This slideshow requires JavaScript.
I had a wonderful time in Duluth over the weekend. I feel like it was a break in my bike trip, though. A lot happened, but except for running a few errands, I was on my bike very little. Thus, for journaling purposes, I’ve decided to skip over the four days at home and pick up with today as Day 52. This seems fitting, since it is the start of a new journal book and a new, final phase of my long journey, one which has already been and should continue to be relaxing and fun.
I’ll briefly summarize my time in Duluth. I got to see and spend time with most of my friends and unofficial family who live there. I spent much of Friday walking around town, relaxing, and enjoying just being in Duluth. On Saturday there was a grillout at Enger Tower in my honor; we got stormed on, but everyone was able to crowd into the cozy picnic shelter with a crackling fire in the hearth and have a great time. On Sunday, I accompanied my former housemates Cole and Colour (Cole’s 5-year-old son) to St. Paul for their relatives’ birthday party at the Como Zoo. Monday was spent catching up on the news and uploading photos to the blog, and Monday evening I got a good chance to catch up with some friends I didn’t get to see over the weekend. Thank you to everyone who helped make the last few days super special!
I stayed over Monday night at my friend Amy’s apartment. This morning I said goodbye and hit the road around 7:30. I rode from the East Hillside through town along the Lakewalk and the old familiar route to the Bong Bridge. As I crossed the high bikeway over the bay, it struck me that this would probably be the last time I rode this way for a long, long time. It put me in a nostalgic mood.
I was business-like getting through Superior. I rode 21st Street to 5th Avenue through East Superior, then crossed the highway at the Nemadji River to the Osaugie Trail, the rail-trail that runs the length of the city’s northeast edge. It could really use to be repaved. The Nemadji River was even browner than usual; apparently it has been really high lately and is largely responsible for the lake’s unusually high load of sediment and floating debris.
At Moccasin Mike Road, the city’s eastern edge, I got on the expressway for the mile to the Highway 13 exit, then turned to ride this familiar road east the rest of the way to my destination. A strong west wind pushed me along the whole way, which I was glad for because east winds off the lake occur frequently along this stretch and would have made the ride not as fun. As it was, I sailed, getting just a bit damp from a few sprinkles that moved through with the low, racing clouds that blanketed most of the sky. It was a cool day, with a high only in the 60s.
I made it to Port Wing around 11:30 and stopped there for lunch. Then I rode the eight hillier miles to Herbster and arrived at my friends Jess and Ivan’s house around 1:15. Jess, who works nights every other week, was just getting up, and Ivan cooked us all Swedish pancakes, which of course I couldn’t refuse despite just having PB&J for lunch.
I spent the afternoon earning my keep by helping lime wash the outside of their strawbale house, which is in the final stages of construction and a lot more “done” than last time I saw it. This work was actually great fun, getting to do something useful with my hands while hanging out and socializing. Around supper time we got washed up and grilled venison, brats, and a fillet of fresh lake trout I had picked up in Port Wing. Some of Jess and Ivan’s college friends came over, and we all had ourselves a feast. I so overate that I had to go lie down for a while, but got up to spend some quality hours hanging out around the bonfire before bed.
While showering for dinner, I used a newish bathroom scale to weigh myself. For the record, it said I weigh 137.2 pounds, which is the lightest I’ve been since I was somewhere around 10 years old. This might have something to do with my compunction to eat too much–but it might not. The food was very, very good.
Tomorrow I’m planning more visits to friends and special places around the Bayfield Peninsula. This will include berry picking at North Wind Organic Farm, the home of Tom Galazen. I’m thinking I’ll camp out at Big Bay Town Park on Madeline Island and pay a visit to some former co-workers at the state park there.
