53 miles
643 feet ascent
656 feet descent
2,033 calories
Last night the forecast looked bleak, and I thought for sure today would be washed out, but the rains came early and dumped on Little Falls most of the night and broke at dawn. So, by 9:30 it looked good enough to ride and take a chance on the 40% rain forecast.
In most of North Dakota and Minnesota, polka music is still popular. In fact, when I had lunch at the VFW back in Steele, ND, a polka band was playing in the back room. So, it was no surprise to see this ballroom facility on the outskirts of Little Falls.
Little Falls Ballroom
The weather meant it would be a Minnesota gray day, but that was perfectly fine with me. It was the third day in a row that didn't require sunglasses.
Scenic Minnesota Gray Day
Much of the area between Little Falls and Milaca is farmed or used for livestock, and as I rolled through Pierz, MN, they were just getting ready for the weekly livestock sale on Mondays. It wasn't going to start for a couple of hours, so I didn't stay and watch.
Ready For The Pierz, MN Livestock Sale
The highlight of the day was seeing two bald eagles perched up in a tree in a field. One of the cyclists I met at Dairy Queen yesterday, a local from Duluth, said there are quite a few eagles in Minnesota.
Two Bald Eagles In MN Tree
And, what would this blog be without another livestock shot? : )
I think the cows are the most inquisitive of all the animals I see out here; these two calves were not the least bit afraid and were quite playful.
Minnesota Calves
The two boxers, on the other hand, were itching for fight when I drove by their farm. The first one gave chase but quickly bailed when he realized he'd never catch me. However, the "alpha" dog was more determined, even though he was probably fifty yards away. I just kept pedalling since I figured he would definitely peter out too by the time he reached the road. He kept coming though, but trying to make the turn when he hit the pavement, he lost traction and "boom" fell right on his side. Point Fitzsimmons! That should have been the end of the story, but he jumped right back up and was in full stride and catching up. Round two. He caught up and was ready to snap at my foot/ankle while I was ready to give him some shoe leather between the eyes. After several snaps, he caught one my panniers. Point Boxer. Son of a bitch (really). Only a glancing blow though. He backed off, and I thought that would be the end, but he got a second wind and made one more sprint chase, but finally gave up. The judges called it a draw. I may get some pepper spray yet : )
Those weren’t dogs-they were MN mosquitos in disguise. You’re lucky it was just a draw.
ReplyDeleteYou are heading toward the Cambridge, Rush City and Pine City areas and should start seeing some Hardees restaurants. They are like In-n-Out minus the quality, but they have that great Hardees' processed burger taste. This is a great opportunity to learn how to hunt deer, because that is the number one past time in this region (besides drinking Hamms beer and Polka dancing).
ReplyDeleteThe boxers must have thought you were an Al Franken supporter because of your attire. You should have taken the time to calmly explain yourself to them.
Had I known you would be running into such an array of Polka towns, we might have arranged a commission for booking our band! Long live polka!!
ReplyDelete