Rick's Reflections
Day 2

Our crazy hill loving author

You may think I’m crazy but I was looking forward to Day 2 since the first time I heard about the route. Day 2 was supposed to be the hilliest day and it did not disappoint! I’ve always been into exploring and having grown up in southeastern Minnesota I had been on nearly every back road between Lake City and Rochester countless times. I knew what we were getting into and I loved it!

You see I’m a mountain biker. I got into riding mountain bikes in the early 80’s when you had to explain to most people what they were. There weren’t many trails to ride then so we discovered our own. A friend of mine and I collected topographic and county maps of the area then simply found the most remote roads on the steepest terrain. What can I say? That was our idea of a good time! We found the best hills and constantly challenged each other to the steepest climbs so Day 2 was for me a sort of homecoming.

I woke to the sounds of rustling tents and Noelle Walker wrapping up her morning report. Michael and I made quick work of packing our gear and headed off to breakfast. Did I mention the food was fabulous? We had apple pancakes, cheese omelets, bacon and sausage, fried potatoes, yogurt, fruit, muffins, croissants, grapefruit juice, orange juice, milk, coffee, tea…you get the idea! The food on a ride has never been better.

I spent the last half of Day 1 riding with Greg who goes at the same pace I do so we met at bike parking to start Day 2 together. Our bikes lay at the edge of a ball field and looked like so many sleeping horses waiting for their riders to return. We shook the dew from our trusty mounts and prepared for what looked to be a glorious morning.

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE

We left camp about 7:00 am after filling our water bottles and taking a few well needed stretches. Inspired by a crisp breeze and a spectacular view of the lake we set a pretty good clip so I fell in behind Greg to enjoy the ride. The faces of the riders we passed were all smiles but on a morning like that they could hardly have been otherwise.

The first long low hills started about 2 miles before pit one. I felt strong and was eager to test myself so I passed Greg and sailed up the first short climb. I had put quite a gap between us so I decided to keep up the pace until pit one. Also I was anxious to get to a port-a-potty because I forgot to use butt balm when I left camp and I could already feel the burn, if you know what I mean!

After a few photo-ops with the bawdy nuns of pit one and the requisite application of more butt balm…

OK, what is this butt balm stuff we are always making a big deal about? Well, it’s a lotion you apply to the chamois pad of your biking shorts so the sweat of a long ride does not make the shorts chafe your butt! I know you were dying to know that but were just too darn polite to ask, so there you have it.

“The hills are alive with the sound of….”

Maybe it’s some weird maniacal optimism I have but I just look at hills differently. I learned to ride hard and I still enjoy it. It also occurred to me as I topped a 2-mile long hill how hard that climb was. Then I thought about how very fortunate I was to even have the opportunity to complain about it. I was doing what so many people could only dream about because they were too ill to imagine ever trying. I love riding those hills simply because I’m lucky enough to be able.

A PORT IN THE STORM

The rest of the day was gorgeous except for a cloudburst at Rochester. Riding in the rain is ok but pumping up a particularly steep climb in the middle of a stinging downpour after 90 miles of tough hills was putting a serious strain on my sense of humor. I pushed hard through the last couple hills and rain because I wanted to get in early. Our camp that night was at Assisi Heights. A group of Franciscan nuns built this magnificent, castle-like convent in 1952 to resemble the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy. I learned from a ride newsletter that we could rent a room in the convent on a first come first served basis so now you know my true motive for pushing up those hills.

Michael and I decided the night before we would get rooms so after parking my bike I set off in search of a nun. I found one of the Sisters on my way to the convent and she directed me to the office where I could sign up for a room. There I met Sister Alice and Sister Mary. These two women made me feel so at home I might as well have been checking in to my grandmother’s house. (Only somewhat larger!) For only $26.00 I had a cozy room with a spectacular view of the inner courtyard complete with bed, desk, sink and mirror! Now I know why the last hill up to the convent was so steep. I had ridden straight up to heaven! (It’s wonderful the things you appreciate after riding 30 minutes in a hard rain!)

THE SISTERS OF SAINT FRANCIS

After another extraordinary dinner Sister Alice announced she and Sister Mary would conduct a tour of the convent so a couple dozen people were split into two groups and my tour, led by Sister Alice, began in the convent cafeteria.

