55.5 miles today, 1618 miles overall.
It was raining when we woke this morning so Steve suggested we leave quickly, and find a shelter on the trail at which to have breakfast. We agreed, so we began the complex process of packing while trying to stay dry.
I did okay, but something seemed to go wrong for Bob. He insisted everything was under control. I was gone in search of a shelter before Steve got to this stage, so I can’t testify as to whether he did any better. We agreed that I shouldn’t go more than 6 miles ahead. At 5.75 mi there was still no sign of a shelter, but I reached a trail head where the map showed a shelter not too far ahead.
The trail was beautiful, but wet. At 9.5 miles there was still no sign of shelter so I stopped and set up under a thick stand of pine trees.
When Bob and Steve arrived the kettle was boiling and the tortillas and bananas were staged awaiting arrival of the peanut butter.
We feasted at the trail side like ancient Romans. It rained on and off all day and we cycled in and out of rain-gear. But the Mickelson Trail is so beautiful we cannot complain.
By lunch time we were at Rockford and we stopped at the Small of America store where we had hotdogs and nachos and talked to the BMW riders about the HD riders who trailer their bikes behind their RVs rather than riding them across the country.
For most of the ride before lunch we had been ahead of or behind a group of septuagenarian and octogenarian women on electric bikes. We felt quite virtuous because while we dined at the Small of America they went to the Moonshine Gulch Saloon.
After lunch it was back on the trail, rain gear on, rain gear off, electric ladies ahead, electric ladies behind.
Our virtuosity came to an end when we passed a brewery, Lost Cabin Beer Company, next to the trail in Hill City. It was graciously close to our campsite so we pitched our tents and returned. Having secured a dinner recommendation from the brewery owner, we found ourselves at the Silver Dollar Saloon eating a Buffalo Belly Burner pizza. We are really not sure what we were thinking, so if you find yourself in the same saloon we recommend you pass on the Buffalo Belly Burner (Steve provided prophylactic Tums when we returned to the campsite).
The saloon was the home of the Troublehead motorcycle club and also an oddly dressed taxidermy. On questioning the bar staff about the provenance of the decoration, we were told this was the site of the former Hill City Zoo, and that the lion was a former resident.
A quick web search indicates that a Hill City zoo did exist back in the ’50s or ’60s, so perhaps it’s a true story.
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