Minnesota River Ramble 7/13

Word to the wise: do not do this when there is a heat advisory. Especially when you get a late start, and especially when you haven't been riding much for a few weeks.

Started the day driving down to New Ulm, which is not super long but I was a bit late out the door so I only got there about noon. And then I had to find somewhere I could leave the car -- it turns out, there is nowhere in New Ulm where you are officially allowed to park overnight. On the advice of a local I went to Walmart and spoke with a manager there, so I finally got going around 1 PM.

Weather fans in the audience will note that this puts my cycling in the hottest part of a very hot day. I wasn't so much overheating, but this sort of heat really does a number on your stamina.

The route for this day is the most boring stretch of the itinerary, which is a shame since I don't think I'll complete the whole thing. It alternates between zig-zagging through mostly unpaved roads through farmland and going down into the valley where it takes a more direct route (still unpaved). Normally I prefer gravel to pavement when I need to worry about cars, since they tend to be less busy, but the gravel was fairly loose and took concentration.

The route guide describes the climbs as "short but punchy" and I think I would agree. There are two climbs up out of the valley, both of which I ended up walking. The extra weight of the supplies really makes you feel slopes. I'm shocked how far I pedaled up the first one, a 9% grade on gravel, but I just couldn't do it. When it's this hot it takes forever to catch your breath and I spent a while just lying on my back on the side of the road. The second climb I spent a while lying on my back before it even started, and decided I would just push everything uphill.

About halfway through I was able to refill my water from the garden hose of a woman whose house I was passing by. I managed to keep up my hydration throughout the whole day, but I couldn't keep it cold. At one point I mixed in a packet of Pedialyte (pressed on me on my way out the door by my mother) and slammed a bottle back and I think the hot sugar-brine nearly made me throw up.

Shortly after that, when I stopped for a drink of normal water I was brutally harassed by a couple bumblebees -- I thought they were supposed to be chill, and I tried not to antagonize them, but how am I supposed to react when they keep buzzing in my hair and pushing into the underside of my chin? Anyways, I got a sting on my forearm and now my right pinkie finger is numb. I took the stinger out with my health insurance card, so let no one say they've never done anything for me.

By the evening I was pretty much spent, needing long breaks in between each segment of riding. I was weighing my options in case I couldn't make it to Redwood Falls, my destination for the day. Given the fact that it's not cooling off that much overnight, and I pushed myself too hard today, I decided to get a hotel room. I thus write to you from the Travelodge on the near edge of Redwood Falls, in a room with the AC on max. It remains to be seen what I will do for the rest of the trip. I will leave those decisions to my morning self.

Route Map

Gallery