Day 15: A day of dancing

Bob’s to Palisade, MN

Today did not end up being as long as expected. I woke up at 6am ready to make a go at some major milage today, but it was raining hard and my right shoulder was giving me problems. The last two days of headwinds and me trying to push it was not good for it. So, this morning, without the worry of a soaking wet tent, I slept in. It was one of the better choices in the past few days. The rain tapered off, but did not quit. I loaded up and came into talk with Bob for a bit before leaving. I asked him if I could snap a few pictures and he agreed. He should make it into the final cut of the book. He helped save my ass from what turned out to be a dangerous storm.
I took off in the rain. I was looking for the beauty in the day and it did not take long. When the wind kicked up, the remaining raindrops would fall into the river. They were dancing with each gust. I had a clear head most of the day. It was quiet except for the sou ds of the wind and rain. That combination allows me to fall in a deep and relaxed state while focusing on my cadence. The head wind was moderate to strong all day today and at some points I felt like I was not making any ground. It was frustrating, but I am getting the hang of this.
Sleeping in this morning helped me out all day. My shoulder did not bother me too much and I just kept fordging ahead. I made decent time as I noticed my mph’s are increasing. I made it into Palisade well before sunset. I docked my boat in the mud at the city park. It was out of sight as I wanted to go get dinner. I met a couple in their RV and a woman named Margaret. It wa s a lovely name for an older woman who had lived in Palisade for 60 years. I got the local scoop on places to go eat. Mind you, this town only has 2 or 3 eateries, 2 gas stations, 1 liquor store and 1 small city hall. It is a quaint little river town. I went to Rustic Trail to grab a bite to eat. They told me their kitchen was closed. I told them what I had been doing with my trip, so they reopened it for me. Dawn and Kim were great. I appreciated them making me a nice sandwich.
I headed back to camp and stopped by a couple from Washington at their RV to chat with them for a bit. They are square dancers from Olympia, WA. They were kind and a pleasure to chat with about travel and life. The city park actually had good running showers, so after a few days without one, I fixed that.
Now, I am back down by the river. The frogs are croaking away and I can gear the water as it trickles off one object after another. There is a street light the is lightening up the right side of my tent with a soft glowing orange and the moon just came up over the bridge. Time to get some sleep so I can try to do a cool photo shoot in the morning.
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Never. Miss. A. Moment.