Diary

Mileage:  102 miles (165 kms)

Elevation Change:  1148 feet (350 meters)

Weather: sunny and pleasant, 86 degrees

Morale:  Super!

Incidents:  rode a century and finished strong

Daily Summary:

What a pleasant day!  We had a century to ride, but the weather was wonderful, the winds were calm, and the terrain was flat.  We started at 6:30 and were in by 1, in time to see the Tour de France ride up the Alpe d’Huez.  (We wore our polka dots today on this flat day as a gesture of solidarity with the Tour.)  We rode well and finished strong.  (That’s good because we have to do it again tomorrow!)  We rode through a bunch of cute and tiny Minnesota towns between fields of corn and soybeans.  This area is very agricultural, and the farms are pretty and well kept.  Everything is lush and green, which is such a change from Wyoming and South Dakota. 

 

In the pix below, you see Raymond in front of one of the fabulous tractors they have here.  All these towns have a monster tractor store on the outskirts where the impressive machines are on display.  Then, you see Ray in front of some great American genetically modified über-Korn.  Love it!