Dalbo, Minnesota to St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin - July 17, 2023

Crossing Over into Wisconsin

This morning at the Bunkhouse, we had a light breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, toast, and coffee, courtesy of Donald. Donn bid us farewell before we set off.

Joel’s Guitar Shop

Joel’s Interior - Cigar Box Guitar

Kiki, Joel’s Vampire Cat

Our journey took us twenty-six miles to Harris, Minnesota. Along the way, we halted at Joel Pennington’s Guitar Shop. Donald and I took a while to chat with Joel. He introduced us to his bull-terrier, Poe, who was quite a delightful dog. Joel gifted us water bottles sporting his store logo. I bought two guitar picks, and Joel handed me one that he had designed. Both Don and I also acquired harmonicas, thinking we might find some spare time to play them in camp.

Kaffe Stuga Interior

Exterior Thumb

Our lunch stop was at Kaffe Stuga, a Swedish restaurant. Some of the wall art reminded me of the rosemaling my mom practices - her work outshines these pieces. I worked on the blog after finishing my meal. Noticing a tattoo shop next door, Donald left Kaffe Stuga with the intention of getting a Norwegian flag tattooed on his calf. When he returned, he reported that the owner had another appointment lined up. I’m intrigued to see how this thread of the story unfolds.

We opted for an alternate route to St. Croix Falls, part of which ran on gravel. This was Donald's suggestion, guided by the Google Map feature on his phone.

 Norwegian Brainstorm

This detour proved rewarding. Along the St. Croix River, we swung into Wild Mountain, an amusement park. We bought tickets for unlimited rides and enjoyed the ski lift to the start of a toboggan sled ride, which we experienced three times. Donald clinched victory in two out of the three races, although there's some dispute about his winding up in the more advanced lane due to a rock-paper-scissors win. Later, we queued up for the go-karts. Observing the speed of kart 72, we once again resorted to rock-paper-scissors for its use. With rock, I won. After the toboggans, I was pleased to seize the win, and I named the kart "Lightning".

Up to the Toboggan Course

Peeking Pre-Race “Lightning”

At Taylors Falls, we dined at Romayne's Grill.

Crossing over the St. Croix River into Wisconsin, we pedaled to Interstate Park, where we found warm showers and a welcoming campsite.

Today, we covered 58 glorious miles on our bikes.