TODAY'S TALES:  Someone mentioned, "How do they do it?"  This morning as we filed in for breakfast, it was pouring out...a real gulley washer.  The riders were a little antsy as our load time of 7:00 drew near.  Like magic, at precisely 7:00, it stopped raining...just as we planned.    When we departed, the skies lightened up and after we got on the outskirts of town, the roads were even dry.  We all got in under threatening skies, but we all stayed dry. 

Nice day off yesterday...even the staff got a little time off in the morning and prerode the departure bike path, cleaned the vans, and did the shopping.  We always try to preride the path to make sure it's in good repair all the way around town.  A couple of times we found the path under construction...don't like surprises when we can't be nearby with our vans.  Today, the path was in good repair and we all were able to ride unencumbered. 

The departure path out of Sioux Falls circumvents the entire city.  The entire loop is 20 miles and includes parks, a river, and the falls for which the city is most noted.  Since we were able to mark the route, our biggest challenge early on was avoiding the goose poop all over the path.  Made for a funny taste from our water bottles for sure.  But even with those hazards, it was still worth the trip just to see the falls on our way out of town.  The falls is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen with the water cascading over square red rocks through the Falls Park and there was plenty of water this year.  The river originally had 3 falls, but the lower one was removed by excavating the rocks for building and landscaping. 

Today we entered or 5th state where the women are pretty, the men are good looking, and the children are above average...welcome to Minnesota.  Everyone was smiling this morning as we had a relatively short day of only 70 miles and the weather seemed to be holding dry.  The pesky cross wind made it a bit sporty at times, but all in all a good day to ride.

The word of the day was "Green."  It's a sharp contrast from what we were seeing in South Dakota where the rolling rangeland and large wheat fields were mostly brown.  Every where you looked today all you'd see was green...If it wasn't corn or soybeans standing in perfectly straight rows that stretched all the way to the horizon, it was tall grass that gave a different hue to the green patchwork that dominated the landscape.  It's really nice to be back into country that looks fertile again and according to National Public Radio, these farms are run by Norwegian Bachelor Farmers...mostly (ever heard of Powder Milk Biscuits?).  I think we are going to see a lot of corn and gently rolling terrain for the next few days...you betcha.

The South Dakota highway on our early miles had a nice shoulder albeit a little bumpy in spots.  When we got to Minnesota we lost the shoulder, but the lane was really wide.  The saving grace was there was little traffic to contend with and the drivers that we did encounter were courteous.  The last few years they've been working on this stretch of road and we've always had to find a detour around it.  On our maps, it looks like there's lots of roads that parallel the main road we ride, but most of the parallel roads are gravel.  Every year we've had to make our way through several miles of sketchy gravel before town...but not this year.  The stretches they've been working on recently were silky smooth and fast...way to go Minnesota!

The farms along our route today were impeccable, each situated in a grove of trees and having a neatly painted house and outbuildings, flower beds, and nicely tended lawns.  No extra cars or farm equipment lying about.  Almost every farmhouse sat in the midst of vast cornfields...vaster even than those in South Dakota.  As each state has its charm, Minnesota is no different.  It's a beautiful state.

The people are pretty friendly too.  Every year everyone is curious as to what we are doing and are always amazed when they hear the magnitude of our ride.  I happened to talk to a guy while he was refueling his van.  He saw the our van go through and then several the riders...seeing the Long Distance Bicycle Tours sign on the side of the van he asked what that meant.  He described a long distance tour as being to the other side of town, but when I told him where we came from and where we were going, all he could say was, "Ya shure, that's a long way!"  That's the usual reaction we get.

It's amazing what a little time off and nice weather will do for a group of bicyclists.  I guess another thing that most are enjoying is there are no hills to speak of so far in Minnesota.  Everyone got in by 2:00 today.  Tomorrow we ride to Mankato...102 miles...that will get their attention.  Tune in again tomorrow...we'll see you then...you betcha...

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