Mile 2365.9 - More Minnesoter

Day 31. My aim today was fairly modest, going about 65 miles up to Hutchinson where I could connect with the Luce Line Path, an old rail to trail that would take me to the suburbs of the Twin Cities. I went to the country kitchen for breakfast after I woke up, but only kinda poked at it for a while. Apparently, several people had called out of work that morning, including the host. Seeing as it was the sunday of memorial day weekend, they were expecting to be busy once the early church crowd started rolling in. I jokingly offered to host myself, but I didn't have right clothes to wear. One of the waitresses said she could find me something, but I eventually paid up and left. Because I didn't have to go far, I got a pretty late state on the day.

I took 71 out of town as Renee had suggested and soon crossed the Minnesota River. The rivers banks were being patrolled by several large birds of prey. After about 15 miles later and well after I left the wide highway for a narrow county road, I came to the Martinsburg Town Hall. The town hall was at an intersection surrounded by fields. I could see some farmhouses around in the distance, but it was a lone building without even a gravel driveway. There was a little 4'x4' cement block in front of the door to this prefab building that was smaller than my studio in Bed-Stuy was. Looking inside there was a table with six chairs around, a couple chairs against the far wall, and a couple bare flag poles in the corners. It was a perfect place to take a break. I sat on the concrete step and ate, admiring the even rows of the spinach field to my left.

A couple clear landscape changes had occurred. First, I was frequently crossing streams and rivers or following the shore of a small lake. A far cry from Nevada or Utah. Second, by now the ranchlands of even central South Dakota had been replaced by the grain farms of the upper-midwest. I was passing not only fields of newly growing wheat, corn and soybeans, but other crops as well, spinach and turnips and what I believe was barley. Between that and what appeared to be wild hops growing on the roadside at one point, I was reminded that there is not an ingredient in beer that wouldn't happily grow in the these soils. Also, the horse and dairy farms were now also interspersed with long, low hog barns. They do not smell as nice as the open dairy pastures.

I made my way to the next town, Buffalo Lake, and I found myself wishing I had finished all of my breakfast. I stopped into a small restaurant called Southern Charm. South of what, I'm not quite sure. Canada, maybe? Brainerd? Anyway, I went in and met Ken, the only other person in the joint. He cooked my lunch then came out and made a slight show of cleaning before just sitting down at my table to talk. We discussed the economy of restaurants, suppliers in small towns, and how a business and a family take precedence over personal goals. Leaving, I thanked him and told him that the next time I'm in town I'll stop in again, but that may not be for several years.

The first sign I was coming into Hutchinson was coming over a hill and seeing a Target and a Menards across the highway from each other. I went a mile past that and sat under the roof of some covered picnic tables in Legion Park. I looked up exactly where the Luce Line went through town, right along the Crow River, and saw that there was a park it went through that allowed overnight camping. I rode down to the Mason park, scoped out a spot, then turned around and went back a little ways to a grocery store I had passed. I actually bought more food than I probably needed, knowing the next night I would be in the Twin Cities and staying with friends. Oh well. I went back to the park, pitched the tent and made dinner just before sunset. I had picked up some eggs, cheese, tomatoes and garlic, and made myself a nice fritatta over the camp stove. I should have grabbed green onion, jalapeno, and maybe some thyme. It was nice to eat something that resembled my own cooking again, though it did make me miss the comforts of my own kitchen.

Day 31, Redwood Falls, MN - Hutchinson, MN
66.49 miles, for 2365.9 total. 5:12:38 today for a total of 201:10:41 and a high speed of 31.6