Day 6 - May 15th

Route: Westbrook to Woodstock
Miles: 38.8

Jenni Mead

Last night a raccoon ate half a loaf of our bread. Liz and Marie woke up with bad cases of "puffy eye syndrome." Marie's eyes were swollen in a way that made them seem to protrude outwards while Liz's were swollen inward. Liz's left eye was swollen nearly shut and she couldn't see out of it. She came out of the tent asking me if there was something in her eye. It was really funny and I laughed at them for several minutes! My parents left last night. Amy's Dad came this morning to take over transportation duties. He dropped us off in Westbrook (population 755) where we left off yesterday.

The wind was friendlier to us today. Yesterday we skied 40 miles into the unrelenting wind and it left me curled in the fetal position the whole drive back to the campground. Today's ski passed us through Dovray ( population 67), Currie (225), Slayton (2,072), Hadley (81), Lake Wilson (270), and ended near Woodstock (132). The weather was cloudy and it sprinkled a few times. At a gas station where we ate lunch (PB and J), I was talking to the cashier and found out I knew her sister who was in my major at SCSU. Small world.

We stopped to look at some horses who were watching us curiously. Josie and Carol were apparently caught off guard by our sudden stop and both rode into the grass and toppled over on their bikes! The horses came to the fence to see what was going on. There were 5 fillies/colts and at least 10 mares. We fed them grass from our side of the fence. Soon after the horse stop, the binding came off my rollerski. Luckily we had extra rollerskies along.

I knew there were wind farms near Pipestone, and was hoping we'd see them. I was excited to ski over the crest of a hill and see hundreds of turbines. As I was enjoying watching the harvesting of the wind, a car slowed down to express how they felt about us being on the road. He was definitely the angriest motorist so far. Other than that we had many friendly honks and inquiries. We got back to Lake Shetek State Park around 3:30. I enjoyed a nice long nap (along with Josie, Julie, Liz, and Marie) until 6 when we were awoken to eat tacos and smores.

Only 18 miles left tomorrow! The mile markers have been counting down to the border the last couple of days, and it is so cool to see them so low now. Liz and Marie have been trying to think of ways to prevent Puffy Eye Syndrome tonight all day and are currently discussing it again. We'll see what happens.

-- Jenni

Day 7 - May 16th

Route: Woodstock to South Dakota border
Miles: 18

Julie Warneke

Well, we finished up today. Hooray!! It was exciting to see the mile markers counting down. We stopped at the 1 mile mark to take a picture then finished up the ski. After we had crossed the border Amy's dad broke out a cake and a bottle of sparkling grape juice to celebrate. We then headed back to camp to pack up and head home. Overall the trip was a great adventure and experience. I feel like I accomplished something worth doing even if other people question our sanity for such a trip. I think my favorite part of the trip was every time we passed a clump of lilac bushes. It was always a nice refreshing smell that made you happy that you were outside and moving. Another thing that I noticed over the course of the trip was that we didn't encounter a McDonalds until we got to Pipestone. I found that interesting because they are everywhere.

Now that we're done I'm all pumped up to get the summer training going. Whoohoo!
Ski fast, Shoot straight!

-- Julie

Amy Wyman

Well it's hard to believe that we started out Monday in Red Wing. It's been a great 245 miles to South Dakota. I am so happy and excited that everyone made it with no major mishaps. At least the skiers who only had 2 falls the whole time. The bikers had a few more with Liz learning to use clipless pedals and Josie crashing at the railroad crossing. It was a rewarding trip. We got to see a lot of small towns, ski in rain and wind, play with the horses and cows (they sure like the long grass we fed them).

Some of my favorite most memorable moments. The Cannon Valley Trail worker, seeing him 5 times on a 20 mile trail. I think he was stalking us. Swimming in Lake Sakatah. What a better way to end a crazy day (skiing through Faribault). Sleeping under the stars in Sakatah State Park. The tool man in Darfur who thought we were training for the Olympics. Then the countdown to South Dakota border (cake and sparkling grape juice -- what a good way to end a week rollerski). Also, falling asleep and feeling like I was skiing while I was sleeping.

