Day 2
Day 2
After a surprisingly decent night's sleep, I woke up at 4:45 AM telling tentmate Rick
it's time to rise and shine. Those words didn't activate till 20 minutes later
when we both rolled out to greet Day Two. During last year's ride I must've
gotten up at least once each night to go to the bathroom because of all the hydrating we do
while we ride. However, this year I drank milk before I went to bed. Well, it
seemed to work; I didn't have to get up once during the night. We got our gear packed
and cleaned up for a fortifying breakfast of apple-filled pancakes, pepper &
cheese omelets and bacon & sausage. I took off by 6:35 AM with a newly
acquired riding partner, a returning rider and music teacher named Jeff Christiansen.
His wife Kris is the Doctor on board to handle any ride injuries. Many riders
pair up with a partner or group when riding but often times eventually break
off when mastering those hills. And today is our designated "Hill Day."
We're riding from Lake City to Rochester for a 70-mile trek today. The hills
remain wicked; some of the roughest in the state, but the view is gorgeous.
Riding out of Lake City along Lake Shore Drive and taking in all of Lake Pepin's
beauty, we were blessed with a tail wind that mightily aided us in our efforts
to conquer those hills. After a 14.5 mile distance, we hit Pit One in Wabasha
Park for Weiler's Circus Extravaganza. Lion tamers with whips containing out
of control plastic blow-up animals. A snake charmer, a few monkeys. The
costumes were wildly fun. Just the boost a rider needed for the hills that lay
ahead. Pit Stop Two greeted us 9 miles later at 
Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood
Forest. We were warned to use insect repellent and they weren't kidding. Not
heeding the warning, I became a feast for the mosquitoes. Hillbilly Hoe-down,
Pit 2's theme, offered a water melon seed spitting contest with Joyce Mundahl
as Ella-May and Echo Thoren as Ecka-May officiating. We could stop in for some
thirst quenching moonshine (Gatorade and water) served up by a fully bearded
Carter Averbeck(right) as Jethro, who walked with a hobbling gait that kept us riders
in stitches.
Now it was time to conquer those hills. Riding on County 81 we started the
climb that would take us past County 60 West. Pit Stop Three at St. Patrick's
Church (This pit seemed to get the Churches) in West Albany signaled another 12 miles
then we continued on to Millville to attack "that Gretchen Hill!" Gretchen
Harris, who helped map out our ride with Jennifer Radnich, affectionately got one of
the steepest hills of this ride named after her. And we riders just love her
for it. "I ride it, too," Harris will defensively tell you. She's a ride/crew
veteran of over 15 AIDS rides. Speaking of ride veterans, we also had Joe Ede from
Minneapolis who, with this ride's participation, marks his 25th AIDS ride.
What an accomplishment, Joe!
Fifteen miles later to Pit Stop Four we found lunch at the Elgin Watertower
Park. Strange crew members with wings (are they bats?) eerily approached us at
the pit. No, wait. They have tails. They're the flying monkeys from The Wizard
of Oz. A great pit stop and some truly spectacular weather up to this point.
But that great tail wind turned into some rough head wind for the remaining 15
miles home to camp. Few hills remained, basically flat windy nothingness. I
made it in by 1:55 PM. The last rider clocked in at 5:24 PM. Considering these
difficult hills and strong head winds, that last rider's time is quite
impressive. I assure you, that was not the case for last year's ride. Many riders
were trucked into camp.
Tonight's campsite: Kellogg Middle School in Rochester. This afternoon was particularly nice for catching up with other riders at camp. Topics of discussion: What inspired you to do this year's ride? The stigmatism people living with AIDS face living in rural communities. What drug therapies work for us HIV-Positive riders? After eating a hearty meal and participating in the cool-down stretch, I could feel the impact of those tough hills today. Tonight's Ride Rundown delivered by Kari Johnson, our ride director, announced only two riders in trouble today: one for dehydration and the other with a collapsed lung. Both left for their home destinations. Some car trouble with our caboose sweep team occurred as well. Tonight's entertainment: Cheer, Dorothy, Cheer-a musical skit revue from the Twin Cities. My sunglasses melted in the hot sun today so I needed to make a quick trip to a nearby drug store to replace them. And so goes Day Two. I'm gonna sleep well tonight.
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