We Must be Geniuses!
Rarely have I seen a more unmotivated group on the CEM! A cold front moved through overnight, and it was cloudy, cold and very windy. And so we stalled, reluctant to make a decision that would put us out in the elements. We enjoyed a leisurely French toast, eggs and bacon breakfast while Dennis worked on the previous two diary entries. It’s been a long couple of days with no time for creative writing, but there was plenty of time this morning.
The weather forecast showed no improvement, so finally we made a group decision to drive to Bemidji and ride south with the wind. After a 45 minute drive, we debated about how much cold weather clothing to wear and whether we needed rain gear. It was well after noon already, a very late start considering we were camped right next to the trail. Just as we were getting ready to leave, Jack spotted a bulge in his front tire. While he made a quick fix, inserting a dollar bill between the tire and tube (yes, it actually works in a pinch), Dennis, Johnny and Tony began riding. I actually believe the tire issue was a ruse by Jack to avoid riding behind Tony, aka the Spitter.
The ride was actually quite pleasant and within 30 minutes we were peeling off the layers of clothing. By the time we reached our mid-ride stop in Walker, the sun was shining and the day was beautiful. Johnny and Tony thought John and Dennis were geniuses for waiting out the weather, despite forecasts to the contrary, and we did little to dispel these thoughts. Ten years of experience put to good use according to us!
Josh was in a trailhead just outside of Walker with an assortment of lunch items, including pulled pork and leftover chicken, not to mention some outstanding poppy seed bread and banana bread sent by Johnny’s mom. We devoured lunch and then took off for Pine River, Dennis opting for the longer, extremely scenic section through the Chippewa Forest, while everyone else rode through Walker and onto the Shin-go-bi Connection. They meandered through unmarked detours (so typical) and a short ride on Highway 371, finally getting back on the trail south of Walker.
We all rode on, cruising with the tailwind the entire way to Pine River, finishing well over our 62 mile daily goal, Johnny and Tony riding a couple of extra miles to reach 70 – as most riders know, you just can’t quit with 68.1 miles.
Now I will digress a bit. On our last day of Leg 1, Matt was suggesting a Dairy Queen stop on the way home. Ok, let’s be honest, subtlety is not Matt’s strong suit; pleading is more accurate. John virtually ignored Matt, and I never fully understood why. At least until we were loading the RV for Leg 2. At that time we found the gift bags from Kids ‘n Kinship (including the DQ gift cards) in John’s car. Sorry Matt. Back to real time: the Leg 2 crew stopped at the Pine River DQ for awesome ice cream treats using the Leg 1 gift card. Cheers to us! We’re hoping to use ours tomorrow.
With treats in hand we drove back to our Akeley campground and steaks on the grill, finishing our dinner in the dark next to the lake. Fully worn out we called it a night.