Woke to beautiful morning with all the birds in the area serenading me. Packed up and heading north to eat breakfast along the way.

 I’m always amazed it all fits in the panniers and on the bike.

It takes about 3 days to get the hang of where everything is on the bike and to be able to instantly lay your hands on an item.

Sorry to leave this place behind . . . nice night, and nice camping.

Some kind of outdoor church, facing east, complete with facilities!

Rolled up on Dave, who said he felt he had finally captured this scene in his painting after several tries.

Nice job! I asked him if he was a “starving artist” and he said it was good he had a day job!

Washington County is SERIOUS about mosquito control!

Cycle swap . . . mmmmmmmmm, maybe Connie could find a new friend!

Boarding school for dogs . . .

. . . complete with rooms above the school. Pretty quiet now because of the summer break!

MN version of WI “Great River Trail”.

I used the Biking Route Option on Google maps to determine my route. In MN, I am now paralleling I-35 on Hwy 61. It must have been the primary route between Minneapolis and Duluth before the interstate was constructed. Really only local traffic on the road which is two lane with about an 8 foot shoulder on each side. REALLY nice for riding. And, there is a small town about every 10-12 miles which is good because I really need to refill my water bottle about every hour. Still VERY hot and HUMID. The small towns all look like they are barely holding on. It’s amazing how each town seems to have a “Thrift or Second Hand Store” . Most of them are out of business. Not much reason for folks to exit the interstate. If they do there is usually a convenience store right at the exit, while the town is 1-3 miles to the east.

I was planning on staying in Forest Lake but was making good time and decided to venture on to Rush City where I knew there was a campground on Rush Lake. Glad I did, nice place.

Nice digs on Rush Lake! Had the whole place to myself.