june 21st already! 

the past few days of riding have been some of my absolute favorites so far.  wisconsin and minnesota have shown us days of beautiful rolling hills, blue skies, and winding country roads almost free of potholes and traffic speeding by.  everyone on the team seems to agree that these past few days have treated us well  and have put us in good sprits.

yesterday we had an early to rise time of 4:30 a.m., as we were planning to visit and have a tour of the mayo clinic here in rochester, minnesota.  we wanted to ensure that we had enough time to arrive at the clinic in the afternoon.  unfortunately, the tour we had scheduled fell through, however that did not stop us from having an enjoyable day.  we rode out of lacrosse, wisconsin with the sunrise behind us and crossed the mississippi river as a team.  as we traveled on we encountered clouds of fog hanging over the hills, a mud-covered bike trail with baby squirrels and bunnies scampering alongside us, and beautiful, vibrant greenery.   

when we arrived in minnesota we were greeted with an abundance of friendliness.  numerous minnesotans stopped to ask about the ride and two women invited us into their shop for a complimentary cup of coffee and some insight on the rochester area.   

we now have the day off to explore the city of rochester -- the third largest in minnesota and, as stated on a road sign as we rode in, "the best place to live in america."