Battle Lake, MN to Long Prairie, MN 68 Miles, June 21

We left Battle Lake at 5:00 AM under an almost full brilliant moon. But, our road was soon in full light and we continued to see a plethora of lakes. Today I saw new birds: gold finches, hairy woodpeckers and more loons. Last night in Battle Lake Craig and Wendy wanted us to hear the loons calling. We were relaxing in our room when they called us out. We jumped up and grabbed articles of clothing in the name of decency as I yelled, "loon alert!" But we were too late. We traipsed back to our room to settle in for the night. A few minutes later we were roused by Wendy and repeated the drill. Again we were too late so Craig and Wendy gave up. But this morning, a few miles down the road I did hear the unmistakable haunting cry of a loon from a lake surrounded by trees. It was a beautiful unforgettable sound.

I also heard the same annoying chirp coming from my drive train. This time I found an abandoned or maybe just intermittent gas station to prop up my bike and squirt it with lube in the appropriate place. It worked and I felt relieved like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. That $2.00 lesson I had at Island Park Cycles has really paid off.

Outside of Long Prairie I saw a sign in front of a home that said CRAFTS, OPEN. I'm not a crafts person, but I always like an opportunity, or excuse, to stop. Especially at a private home in the country. I stepped into the quilting world of Peggy Korteum. Peggy told me her shop was really an excuse for her and her sisters in law to indulge in their favorite pastime. She compared it to a disease. I related to that sentiment. Riding over 4,000 miles on a bicycle is often labeled as an obsession and I suppose it is. I fell in love with a quilt and when she said she would ship it to my grandson in New York I couldn't resist. When I mentioned we were doing our ride for Habitat for Humanity she offered to donate the shipping costs to our cause.

Pam did not have a contact in Long Prairie and arrived with no place to stay. By the time I caught up with her and Carol in town, we had been invited to stay in the private home of Pastor Bill Bakewicz and his wife Karen of the Lutheran Church. They live outside of town approximately 5 miles and when we arrived with appetites for lunch we were treated to home made venison sausage.

Pastor Bakewicz and Karen, Long Prairie MN

Life on the road amazes us on a daily basis. We have different philosophies of where all this goodness comes from, but there is no denying that we have been recipients of much love and kindness from many wonderful people.

God's Painting