Day 30: Heating Things Up!

Worthington, MN to Mankato, MN

111 miles with over 1,000' of climbing

There were two factors that kept today's ride from being thoroughly enjoyable: the distance and the heat. The ride started with a 5-mile detour, which placed the total mileage at 111. Frank has never ridden more than a century, so he was entering new territory. The good news was that the winds were with us! We kept a brisk pace, ranging from 17 - 22 mph for the first 100 miles. It was after lunch that we really began to feel the heat. According to Gail's GPS, the temperature was 100 degrees, and we began to receive, "You're crazy" comments from perfect strangers. Fortunately, the last 10 miles of the trip were on a beautifully constructed, shaded bike path that brought us directly to our hotel. Here is the Blue Earth River. We crossed this on the bike path...

This bridge was part of the Red Jacket Bike Path. Note how well constructed it is.... 

Dinner was served at "Old Country Buffet" - another new restaurant experience for us. We all ate way too much food. Tonight, Frank was honored to receive a certificate for his longest distance ride. He plans to frame it! Let's just hope that there are no additional detours tomorrow as the scheduled distance is 99 miles.