Austin MN

Thank you Elenne for being my ride along, my fellow VQr!!! It was a good ride, kinda fast but not really any descents which I know you love!

Today started with people taking photos of a pretty rainbow to the west, which freaked out this midwesterner. The sky was dark and rain was forecasted. I wanted to get the hell outta there and try to outrun any heavy rain. We hustled and got ahead of the scary black cloud and then, Brian ran over glass and got a flat! Dang it. Our guides were on it tout suite and he got his rear tire replaced for the second time.

Our first rest stop was next to the Jolly Green Giant and there was minimal sprinkling afterwards. We shed our rain gear and battled SE wind AGAIN to Austin. However, we made our 80 miles before 3pm! Yay, more time for folks to hit the Spam museum- I passed. Austin is corporate headquarters for Hormel foods, so Spam is a thing here. If I really need to see it, it’s close enough for a visit someday.

Her I sit again with ice. My many, many hours o. The bike has affected my hands, mainly my right. I have some sensory and motor nerve impairment to the point that it is hard to use a pen or a fork. We are making some mini adjustments to my handlebars and I hope it doesn’t get worse☹️. Good thing I’m not doing surgery anymore….