Covid Cross Day #24 St. Cloud, MN to Dalton, MN

Covid Cross Day #24

June 27, 2020

St. Cloud, MN to Dalton, MN 108 Miles

Start 8:10 AM Finish 9:26 PM

Ride Time 8:31

Ascent 859 Feet

Descent 492 Feet

Tour Total 2029 Miles

Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200627-0810-80748

I slept great at Sam's place in St Cloud for the third night in a row. In addition to the firm mattress, I enjoyed the camel bedsheets. My alarm started ringing at 7 AM, and I got up, showered, and took my vitamins. Sam made me a cappuccino and poured me an orange juice.

I had mailed an extra tire to Sam, but didn't yet need it, so I was now carrying two extra tires. From now on I was only planning to use Schwalbe Marathons. To make a little extra room in my rear left pannier, I left my old paper map sections with Sam, who would mail them back to me in Brooklyn. Before we hit the road, I used Sam’s hand-pump to inflate my tires to 60psi.

We rode over to Sam's friend Mike's house. Sam and Mike would be joining me for the first 35 miles. They both stayed with me in Brooklyn several years ago, and there are some good stories from that visit. We took the Lake Wobegon trail out of St. Cloud. It was a rail trail that had fresh blacktop. Many cyclists and dog walkers were out enjoying the trail. We passed a bunch of wild turkeys on the path. The cyclist traffic was heavy, and some were pedaling at a good clip. The mile marker signs were accompanied by aphorisms, like "Be thankful", "Be a good sport", “Be generous”, and “Be positive”. 

The trail was scattered with numerous roadkill chipmunks, ostensibly hit by cyclists. Sam narrowly missed hitting a live one. We passed a sign for #jacobhopelives, and Sam told me the grizzly story about the young local boy who went missing. His body was later found buried in a corn field. I rejoined my route in Albany, and I was now on ACA Northern Tier Map Section 5. We stopped at Albany Home Bakery where I enjoyed a lemon danish. I could see the church steeple and water tower from a couple of miles out of Freeport. We stopped for a meal at Charlie’s Café. I ordered one of their infamous caramel rolls as well as the fried chicken lunch with french fries.

Last year I had gone north from Royalton to Bemidji, and then to Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River. From there I cut West to Fargo. It had taken four days to do the two triangle legs. This summer I was cutting directly northwest on the diagonal from St. Cloud to Fargo, and it would only take two days. I passed another mile marker aphorism, "Hustle to gain muscle".  Sam, Mike and I said our goodbyes at the edge of Melrose, population 3,598. They turned around and headed back to St. cloud. I was back out on my own. Cycling was like sailing. I went from one safe haven to another. I'd now be out on the wild west open seas for the next three weeks, until I got to my final destination at Uncle Taco's place in Portland. 

I passed the Melrose water tower and the trail wound through people's back yards. I didn’t see any services and didn't stop. There was brand new asphalt pavement after Melrose. Much of the trail paralleled I-94. I crossed over the Sauk River and rode into Sauk Center. Other than the Ding Dong Cafe, there were no services along the route and I didn’t stop. Sauk Center was the birthplace of Sinclair Lewis.

The next town was West Union, population 111. I was ready for a cold beverage and stopped at Sidewalks bar & grill. There were a dozen motorcycles parked out front. A sign on the door said that masks were not required, and that the sign had been approved by their attorney. I ordered a pint of Cream Ale by Castle Danger. Westbound cyclists Sid and Chris were now three days ahead of me. They were currently in Gackle, North Dakota.

The next town I came to was Osakis. There was a large outdoor event going on alongside the highway but I couldn’t figure it out from the trail. Donn had mentioned that there was a drought this summer here in Minnesota. The grass was brown, and I was really starting to see it. I stopped to flip my paper map sections and observed that the trail I was riding was now called the Central Lakes State Trail. Outside of Nelson I began to feel a headwind. The breeze was coming out of the west. It was bright and sunny with some small puffy clouds in the blue sky.

The main thing that I noticed in Nelson was a bar/liquor store. There was also a small church. As I noted last year, Minnesotans consume a lot of alcohol. Coming into Alexandria I found myself surrounded by beautiful lakes. People were out in their boats and their floats enjoying the water. I stopped at Alex bike shop in Alexandria. Donn, Sam, and Mike had all recommended this place. I had my chain inspected and measured. They thought I had a few hundred more miles left on it, so I got back on the trail and continued on.

I stopped at the Big Ole Viking Statue, which had originally been created for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. The town believed that Norsemen visited here in 1362. I then proceeded to Copper Trail Brewing where I enjoyed several drafts of Runestone, while I relished the air conditioning while editing reports. The trail was beautiful heading west out of Alexandria. I noticed a group of boys playing a jumping game with rocks and a football. People were fishing and picnicking. The next town was Garfield, population 354. It’s golf ball on a tee water tower appeared on the edge of town. There was a CENEX Station, a large grain elevator complex, and two bars. One of them was setting up for a concert later this evening. I didn’t want to wait three hours, so I continued down the road.

There was fresh blacktop after Garfield. The land was flattening out and the sky was getting big. After a few miles I rode into Brandon. I passed the water tower and the grain elevator complex. I stopped at the Marathon Station where I downed a red Gatorade. Two large crows flew out above the trail from the adjoining trees as I pedaled out of town. A large white whooping crane lifted off from a lake trail-side. I rode into Evansville, population 612. There were no visible services from the trail. Road Closed signs appeared and signs announced that the bridge was closed ahead. I proceeded anyway. 

I eventually came to construction equipment and the asphalt ended. I rode on soft dirt and sand. It was difficult to keep my balance, but I made it through the gauntlet to other end of the construction area. I was hungry and didn’t have many options. Melby Outpost was open and they were busy. There were twenty vehicles parked out front. I learned that there was a birthday party inside. No one was wearing masks, and the walls were lined with animal trophies. I ordered a pint of Flat Tire and a pulled pork sandwich with fries. 

Leaving Melby, I rode alongside another beautiful lake. The sun was low on the horizon as I approached Ashby, population 448. It was 8:30pm and there was still another hour of daylight. I noticed the water tower before I reached town. I was riding straight into the setting sun and was being blinded. I could have stopped to put on my cycling cap with a visor, but I didn’t want to lose momentum. A couple was walking down the middle of the path and I frightened them as I approached. 

I considered stealth camping outside of Ashby but knew that it was permitted in the City Park in Dalton. I rode past the Ashby grain elevator complex. I love the old corrugated metal pitched roof elevator structures that exist on the western plains. I came to a sprayer that was idled in the middle of the trail. I found myself able to make a first-hand determination that it was not possible to ride directly beneath one of these machines, at least this model. 

I rode into Dalton and spotted the city park where I’d be camping. It seemed like a good fit. I looked for a store to purchase some beer, and all I could find was the Hideout Saloon & Grill. Take-out wasn’t permitted, so I rode back to the park and set up my tent. I met a nice gentleman who worked for the sheriff in Fargo, and who had a cabin here. He told me there would be fireworks later in the evening. 

The mosquitoes were bad in the park. After my tent was erected, I rode to the Hideout and ordered a frosty cold mug of Castle Cream Ale. I learned that it was Dalton Days and that I was just in time for the annual fireworks. I sat on a cinder block out on the sidewalk and enjoyed the show. Afterwards I returned to the bar where I finished this report.

⥢ prev -home- next ⥤