We Got Soaked and Another State Down!!

 Today Nathan and I biked 89 miles from Rochester, MN to LaCrosse, WI and we got DRENCHED! It started off as a light sprinkle and got progressively worse. By the first rest stop we were soaked to the core. At the second stop we had to hunker down at a cafe to wait out a thunderstorm. Here’s a picture of us at the cafe.

It was a beautiful day of biking as we rode through the bluffs of southeastern Minnesota. One funny thing that happened today is we came upon four St. Bernards at a farm. One of them was just laying in the middle of the road when we rode up to them. I couldn’t believe the size of his head! Notice two of the other St. Bernards in the background of the picture.

We also have another state down in our journey. It was so hard to leave. Nathan and I were talking about how it felt like once we got into Minnesota that our adventure should be coming to an end. It was surreal and bittersweet to bike out of Minnesota today, but we still have 19 days to go so the adventure must continue. By the way, tomorrow looks like rain too. More then!

Semper Fidelis!

Back-to-Back Centuries!

Today we biked 100 miles from Mankato to Rochester, MN. So, this is the first time that we’ve had two 100+ mile days back-to-back. What was extra special about today is that we suckered in Nathan’s cousin Andy to bike the whole hundred with us! It was really great to have the company and it sure made the day go by a whole lot faster! We knew he could have biked way ahead of us, but he stayed with us the whole day and we really appreciated it. Thanks Andy!

Of course Nathan’s mom catered another one of her famous SAG stops and his cousin Sam was there to help too. All of the bikers just love seeing that White Yukon when they pull into the stops! Nathan even had a friend from college come to our second SAG stop of the day to donate sport beans and power gels to the riders!

Another great thing about today is that I got to see my family. My mom, dad, brother, grandma, grandpa, and cousin all came to Eli and Julie’s house to greet us. My little kitty Poo even remembered us and gave us so many kisses and nuzzles when we saw him. Like Nathan said, the support from our families has been amazing. It’s so nice to see everyone and we’ll be glad to be permanently in Minnesota so we can make these get togethers a regular thing. Thank you so much to everyone. We can’t tell you enough how blessed we feel to have such a loving family.

Semper Fidelis!

Love of Family

 

Today we made it into Mankato but before we arrived we were surprised with a food stop put on by my mom, Megan (my cousin), and Sam (my cousin).  It was another 100 mile day so everyone was so happy to see them handing out sandwiches and a wide variety of baked goods.  It was so nice of my family to surprise Kelli and me with food and smiles especially since Sam had taken off work to be there.  They followed us down the road to a Dairy Queen where my uncle Virgil had stopped by to wish us off on our last few miles into town. 

 

 

Once we made it into Mankato other family members arrived in order to have a family dinner at a nearby restaurant.  So many family members came to support for the second half of our trip that we couldn’t spend enough time with anyone, but it was a great boost to push us to our final goal of making it to the Atlantic Ocean. 

 

 

The ride was another day of rolling hills lined with corn and beans.  It is amazing to see the endless fields of corn that stretch as far as the eye can see.  Tomorrow will be much of the same but we hear that we are suppose to get rain and maybe even some lightning.  This is not good news as my cousin Andy is planning on riding with us for the full 100 miles to Rochester. 

I can’t thank my family enough for the love and support they have given Kelli and me.  All I can say is that we feel truly blessed to have such an amazing family that loves and supports all that we do.

Semper Fidelis.

Home Sweet Home!

 

Today marked the day that Kelli and I made it into the great state of Minnesota!  We both commented that we felt different once we made it into Minnesota and that it felt good to be back in familiar surroundings.  Unfortunately, the wind was not in our favor but it wasn’t really against us either, so you have to be thankful for that.

 

 

Minnesota definitely has more crops than any other state we have been to and the towns are much closer together which makes rest stops much easier.  I made sure to point out everything that Minnesota has to offer and even exaggerate a little to make sure we put our best foot forward.  At one point I said that there is nothing native to Minnesota that will cause a flat tire and that if you get one it is a result of someone from a different state bringing it into our heavenly state.  Someone asked if we had ticks and I had to say yes but I added that none of them have Lyme’s disease.  I think that last one might get me into trouble but then again I’m a Marine not a doctor. 

Tomorrow we have a big day to Mankato but I’ll be pushing to get there as soon as possible to see my family.  Kelli’s motivated to get to Rochester so she can smother our cat with love and attention, no matter how much he doesn’t want it.  It will be difficult to continue on as we will be leaving family and friends for a second time but the trip will be over before we know it and we will be saying good-bye to the friends we have made on this great adventure.  Kelli and I will be sad to see them go but we are excited to finally be starting our lives as civilians.  This year will mark the first wedding anniversary we will celebrate together in four years of being married! 

 

 

I hope anyone that is free can meet with Kelli and me at one of our stops in Minnesota but if not we will catch up when we return in August.  If anyone has dreamed of biking across America I highly encourage you to do so but know it is NOT a vacation, it is an adventure and you earn every icecream treat you consume. 

Semper Fidelis.