We woke up to the unexpected sounds of rain on VanGo. I decided to sleep in a bit to see if the weather would improve and it did. By the time I got going, at around 10 am, the sun was shining and it was getting warm. I rode through Fergus Falls to the beginning of an amazing paved bike path built on an abandoned rail bed.
This the Central Lakes Trail that eventually turns into the Lake Wobegon Trail although I have not gotten into the Wobegon section yet. The trail has a really smooth and wide surface that makes for a pleasant ride. While it has stop signs at most road crossings, there are long sections that are uninterrupted. This part of the trail goes through rolling hills, farmland and winds around many lakes.
Because of its former use as a rail line, this trail goes through several towns along the way. Often the entry into a town is the back side of its industrial operations, providing a much different perspective that you would get on the road. Many of the towns have built nice shelters and rest spots along the trail.
The day was very hot and there was a constant southeast wind, a direct head wind, until mid afternoon when it turned into a south wind. Once the wind switched, the many tree-lined sections of the trail provided some relief from the wind. At Alexandria, we stopped at Big Ole, a huge Viking warrior statue.
From Alexandria, I left the trail behind and rode south on highway 29 towards Glenwood. Of course this was back into head winds again. I finally reached Glenwood at 6:30pm.
We had a great dinner and visit with our friend Lloyd and his son Gent (our Godson! :-).