Days 19 & 20 of Wisconsin-Minnesota Hike

Sat., June 19 - We talked around 8:15 this morning. Jim was at Perkins very early for breakfast and then left his motel just after 7am. The weather was cloudy with a stiff headwind breeze. He is anxious to leave the busy Rt. 75 and get to St. Joseph, MN - notable as the eastern terminus of the Lake Wobegon Trail. Jim will be on this trail for much of the rest of this trip. He called again briefly at 9 and he was on the paved trail - he had just passed a large area with picnic tables, etc. Apparently every town that the trail passes through will have this type of area. The only bad part of the Lake Wobegon Trail is that camping is illegal - this means that Jim has NO IDEA where he will sleep for the next two nights! We talked again around 2pm and he was just walking by a beautiful grouping of over 100 pink & white lady slipper flowers. He had gone through the town of Avon where there was a Lions Club fair - he stopped for a slice of pizza! The weather was still overcast with an occasional glimpse of the sun. He said he is loving this paved trail. He called about 5:30 and said he was reminded of the country song "People are Crazy". The line is "God is great, beer is good and people are crazy". He has a new line - "God is great, beer is good and people are AMAZING"! He passed a man (Cliff) on a bicycle on the trail and they stopped to chat. Jim told Cliff he was looking for a place to stay but he didn't know of anyplace. As Jim was walking away, Cliff called him back so he could take his picture and along comes Alice, who knew Cliff. When Alice heard Jim's story, she went to the church to see if he could camp in the cemetery but they said no. After that he stopped for lunch at a restaurant that Alice recommended (all of these places are just a few feet off the trail - very convenient). He was back on the trail less than 1/2 mile and along comes Alice again - she had been looking for him. She told him to walk about 4 more miles on the trail and to look for a mowed path and the house across the street. He didn't find the right path at first but eventually did. He knocked on the door and Sherry was expecting him - she said he could pitch his tent in her backyard and use their outside faucet - what a relief - the end of a long 8 solid hours of hiking. Later in the evening, Sherry's husband Andy came out to chat with Jim, along with their two cats and a dog - all very friendly. Andy said that Jim wasn't the first to do this - a woman and her horse stayed there before. As Jim's version of the song goes, "PEOPLE ARE AMAZING"! The animals ended up coming out to "visit" a few times this evening.
Miles Today - 24 Total Miles to Date - 334.25

Sun, June 20 - We talked around 7:30 and Jim said that it was a cool night sleeping and he woke to a heavy dew - his tent was soaked inside and out. He got up and out early and had a good breakfast in Freeport (after 2 miles on the trail). So far it was a beautiful day with fewer clouds than yesterday. His feet are fine but his legs are tired from the long day yesterday. He called again about 10am and he had just left St. Mary's Church in Melrose (coincidentally the same church name as our home parish here in NJ). Unfortunately, he was too early for the next Mass and if he waited for it, it would really make him too far behind schedule. So he went into the church and said all of the prayers and the readings for today - the best he could do, hoping that God understands. The day was feeling warm already - mid to high 70's. I checked the forecast for him and it is expected to be quite hot today. He is heading for Sauk Centre for his next meal break. We talked briefly around 1:15 while he was sitting under a tree for shade, trying to recover from the heat - probably about 90 - hoping that the center of town is close! We talked again about 4:30 and he did get into town about 1:45 and had a beer and a little rest. He was chatting with the bartender and she told him about a bar & grill in West Union (just about the mileage he wants to do today) and said to ask for Joyce who might be able to help him with a place to stay tonight. Meanwhile he found the only place in town that serves lunch - the local hotel - and he even got to charge his phone while eating there. As he left Sauk Centre, he noticed a plaque that said Main St. in town was the inspiration for Sinclair Lewis' book "Main Street"! Jim never passes an historical plaque without reading it. He also said he was feeling much better than he was before lunch. We talked again around 6:30 and he had finally found West Union - further than he expected, but that will just shorten tomorrow's walk. He found the bar & grill he had been told about but Joyce wasn't there. He explained his problem to the bartender and he said he would call the mayor! Sure enough, the mayor said that Jim was welcome to pitch his tent in the town park across the street - 100 feet from the trail! When we talked he had set up his tent to dry - there was a nice breeze so things should dry out nicely. The park is beautiful - a pavilion and playground - he set up his tent under a tree. He was planning to go back to the bar & grill for supper and hopefully some conversation. Jim says his legs are OK, considering the mileage and no blisters! I think he is very happy that tomorrow is his last day of hiking. I made his hotel reservation for tomorrow night as well as a plane reservation for Tuesday afternoon - he will take a bus to Minneapolis to catch the plane home.
Miles Today - 25.5 Total Miles to Date - 359.75