Well, the adventure begins. I got a late start today – purposefully – as Chris was leaving & I was feeling tired after doing 410 miles in 4 days through the SD heat & wind.
I felt charmed. For the first time all week, I had a tailwind, & without Chris, & with the BOB in tow, that made for a much easier day. The terrain of western MN is much gentler, too.
I did, however, make two misjudgements: the distance I needed to cover, & the "ruralness" of this part of MN.
I had planned on going to Madelia, & after a nice, but too long lunch stop in Slayton (a real roast beef sandwich – no lunch meat & $2.50), I realized I'd really have to move to make Madelia. And I did – with the tailwind & flat roads I was doing 18 mph.
But by 8pm with the sun sinking, almost out of water & no food but trail bars, I knew I wasn't going to make it. & after Slayton, services had dried up.
From my maps & pocket database, I knew I could go south about 10 miles & find food. No, I had to be stubborn & kept plodding on. At a little crossroads called Darfur, I saw a sign for the Darfur Lounge – Open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, on the ground, leaning against a building. I followed the directions, & sure enough, there it was.
I went in with the idea of getting my water bottles filled & using the john & getting on my way. I sat down at the bar beside an older man & couldn't resist the call of the cold beer. I asked Pat, the farmer I sat beside, lots of questions about directions & he filled my ear with observations about farming 300 acres of corn & soybeans at 77 because the meds he & his wife needed cost $1000 a month & that was just about all they got from Social Security.
The bartender & various other patrons would come over occasionally to ask about my trip. Pat's wife Shirley came over to take him home & we got to talking about my trip & she gave me $5 for The 2nd Mile & she's gonna pray for me, too!
B0NUS! It was friday happy hours & there were free sloppy joes, so for 6 bucks I had 3 beers, 4 joes, 4 full water bottles & a priceless experience.
G'nite. Long day tomorrow & I'm very tired.
But I still feel charmed.