Relative Something

On the second to the last day of our week-long bike trip, there were rumors of a potential for afternoon or evening storms. We were aware of this because after so many days of rain, we had become fixated on finding a forecast of sunny weather. When that forecast for sun finally arrived on Wednesday, it came with the caveat of less friendly weather to follow. So, even though the day appeared harmless, with plenty of sunshine, many of us shared an inkling that it wouldn’t last.

We reached our destination that Thursday morning in the amount of time it usually takes us to get to our first break. This was a short day. We had been warned that the available grass area for our tents outside the Rushford school was pretty small and advised to place our tents as tightly as possible. We made it our first priority to get the tents established, before a small number of us set off to add miles by riding the Root River Trail to Lanesboro for lunch. Julie was dead set on showing us the fantastic burgers available at Pedal Pushers Cafe. I think we all appreciated her initiative. Personally, it was their hand-dipped deep-fried cheese curds that won my highest praise.

The next battle we faced was deciding about dessert. We all knew the pie shop in Whalan was almost too enticing to pass up, but Rich chose not to wait and settled for a pretty incredible slice of chocolate cream pie at Pedal Pushers. The group splintered a bit on the return ride to Rushford. As we passed Whalan again, Tim and Julie stopped to indulge at the Aroma Pie Shop, where the hummingbirds feeding just outside the window are as plentiful as the varieties of pies. I had an alternate agenda driving me to get back as soon as possible. I wanted to catch at least the second half of the afternoon’s World Cup match.

It was a pretty hot and sunny afternoon, especially in comparison to the damp, overcast weather of the previous days, and our little extra jaunt for lunch meant we were now approaching 60 miles on the day. When I pulled into Rushford, I was ready to be done. Luckily, I immediately found Rhonda crossing the street and she directed me to the most likely bar where people were watching the game. As a person who doesn’t drink alcohol, I found myself in more bars this trip than I usually visit in a year. I was very hot and thirsty, and I gladly put my trust in the bartender to serve me up a safe concoction to sooth my ills. It was heavenly. Being able to watch World Cup games with the select few riders sharing this common interest, and who had somehow found each other in the same places each day, made it truly special.

At this point, all was calm on the weather front. That was going to change…