Thursday, September 8, 2022

Day 4 Crows Wing SP to Charles Lindbergh SP 31 mi

We rode into a strong headwind most of today.  Fortunately, we had planned a shorter ride down river to Little Falls, MN which is the childhood home of Charles Lindbergh.   This post office box was along the route so I mailed the cards that I picked up yesterday.
It turned out Charles wasn't home and the museum and home weren't open on a Thursday.  We were able to walk around the grounds where the home he grew up in has been preserved.
We backtracked back to Little Falls for our planned stay at a hotel to dodge some expected weather later tonight.  
Tomorrow promises to be a wet day. . . and a chance to test out our rain gear. 
Semper P to my daughter from Little Falls.

Day 3 Hackensack to Crows Wing SP 69mi

We were told about a breakfast place to visit just down the trail in the direction we were heading.  I was interested in some oatmeal and pancakes for the long ride ahead. The waitress recommended that I would only need one pancake.  The pancake that arrived was a cookie sheet pan sized pancake like in the movie Uncle Buck.  It could have fed two persons.  There had been a two pancake option. I thanked the waitress for recommending only one.
After breakfast it was back to the Paul Bunyan Trail and sites like this to look forward to.
Next stop along the line was Pine River Chamber of Commerce.  I spotted the bull that I called the Vegeta-Bull outside and moved in for a closer shot.
The bull was painted with all kinds of farm scenery and crops.  I found my first set of post cards to send out.
Pequot, MN was the next interesting town we came across.  They had a fishing bobber theme going on as you can see with the water tower in the background.
Next to the water tower we found . . . water, and some more Paul Bunyan lore . . .
Another blue ox and a huge chair fit for Paul Bunyan.
The climb to seat level wasn't as easy as it looks.  It looked like a simple horizontal beam and angle bracing to use as footholds was all it took.  The seat actually had a large overhang that turned the operation into an obstacle course climbing wall maneuver to alley OOP my upper body and legs over in the 10s delay I programmed into the camera. I literally got into position as I heard the click go off.
Our somewhat longer ride ended at a nice state park (Crows Wing) just south of Brainerd, MN.  We were back on the banks of the Mississippi which had grown substantially wider from the last we saw of it.