56572 as others see us (crazyguyonabike)

Even though some of us are opposed to bike trails around here, 56572 is on one, a transcontinental one, like it or not.


"I'm a software engineer, 46 years old, taking the summer off for my 3rd and longest bicycling adventure to date, a 4000 mile solo journey from Seattle to Boston (or thereabouts). My first two bike tours were my personal Tour de France (I won handily!) and Canada-to-Mexico along the Pacific Coast which I turned into a great lighthouse tour. Besides bicycling touring & commuting, I also enjoy golf, backpacking, fishing, kayaking/canoeing, snowshoeing, softball, volleyball, my 2 cats, and am addicted to fantasy baseball.

Day 40: Pelican Rapids to Parkers Prairie Monday August 14, 2006, 71 miles (114 km) - Total so far: 1,968 miles (3,167 km) Posted via email Tue Aug 15 09:10:01 2006 CDT

This was a perfect day. The winds were strong in my favor all day as forecast. I slept in and then had breakfast in Pelican Rapids at a great expresso & bakery shop called the Riverside. Turns out the owners are transplanted from the Seattle area. They said the locals were slow to catch on to the new coffee house format but they were making headway. I felt perfectly at home sipping a latte while leisurely reading the newspaper for boxscores, eating a freshly baked thick slice of banana bread with chocolate chips and a cranberry muffin. Delicious. They have wireless internet also (not that I had a computer to take advantage, but a nice place). They even had an outdoor deck overhanging the small river running through town. It was so pleasant I didn't really want to leave town."