Changing Course

I slept well enough on the picnic table last night. My feet and my head had to compete for space some, with one or the other winning at different times of the night. One of the times I woke up, I took some time to stare up at the Big Dipper, directly over my head, clearer than I'd ever see it in town. I love seeing stars. I had slightly achy shoulders in the morning, but nothing terrible. I took my time getting around. It turns out I probably shouldn't have.

It was all well and good heading east, which was most of the first thirty miles. Then it came time to head north, and only then did I realize that Boreas, the north wind, still had it out for me. ...And I said the hell with it. If the wind didn't want me going north, then I wasn't going to. I need to go north AND east both to get to Minneapolis, and with the wind coming out of the north and the west, I decided today I would just stick with east, having it even help a little rather than be nothing but hindrance. And according to the forecast (we'll see) the wind should change direction tomorrow, start coming from the south. So it just made sense all around. ...Save of course that it meant I was no longer heading to the same campground, and had to figure out a new one halfway through the day.

Nothing availed itself save for Fort Ridgely, another 60+ miles beyond the 30 I'd already done. I had the wind marginally on my side, and was able to move right along rather than slog at 8mph, but to do it I turned today into another 90+ mile day.

And while I did see some pretty sights on the way, there was also a hell of a lot of nothing. And while I was able to go mostly East, there was still some North to be done. A couple times the nice paved road I was following would turn to gravel and I'd have to go up a mile or two to get back on pavement (I even went south a little at one point to keep off gravel...for which I knpw Sheena would be ashamed). And every time I had to go north into that wind the going turned from easy to arduous. Wind makes all the difference, I've found, more than anything else. For going north a few times here and there, I put most the northward part until the very end (you know, when I was already exhausted and least able to handle it). It was also on a fairly busy highway (thankfully with shoulder) where the semis could slap me around, after being lucky enough to be on some of the deadest roads I've ever been on most the rest of the day (Earlier I'd had some people stop and tell me about a supposed trail headed for Marshall, though I could find no indication of its existence, telling me I could get away from the traffic that way, and I thought to myself, "What traffic? You're about the only car I've seen").

That last slog North was tough. I had to go to mind palace to get through it, hah. But toward the end I got to race down a wjnding road to the Minnesota River, and for just a flash, I remembered the me who had biked up and down mountains. It gave me a new resolve. ...Which was good, because then I was really reminded of that mountain climbing as I then had to go back up, rather steeply, to come into Fort Ridgely.

At nearly 6:30, I was more than ready to be done for the night. I finally set up my hammock. It turns out I'm camping at a reservable, and more expensive site, which I totally underpaid for and didn't reserve properly. But screw that, because there's one other campsite being used. I ate some bagels and a cold can of ravioli, and spilled some tomato sauce on my shirt in the process like a dope. And then I used the last of my water to try and rinse it out as best I could...before then learning there is no drinking water available here right now. Yep. I totally have no water left. But that I will adress tomorrow. It's getting toward bedtime...err, hammock time.

Oh, and I noticed this morning my protective sticker came off and my cables have rubbed clear through a good sized section of the paint on the front fork. Not having any better ideas, I decided since she had an ouchie, that the best thing was to put a bandage over it. So now this frame has one of her first battle scars and a big grey bandage over if to boot. I tell myself every mark she gets just makes her more mine.