Transitions: Back to the ACA

Lake Itasca to Walker, Minnesota Sunday, June 13, 2021

It seems to follow a pattern, a busy day is followed by a low-key one. Maybe it’s because the time it takes to document the first eats into the second.

Markus came over to inspect the German engineering of my bicycle, and we talked for a good while more. They are heading off Bemidji today. Mary Mitchell from the warmshowers the day before sent a nice follow up note, and a picture from her porch.

I got my trademark late start, but luckily today was easy, with a tailwind, just moving crosswise across the state, to finally re-join the Adventure Cycling Association routes. There was an 8 mile stretch with a dicey shoulder and lots of traffic, but it gave out into the lovely Paul Bunyan bike trail.

Since the Buckingham Fountain in Chicago four weeks ago, I have been off of the ACA system, letting my RideWithGPS app or Google maps point my way, sometimes with disastrous results. It is such a comfort to be back on a route selected by local experienced bicyclists. Curiously, it looks like I’m going backwards. From Buffalo to Western Ohio I was following part of the ACA’s Northern Tier Route, which goes from Maine to Washington state, swinging northward along the Mississippi into Minnesota, before heading west through North Dakota and Montana. I will be heading southward along that same route, as if I was heading back to Maine.

This is because of a particular problematic highpoint, Charles Mound of Illinois. It is privately owned, and the landowner, frustrated by endless visits from highpointers, has closed the property except for the first weekend of the summer months. When I was in Chicago, I was too early for the June weekend. That was the reason for my long loop to the north, so that I can return to Illinois in early July.

Clearly not the most efficient way to do this, but stringing together the highpoints and open-date restrictions is like trying to untie the Gordian knot. I have no regrets, I have found lots of Easter eggs, and met so many intriguing people. Now that I am on a major cross country route, perhaps I will meet more bicycle tourists.

Distance 40 miles, 2,580 total. Time 5 hours with stops. Elevation gain 674 feet.

©️ 2021 Scott Luria