In the morning there was the bustle of a communal house getting ready for work. The atmosphere in the house was friendly and relaxed, and they seem to have found a good way of balancing communal living which can often be fraught with difficulties.
We cooked a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs, washed down with their own lemonade and saving room for the food at the much recommended Global Food Market up the road. Once there we picked up some extra goodies, cakes and pastries, before heading out for the Greenway beneath the city. An old railway line, it has been converted into a two lane bicycle route with a pedestrian path and green field alongside. With the 24 hour cycle in full swing still, tents and stalls lined the way with teams setting up their base or shops selling wares.
We rode to the river and the stone bridge where the US Army Corps of Engineers had a hydroelectric station on the river at the site of an old mill. After exploring the town, sampling some fresh local strawberry lemonade as we went, we had a last look at the hydroelectric park, learning a bit about hydroelectric infrastructure, then returned to the bikes. The mercury was soaring again today, approaching 40C again; It was nice to get moving on the bikes to let the wind flow over us.
Returning to the Global Food Market for lunch we decided to try some authentic Mexican food with plates of tacos, burritos and some style of pancakes, finished off with a few churros (deep fried dough sticks with sugar and cinnamon).
After lunch I contacted a couple of hosts outside of the city limits on the off chance of a third night with a host in a row, we packed our things and left. Around 10 miles in, and a couple of bonus miles gained from roadworks, I received an email from Jane and Larry Copes who live just outside the twin cities (Minneapolis and St Paul) to the South. Success, we had a lawn to pitch our tent, a shower (cold, not warm, by choice after cycling in the humidity all day), and even a cooked dinner! Only 13 miles of rolling hills separated us from our destination. With a few hours yet to go we took our time, enjoying the surroundings which are looking greener the further we go on our way.
We pulled into their driveway, noticing the fresh tarmac as you do after a month on the road, and spotted Larry in front of his garage cooking a barbeque; Already a promising start! Larry and Jane were very friendly and had dinner ready just in time for us arriving. Sausages, rolls, salad, fruit, smores and a cold drink all went down well, and were more than we could have hoped for. Jane and Larry entertained us with stories of their own cycling escapades, around the US and the UK. Soon after dinner they were off to a local dance and left us with ample supplies of biscuits, marshmallows and chocolate for smores, along with the promise of breakfast which we will be very grateful for!
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