BAM day 1

I rode the 62 miles at a very respectable (for me) 16+ mph. It was VERY hilly and every day promises to be VERY hilly. I rode with a fast group for the first half- we did 34 hilly miles and averaged 18 mph. It was hard for me. At the midway rest stop a guy and his wife asked me if I wanted to ride with them- they wanted to ride a bit slower. The second half was very nice! I am riding with them tomorrow- and probably every day. We average around 16 mph, which is good, but not painful…

When I got back to camp I was hot and thirsty so I went to where the nice beer ladies sell their wares. There was no one there!

Two other ladies walked up to me and one said she has a car and was looking for the closest liquor store. The other lady said she had three cold beers in her car- she got them out of her garage where they had sat for three years… They turned out to be very cold and very tasty!

It is a pretty small group, about 250 riders, and everyone is very friendly. Many people know I came here from AZ and they are going out of their to make sure I am being taken care of. It is a very warm and friendly environment. If you have to rely on the kindness of strangers, MN is a good place to be.

I took a few photos and a couple of riders sent me photos they took. It is a very pretty area!