Fall colors in Minnesota 

9/11 80 miles from Park Rapids MN to Hill City MN

Today was the nicest weather of the entire trip. 57F in the morning and 80 in the afternoon with a slight tail wind. It doesn’t get any better. It could but it won’t.

Started the morning on the Heartland bike trail for 30 miles. It was so relaxing it’s hard to describe. Just not hearing cars go over the rumble strips was a joy.  What the hell good are rumble strips when they are inches from the steep gravel drop off? I can’t think of too many drivers that have the response time to pull it back on the road. I will always be aware of road shoulders the rest of my life after doing this trip.

We saw some great color on the trail.

We also met a group of friends that call themselves the Kona Brewery.  The guys in the group met in the Military during the Vietnam War. They and their wives have biked in Tuscany, along the Danube and many other places around the world.  They picked the trail systems in Minnesota for this years vacation.  I for one don’t take these beautiful bike trails for granted.

Jesus, fall colors. I’ve been in such a time warp the last 26 days that just today I realized the upper USA is transitioning to fall.  Trying to find places to stay is tough as many of the resorts are closing. All kinds of cars pulling boats and campers back to their winter storage areas. I just heard the loons call while sitting on the deck next to Hill Lake.  Hopefully not everyone flies south before I finish this trip.