Day 20 - Albert Lea MN to LaCrosse WI, 143 miles, 1500' cumulative climbing

 I've been looking forward to this day's ride for some time, because a few years ago Mark and I rode a portion of it and loved the experience.  The Root River Trail runs through a number of small towns in southeast Minnesota and has dense wooded sections, many miles along the river, open sections with views of farmland, and is well maintained.  And, the forecast for today called for more favorable winds.  Yes! 

And the day delivered, with a most enjoyable day on the bike.  We rode through rolling farmland, over the Root River several times over the course of 45 miles on the trail that follows it, had lunch in a park in Whalen, one of several towns along the Root River that have made something of a bicycle tourism industry out of the path's attractions. And had a memorable day on the road.  For whatever reasons, sometimes a day just stands out as one of the really good experiences.  






And finally a big symbolic sign of progress on the journey:   crossing the Mighty Mississippi into LaCrosse, Wisconsin.  Now I feel sort of like I'm in the neighborhood of home, since we ride so many miles in the Wisconsin hills every year.

Wrong turn!

Crossing into familar territory in Wisconsin