Fargo to Minneapolis...and beyond?

Sorry for the delay in the reporting.  It’s been a crazy few weeks since leaving Grand Forks.  I've got to experience soo much, I feel like I crammed an entire summer's worth of fun into just a couple weeks.  (Though I suppose my entire summer has been like that...)  So let me think back and share a few tidbits with y'all...

I made it to Fargo!  And after waking up earlier than I have had to wake up for anything this entire summer we rode out to the Cyclocross race site.  My plan was to just watch my friends in the race, then hit the road, but it looked like too much fun, so I took all my bags off the bike and signed up!  Long Haul Trucker with road tires, don't fail me now!  The race was a blast, though some knobby tires would've been nice, and afterwards we all went out for pizza and beer.  Like I said, the plan was to ride on to Fergus Falls that day, but pizza and beer in the afternoon don't really make you want to ride 70 miles.  So I stayed another night in Fargo.  Just a relaxing evening in.

The next day I made the largely uneventful ride to Fergus Falls.  I stayed with a couchsurfer Haley, and her family.  They were quite nice, and fed me a tasty dinner and dessert (home made key lime pie).  Haley and I went out for a beer afterward and ended up drinking with some locals who were quite drunk and rambunctious.  One claimed to be the guy who invented the lighter-at-a-rock-concert thing.  A tall tale, perhaps but I like to believe its true...he just seemed so convinced of it.  Anyways, the next day Haley rode with me out of town.  We got to a bit of a late start, but the whole day was on a beautiful paved bike path, 115 miles from Fergus Falls to St. Cloud.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great tailwind.  Haley decided to stop at Alexandria, so after a picnic lunch, I rode on solo the rest of the way to St. Cloud.  I got in after dark and got a little lost trying to find my next couchsurfing host (Thanks for the directions, Aaron).  And to make matters more difficult, I was greeted by a local who thought it would be a good idea to throw an unopened can of beer (or possibly soda) at me.  It hit, and exploded right in front of my front tire.  Thanks, jerk.  But I did make it to my next couchsurfing host, Rebekah, who greeted me with spaghetti, not thrown at me, but instead placed carefully in front of me, on a plate, with an open invitation to eat it. 

Haley and I about to hi the road

The next day I rode into MSP, and I only got lost once while navigating the bike paths.  I rode into downtown, straight to Barrio, a tequila bar that I had been to before, for some world class guacamole.  It was delicious.  I’m going to go ahead and say it: Best guac I've ever had.  Then to my sister Ingrid's place in St. Paul for some tasty, reasonably-priced pizza. 



The View from the Guac

I spent about a week in the Minneapolis St. Paul area.   Ingrid was pretty busy with school most days and sick with a cold so I entertained myself riding around St. Paul, hanging out with friends, and veggin out watching episodes of Community. 

And you will be pleased to hear I got my dance on, to the max of course.  Friday night Ingrid, my good friend Robert and his girlfriend (and also a good friend) Ashley and I went out for a classy dinner and then ripped up the floor of a couple dance clubs.  The best dancing of the night was at Club Jager.  Good music, plenty of room to groove, and most importantly it wasn't full of baseball-capped, polo collar popped D-bags and their overly made-up arm candy who would rather stand and text on the dance floor then get down.

Overall I had a great time in the Minneapolis area, but with winter fast approaching it was time to move on.  Robert is going to ride with me for a ways (possibly to Madison) so that will be a fun change of pace.


Robert and I getting Ready to hit the Road

 Now, as I write this entry, I am in La Crosse, WI.  I only had time to write about this leg of the journey, because the next leg (St Paul to Madison) has already been so full of adventure, excitement and good times it would've taken way to long.  But let me give you a little taste of what's to come...Couchsurfing with a host who let us use his TeePee despite the fact he was out of town, a lunch in Winona that turned into three days of a bluegrass festival, meeting old friends and making new ones at the bluegrass festival, and an evening of October fest in La Crosse, that easily makes both Grand Fork's Springfest and Wenatchee's Appleblossom festival look like church picnics.  And I don't even know what will happen in Madison...

A Farewell to Grand Forks

Woa! Where did those three plus weeks go?  I feel like it was just the other day that I was rolling into town, excited for a beer at Rhombus and some cheesy pickles at the Frog.  It has been absolutely great seeing all of you lovely people again-- you know who you are!
But seriously... I gotta get outta this place!  I need to be on that road again.  Sure its nice to have that roof over your head.  Its nice to have your best pals on either side of you while you sip drinks at the bar.  But I am itching to get out of here.  But, let me bring you up to speed on what I've been doing here in Grand Forks...

Mostly drinking

Well now that you're all caught up on what I've been up to, I suppose you can go back to surfing facebook, checking your email and all those other important online tasks.  Thanks for stopping by, I will talk to you later!




Bakery, featuring Aaron

 Ha!  Just kidding people, there has been so much more to my stay than the bottle.  Much more.  I've been doing it all!  Eating tasty food at the bakery (That's Dakota Harvest Bakery) going on bike rides with the pals, smoking fine Panamanian cigars, sipping Espresso, reading books in the park, throwing the frisbee around.  Shit, what haven't I done?!  There has been great live music at the Art Museum, fun dancing at a buddy's wedding, making new friends, going to art openings at a few local galleries.  Oh, and then there was the nine straight hours of mountain biking from 11:00PM to 8:00 AM at the 24 hour Adventure race-- yea that was pretty amazing.  And what have I been doing in between all of these fun, healthy and productive activities?  Mostly Drinking! Rhombus, of course, the Frog, the Hub, Blue Moose - I've raised many a glass with my good friends here, and loved every minute of it.

Adventure Race!



 But now its time to move on.  I gotta keep moving east, chasing that adventure, painting the roads with my tires.  I've been saying it for the last week at least.  And I would've left days ago, had I not procrastinated and left all of my chores and errands to the very end of my stay.  But oh well.  That's life through the eyes of Greg.  (Clearly Im not wearing my contacts).

Quick update: I've made it to Fargo! Had a few drinks at Rhombus (the fargo location, of course)-- its weird.  Its Rhombus, but its not rhombus.   Tomorrow I will hit up the Fargo Cyclocrosss race, then ride to fergus falls!