Taylor’s Falls, MN
We started our day at 7:05 in sifting rain and fog which dissipated about halfway into the day. We got here (Taylor’s Falls) 91 miles later at about 2 pm, with a 17.6 mph average! For the first time in eons, we had a tailwind today; also had the best road surface to date—brand new, smooth asphalt and a wide shoulder. Dance a jig! We easily pedaled 91 miles and could have done more than a century, but Taylor’s Falls, which is across the river from St Croix Falls, WI, had a place to camp and showers. Such places are hard to find in MN.
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| Roadside grasses en route: Top left clockwise: Yellow salsify (Tragopogan dubius), Foxtail grass (Alopecurus pratensis), Common reed (Phragmites australis), unknown |
We stopped at a retro root beer drive-in on getting into this quaint town, and I had a root beer float. We then pedaled to an information center to find out about camping.
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| Me and our perky server at the Root Beer Drive-in |
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| Bill's bike before the root beer sign; the sign was revolving and great photographer that I am, I missed getting it square on or even getting all of it |
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| St Croix River--never did find the falls Taylors Falls is named after |
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| Bill more practically seeking info about where to camp whilst I take a couple of pix |
When we returned along the same route to try to find the recommended CG, two west-to-east x-country Canadian riders, one from BC and the other from Ontario, were at the drive-in. We stopped and chatted with them for a bit. They were doing a loop and going to take the Badger (a coal-fired ferry) across Lake Michigan to the one guy’s home in Ontario. ABB takes the Badger on its Across America North ride and then rides two days in Ontario overnighting in Brantford and London before dropping down into Niagara Falls, NY.
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| "S.S. Badger" the coal-fired ferry across Lake Michigan |
Since speaking with these two Canadian riders, I learned that the S.S. Badger has been bought and sold several times. "Under a deal reached in 2014 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the SS Badger no longer dumps its coal ash into Lake Michigan. It presently keeps the coal ash in bins on the ship until it can be taken off at Ludington, Michigan, where the ash is sent to a landfill or used in the making of cement. Black coal smoke still comes out of the Badger's smokestack, but company spokeswoman Terri Brown said there are no plans to switch to a cleaner-burning fuel. 'We're in compliance with the air emissions,' Brown said. 'Both the states of Michigan and Wisconsin have passed legislation to allow steam-fired coal passenger ships like us to continue because of the significance of the vessels.'" (Internet) I believe that the S.S. Badger was sold again in 2021 and is still operating.
Our campsite is two rolling miles off route and we are the only people at this campsite, which is run by a Vietnamese family. We soon found out why we were the only ones there. The woman who registered us is a fitness trainer—and she is very fit and muscled, but not so muscled that she doesn’t have to use a golf cart to get to the tent and RV sites. This because the sites are high up on the bluffs. We had to push our bikes up a long, narrow, very steep hill to the site. We estimated the grade at 15% or better. No joke. Could be the reason there are no other campers or RVs up here. How would they get their big rigs up that hill? When we finally got to the top, we had another push up the side of a side hill to the tent camping sites. The showers, electricity, and flush toilets are down the hill from the tent sites, across the road, and atop yet another hill.
Grateful to be in any camp after our long day’s ride, we showered and then ate one of our Mountain House dinners this evening. Charged our phones and camera across the way at the RV electrical sites. Then, to foil the mosquitoes, both of us dived into our tents . . . and promptly fell asleep. . . Bill in the middle of a phone call to his dad. Now, two hours later, both of us are awake. I can vaguely hear Bill on the phone and I am composing this update on my little Pocketmail with the help of my headlamp.
As you can see, we took very few photos today, and none at our mile-high campground—don't know why, except that we were thrilled with a kicking tailwind and didn’t want to stop.
Tomorrow, Stillwater, MN, and beyond . . .
As you can see, we took very few photos today, and none at our mile-high campground—don't know why, except that we were thrilled with a kicking tailwind and didn’t want to stop.
Tomorrow, Stillwater, MN, and beyond . . .