Sister Alice explains Assisi Heights history to us

Sister Alice told us a little of the history of Assisi Heights then answered questions before we explored the rest of the convent.

In 1877 Mother Maria Alfred Moes came to the United States from Luxembourg to start an academy for girls. She settled on a spot in Waseca, Minnesota but plans for the site fell through so she moved to Owatonna and started an academy. After seeing her success, the Pastor of St. John’s Church in Rochester asked her to come to start a school there. She went and established Belton Academy for Girls, which the sisters ran successfully until a devastating tornado struck Rochester in 1883.

Because there was no hospital in the area, Mother Alfred sent sisters to help care for the sick and injured. Realizing the need for a medical facility, Mother Alfred approached an up-and-coming frontier doctor by the name of William Worrall Mayo with a proposal.

She said to him, “If the sisters built a hospital would you and your sons, Charles and William Jr., staff it?”

Skeptical, he replied, “What kind of money do the sisters have in order to build this hospital?”

Determined, Mother Alfred said to him, “That’s not what I asked! If the sisters built the hospital, would you staff it?” Well, within 6 years a 27-bed hospital named St. Mary’s was built and was staffed by the doctors Mayo. That relationship, begun on a handshake, still exists today.

The Sisters community soon outgrew the building they were using downtown so in 1952 they bought the land they now occupy from a Dr. Wilson who was conducting an apple research project for the University of Minnesota. There are still almost 100 apple trees left on the grounds from the original 700. In 1955, construction was completed and the Sisters moved into their new home.

I learned later from Sister Mary that of the 130 Sisters in residence the median age is 72. One of our group asked Sister Alice if she was concerned with the fact that so few novices were coming through now. Sister Alice replied, “This is the thing. In all of history there’s evolution and things change…in religious life as well as in other lives. …We are continuing to trust in God that this is an evolution.”

Her comment however, was not purely one of blind faith. The Sisters have changed with the times to keep their community vital. After Vatican II many women left the convent. This meant there were fewer Sisters to work and contribute to the maintenance of their beautiful building. In 1970, the Sisters decided to open Assisi Heights to the surrounding community and started the Assisi Community Center. They began renting rooms for conferences, seminars, and retreats, which has generated between 45 to 50,000 visitors per year. Now anyone can rent a room, take a tour of the convent, or even plan a private retreat just by giving the Sisters a call. (They even offer a boarding service for your pets!)

For more information go to: www.acomc.org

A REMEMBRANCE

At 7:30 each evening riders and crew gather in the supper area to hear news about the day’s ride and announcements for the next day. Kari (Hammer) Johnson started the program with St Francis’ Prayer for Peace. She thanked the Sisters for their hospitality to which the crowd responded with a thunderous standing ovation that lasted nearly two minutes. Sister Mary was standing with me at the back of the room and I could see that she was moved as she waved to the crowd.

Before supper we were encouraged to write a thought or remembrance about why we ride on a small, white, paper bag. It was to be part of a surprise presentation after the evening program. About 9:00 pm people assembled outside the dining area. We were led in silence down the winding front entrance of the grounds to an open, tree-lined glade. On the left was a short limestone wall that wrapped around to the right and tapered off to a bed of flowers in front of a low hill of trees. At the far end of the wall was an alcove that held a 5-foot statue of the Virgin Mary. Just before we turned to walk into the glade we were stopped and were each handed a glow stick. A signal was given and we entered the glade.

The clearing was lined with our paper bags turned to lanterns illuminated with glow sticks creating a deeply moving silent tribute to the thoughts of the people written on them. Dusk quickly gave way to night giving the effect of the bags getting brighter and brighter. This impression was enhanced as people found their remembrance and put their glow stick in or in front of the bag. No words were spoken. All you could hear was the soft shuffling of feet and the gentle sounds of people embracing each other and softly crying as the emotion of the experience washed over them. It was a magically beautiful way to bring us back to why we ride and a fitting way to end a challenging but rewarding day.

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Rick Spaulding is a photographer specializing in digital photography for the theater and works for National Camera Exchange. He is also an antique dealer and eBay afficianado who enjoys collecting marbles but his true joys in life are his two boys and his beautiful wife, Tinia.

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