Sunday, first and second cousins met at the Hi-Lo club in Lakefield for brunch. Dennis and Karen joined those of us who had been at the larger event on Saturday. Cathy’s daughter and mom joined us also. Jo Strube is in her 90s and still very active. All too soon, it was time to go our separate ways.

We stayed in Jackson overnight, then set out after breakfast for Lanesboro, in the southeastern corner of the state, the heart of the Root River country, a picturesque valley surrounded by bluffs in the tri-state Driftless area. After lunch at the Pedal Pushers Cafe, we set up camp at the Eagle Cliff Campground, on a bend in the river downstream from Lanesboro, near the tiny village of Whalan.

Later in the afternoon, we set off on the bike to Whalan, then up the Root River Trail to Lanesboro, where we found that the trail was closed for maintenance between Whalan and Peterson, the next village downriver.

The day was hot, but we had some shade on the trail. After a day of driving and a 21.3km bike ride, we had no problem turning in early, falling asleep to the babble of the river over the rocks below our campsite.

The next morning, we set off in the car in search of breakfast, ending up in the town of Preston, up the South Branch from Lanesboro. We got the impression that the small towns along the river endure the tourists who come to ride the trails or float the river, but would just as soon keep this beautiful area to themselves if they could make a living without the tourists.

Back in camp, we set out on another ride, this time heading east to see how far the trail went before the closure: not far from where we turned around the day before, so we rode the same route again, back to Lanesboro, but a bit past the town for a view of the dam on the river, for a 24km ride. Unfortunately, our ride turned out to be in the heat of the day. A bit later, we hopped in the car for an air-conditioned quick tour of the lower river valley, visiting Houston, Rushford, and Peterson. We decided we had ridden the most scenic part of the trail, twice. We turned in early again, to rest up for the next leg of our road trip.