Our first full day of cycling was amazing.  We started by riding through Redwing on their trail system that went from nice parks and residential areas to the shore of the Mississippi.  We also saw several buildings used by the iconic Redwing shoe company. The area by the river was a little magical with so many things to see.  Let me explain the “magic”. The marina was full of cool boats, there was a “Push Boat” moving a barge full of sand up river, grain barges being filled from some huge grain silos, a train heading north and us on bikes. Seeing river life and industry all happening while riding on a well manicured trail, in the midst of a beautifully maintained historic downtown waterfront. Oh yes, and cool sculptures on the sidewalks and a bright sunny morning. For those unimpressed by these things…. There was a unique rainbow over the river from the moisture rising. Like I said magical…these moments were punctuated by a stop at a local bakery for snacks that we tucked away for later. We will certainly be going back to explore more of Redwing’s downtown and cycling trails. There were so many things to see that there was a real risk of ending the day’s ride at 5 miles and just exploring the town, but, we eventually did move on.

The rest of the day was spent riding south on Hwy 61 with our destination being Winona, MN. The roads were busy but the Minnesota Highway department has done a great job of providing very wide shoulders, smooth roads, and minimal grades for riding.  Nearly the entire route included views of bluffs, trees, and the river. We found a short detour from the busy road near Kellogg, MN that took us through a prairie restoration that was quiet, secluded, and beautiful. This added 4 miles to the days total, but was well worth it.  

Let’s talk lunch…. so as I plan each day I try to find a location with lunch possibilities.  At the low end of the scale – it might be a gas station or a grocery store.  At the high end of the scale – a nice local restaurant or sandwich shop that reflects the areas uniqueness.  Well – this trip we have friends traveling with us in a van.  And they found a place called Stockholm  Pie and General Store, (Stockholm, WI) which boasts of being the #1 pie shop in America. The great advantage of friends in a van was realized as they drove across the river to Wisconsin to get sandwiches/pie and then met us for our lunch spot, Beach Park in Wabasha, MN.  The pie, mine was a blueberry peach mix, may have been one of the best pies I have ever had. And I have had some great pies! My sandwich was salmon on rye with lots of additional good stuff packed in it too. It was a gourmet meal by the river with good friends. Doesn’t get much better. If you are ever close to that pie shop…. you need to stop.

We arrived at the hotel about 4pm ready to be off the saddles. We ended up riding 70 miles and had 1350’ of climbing. We saw barges, lock and dam #5, eagles, swans, trains, bluffs, prairie, an ever expanding river and 6 banana peels along the road (yep sometimes you count weird stuff when riding).

A little song written by a friend