People picture me on the road every day, biking without relent. More often I’m enjoying somewhere I’ve reached. Seeing friends, making new ones, writing in the sun.
Here’s a day by day log of my trip so far—and maps of each leg.
Day 1 (July 7)
Itasca State Park to “abandoned” garage off Hwy 9. 34 miles.
Day 2
To Ball Club, MN. Stayed in woods owned by Native American family. 46 miles.
Day 3
To Grand Rapids. Worked at coffee house, cute Lutheran girl, retired forester & wife. 21 miles.
Day 4
To cabin on Big Lake near Cloquet. Greeted with beer. 66 miles.
Day 5
Spent helping the Hagens.
Day 6
To woods north of Pine City. Bike trail, camped in thunderstorm. Hinckley terrible. 68 miles.
Map of the first six days.
Day 7
To Saumya and Urban’s farm. Biked through two thunder storms. 90.9 miles.
Map of Day 7.
Day 8 (July 14)
Saumya’s party! A good time was had by all who were not injured during sex.
Days 9 – 17
Funeral detour. Left Minnesota evening of July 15; reached Pittsburgh afternoon of July 16; funeral July 18; arrived Wisconsin morning of July 19; arrived St Paul evening of July 20; back to Saumya & Urban’s July 23. These miles done by car and not included in Great Adventure mileage (obviously).
Days 18 – 20
Writing sabbatical at Saumya & Urban’s.
Day 21 (July 27)
To Beth’s place in St. Paul. Evening bike ride. Suburbs bad, ghetto lively, riverfront beautiful. Arrived precisely sunset. 33.6 miles.
A map of Day 21.
Day 22
Meetup at Uptown Cafeteria for all my friends. Had a good time! Cemeteries, bike trail. Tired.
Days 22 – 34
Hang St. Paul with Beth. See friends, road trip up the river, photography/hiking trip, magical cathedral woods. Bike minimum of 12 miles most days (not included in mileage).
Days 35 – 39
Apartment sit for Beth while she is away. Writing sabbatical.
Day 40 (August 15)
Depart Saint Paul (forever?). Look to Great River Road in Wisconsin. Great Adventure continues.
Total distance biked through Saint Paul: 359.5 miles.
Now I’m on the Wisconsin side of the great river, facing golden land with merciless hills. The wind is my brother. You’re all with me as I go.
Drew Jacob, Rogue Priest
August 20th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
Yes we are all with you Drew. Fascinating. Hope I get to meet you face to face one day.
August 20th, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Me too! You’re where, Georgia? I’m wintering in New Orleans if you feel like a road trip…
August 20th, 2012 at 6:33 pm
I’ve never been to NO Drew. Would LOVE to connect there. We’re in metro ATL. On the far north west side of the city. Are you familiar with the Healing Center there? Do you know of Sally Ann Glassman? Lots of things I’d like to see, do and explore there. Keep me posted with details as the time gets closer. Ah, something to look forward to!!
August 21st, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Sarah, yes I have been to the Healing Center and met Sally Ann! I helped with Anba Dlo last year and then celebrate Fete Gede at her temple. I will arrive in New Orleans by Oct. 17, however I will be looking for an apartment so may be a little busy for the first few weeks. Saumya will also be there stating Oct. 17, gods willing, so if you want to come around that time you could hang out with both of us!
August 21st, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Ok. Going to keep this in mind and work towards making a connection. Another good thing to know is how long you might be there. Thanks for all the good details. I thought you’d might know of the ppl and places I know of. Small world.
August 22nd, 2012 at 7:46 pm
Let’s say through February for sure and possibly through April.
August 22nd, 2012 at 1:25 pm
I’m glad to hear things are going well and I hope you like WI! Fair winds, Drew!
August 22nd, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Thank you, Mercy!
September 11th, 2012 at 9:17 am
Did I miss an inside joke here? What is that about?
September 11th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
*looks away*
September 11th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
*Is bad with subtlety and remains really confused trying to interpret response* :S
October 17th, 2012 at 8:30 am
[...] Apparently people really like to know how many miles I’ve gone and what route I took. I have a few of these to put up, and you can expect them over the next week. This is the second one, covering Wisconsin. (You can see the first log, Minnesota Edition, here.) [...]