2nd Day

This biking stuff is really tough.  After we finished off a few beers last night at the local pub next to the U of M, we retired for a nice evening of restful sleep.  The good news is that no one snores.  I was up at 6:30 AM and went for a jog along the Mississippi River and ended up at a point where the original Gold Medal Flour was produced.  Some wonderful redevelopment is going on next the river and is pointing to a good economy in MN. All in all a great morning.

Now, for the hard part of the day..............we went to the Mall of America...........yes, this is a bike trip.........but we wanted to spend one last day in the heartland of America.  The MOA (Mall of America for those who are not up on the latest language) was very interesting.  2nd largest mall in the US (largest is in Pennsylvania) with over 500 shops and an amusement center that rivals Disney land.  They have over 4,000,000 visitors a year.  They did not make much on us, although I will let ever one know, David did go shopping................with Karen in mind, David did not want to overspend........we walked out of two (2) shops........Champs & Nike as they were much to expensive................all David wanted was a new pair of shorts and cap............why he did not bring them with him is of course another story............anyway, we ended up in Sears.........and David, to date, has the bargain of the trip...........a new bb cap for $2.95 and a pair of shortsfor $9.89................Karen, you are free to spend what ever you want as David has saved enough for a month of shopping.  I also learned from Rex that he to went to the frugal school of shopping as he was able to secure 3 postcards for $1.  I am in heaven as eveyone is on par with me, i.e. save money!  We have a contest underway to see who can get the best bargains, and to date, David is clearly the winner.

Oh, biking................we did get in a little   in today.  We picked up our bikes today and took them out for a test run.  all  went well and we traveled along the Mississippi and explored some great areas on both sides of the river.  I did learn that we are going to have some problems along the way as it is difficult for 3 people to determine which route is best.  Could be an interesting trip with David always thinking he has the route down and Rex and me having a better sense of direction not wanting to argue with David, but still wanting to get to NO by Thanksgiving..............anyway, we only went around in acircle twice before we got back home.

Pictures, you say you want pictures............well we have pictures, but I have not been able to figure out how to upload them.........................Help, Sam.

We are off tomorrow on the real journey, and will be heading to Red Wing...........yes, the home of the work shoes many of us wore in our work years.

More to follow.  Cheers.....