Friday, July 16, 2021

Day 34 - 2000 miles!

Big day today for a couple reasons.  First of all it is my 9th consecutive riding day and tomorrow is a rest day!  Secondly, and most important is that we will hit the 2000 mile mark at mile 43 of todays ride.  Supper excited about that.  Hopefully that means we are over half way completed but as we've seen so far, with changes to the route and my poor sense of direction we may be over 4000 when it's all said and done!  Though there are many more miles to ride and memories yet to create, it is a time to reflect and celebrate where we have come.  I never said this was going to be "fun," I always said it was going to be an "experience." There have been some unbelievably fun times, but a few challenging times to be sure but overall I wouldn't trade the past 34 days for anything.  Again, special thanks to my colleagues at Nike, my kids at home and most importantly, the MVP Cheryl, for making this trip a reality.   

As for the ride today, it started out great with breakfast.  Cheryl packed a bullet blender to make smoothies along the way.  Unfortunatly it broke the first day and we have been hauling frozen berries in the freezer through seven states.  Well, we bought a new bullet and today we used it and it was smoothie day.  It was delicious and as an added bonus we have more space in the freezer!  Breakfast sandwiches and smoothies.  What a way to start the day.  Looking forward to more mornings like this!


The route was a little longer than expected.  We had to change direction part way through because the RV park we wanted to go to was full (probably should have call earlier I know, I know) and then we hit road construction and got detoured.  When driving, a detour is a slight annoyance, when riding your bike it is a pain in the butt (literally) because even a 8 mile add makes big a difference.  The good news is weather was perfect and the roads were good and scenery was beautiful.  The 76 miles went by quickly.  I did notice that today was barn and silo day.  I must have seen 50 along the way.  I never get tired of looking at them as they are classic Midwest Americana.  

As mentioned, we hit the 2000 mile milestone mid ride and the entire crew stopped to document and recognize the moment.  Creative use of the hood of the car and antenna for the self timer I must say.  Not surprisingly and appropriately, we were at a corn field.  

We reserved a spot at the Dakotah Meadow RV Park which is right next to the Mystic Lake Casino.  After a little relaxing and of course opening up the much anticipated and appreciated milestone box from the kids, we thought we would check out the casino.  The milestone box included a delicious red blend from the Les Lunes Winery and the highly coveted 2000 mile shirt.  Thank you so much kids! 

The Mystic Lake casino is pretty big though they don't have all the table games.  Specifically they didn't have Craps which was probably a good thing for me since I love that game but typically lose my shirt (I wouldn't dare take my 2000 mile shirt).  A new thing I found was a 2 dollar Blackjack table (just my style).  In order to justify this, the casino required a 25 cent "hand fee" that you lay on the table prior to each deal.  Kind of a ticket for entry.  I played for about an hour and interestingly enough, I broke even exactly (so in reality I see that as a big win!).  Cheryl on the other hand played the slots and won $67!  Love that.  Paid for dinner and drinks.  Thank you honey!

Tomorrow is a rest day and we decided that Mall of America is a must see.  In addition, my hair is getting a little shaggy so I will strongly consider a haircut.  I'm betting they have a salon at the mall!


Until then....

3 comments:

  1. Half way, baby! Way to go. I continue to be amazed by you and your adventure. The people you meet, the challenges, the fantastic pictures, the great stories, your writing, and MVP Cheryl. Enjoy your day off.

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  2. Love checking your blog to see where you guys are now! Continue to stay safe and happy rest day tomorrow!!

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  3. Happy Rest Day Chris!!!
    You amazed me and your blogs are my daily highlight!!! Keep up the good work and be safe!!

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