DAY 30
Mankato
Distance: 102 Miles Climbing: 950 Feet Winds: West 5-10
Weather: Overcast at beginning and then sunny and warm Terrain: Flat to rolling

TODAY'S TALES: 

My day in the truck today...it looked like a long one, but a good one none-the-less.  We started the day with a hearty buffet at the motel and then loaded at 6:00.  The sky was threatening, but everyone knows that it doesn't rain on an ABB ride.  As we rode out of town, the sky started to break and we picked up a nice tailwind...what could be sweeter?  The morning departure was very comfortable as we pulled out on hwy 60 to the northeast.  All the roads in this area run east and west and are perfect grids of 1 mile squares (not all paved however) except for hwy 60 that runs SW to NE.  We rode several sections of that highway today...sections that had a shoulder where we could get out of the traffic lane.  We broke off and out into the country after the first SAG at 30 miles and stayed on quiet backroads until the 80 mile point.  Well, that was the plan on paper.  As we departed our first SAG and entered the "quiet" country roads, we found that highway 60 was under construction and guess where they detoured all the traffic...you guessed it, on our "quiet" country road.  We usually don't see but one or two cars for 20 miles, but not today.  Even though we had a few miles of traffic, everyone got through it fine...they are vets now.

All in all it was a pretty uneventful day...Ho Hum in the van but just like I like it every day.  The scenery all day was vast farmland and for those who liked to see corn, they must have been in heaven.  We passed corn field after corn field with a soybean field or two thrown in for good measure.  Last year at a rap session, one of my staff gave us a talk about corn and how it was one of the few plants that had both the male and female parts on the same plant.  He explained how the farmers cross pollinated the plants to improve the hybrid corn crops and somehow equated the pollination process as a corn "dating service."  There's no end to the things you learn out here...some more important than others of course.

Speaking of important things you learn out here...experience is golden.  Today I just relearned the lesson I should have remembered from '96 when I rode across Minnesota with Cycle America.  You don't ever walk into the tall grass to "use the facilities."  That's where 1,000,000 mosquitoes live and they are all hungry!  I forgot that important lesson until I had to stop and go to the bathroom and wanted to hide from possible on coming traffic.  I was covered before I could get out of the grass and had to do the two step to get back to the truck and get going.  I'll not do that again...good judgment over modesty anytime!

We had rap before dinner and dinner was at a Country Buffet...great spread.  If anyone went away hungry after tonight's spread, they weren't trying.  Tomorrow we ride another century and we are expecting good weather...we'll see.  It won't be long before we'll wave good bye to this beautiful state, but tomorrow we'll enjoy another day in the corn.  See you then.

 

TODAY'S RIDING PHOTO RECORD

One would think we were in Kansas with all the grain elevators peeking through the mist every 10 miles.

With all the tanker cars leaving the elevators, I'm thinking some of these are Ethanol plants.

There's certainly enough corn around here to support the plants...and have a little left over for feed too.

Several decided they'd seen enough corn and wanted to take advantage of the nice tailwind...let's hammer it home boys!

OTHER PHOTOS AND SUCH

Rollie made an interesting observation today.  "When you ask for directions in the midwest, all the routing starts from a Casey's General Store."

When I drove into town at the second SAG, I noticed Ted riding back out on route.  I asked his riding buds what was up and they said he had a flat about 2 miles back and he'd left his cartridge inflator by the side of the road...he'd ridden back to try to find it.  When he returned to the SAG, I asked him if he found his inflator...a simple yes would have been a good answer, but he couldn't stand it..."I got out there and couldn't find it...then I looked in my jersey pocket and, low and behold, there it was!"  "I certainly expect to receive the appropriate amount of grief for such a boo boo."  He may have said that, but I'm not sure he could ever be ready for the ribbing he got.

Cindi forgot her compact today...but fear not, she can primp anywhere.

Ray always meticulously takes inventory of his snacks at the SAG.  "Let's see, I've had my potassium, I've had my vitamin C...NUTS!  Where's my chocolate!?"

When Karen heard the riders had left early, she dashed to the truck and drove off.  Boy, she's pretty fast sometimes.

Everyone wants to ride with Team Tasmanian Devils, but the rider with the lowest seniority has to carry the team hydration helmet mod.  Today, David drew the short straw.

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