The last few days have been awesome! Wisconsin has provided some of the best riding yet, and Minnesota (in particular the Mississippi valley) is beautiful. Some of the cool things that have happened include Paul's hospitality in Lacrosse-he, his wife and his community provide nice meals for us, and Paul joined us for the ride-out toward Rochester this morning.

We were also able to celebrate Ben's birthday today in style, thanks to the coop in town. They provided us with some cake mix, and other supplies for our meal. I have been very impressed with the generosity of the people we've met in all of the communities we've stayed at!

This is a shot of the bridge we took over the Mississippi. The ride was gorgeous, in spite of the early departure. We pressed on and rode strong through many of the surprising hills in MN, and in spite of my two flats I had in one day! The weather was great for our ride, and the terrain was enjoyable to tour through. Unfortunately, our projected tour of the Mayo clinic was cancelled. We made the best of it by clearing out the slushy machines at the BP in Chester on our way into town. We took our time for the remaining distance; Brad, Praveen, Jay and Ben enjoyed a game of Chinese poker at the picnic bench outside of the gas station.

This evening's dinner was amazing. Connie and Andrea prepared the vegetarian meal, and Dana baked Ben's cake. We all had generous, healthy helpings, and look forward to our rest day here in Rochester!

Until next time,

John