Off Day #2 St. Cloud, MN

July 03, 2020

June 26, 2020

I had another great night’s sleep in Sam’s daughter Ella’s bed in St. Cloud Minnesota. All of my devices had been charged and my laundry was dry and folded. Sam made me a big cappuccino, and I relaxed in his kitchen while editing blog posts. I made an airline reservation to return to New York from Portland on July 31. The ticket was only $150, but I was unable to find a direct flight. My plan was to bring my bike home on the plane.

Sam and I drove to Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, which was a spectacular waterfall and park in the middle of the city. We went to Sea Salt Eatery, located in the park, where we ordered fish and Mahi tacos. We washed them down with Utepils Plaid Bikini Summer Wheat. After a walk down to the falls and some picture taking we returned to the patio where we ordered pints of Surly Grapefruit Supreme. Masks were required to enter and leave the patio, and Sam had to give his phone number on a contact tracing sheet. It had been so long since I had worn a mask, that I had forgotten mine. Fortunately Sam had an extra in his car.

We then rode to the George Floyd Memorial in South Minneapolis. I used to live in Minneapolis, and it wasn’t too far from where I had resided. Blocks around the memorial were closed to traffic with cement jersey barriers, and it was a sober walk from the car. The area was overflowing with flowers, memorials, posters, murals, and graffiti. It was a somber experience. There were African Americans, Christians, Native Americans, Anarchists, and tourists like myself. It was quiet, peaceful, and sad. It reminded me of New York City after 9-11, and I wondered how long the make-shift memorials would be permitted. I saw the Cup Foods where George Floyd was apprehended, and the nearby place where he was murdered. There was now a beautiful mural and numerous memorials. On the street was painted a long list of African Americans who had been killed by American police officers. Remember their names. Sam then took me to a nearby installation of cardboard tombstones which listed and represented African Americans killed by US police officers. This country is so fucked up, and to be honest - I’m not optimistic. Here in the USA, the minority of the population elects the president and the minority of the population elects the Senate majority. Our country is led by the minority. Our country is led by anti-intellectual sentiment. The losing side of the Civil War leads us today. I used to think the future was promising, but how many more African Americans will be butchered by police officers? How many more school children will be mowed down by semi-automatic rifles? I doubt any of this nonsense will end in my lifetime.

After the memorial we drove to Steel Toe Brewing, where we had to wait in line out in the blazing sun. Sam again had to give his phone number on a contact tracing sheet. Masks were only worn by servers. It was hot, and we were fortunately able to find a table inside. We enjoyed two glasses of dark sumptuous Barrel Aged Dissent. We headed back to St. Cloud and stopped along the way at Short or Tall. We relished 12 ounce servings of Bent Paddle Barrel Aged Extra Baked and 22 ounce servings of Surly Furious. We enjoyed nachos and sliders with our beer.

When we got back to Sam’s place, his girlfriend Scarlett was there. Sam grilled Salmon and made his famous maple syrup Brussels sprouts. We sat out on his back porch listening to Steve Wonder on vinyl while getting eaten by mosquitoes