We woke early and drank coffee out at the lake. Kathy and Jeff had arrived late Saturday night and brought our dog Lily with them. We relaxed Sunday morning and visited with Matt’s aunt Mary and Uncle Ted. They taught us a new card game called The Great Dalmuti. We played it for a record 4 hours and of course I am now hooked. It’s a fun and entertaining way to pass an afternoon. After three days without biking, it was finally the morning to set back out. However, this time we would be riding without gear. We put our bikes in the back with just snacks, a rain jacket and emergency bike tools. A much nicer load than what we normally carry. Matt’s parents agreed to pick us up when we finished in the afternoon at Alexandria and then drive us back to Mary and Jim’s house. We told them we thought we would be done around 5:30, since we got a late start since we had to drive to Pelican Rapids, but we ended up not getting done until around 7pm. It was stiff going and by mile 50 my butt started to ache again. The roads were full of cracks and there were many hills. My prayers had been answered for some sweet seat relief when we left the road and pedaled onto the Central Lakes Trail. A smooth paved path that covered an old railroad line, took us around many lakes and through fields. We left the hills and finally had FLAT terrain. We made it to Alexandria and Jeff and Kathy were there to meet us with Frankie (Matt’s parents’ dog), Casey (aunt Mary’s dog), and Lily. Matt and I were both exhausted when we loaded the bikes back in the car and settled in the back seat with all the pups. It was the first night that we wouldn’t have to put up the tent and cook our food. It was nice watching the moon rise and the sun set from the car window. It was nice going back to a house full of family. My favorite food today was a bag of Larry the Cable Guys biscuit and gravy chips that were eaten at 9:30 in the morning.
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