Day 31
Riding south out of Hutchinson on highway 15 was not a
good idea. The shoulder went away and I had to ride 20 miles with moderate
traffic, narrow lanes and a sand and gravel shoulder - not rideable. At
roughly the midpoint of that section I was run off the road by a jerk in a
pickup truck pulling a trailer. The trailer was essentially as wide as the
lane and the pickup truck driver didn't want to slow down for me - which
actually was a bit inconsistent since he had a least half a dozen cars
trapped behind him - so he simply laid on his horn and drove through the
space I had been using. Rather than get run over by his trailer, I veered
sharply off into the sand and gravel. I managed to keep control of my bike
and to get it back on the pavement (there was an inch or so drop off) after
he had passed. I made a rude gesture (and got some sympathetic looks from
the folks behind him) and I think he saw me because he slowed down. I was
hoping he'd stop, but he drove on.
After that experience, I got
off of 15 ASAP. I stopped for a milkshake near the intersection of 15 and
19. Then I took 19 over to Gaylord. It was nice to head east since the wind
was out of the south at 10 mph, plus 19 has good shoulders (where I rode it,
YMMV). I ate lunch in Gaylord before heading south on 22. Highway 22 had
much less traffic than highway 15 and all of it appeared to be local. No RVs
and few truck. Nice riding except for the head wind. 22 heads east 10 miles
south of Gaylord, but 111 continues on south to Nicollet. From Nicollet I
rode east on 14.
Roughly 10 miles later 14 changed character. It
had been a nice two lane road with a good shoulder. It became a 'interstate
like' road with fair shoulders, but the shoulders were covered with debris
(rocks, wood, truck tire fragments, etc). The next half a dozen miles,
through Mankato, were some of the most unpleasant of my trip. Too much
traffic, dangerous exits and entrances, and shoulders that were barely
rideable because of the debris. I was not happy. I did have one passing car
that waved and honked. That helped. I also had a truck that set off a
deliberate backfire as he passed me. I didn't react to the backfire. On this
tour I only had one juvenile prank (e.g. the backfire) that actually
startled me. That one happened in southern Virginia just as I was thinking
about how polite drivers in Virginia were. At the easter edge of Mankato
there was a large shopping center with a Barnes and Nobles, so I stopped and
looked for a book Sam had recommended. I didn't find it.
For 6
miles after Mankato 14 was two lane with little or no shoulder. It also had
moderate to heavy traffic near Mankato. After I got out of the heavy
traffic, I stopped by the road in some, fairly rare, shade for a rest break
and a snack. At Janesville I stopped and had a large pineapple milkshake at
a Dairy Queen. Riding conditions were pretty good from Janesville into
Owatonna. The wind had died down, traffic wasn't bad, and the shoulders were
good. I was tired and I thought of stopping at Waseca, but this was July 4th
and Waseca is on a lake. It was packed with tourists. I continued on to
Owantonna, where I found a cheap motel (no cold water in the shower(!), but
the hot wasn't too hot so I managed) and had a good supper at a Perkins
Restaurant. 100 miles mostly into head winds.
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