Day 29, Owatonna to Winona, 90.2 miles

Best: Donuts from Blodows in Winona

Worst: Aftermath of last nights Mexican Dinner

Most Unexpected: Finding another bank designed by Louis Sullivan in Winona

Last night we went out for Mexican food.  The sign said real authentic Mexican food. Maybe in Minnesota, but certainly not in Mexico.  Really can't say much about the food (if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all).  A few of the Big Riders went tequila crazy, but it didn't affect them on today's ride.

Cool night temperatures, and my sleep was interrupted by a train again.  The tent doesn't do much for sound attenuation. We rode our bikes to the HyVee for breakfast, and my stomach said it wouldn't eat until I did something about getting rid of the Mexican dinner, so I obeyed my stomach. Sorry HyVee.

The ride today was in temperatures no higher than upper 60's, and you might find this boring, but we had another awesome tailwind.  We did the 90 miles and arrived in Winona by noon.  I felt pretty good today, who wouldn't getting pushed across the country, and engaged in some playful racing with Paul. We flew through the typical landscape, and then found some hills and trees and a pretty view.

When we got to Winona, we had donuts ready to eat.  Early this morning I had called Blodows and placed an order for 12 maple long johns, and Lynn was gracious enough to pick them up. 

The donuts were extremely tasty, and as a result I got on my bike and went to the store myself and bought a glazed donut.

Thats my donut on the counter next to the helmet. The clerk seemed real interested at this point. 

After getting really sugared up, I went down to the Mississippi levee to check out the puny river.  The levee park had been recently flooded, and the water was barely below the lower levee.

I stuck my hand in the river and watched it slowly dissolve. I cruised downtown and found a familiar building.

If this looks like yesterdays picture of the bank in Owatonna, you are right.  The big news is that this bank was open, so I went inside and asked a couple of tellers if the bank had been designed by Louis Sullivan and she said she thought it was by Norman Rockwell. Norman Rockwell?  They found a brochure and sure enough it was by Sullivans firm.  The stained glass really shows up from the inside.

This is the ceiling glass.

We are staying inside at the Winona State dorms, and will be eating at the campus cafeteria.  Just in case, I bought an extra donut, a bismark, for dessert.  So much for losing weight on this trip.

We got interviewed for a local newspaper today.  We meaning not me.

Whoever puts a wooden train in front of their house dserves their name in a heart.

Only seven miles to home.

Going through the valley to get to Winona on this gorgeous road.

A typical Big Rider from a previous year.

One last look at Bloedows. 

Clouds, wind turbines, and a wind you can't see.