The 2005 Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour was, shall we say, character building. The planned invasion of pastry encampments was delayed by true English weather; we managed to arrive at the first rest stop dry but as we remounted, rain began and continued for an hour or so. Spirits were undampened, however, as we took the Bay City Hill. The descent was a refreshing relief except for the stinging 40mph raindrops in the forehead. We pressed on to the first of the aforementioned pastry encampments; the Smiling Pelican Bakery. The surprise waiting for us was a crushing defeat: a tour bus. We tried our best to repel the marauding hoard of retirees but it was futile; they simply had the upper hand and forced us to wait in line. The humility.
Our determination paid off and soon the rain stopped as we enjoyed our rations. Capes were stowed as we were beginning to dry. We pressed on to other downstream rest stops and overlooks but not without a visit from another nemesis; the headwind. We battled our way up hills and down with 30mph gusts taking their toll. There were no complaints to be heard as we soldiered past Maiden Rock and on to Stockholm and lunch. Hearty fare was found at Gelly’s; a new restaurant with a new outdoor dining area. The menu was a bit of an enigma with both “grilled ham and cheese” along with “grilled cheese with ham” listed. Undaunted by the attempt at confusion; we hungry tourists broke the code and manage to plough our way through it all.
Pressing into the wind we managed to gain a foothold on the Pepin Railroad Museum for reconnaissance and a short break. Soon we were off to Nelson with the promise of ice cream. 3-Speed Tourists are a remarkably diverse lot when it comes to ice cream preference; no two alike. Some even mixed flavors with 2 scoops. Brilliant maneuver!
Wabasha was a welcome furlough to a fine day; compliments were heard about the fine English weather and the Newcastle Brown Ale was welcome refreshment for the entire Battalion.
Sunday morning required something never needed on any previous 3-Speed Tour: sunscreen. For the first time in 3 years we enjoyed a bright blue sky.
The Eagles Nest Coffee shop served an amazing breakfast including English toast (the precursor to French toast). Eggbake, fruit, bagels and jam served with buckets of hot tea warmed the spirits and prepared the troops for another confrontation with our arch nemesis. Yes, even though we reversed our direction for the return to Red Wing, the unbroken headwind returned for the second day.
Marching on through Reads Landing and other scenic overlooks we made our way to Lake City. Several Tourists enjoyed tea and scones at the Chickadee Cottage Tea Room and the locals marveled at the rusty iron littering the gardens. Alas, the Red-Hat ladies were AWOL this year.
A welcome break from the wind found us gliding through the forest into Old Frontenac, a village founded in 1839. We found the familiar stone fence on the corner of Manypenny Ave and Faribault St and staged a fabulous photo with all the 3-speeds lined up against the ramparts. We then visited the old Lakeside Hotel; a historic steamboat era resort that is in danger of being lost from neglect.
The final press into Red Wing was difficult but manageable. The wind was still very strong and now it had clouded over.
The old 3-speeds proved their worth by handling the difficult conditions with ease; rain or wind made no matter. We were all transported reliably and in relative comfort. We were able to climb the biggest of hills in the worst of conditions and carry all our gear with no complaints from our favorite trooper: the Trusty Steed.
We shall return! ------------------------------------------------------- Photos by Brady Robinson, Larry Bontreger, Jon Sharratt, Rob Riggins, Ken Keberle. Web page: www.3speedtour.com Contact: jon.sharratt@mts.com
Date(s): May 21,22, 2005. Album by Jon Sharratt. 1 - 171 of 171 Total. 9324 Visits.
1 Noel and his Phillips "Noel - Cecelia and I just love your ..." "I couldn't sleep this morning and ju..." View Comments...
2 Group Photo 1
3 Group Photo 2
4 Group Photo 3
5 Group Photo 4
6 Assembling Tourbooks
7 Bag Tags
8 Larry and Andre
9 Jon Cameron
10 Carrie and Scot
11 Sign-In Table
12 Mark Stonich's 3-speed recumbent
13 Stuart Frescas and Ken Keberle
14 Lugged Cantilever Frame
15 Kevin's Merlin
16 Bob Allen
17 Rob Riggins, Andre and Larry Bontreger
18 Terry Osell and his 3-speed recumbent
19 Dave Brierley with his coaster-brake Raleigh 3-speed Sports
20 Becky Street Wins the Print!
21 Finally leaving Red Wing!
22 Over the Shoulder Shot That's Linda MacAfee then Noel.
23 Erroll & Scot McCollum, Carrie
24 Open Road
25 Historic Marker
26 Jon's Moulton Deluxe with full chrome
27 Bob Allen
28 Andre
29 Bow and Arrow Marker
30 650B tyre, Phillips light, Carradice cape
31 Barn and Gardens
32 Brady Fixes a Flat
33 At the Top of the Bay City Hill
34 Jon's Raleigh
35 At the Top of the Bay City Hill Stuart Frescas, Doug Heinzen, Steve Maier, Le Anne Eickhoff, Becky Street, Melanie Steinborn.
36 Jon's Raleigh
37 Lake Pepin Overlook
38 Inclinometer!
39 1930 Raleigh Model 9 Light Roadster
40 Raleigh 2
41 Raleigh 3
42 Raleigh 4
43 Stuart and Bob in the Rain
44 Bluffs in the Rain
45 Noel, Ron and Brady
46 Smiling Pelican
47 Andre and his Soaked London Fog
48 Triple Berry Pie Mmmm...
49 Ken Keberle from Arizona
50 Dave Brierley
51 Ron Grogg and his Moulton 4 speed
52 On the Wheel
53 Nearing the Sign
54 How many Tourists Does it Take to Change a Tube?
55 Dave Rolling By
56 Beautiful Roads and Bluffs
57 Noel Fights the Wind
58 The Wrecking Crew Jon Sharratt, Jim Robinson, Steve Kramer
59 Raleigh
60 Jon's Raleigh by the Wall Note the reverse-angled top tube.
61 Brooks
62 Raleigh by the Wall 2
63 Dave's Raleigh
64 Dave Ambles by Maiden Rock
65 Look Close Jon seems to have picked up a new shoelace.