Well, it was a good trip. I just want to thank everyone who helped our trip become a reality. Dan Mead, Renee Mead, Dan Wyman, and Kathy Wyman and, of course, the people who came with us. It's hard to believe it's over after having a route across Minnesota on our wall since October. It finally happened and it's finished.

-- Amy

Marie Jordan

It's been a long week and many miles but now it's over and I think I could say it was worth it. Things always seem to be worse while I'm doing them and then better after it's over. Maybe that's why-because it's over! There is definitely a sad point and that is that Mead and Amy aren't going to be with us anymore. This trip was definitely a good way to send them off into the real world. This morning I woke up with a small case of the puffy eye syndrome again, but it wasn't as bad as yesterday. I wonder what caused it…hhhmmmm. The sun was out and shining bright to send us off on our last 18 miles of the trek. Some of my most memorable moments weren't necessarily the most enjoyable…Thursday when we started off in the freezing rain and having water slosh around in my boots all day was stellar. I'm actually rather surprised that we didn't get rained on more often. Then there's always the puffy eye syndrome. I can still picture seeing Liz's eye when she woke up. Priceless. The best moment of the whole trip has to be on the ride back and we heard Clay Aiken on the radio. It was a great way to end the trip on a high note, not to mention the fact that we skied across the state. I'd like to thank Mead and Amy for setting up the trip and inviting me to come along. I'd also like to thank the parents for driving our stuff around. Last but not least, thanks to Skinnyski for promoting out trip! This is definitely a trip I'll never forget.

-- Marie

Liz Walters

I had a great time on this trip and am very glad that I accomplished the tour de Minnesota. Some of my favorite moments were:

1. Puffy eye syndrome: I know now what I would look like if one of my eyes were as big as a marshmallow.
2. The attack of Amy's sleeping bag.
3. Falling off the bike with one clip still attached and having 2 other people help me out of it.
4. Swimming in Lake Sakatah
5. Finishing!!

Thanks to everyone for making this adventure possible! I now have an interesting fact about me instead of my old standby "I have 3 brothers."

-- Liz

Josie Pitts

I had a great time biking with everyone. Unfortunately, Chasey (the bike trailer) and I have separated indefinitely due to irreconcilable differences. I do not believe we will be able to work through our problems and our separation may be permanent. I had a fun time and enjoyed being with everyone.

-- Josie

Jenni Mead

Our final ski today was fast and fun. The weather was sunny and much warmer than it has been the last few days. We all were in good spirits and sang out loud. We were all singing different songs, however, because we couldn't hear each other due to the ever present wind! We stopped at the 1 mile mark to take some pictures and then skied to the finish. After our finish line celebration, we drove back to our campground at Lake Shetek and packed up our stuff. We had door prize drawings for a backpack and water bottle holder that Skinnyski sent us. Then we ate at a small café before heading home.

After rollerskiing 242.3 miles through 8 counties and 30 cities, I now know southern MN much better. We averaged 10 miles per hour. I'll admit that we used some fast rollerskies for this trip! We only had 2 falls among us four rollerskiers. However, there were 10 falls from the three bikers! I calculated that I increased my training hours by about 400% from last week! I enjoyed the many sights of our journey. The horses who ran along with us in their pastures when we skied by, the occasional pheasant flying in the air, the cows staring lazily, pelicans in the lakes, the stars at night, the turbines rotating powerfully near Pipestone, the new roads to explore, all the friendly waves and honks, and the smiles (and even the grunts) of everyone who came with. I would definitely do a rollerski tour again.

FYI: Mike's Phillips 66 gas station in Currie has a "Happy Hour" every Sunday from 1-3pm where gas is ten cents off. He's been doing it for 16 years!

-- Jenni

Final Totals