Our Tour de Pepin weekend began with a Friday evening packet pickup at the Hok-Si-La Park outside Lake City, Minnesota. An invitation to attend a delicious dinner catered by the St. James Hotel of Red Wing and live music were also part of this evening’s registration ceremony.
It is with mixed feelings that I write this journal entry. The first 40 miles of this ride were most enjoyable with bright blue skies and a temperature in the 70s. It was a beautiful Saturday morning when our group of six gathered at Ohuta Park near Lake City along with hundreds of registered riders for the 5th annual Tour de Pepin ride. The riding atmosphere was one of high spirits as each rider began their Minnesota-Wisconsin journey around beautiful Lake Pepin. Our small group consisted of Dennis and I, Alan and Michelle Andersen, and new riders Paul & Barb Storsveen. Dennis and Barb, Michelle and Alan rode on Rans Screamers while Paul and I rode single recumbents. Going 50 miles for the first time on a bike you are not familiar with and on the roads along with vehicle traffic flashing by was an amazing endeavor for single rider, Paul—his sister (Deb) was very impressed.
The recumbent count was definitely lower than we are used to seeing and we had many riders question us about our bikes. Our group kept together throughout the day riding at a speed comfortable for everyone. I was thankful for this as it was my first 50-miler on my single Bacchetta. We climbed some hills but the view along this route was so breathtaking that the pedals just kept cranking and before you knew it, you were coasting down hill again.
Soon we were approaching Wabasha for a rest at the Eagle’s Nest Coffeehouse. A short visit here prepared us for the trip across the Mississippi River on the interstate bridge. Many signs were posted to alert vehicles of our presence.
Outside Nelson, WI was another rest stop and we gathered here for roll call after Alan, Michelle and I ventured off to look for the Pickle Factory which we found down by the river but were disappointed to find it closed—I guess 9:30 a.m. was a little too early for pickles?
The weather continued to be glorious as we glided into Pepin, Wisconsin for another rest and visit with other riders on the tour.
Near Stockholm, WI we found an overlook which provided a photo opportunity using Lake City as a backdrop, where we began this journey. We didn’t know it at the time, but this would be our last group photo of the day.
Shortly after these photos were taken, Alan and Michelle had a fall that ended with a few broken bones and a trip to the hospital. We missed them greatly during the last miles of this journey and continue to wish them a speedy recovery so that they can rejoin us on our next biking journey.
The accident did leave us all a little worried about the care Alan and Michelle were receiving but Michelle promised to keep us posted and both Alan and Michelle encouraged us to continue with the ride. Paul and I made it to Maiden Rock where we rested at Ole’s while Dennis and Barb continued to the lookout beyond town. We met back at Ole’s for a quick lunch before heading back to Stockholm to await our 3:30 cruise aboard the Pearl.
Back in Stockholm, we found Gelly’s Pub and Eatery and awaited our scheduled boarding time on the Pearl of the Lake paddle wheeler. The pub was packed with bicyclists finishing their Tour de Pepin ride.
We enjoyed our time at Gelly’s visiting with many TdP riders ready to share their biking adventures. As the time neared 3:30, we began to ready ourselves for the trip across the mighty Pepin waters and back to the Minnesota shores of Lake City. While loading the tandem on the boat, we hit one of the bike mirrors on the boat rail and fractured the glass—how many years of bad luck will that cause? The ride across the water was very enjoyable bringing an end to this 5th Annual Tour de Pepin ride, a journey full of highs and lows but we all survived to ride another day.
No comments:
Post a Comment