COVID CROSS

Covid Cross Day #22 June 23, 2020 Houlton, WI to Dalbo, MN 83 Miles Start 6:13 AM Finish 4:36 PM Ride Time 8:28 Ascent 1375 Feet Descent 1262 Feet Tour Total 1943 Miles Details at:   https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200623-0613-79218 I slept alright last night stealth camping in somebody’s backyard next to a dental clinic in Houlton. The ground was bumpy underneath where I pitched my tent. It was cool and a comfortable temperature for sleeping. I woke up with the sunrise and birds chirping, and was on the road by 6:15 AM. I needed to get out of there before anyone noticed me. It was chilly and I was wearing my sweater. I took County Road E to County Road V. This year's route was so much better with the lift bridge open. Fellow west-bounders, Sidd and Chris, had made it to Minneapolis last night. I passed my first bunny at 6:30 AM. A family of deer was nibbling grass alongside the road. By the time I got my camera functioning and unclipped, they ...

Covid Cross Day #23 June 24, 2020 Dalbo, MN to Sartell, MN 77 Miles Start 7:38 AM Finish 4:36 PM Ride Time 7:24 Ascent 360 Feet Descent 322 Feet Tour Total 2022 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200624-0738-89757 I slept great last night at the Bicycle Bunkhouse in Dalbo. I was mindful of gaffes from last year, like not to bump my head on the low doorway. I forgot other things, like to double up the 1” thick sleeping pads. I essentially slept on a plywood bed platform, but was so tired that I slumbered well. I woke up at 5:30 AM with the sunlight and the birds. I took a shower and made myself coffee. I packed up my camping gear that had been drying on the upper level. I edited yesterday‘s report while waiting for my friend Sam to join me at 7 AM. Sam and I have known each other since we were undergrads together at the University of Iowa. I visited him on last year's tour, and this year he was eager to join me for a day of cycl...

June 25, 2020 Off Day in St. Cloud, MN I slept great last night in Sam’s daughter Ella’s bed. My body was sore and tired. This morning I had a two hour work meeting on Zoom that began at 10 AM Central Time. I sat out on Sam’s deck and listened to the sobering prospect of online remote instruction in the fall. Sam, Ella, and I drove downtown to the White Horse Tavern. As we entered, Sam was asked to sign a contact tracing sheet and provide his phone number. Servers were wearing masks and the booths had been separated by dividers. I ordered a Bacon Cheddar Burger along with a Voyageur Boundary Waters American Brown Ale. After lunch Sam took me to see his office, and we walked around the court buildings in St. Cloud. We drove back to Sartell and picked up our bikes from Brandon’s ’shed’. Afterwards we drove to House of Pizza where we joined Brandon and Paul, who was originally from Liverpool. The Manchester versus Chelsea game was on TV and we caught the nail-biting finish, while enjoyi...

June 26, 2020 Off Day #2 St. Cloud, MN 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 ha...

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 joinin...

Covid Cross Day #25 June 28, 2020 Dalton, MN to Fargo, ND 72 Miles Start 7:47 AM Finish 2:05 PM Ride Time 5:10 Ascent 472 Feet Descent 921 Feet Tour Total 2201 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200628-0747-07749 I slept well last night in my tent in the Dalton City Park. Last evening, after the Dalton Days fireworks display, locals continued to light fireworks and rev their motorcycle engines and make noise. The mosquitoes were bad, and I was quick to brush my teeth and climb into my tent. I woke up at this morning at 7 AM. The sun was already bright and warming my tent. There were hundreds of hungry mosquitoes right outside my tent netting. It was a quick dash to the bathroom and a fast pack-up. I flipped my paper map section and realized that the wonderful Central Lakes Bike trail that I had enjoyed for a hundred miles was about to come to an end. The sun was blazing and the clouds were wispy. It was a perfect temperature and...