Spent late morning today picking up our bikes from the Minneapolis Amtrak Station and riding into the downtown area to make a quick stop at the local ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) office. As mentioned in an earlier post, Kim has dedicated this tour to a longtime friend and mentor who has recently been diagnosed with ALS. In conjunction with her friend, Del, she is raising funds and awareness of this disease that impacts more people and families than I ever realized. Kim's journal, which includes a "Donate" button (should you wish to contribute) is at Biking with the Tailwind.
After an enjoyable visit at the ALS office in Downtown Minneapolis, we headed east. I hesitate to comment on our earlier ride west getting to the downtown office ... leave it to say that the Google GPS map is not the clearest directional service available. After several turns and misturns, all the while being chastised by the "female voice" of Ms. Google, we did find some wonderful bike trails that made the misadventure successful.
Later heading east to Wisconsin (picture above is the St. Croix River ... and Wisconsin is on the left), we rode for about 20 miles on the most enjoyable and beautiful rail-to-trail Gateway Trail. Unfortunately, we were supposed to have turned left after 15 miles at the unsigned Manning Road ... great directions ... turn at the "unsigned" turnoff. Oh well, it was a beautiful ride none-the-less.
Ended the day's pedaling in Osceola, WI, after putting in 64 miles ... 64 miles that, although relatively hill-free, have definitely left me leg-tired. That month-long stay in Tucson, with little or no real training, has reduced my fitness level to close to zero.
Feels good to be sharing the road with Kim. Feels good to be experiencing new sights and states. Feels good ...
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