Day 11 Harper's Ferry, IA - Brownsville, MN

June 14, 2012

After a decent night’s rest outside of P&B’s, I was up by 6:30. I packed up camp and ventured down to the park for a little breakfast. I used the restroom before I left, had a little chat with the custodian, and was pedaling away by 8:00. Pat and Bill told me that there would be two good climbs before I would arrive in Lansing, so I’m glad that I could be mentally prepared for the and get them accomplished before the heat set in. 

Orange lilies outside of Harper's Ferry

I rode out of Harper’s Ferry, taking in the bluffs as I finally reached my first climb (I still can’t believe this is Iowa or the Midwest.) I stopped near an abandoned house with some cows as occupants, snapped a few pictures, and realized there were a bunch of dogs there that hadn’t seen nor sniffed me yet. I slowly went back to my bike, hopped on, leaned forward, and pedaled hard to the corner. Before I made my turn up the hill, the dogs caught my drift and came running out from the overgrown gate to the house. I was way ahead of them but there had to be at least a half dozen in the canine gang. 

Abandoned house with hiding dogs.

The first climb went well. It was slow but consistent, only stopping occasionally for a short and brief rest.  The climb crested and back down I went, cruising into the small area that is Wexford Basilica and cemetery. I stopped to check the area out (didn’t go in though), hydrated a bit, and started on my next climb. It went well like the first and near the top was a lovely red barn where supposedly another large group of dogs was supposed to be (I’m thinking that I misunderstood where this pack was supposed to be or luckily I didn’t run into this second group at what would have been a much slower and vulnerable pace. I don’t mind a single dog at a slow pace but a pack with a leader is a different story.) 

Statues and stairs at Wexford

Wexford Basilica and Cemetery

Red barn near the top

The climb crested again and once more I zipped down. Just before Lansing I pulled over to observe a coal power plant. I stood there for about 20 minutes, watching the large but relatively minuscule CAT tractor push around some coal on the giant mount. I finally pulled my eyes and legs from it but my thoughts still lingered on the power plant as I ventured into Lansing. 

See the black mound on the left? See the giant tractor that is shrunk down on there? That's a lot of coal. 

Mississippi River traffic

I pedaled through Lansing and came across the Skinny Dip on the main road. It’s an old brick gas and service station that has been converted into an ice cream and food spot. They opened at 11:00 and it was still only 10:30 but I was getting hungry so I leaned my bike up against a table and I sat down. They were open shortly after 11 and  soon I was fueling my body back up with a raspberry chocolate shake and a Skinny burger (2/3 lbs beef with a good deal of toppings. Ok, it wasn’t the healthiest choice but it was delicious and cooling, and packed a few calories.)

Lansing VFW? Made me turn around and think.

The Skinny Dip

I finished my meal and continued on down the road. A few miles down, a car pulled over to talk. Low and behold, it was Pat & Bill from the night before (they were out and about doing some errands.) They asked if I went to Horsfall’s Variety Store in Lansing and what I thought about it. $#*%, I forgot all about that place. So, I turned my bike around and pedaled back into Lansing. 

I found one of the buildings for Horsfall’s and went in. Now this place, Horsfall Lansing Variety Store, is quite the place. They claim that they have over a million different items in their store, and I would believe it.  They have multiple buildings and I couldn’t even figure out how to get into the first one so I had to opt for building #2. I walked in and was stunned. I’m not sure how anyone could know where anything is as there was so much stuff. The ability to walk the aisles seemed to be limited to one person or direction. I talked to the cashier a bit asking about a kickstand but to no avail (ok, so bikes aren’t there specialty but if you want seasonal decorative items, this place is for you,) looked around, and then headed back out to the road. Even though I didn’t buy anything, it was worth the two mile backtrack to check it out.

I pedaled back down my route, looking out over the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge as I rode. It was a pleasant ride even though the number of dead frogs on the side of the road began to increase. I reached New Albin and stopped for a drink and some cheese curds (not the best choice for riding on a hot day but they were tasty. FYI, it turns out that cheese curds get quite rubbery as they get warmer.) 

The train runs through the Upper Mississippi Wildlife National Refuge

Upper Mississippi Wildlife National Refuge

North Albin grocery store.

Just north of New Albin, I crossed into Minnesota. It wasn’t nearly the event that crossing into Iowa was, but then again, there wasn’t the nerves of the bridge crossing or finding a place to stay was either. Continuing on, I took a few more stops to overlook the Mississippi, had a brief chat with some motorcyclists, and eventually I pedaled into Wildcat Landing and Campground just outside of Brownsville.

Ah, Minnesota.

At Wildcat, I debated whether or not to stay the night as the rate was slightly higher than I was used to but decided that that was enough riding for the day. The attendant gave me a shady site but told me that I could move if I wanted. I went to my first site but the bugs were thick. So, I set up my tent near the river, but the winds were trying to lift it. Maybe this isn’t a good idea. 

Cottonwood seeds at the campsite?

I looked back over to the office and another cycling tourist pulled in. A few minutes later, he pedaled by and began to set up camp next to my original spot. I walked over, introduced myself to the British Columbian, and then decided to bring my tent back to the first spot and out of the gusts of wind. We both had our tents setup and our camps situated but the bugs were thick.

Instead of cooking supper in the exposed air, we pedaled over to the local watering hole and ate a burger from their very limited selection. We got a weather report while eating; 60% chance of strong storms with high winds and potential hail. Great. We finished our meal, talked a bit, and then headed back to camp. It looked as if the storms would soon be here and we wanted protection. We both moved all of our gear to a pavilion and the placed our tent under it. Tonight will be spent sleeping on concrete but at least we’ll be protected from hail, mostly dry, and relatively bug free. Under the protection of the pavilion we talked some more, sorted our bags, and shared some route details. Thanks Wiley for your stories and sharing your career experience and thoughts!

The storms eventually came and the night was filled with noise and wind. The worst of it seemed to go to the north, but the little sleep I did get was filled with naps (I often would wake up and try to readjust my tent as it shifted in the wind.)