Nearing Halfway
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Day 14: June 19, 2021 Nearing Halfway Comment via blog |
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Almost immediately after returning to my planned route, I started
passing cyclists. It made perfect sense as the road was running along
the southern edge of Lake Minnetonka where things were scenic and quiet.
Then I saw runners. A lot of runners. It was rather obvious that this
was an organized event and not just a few casual joggers. Cyclists were
still rolling through the area which made for a considerable number of
people traveling the road under their own power. I think they were
behind me, though, by the time I reached Yellowstone Trail signs.
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I was in Waconia, MN, before I found a place for breakfast, but it was a
dandy. Pangea Cafe had great reviews and lived up to them. I
lucked into a parking spot right across the street and an open table on
the sidewalk out front. It's a small place and quite busy. It was at least
half an hour before my meal arrived but, as I overheard others comment, it
was so worth it. This isn't the place to go when you're in a hurry but it
is the place to go for an outstanding breakfast.
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The tracks and unpaved road are level and straight approaching Stewart,
MN, and the town's water tower is one of the best looking I have seen.
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In the town of Hector, MN, that packet John and Alice Ridge gave me began
to really pay off. The older YT alignment I am following does not quite
reach Hill's Unique Gifts. The Ridges described and located it and I just
had to check it out. I doubt I would have found my way to the aisle's end
in the second picture without the help of Teri, daughter of the founder
and current "tour guide". The phrase "If we don't have it,
you don't need it" comes to mind but doesn't quite fit. Even if they
have it, there's a good chance you don't need it but you ought to buy
something anyway. Teri is not only a great guide but also a historian
providing details of the building's past (it was a gas station) and her
dad's purchases (lots and lots of conduit).
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Also in Hector, I saw the Yellowstone Trail sign on my own but needed the
Ridges help to see the yellow painted stone on the opposite corner.
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That "Corn Capital" claim is very real and very official. In
1993, the state legislature officially designated Olivia the "Corn
Capital of Minnesota". No doubt about it, this big ear is taller and
fancier than the one I photographed in
Ohio back on the 15th.
The green post is a bicycle repair stand complete with hand operated pump. There's even a QR code to scan with a smartphone to access detailed repair instructions. |
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Good reviews led me to the Sportsmen Inn and, like that breakfast find, it lived
up to them. In the third picture, the front of my car can be seen parked
in front of my room.
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