Life On A B-I7

Route

• Fairbault to Rochester

Metrics

• Miles: 54
• Average Speed: 10.4 mph
• Ride Time: 5 hours 6 minutes

Notes

• Today I was interviewed by Public Television. KSMQ, Austin, Minnesota.

Thought #15

• What is prayer? It is asking the universe to help you align yourself with it.

I bring my sweetheart a coffee each morning. What I mean by that is, I send her a text message with an emoji of a cup of coffee (☕️). It’s a nice gesture. The problem is, I’m two hours ahead of her and by the time she gets it, it’s cold.

A perfect morning for riding. The AQI index is down, the UV index is down, the temperature is down, and there’s a modest cooling breeze. To add pleasure to fortune, the road surface is smooth and the hills are manageable. You can’t ask for a better morning than that.

I was 35 miles down the road when I finally had a chance to stop for a cup of coffee. I was standing outside a Kwik Trip and a stranger stopped to chat with me. He asked me where I was going and if I was raising money for a cause. I told him about Shepherd’s House Ministries in Redmond, Oregon. On his way out of the store, he wished me good luck on my journey and gave me $20 for Shepherd’s House. So far on this trip, without doing any solicitation, people have donated $120 to Shepherd’s House.

If you are traveling in the Midwest, keep in mind that Kwik Trip has the best road coffee. Better than Starbucks.

The last 10 miles of my tour today put me on the Douglas State Rail Trail. There is no doubt that Minnesota is bike friendly. I’ve never seen so many paved cycle paths that run through such beautiful country.

About 6 miles outside Rochester, I saw a film crew alongside the trail. I slowed down and greeted them with a “hello.” They looked at me and waved me over and asked if they could interview me. It was a film crew from KSMQ Public Television in Austin, Minnesota. if the piece airs, they will post it on YouTube and I will include the link in a future post.

There’s a lot that goes through my head during the day. This may be a touchy subject, but it is my opinion that exercise, especially the kind that gets you out of your ordinary routine for more than a few minutes a day, is the best medicine there is to help prevent cognitive decline.

Irish Settlers built this Catholic Church in 1878. It was constructed by hand from Ashlar Limestone quarried locally. The last mass was held in 1961. It is now a national historical landmark.

Another example of the sort of thing you miss when you are traveling by car on the freeway.

Itinerary / Maps