday, people at our hotel asked us about our bike ride.  they were genuinely curious about where we've been, why we were doing this and where we were headed.  whenever we mentioned galena as our final destination, we always got the same response.  it was never an initial verbal expression.  instead, it was always that kind of cynical smirk.  their eyes would roll, their mouths would purse, and their expressions would convey that kind of "oh god, you poor bastard" look.  "good luck with those hills," they would finally add.

galena is a small town near the southern border of wisconsin.  it got it's name and start from the lead mining in the area.  it was also the home of ulysses s. grant.  today, it's a beautiful little town with a perfectly preserved downtown area, dating back to the civil war era.

today was a case of two halves.  this morning, we spent the first 50 miles on bike paths along the mississippi.  and it was raining.

morning rains along the mississippi river bike path

this afternoon was sunny and warm. and all hills.  long, steep hills.  the consensus among the riders was that today was the hardest day we've had on this trip.  the hills were among the steepest and the longest we've climbed to date.  and we got hit, over and over again, with one hill right after another.

we climbed two 15%+ hills and one 21% killer hill right outside of savanna

there were some gorgeous vistas from the ridge line we rode on, but none of the pictures from my smartphone were able to capture the true beauty of the panoramas.  and, given my desire to finish before sundown, i didn't stop as often as i would have liked to capture some of those images.

silos outside of galena

tomorrow as we enter wisconsin, we'll have more hills, but we'll not be climbing as steeply as today.

galesburg to moline, illinois 57 miles

a relatively easy day with a few twists.  unforeseen road construction meant last-minute changes to today's route, but our detours all worked out fine.  nice sunny and warm weather when we left this morning.  not a cloud in the sky.  stayed that way for most of the day.  we even left much later than normal, not getting out of the hotel until close to 8:00 am.

we initially travelled through more cornfields and small towns.  i've missed so many great shots in the past as i was both riding with a group and hoping to get in before sunset.  as it was a short day today, i felt more comfortable stopping to capture some of the sights.

an old ad for a now-defunct cafe in the small town of viola, illinois

turns out, there weren't that many great photo ops today.  however, we did stop about 11 miles before the end of today's ride to partake in the blackhawk area fire prevention district annual firemen's fundraiser barbecue in the small town of milan.  the firemen were very appreciative of our stopping to eat (and "donate" to the cause) and amazed by the stories of our journey so far.

blackhawk area fire prevention fireman's fundraiser barbecue in milan, illinois

great barbecue chicken beat the hell out of another power bar!

the last seven miles of the ride were along a bike path on the levee on the mississippi.  great look at this bustling area.  moline is one of the quad cities (davenport and bettendorf on the iowa side; rock island and moline on the illinois side).  they all started as separate port towns on the only section of the mississippi river that actually flows east to west and are now one big metropolitan area called the quad cities.

we're staying tonight in moline at a very cute hotel called the stoney creek inn.  it's part of a small chain in four midwestern states.  very nice place.  based on the decor, you'd swear you were either in sante fe or somewhere in colorado.

yes, we do accept pets in the room

moline is also the home of the john deere museum.  i mentioned their tractors in the past.  apparently in 1817, john deere invented a type of, basically, self-cleaning (there's a more technical word but you get the picture) plow that revolutionized farming in the midwest.

tractors from the turn of the 20th century...

through the 50's and 60's...

to the future -- this one doesn't need a driver and can stop to avoid obstacles

this combine has air conditioning, gps navigation, telemetry and two cup holders (oh yeah, it can also pull in nearly 4 bushels of corn per second).  yours for a cool $750,000.

i was thinking about an alternative mode of transportation for tomorrow's ride

day 19: keokuk to galesburg, illinois 94 miles

today was a breeze.  literally and figuratively.

the same winds that buffeted us and impeded our progress to near standstill conditions yesterday, were at our backs for much of today.  the results?  it took almost the same time to go 60 miles yesterday as it did to go 94 miles today.  yesterday's 12 miles per hour average was today's 15 miles per hour.

i'm continuing to feel a deep bone weariness every morning when i wake up.  it's been like that for about a week now.  today, i had the same feeling.  and, apparently, i'm not alone.  either in the morning or by noontime, many of the other riders are expressing that same feeling.  i don't know how, but the fossils, tired as they say they are, are still cranking away at nearly 20 miles per hour averages, especially on flat days.

from the outset this morning, i was just drained of energy.  just couldn't get any consistent power going in my legs.  small climbs seemed like mountains.  even the flats, wet as they were, became a challenge.  climbing a small hill in the 14th mile into the town of nauvoo, the historical final resting place of joseph smith, founder of the mormon church, took everything out of me.  somehow, however, as the miles wore on, my strength came back.  i don't know where it came from, but by 11:00 am, my strength was back and i was riding a consistent 18 miles per hour for upwards of fifteen minutes at a clip.  i guess i'm still trying to figure out my body chemistry on this trip.

farm equipment along the roads in raritan

i took this picture while riding through the village of raritan.  while they look like implements of torture, they are actually used to cut and sort the straw after the wheat has been harvested.  it's just one of every form of tractor, harvester, combine and other piece of farm equipment you can imagine lining the highways of many of the towns we've ridden by.  i'm amazed that these farm vehicles come in all bright primary colors.  all except green.  green vehicles are easy to spot, as they are all john deere.  nice branding!

for a town of less than 1000, the village of raritan was also unique (at least in my book) as it also sported an opera house.  not something i've come across anywhere else on this trip so far.

rainclouds about half an hour ahead of us in roseville, illinois

we started this morning in a cold drizzle.  the cold front and rain clouds in keokuk were travelling in the same northeasterly direction as we were, only slightly faster.  so as we enjoyed the tailwinds for most of the morning, we could see the rains in the distance and rode on the wet pavement from the recent showers.

one of america's last standing drive-in movie theaters

approaching today's terminus in galesburg, illinois, i was stopped in my tracks by the sight of a drive-in movie theater.  can't imagine how few of these there still are in the states.  the best part of today's ride experience was while i was in the parking lot taking pictures of the "big screen" (the movies are projected up on the white section of the other side of the wall).  the proprietor of the drive-in walked up to me, asking questions about our ride and where i was from.  after our brief chat, he invited me to tonight's showings.  "opens at 7:00 and the movies start at dusk."  when i asked about the likelihood of showing up on a bicycle, the guy told he, "heck, i've had people come here on horseback!  oh, and bring your appetite.  we've got great quarter pound hot dogs and the tenderloins have been marinating since this morning."  i thanked the man, rejoined my ride mates and continued on to tonight's motel, smiling all the way to the end.

honestly, when was the last time you had steaks when you went to the movies?