“Oooh, you’ve got a ways to go then” said the heavyset man in a thick Minnesota accent upon hearing of my intended destination this day. The man was cruising along in the early morning stillness on a three-wheel bicycle (an adult tricycle, maybe?) in the small town of Heron Lake. I slowed to his leisurely pace of about 6 mph and struck up a conversation, as fellow long-distance cyclists tend to do. “I’m heading to Shaffer’s Crossing where I’ll turn around and head back”, he joyfully replied when I asked where he was headed. I’ve no idea where that is, but I’m sure he eventually got there and happily returned, waving to local townsfolk along the way. Further proof that it’s not how far or fast you go, but to enjoy the ride.

The big man on three wheels was absolutely correct – it was a ways to Mankato. 110 miles total. 66 degrees to start, 91 at the finish. Light winds (thankfully) throughout, except when I found myself in the middle of a huge wind farm – I guess they know to put those big turbines in wind-prone areas!

A nice and shady town square in Windom served as a good place to refuel after about 30 miles. Jax visited the local library housed in a grandiose building that formerly served as a bank. A lot of farmland, and small farm towns, and friendly folks wondering what we were up to… and offering up advice on detours. Summer is construction season in Minnesota, which caused a few extra bonus miles.

An unexpected ‘rural road bike lane’ offered a wonderfully wide shoulder and designated bikeway between the towns of St. James and Madelia, courtesy of the WATonwan COunty Trail System. A thank you and shout out to WATCOTS.

Approaching Mankato, the terrain turned from flat farmland to hilly treelined river valleys. Some might even say mountainous? Witness Mount Kato (a cleaver take on ManKato) – which looks to be a wonderful winter ski area, with at least 3 lifts. But I’m not sure I’d call it a mountain. Steep hill, maybe. It’s nestled along a stunningly beautiful path called the Red Jacket Trail. After 100 miles of farmland, the tree-lined recreation path (converted from a former railway) felt like a totally different world with singing birds, prancing deer… and free-range chickens (no kidding, perhaps they escaped from one of the nearby farms!).

More Rails-to-Trails tomorrow on the way to Red Wing, Minnesota. Looking forward to it!

66 degrees at the start of todays ride, 91 at the finish. 74 miles, mostly into a stiff 10-15 mph wind. An inspiring start through the Sioux Falls Greenway which was teeming with joggers, walkers, strollers, young men’s and women’s running teams, and at least one crazy cyclist peddling across the country. Cruising out of the city, I wound down to a farm road that runs right along a borderline – Iowa on my right, South Dakota on my left. Then, about 20 miles out of town, I came upon a geographical point of interest:

A stone and iron monument marking the corner of South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota. Erected before South Dakota was a state (‘Dakota Territory’), the 1859 iron piling is rusty and the stone base is cracked an chipped – but it has somehow survived weather, vandalism, and vehicles – restored to it’s current splendor in 1980. Fun factoid: you may know that the US has one 4-corner spot (CO-UT-NM-AZ), but did you know there are 61 Three-Corner spots across the country? Of these, 38 are on dry land while the remainder are in rivers or lakes where no marker can be placed. So… I can now proudly claim to have visited one of the thrilling three-corner markers. Ha!

Having survived the throng of crowds and traffic at the three-corner marker, I made my way to the lovely town of Luverne Minnesota – and low and behold, on main street, I came across something ever rarer than a three-corner monument… a Domagala Billboard! I stopped to snap a photo of the glorious signage, and then went in to meet this fellow Domagala.

Nicholas grew up in Luverne, played hockey (as most boys do when growing up in Minnesota), and now coaches youth teams (he’s got 4 kids). We tried to trace back our Domagala roots, but neither of us are very tuned into our genealogy. Nick’s grandfather lived in South Dakota, mine was born in North Dakota – so there is likely a connection somewhere upstream as the Domagala name is not very prevalent in the U.S. We exchanged contact info and I promised Nicholas a beer if he someday makes it to Denver for a hockey tournament.

After the excitement in Luverne, it was a steady headwind roll into our destination town of Worthington. Jackie smartly skipped the town-to-town riding (providing awesome support!) and instead took a 6 mile stroll around Worthington’s Lake Okabena. Lined with parks, paths, and some nice lakefront homes, Okabena is a wonderful city lake. And not content with merely riding AROUND the lake, Jax pumped up the paddleboard and rode ON the lake. Way to go, Babe!

We’ll enjoy an evening in Worthington, and get plenty of rest for tomorrow’s 105 mile ride to Mankato. Let’s hope for favorable winds!

And we are back! Starting off from exactly where my Coast-to-Coast wrapped up in 2019 – the Club House Hotel in Sioux Falls South Dakota. The hotel is steps away from a great bike path that circles the city, connecting beautiful parks and meandering along the Big Sioux River. The highlight of the loop is Sioux Falls. I’m not sure which came first, the falls or the city – but there is certainly a strong Sioux theme here, honoring the former inhabitants, at least namesake-wise. Some animals spotted along the trail: a deer and two fawns, rabbits, cranes, red-wing black birds, bison, and zebras. Ok, the bison and zebras were in a zoo along the trail, but still spotted!

Unlike 2019, when rivers were running very high and farms were inundated with water, 2021 looks to be relatively drier, at least here at the falls. Or maybe the maintenance staff forgot to turn up the flow today. Or, perhaps the 90+ degree heat and 20+ mph wind simply dried up the Big Sioux, just like it dehydrated us bike riders.

Jackie rode along for the full 22 miles today, and she will be providing support and encouragement for this 2021 segment. One car, two bikes, and a cooler full of Gatorade. The touring company (America by Bicycle), with whom I rode with in 2018 and 2019, was not able to assemble a tour together this year due to COVID restrictions in Canada. Instead, I get first-class touring experience with Jax Inc!

Stay tuned for more tales from the road…