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August 25 Thursday International Falls Minnesota to Cook Minnesota It gets worse. Apparently they just party. I walked over to a combination drug store grocery and bought some chocolate milk and half a dozen Bismarks. I bought a box of popcorn from a street vendor as a treat for Sharon. She has been threatening to buy a pillow-sized bag when she saw one in Baudette. We waited until the second ball game ended. The lights turned off. Most people left, except for a few guys drinking beer in the parking lot. We waited until there were just two guys left, then, under cover of darkness, we pushed our bikes to the other playing field. A shelter with a picnic table is there. We planned to set up inside after the two guys left. Just as they were leaving, a guy rides up on a bike and stops by the stands. He gazes towards us in the gloomy night. We can't see him clearly because it is so dark. After waiting what seems like ten minutes he calls out, "Hey, what's going on over there?" We don't reply. After another five minutes and some more of his shouting, we decide that he isn't going to leave until we do. So we get on our bikes and slip out the back. Sharon thinks perhaps he is planning on sleeping in the shelter, too, so there we are all were, waiting for the other to leave. I suppose he could have just been being Mr Nosy. We rode our bicycles around the block to a side of an arena and set up by a tree. There were some broken bottles there and Sharon said it looked like a party site. I told her not to worry, who would be partying here after midnight on a Wednesday? We had dozed off peacefully when at 2 AM a guy comes by. He wake us up calling out, "Hey Dave. Is that you, Dave? Dave? Who's in there?" Sharon was right. It is a drinking spot. And I was wrong they wouldn't come tonight. The guy comes right over to our tent and then lights his Bic and shoves it right up next to our screen mesh door to get a look at who is in the tent. I was afraid he was going to light the tent on fire. He asked the usual questions of who we were, where we were from, and where we were going. Then he says, "Cool dudes. Sorry for waking you up!" and then leaves across the field, calling out to more drinking buddies as he went. His face was so close to the mesh I can still smell his tobacco breath even after he left. It took me the rest of the night to try to fall asleep, wondering if he and his buddies would return to pay us another visit. But they never did. The Boise Cascade Kraft paper plant was thumping and grinding all night. It was loud without my earplugs in. We got up at 6:50 AM. The sky is completely overcast. We ride our bikes a ways before stopping at a Spur store which has a combination grocery, deli, video and gas station. I had to use the restroom and I bought a pack of Minnesota postcards to mail to our family and all our cycling friends back home. Highway 53 has a wide full-lane shoulder that is quite smooth to ride on. It begins to sprinkle soon after we are under way. We stop at Roger's Corner to don our rain gear. Who knew it would ever rain on an around the world bicycle trip? About 24 miles from International Falls we pedalled into Kabetogama State Forest. It was beginning to rain harder, so we parked our bikes under a gazebo displaying information on the area. It looks like there is plenty of fishing for walleye around here. We eat muffins, Bismarcks, and Nutter-butter cookies. What a country. We drink the milk that was left over from last night. There is a store across the road from us. I just tried to use their outhouse and I am being generous when I rate it with a half-star. They toilet was disgusting. I decide that if they can't put in an indoor toilet, then I'm not giving them my money. We cycle a ways down the road before stopping at Cold Springs for a washroom break. We buy more milk for our Nutter-butters, which we then proceed to eat at the picnic table. The sun comes out and heats things up. It turns out to be short-lived however, and quickly ducks behind the next cloud bank. There are still loads of clouds up there. In Orr, I buy more postcards and stamps. The only "store" in town that has groceries is a gas station. The lady at the post office says maybe next year they will get a real grocery store. They now have to go twenty miles to the town of Cook to buy groceries. We pick up bread, cheese, and two litres of chocolate milk, then head our bicycles for the picnic tables which overlook scenic Pelican Lake. We make some noodle soup. The rain begins to spatter us as we finish up. Bigger drops begin to fall as we get on our bikes and ride out of town. This is only the second time I have used my raincoat this trip. That is pretty good, especially considering they are still waiting back home in Edmonton Alberta for the hay to dry enough so that they can bale it. At the 73 mile mark we ride into the town of Cook and go into the Spur. We buy a salad and chocolate milk. When Sharon uses the restroom on the way out, she finds camping information. There is a motel RV camping place here. It has showers. We stay when I enquire about the price and find it is within my cheap budget. This is the first time we have paid for camping in three weeks. The showers are an extra buck and last for four minutes, so it makes for a quick rinse. We also wash and dry our clothes in a clean laundry area. There is table and chairs that we eat at and write at while waiting for our clothes to finish their cycle. I had run out of clean and dry clothing. Sharon is putting a new elastic in her pannier covers. Her covers have faded from the brightest neon pink to nearly white. Amazing what a few months of loaded bicycle touring will do to the toughest gear. |
