Day 1: Sunday

Woke: 4:30 A.M.
Depart: 6:00 A.M.
Time in Motion: 6:36:38
Distance: 102.31 mi.
Average: 15.4 mph.

Today was difficult. The rest stops were very sparse (I saw one), as was any sign of civilization. I'm all for the scenery and getting away from it all. But I was anticipating a few places to stop and rest.

We began our ride heading north, toward Land 'O Lakes. Once there (at the Michigan border ), we were supposed to turn around and head south 75 miles to finish the ride in Crandon. Many people were confused by the lack of markings along this portion of the route.

We rode through the Nicollet National Forest. It was amazing: . The trees were huge. I snapped some photos of my bike propped against one for scale: . I was very impressed. For the longest time (maybe an hour), I did not see another rider along this portion of the route. I began to worry that I had gotten lost when I finally saw a GRABAAWR arrow stuck to a tree. I breathed a sigh of relief and kept pedaling.

Eventually, I hooked up with Justin and some other riders. At Pine Lake, the water looked very inviting in the intense heat. We all jumped in and cooled down: . It felt wonderful. I was surprised the wet chamois wasn't annoying for the last 15 miles.

Later in the ride, I took part in a messy pace line with a bunch of riders. Justin was always at the front. I think he loves to pull. Either that or nobody was volunteering to take the lead. I would have volunteered, except that I was just trying to keep up. They dropped me near the end of the ride.

While setting up camp, Justin recognized Ed & Vi, a retired couple we met last year on CANDISC. It's a small world. In fact, I've seen at least two or three people I recognize from the North Dakota tour.