Day 31: Mankato to Rochester,
Minnesota
July 21, 2004
Miles: 100
We've now been riding for a month, almost 2300 miles!
Today was another 60 percent chance of rain day but it seems to have
blown through before we started. We did have a few places in the
early miles where the pavement was wet but nothing more from
above. Again, the humidity made up for the lack of rain.
I haven't mentioned it before, but we've been riding by hog farms every
day since Sioux Falls. I haven't actually seen a pig but you can
sure smell them. The buildings all look alike. My uncle Ken
in Ohio called it a money smell but I don't think I'll ever get used to
it.
Today I rode mostly by myself, with no pacelines and it took a little
longer than yesterday but wasn't bad. There were more rollers (up
and down small hills) too.
The light was pretty flat most of the morning. Here is another
collection of fixer uppers:
And Loon Lake, a mile or so before our first SAG stop:
The second SAG was in West Concord. Here's Main Street:
And here is a town hall waiting for a town to form around it--all I saw
were a couple of residences:
Daniel wanted to find some corn taller than he. We found some
that was taller than the both of us:
I've developed more noise from the rear of my bike. Mike thinks
its my rear wheel, whose Mavic rim, as I've previously noted, is
notorious for noise. The spokes may have worked loose over all
the cracks and other bumps in the road. We've already tightened
and trued it once. I'm going to give it a day or two and we may
end up doing it again. My chain is doing well, though, 2400-2500
miles and still not stretched enough to require replacement. And
still no flats (knock wood).
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