Today looked like it would be challenging. The humidity suddenly spiked, temperatures would be approaching 90 degrees, there would be a modest headwind, there were severe  thunderstorms warnings for the evening, and I would be getting a late start.

My host, Jack Ingersoll, lives in a retirement community, and I had been asked to speak to interested residents about this trip. The talk went well, but I was not on the road until 11 AM.

During my stay at Jack's, I had pared down my load from four panniers to two. In fact, it was the two smaller panniers which went over the rear wheel. Soon after I left Jack, I was questioning the wisdom of having all the weight over the rear drive tire. So part way through the city, I called Jack to see if he could meet me with the other two panniers which hung in the middle of the bike, thus sharing the weight between tires. Upon meeting, i would swap gear to the new panniers. Jack and I agreed to meet on Hwy 77 South, which is the route we had selected to get out of town. It was one of three routes that had a bridge over the Minnesota River, but the only route which would allow bicycles. 

I missed a turn going through town, resulting in entering Hwy 77 on a different on ramp than Jack and I had checked out two days earlier. This on ramp had a sign that said "No pedestrians. No bicycles." Oh no! Now what? Since Jack was going to be looking for me on Hwy 77, I decided to go onto the forbidden highway until Jack caught up with me, switch panniers, cross the bridge, then exit the highway.

Almost immediately upon getting onto the highway, Jack pulled up behind. The transfer took place. I rode on, crossing the river, and onto the arms of a waiting policeman. He agreed to allow me to continue to the next exit, and decided not to issue a citation.

This was not a good day of riding. The miles seemed creep by. There were stretches of hills upon hills. Time seemed to be running out, but around 6:30PM, I entered the city of my destination, Red Wing. Red Wing is a fair sized town, and is well known for its shoe factories. 

Since my motel was on the far side of town, I had to decide whether to grab a quick bite to eat in one of the many fast food restaurants I was passing, or whether to get to the motel first, then see if there were any restaurants nearby.

The darkening clouds, thunder and lightning made me decide that shelter in my motel room was the priority, so I put on my rain jacket, and continued pedalling. If there were no places to eat, I would wait until morning.

Around 7:15 PM, 69 miles after leaving this morning, I arrived at my motel. I checked in, and got my gear into my room, including the bike. In less than one minute after getting inside, the heavens opened up with a downpour and wind like you wouldn't believe! Had I stopped to eat, I would be out in that mess. Just to the east,tornados were sighted.

Do you think that it was a coincidence that I got into my room seconds before all hell broke loose? I don't. Thank you Lord for your protection. 

Did you know that Domino's Pizza delivers, even in inclement weather?