Day 44: Beautiful ride along the Mississippi River to Winona, MN

I awoke to a very dense fog so again, ate a slow breakfast and waited for it to clear a bit. When I left at 08:30 the fog was lifting but the sky was a very heavy overcast with a low ceiling. Often the music to which I am listening when riding seems appropriate to the situation but this morning that was definitely not the case! I was on a short section of walking/bike path and had 4 senior ladies walking 4 abreast and blocking my way.  I got close to them but before I could say anything 2 of them spun around and glared at me! It really surprised me until I realized that Highway to Hell was playing and I guess they didn’t appreciate that music! I apologized for startling them and passed them on the grass… It was nice and cool and no wind at all for the first 25 miles or so. The road had a wide shoulder and was pleasantly winding with low hills and generally followed the west bank of the river. I am now 330 miles from the headwaters of the Mississippi and the river is well over a mile wide. Just as impressive, the river valley- clearly marked by 500′ bluffs on the east and west sides- varies from a few miles wide to maybe 10 miles wide. I pulled over at a geological marker and ate the extra medium Dominos pizza I ordered last night. I love cold pizza…About 10:30 the sun started breaking through the clouds and I started riding into a pretty stiff headwind. The road also became more hilly as it climbed part way, or sometimes all the way up the bluffs. The 500′ (steep) bluffs are hard work pedalling up but a scream going down! A very pleasant ride today and tomorrow should be similar, but a bit longer. I am really enjoying riding the Mississippi River Trail! Daily mileage: 62, trip miles: 2,200.

Low ceiling and fog when I left this morning:

Some pretty scenery as the fog was lifting:

Initially, the road hugged the west bank of the river:

The mountains/bluffs were steep and covered in thick timber which made it hard to see the river sometimes:

Two pretty good sized tributaries flowing into the Mississippi River- the Zumbro and then the Whitewater rivers:

Where the valley was wider there were corn, beans and some fruit orchards. It is good looking land!

Some places the river seemed like a vast slow moving swamp:

And other places it was very wide and clear: