The Sojourn Begins

I want to start this trip by saying thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Vanderford who live in Minneapolis and who made the beginning of this trip much more comfortable. They received my bike, picked me up, fed me, beered me, helped me build my bike, looked up route info, gave me a warm place to lay my head before heading out, and offered good conversation. Thanks!

Getting out of Minneapolis was slower than I thought with route finding, traffic, and dialing in the bike. Great weather and great riding however. I really only had one problem to solve, and that was securing fuel for my stove. MSR canisters are not as available in rural locations as many other fuels are. I ended up going off route a bit to Stillwater, Minnesota on the St. Croix river to grab some. The shop was called 45 Degrees and proved to be helpful in more ways than just having fuel in stock. They gave me advice, and a contact in Rice Lake, WI if I needed additional supplies. They even offered to help me out if anything came up along my route. Incredible folks live and play in Minnesota.

I stopped for the night about 12 miles North of Stillwater in a town called Marine. Had my first Two Hearted Ale of the trip, hope to find more, and ate some killer pizza. I camped on the St. Croix river in the William O'Brien State Park. All in, killer start...