A Mother’s Day Cruise

Rochester Loop via Chester Woods: 68.48 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 5 hours 9 minutes, average speed: 13.2

Today was a very fun biking day. We started out from the home farm and headed towards the Chester Woods County Park near the town of Chester, MN. We wanted to check out the park for a possible spot to kayak. The waters here looked perfect for beginning kayakers like us. We were wishing our Werner paddles had been delivered as this would have been a perfect day to be on the water, but it was also perfect to be out on the tandem with no time restraints and all day to ride!

Following our tour of Chester Woods, we decided to continue biking towards northwest Rochester. The winds were not a hindrance on this beautiful day and we were rolling along quite well. We pedaled up to Applebee’s for lunch and the staff saw us coming even before we parked the bike. Many smiles, comments and questions greeted us as we found our seat. Shortly after ordering our meal, another couple arrived in bright clothing which left us feeling a little less unusual. We left the restaurant fueled up and ready for the trip back home. We passed IBM and the Silver Lake Park where people were out enjoying the day. We were soon on the outskirts of Rochester and pedaling down the shoulder of Hwy 14. We passed Eyota and began to discuss taking a break in Dover at the Roadhouse Bar & Grill. A quick trip into St. Charles to gather groceries for a cookout and we were then back in our neighborhood. Being early in our riding season, our legs are still in need of more pedal time before we can tackle a 100-mile day. We reached home after 5 hours of spin time knowing that we stretched our abilities to the limit. We’ll be looking for a rest day and then we’ll be back out on the road searching for our next physical adventure.