Day 73




I passed two of these rotating informational signs on the trail today. This one had been vandalized to look more like Pac-Man. Following along with the video, we see: State Mushroom (Morel), State Butterfly (Monarch), State Bird (Common Loon), and State Flower (Showy Lady's-Slipper). The second sign contained info on the state's biomes, wild turkeys, eutrophication, and James J. Hill.

Day 73




Taken from the top of a viewing platform along the trail in Avon, MN.

Day 73

Another aerial view

June 8th, 2010


Day 73

A Tale of Two Skies

June 8th, 2010


Day 73

Bike art!

June 8th, 2010



I saw quite a bit of it today.

Day 73

Another railroad vestige

June 8th, 2010



The trail mile markers line up with the railroad mileposts, even though that means the trail starts at Mile 81.

Day 73

Trail register!

June 8th, 2010


Day 73

Great bike sculpture

June 8th, 2010



I saw many of these along the trail today, mostly around the town of Freeport.

Day 73

Star of spokes

June 8th, 2010


Day 73

Beautiful wildflowers

June 8th, 2010


Day 73

Oh

June 8th, 2010



It's two more of those.

Day 73

Church of St. Mary’s

June 8th, 2010



Melrose, MN

Day 74

Lucille and Eymard

June 8th, 2010



I was drawn to their house by the large stone grotto in their front yard (more on this to follow). They gave me tours of the grotto and their beautiful garden, and fed me some great homemade food, including the first batch of strawberries from their garden this year.

Day 74

The grotto

June 8th, 2010



Inspired by something similar he saw in Michigan, Eymard built this over the course of four months in 1990, spending countless hours searching for rocks that were the right shapes and sizes (every stone used in the grotto is as he found it; none were split or altered to fit). The water cascading over the steps passes through a screen at the bottom to filter out debris and is then pumped back up to the top to begin the downward journey all over again.

Day 74

Eymard’s autobiography

June 8th, 2010



For five consecutive winters, Eymard worked on his memoir, writing everything by hand. He published it in 2008 with the help of, I believe, a daughter-in-law and the scoutmaster of the local Boy Scout troop. He is going to mail a copy to my parents for me to read when I get home. I'm quite excited: flipping through, I noticed many intriguing story titles, such as "Dogs in the Hog Pen", "Spitballs Hit the Ceiling", "About Time You Washed Your Feet Young Feller", and "Hot Britches".

Day 74




High-numbered streets in rural areas

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Day 74

Well, not that quiet

June 8th, 2010


Day 74

The Ding Dong Cafe

June 8th, 2010



Sauk Centre, MN

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Tasteful lawn ornament

June 8th, 2010


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Day 74

Sauk Centre

June 8th, 2010



Birthplace of Sinclair Lewis, the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Day 74

A ridiculous sign!

June 8th, 2010


Day 74

Meandering

June 8th, 2010


Day 74



Day 74




Larry's main competitor, Harry uses the latest in meteorological fence technology. If the fence has a shadow, it's sunny!

Day 74

More railroad ruins

June 8th, 2010