Our morning began by having breakfast at a local doughnut shop that was recommended to us by our hosts from the night before. Each of us were able to have a substantial breakfast at a very reasonable cost, give or take $3 less for each of us! We went by Clemens Gardens, which was a pleasant surprise. There were a variety of flowers and sculptures that we took in as we slowly pedaled by. It also appeared that there were no fewer than 30 people setting up what could have been a farmer's market.
Once on the road, we took a combination of state routes and county highways; so many that recalling the exact route with certainty would be an impossible task. However, our route predominately consisted of following the Mississippi River Trail (MRT), which is a common cycling route that follows, you guessed it, the Mississippi River. While being called a, "trail" the majority of it follows roads that have a low traffic volume. Only some parts of the MRT are on dedicated bike trails/paths. Riding along the MRT was simple for navigation purposes, as the route is very well marked and has signs at every turn.
As we got closer Minneapolis/St. Paul, we encountered more traffic and more construction. Both were manageable, as Minneapolis/St Paul are both very cyclist friendly for routes. As we rode toward St Paul to our hosts, we rode by the north end of the University of Minnesota's campus. Shortly afterwards no more than one mile down the road, as fate/luck would have it, we stumbled upon Surly Brewing Company, where we stopped for a bite to eat with a few brews. The brewery itself was rather large and very clean, and the service was surprisingly quick considering that it appeared to be moderately busy. This was one of the many places where, I feel, we could have easily spent more time at; however, our hosts requested that we arrive before 5:00pm.
A few more miles of pedaling on bicycle lanes in St Paul, and we arrived at our hosts residence. In short time, we learned that our host (the husband) had cycled around the world. Again, around the world... not once... but twice! He had completed two different rides around the world when he was 18 years old and, more recently, in his early 50's. He shared several stories with us about both trips along with maps of his routes that he took. To our surprise, he shared that eating and lodging were inexpensive outside of North America (disregarding parts of Europe). The stories this man must have could be near endless, and we were fortunate to have crossed paths with him, and to have the opportunity to hear about his trips.
After a wholesome dinner, our hosts went their respective ways, where the husband led a local riding group on an evening bike ride while his wife joined friends at a local book club. This made for a quiet evening, where we both elected to hit the hay around 8:45pm. Our ride the next day would take us to Red Wing, MN.
