Chapter 2 Onward Downward

Monsters and Aliens- on to Hastings

After delaying my start to avoid a soggy Saturday,  Murphy and I are joined on bike by grade school chum Craig Poeschel who escorts us to the Ford bridge on Mississippi River. Sue sends us off from the driveway. We are joined by two other friends Mike and Bob who provide a color guard through the City of St.Paul until they turn back at Battle Creek regional park.  I soon encounter a similarly burdened pair of cyclists who are on their way to NYC from Oregon. These folks are seasoned having been on the road for 5 weeks already. They are Bob and Julien a father and daughter who are raising money for autism. We exchange stories, mine much shorter as I sheepishly admit I have only been on the road for 90 minutes. I receive two pieces of advice: drink a lot of fluids and use some stuff called glucomine that prevents leg cramps. We agree to meet in Hastings but I never see them again. St. Paul has done a great job developing the riverfront where it was once junkyards and gravel operations when I was a kid. The trail goes through some cool leafy glens under the shadow of busy highways. I pass a street fair in St. Paul Park featuring a giant inflated T-Rex. In Hastings, a well preserved river town I meet my friend Ted Davis at the fire station whose offer of support include cold beer and milk bones for Murphy upon arrival. We have a "last supper" at a restaurant before I am on my own. We cram all our stuff including bike and trailer into his hatchback and he transports me to a campground a few miles into the country. I am dropped of under cover of darkness. Groping around I pitch my tent in a remote corner of an open field a far as possible from the RVs and F150s that are crammed together. My plan is to head out early but in the morning I am accosted by the campground owner who informs me he doesn't really do campers anymore, strictly RV now -despite the billboard on the highway that says CAMPGROUND in 3 foot high letters. But he is nice enough and waives of my offer to pay him with an invitation to use the showers.
Soon after a pair older women approach who are doing the rounds. They keep their distance and look apprehensive but curious as I pack up my gear. I am wearing my fluorescent green biking outfit with bug eyed sunglasses. I am pretty shure that they would have viewed me the same had there been a smoking flying saucer plowed into the ground behind me. One timidly asks if I know the owner and I told them we just talked which seemed to ally their fears. I am soon on my way to Frontenac. MN.