It's another one of those.

They spotted me walking up a big hill. I was anxious to make some progress and didn't want to stop for an interview, so they walked/ran along beside me talking with me and getting some footage. Athletic, tenacious reporters: I was impressed!

I was planning on heading up the Mississippi River from La Crosse for a couple days before crossing into Minnesota, but when Eileen from the La Crescent Chamber of Commerce offered me a shower and a chance to do laundry (both of which I desperately needed), I decided to make a run for the border early, and I'm really glad I did. She and her son Brian were wonderful hosts, preparing a big summer feast for me. Eileen hung around the house a little later than usual yesterday morning to make me breakfast and see me off.

Eileen and Brian gave me this card (which Eileen made!) at breakfast yesterday.

As it turns out, my mom had emailed the La Crosse Area Convention and Visitors Bureau to tell them I'd be in the area on my birthday, which is how Eileen found out about me. I also got a couple nice offers of free food and beer from the owners of local businesses (Rudy's Drive-in and the Pearl Street Brewery). And a few people just stopped me in the street to wish me a happy birthday.

I also received almost 2000 emails yesterday, many very heartfelt and personal, after Martha's AP story started running in various news outlets. Thanks for all the kind words, everyone! It will take me a long, long time to read through all the emails, but I will read each one even if I can't reply to them all.

What a birthday!

A beautiful, isolated, precipitous dirt road running from the top of a bluff down to the Mississippi River

He seemed to have a deformed leg and was just sitting dead still looking at me.

Thanks to Sandy (second from left) for the lemonade and the $20!

He had read about me earlier in the day, and figured I must be somewhere in the area. He pulled over his motorcycle to talk when he saw me walking, and let me spend the night at his cabin, which happened to be right near where we met. It was a beautiful, serene place, right on the Mississippi, and the fridge was stocked with beer: a perfect, quiet end to a crazy birthday. This morning he came by to check on me and gave me money for a nice dinner tonight.

They're in town from Idaho because Lanny is acting in a Shakespeare festival in Winona. They just stopped to give me some moral and financial support (Ada has deep pockets).

Welcome to the 21st century.

No big green dinosaur statue, but they do, apparently, have frisbee golf frisbees.

The "Nurses of Winona County" were having a yard sale and gave me some homemade rhubarb bread!

A tropical paradise