A much more interesting day. The adventure crept back in. Part of it was leaving the Adventure Cycling route. Those maps are so damn good – sometimes they don’t leave enough mystery to keep it exciting. Or you forget that your options are not limited to just what is on the map.

It started well when I managed to make myself a really tasty hot BF of wheat germ, oatmeal, maltomeal, butter, and milk. Gave me enough oomph to skip paying for another BF. Refortified down the road a ways w/ peanut butter, & perfect ripe banana. After leaving the route called David to say it was possible I’d make it tonight, but more likely early tomorrow. I’m not sure I’d want to have them meet me after riding a hundred twenty or thirty miles. I will miss the Sunday morning service which I am curious about, but maybe for the best.

I love making up my route as I go. And the map I’m using is a free road-construction map, so some of the fine details are left to experimentation. My first experiment was to continue along a good road going the right general direction instead of the signed route that backtracked a little. A nice road that soon came to some civilization. I passed a water tower with the town’s name, Elk River, found it on my map, and soon found a sign for the road I was looking for, 101.

This was a bigger hiway that I expected, and I had to listen to roaring traffic while I fixed my second flat of the trip. This work put me in the mood for some lunch, which I soon obtained at taco bell. Big roads have some pluses. Then it kindly turned into a little farm road again. I wound in & out of country & suburbia. Farm, field, landscaping, deck, barn, horse, garden, dead garden, wealth, work wear. Then some grandiose rubber stamp house neighborhoods. Topped the tire off w/ at a junction, did a short interstate jaunt on 12, then off into super-wealthy recreation land on Lake Minnetonka. Those people have a truly beautiful, interesting lake. Has lots of narrows where you cross on a high bridge, then spreads out on both sides. Between the estates kids, Indians, Hispanics, and black people fished from the dirt shoulder of the road.

Another sudden rain shower hit just as I was passing a little park w/ a rain shelter. Sat it out dry, thinking the park would be a great place to camp. Has a porta-potty, tables, grill, a garden w/ a water hose. Asked some kids fishing for a snapping turtle if camping is allowed. They guessed no, but thought I’d get away w/ it if I set up behind the garden, out of sight from the road. That is the plan – for now I’m eating dinner under the shelter. No mosquitoes yet, life is good again