September 5, 2026 - Hastings, Minnesota to Alma, Wisconsin

Trying to beat the heat, Tobey was on his bike about 7:15 this morning. I headed out shortly after him since we forgot some things at the grocery store and I wanted to stop at a few picture spots. Fortunately, it was cooler and overcast - and foggy in some areas!

We both ended up taking pictures of the Levee Park and the bridge going across the Mississippi River. I was at the park below the Hastings Bridge. It is a free standing tied-arch bridge that was built in 2013. 

Another view of the bridge showing the water levels.

This is the Hastings Rail Bridge. It is a vertical-lift bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Hastings. It is one of only four lift spans on the Mississippi River and was built in 1981. It's longest span is 324 feet and has a 60 foot clearance when lifted and 21.9 feet span down. An average of 20 trains per day cross the single track.

These were the pictures that Tobey took from the bridge.

Tobey's view of the park.

A view of the town hall

We both continued on - Tobey on the trail for a while before getting onto the same road I was on.

He even had a buddy to cheer him on.

He did tell me he had trouble seeing on part of his ride and he couldn't figure out what was going on. Then it hit him - there was so much moisture in the air that his glasses had condensation on them! He ended up taking them off and putting them in his pack so he could see.

And more wild turkeys!

Another view of the drawbridge.

Over the bridge we entered into Prescott, Wisconsin. As he went by the Visitor Information center he noticed a Lions Club vest in their window with lots of pins on it. The Lions are everywhere!

This building had a painting of what the bridge looks like when a boat is going through and it's raised up.

This was on the way to the Great River Road Visitor Center in Wisconsin. Tobey had a police escort on his way out of town.

I stopped there and had a look around, but the center itself didn't open until 10:00am and I wasn't planning to wait 1-1/2 hours to check that out!

This was a fun bench outside.

The river view from the visitor's center.

Artwork and a gray squirrel

This is a sign of the road Tobey is riding - in the mist and fog

We both chuckled when we saw that we had each taken a picture of the Lake Pepin sign. I'm not sure why they call it a lake - it's in the middle of the Mississippi River! It's a 21-miles long natural widening of the River located on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Sediment from the the tributary Chippewa River blocked the main valley. It is 1-1/2 miles to 2 miles wide and between 18-60 feet deep making it the widest, naturally navigable part of the Mississippi River and is known as the birthplace of water skiing. Who know? Maybe that's true.

He also spotted this guy along his ride - it was already dead when he went by.

I missed this sign, but saw the formation.

I made a couple stops at wineries on the way. Tobey was happy he didn't have to ride on this gravel road! Lucky for me, it wasn't a very long road.

Later, I saw him stopped on the side of the road and called to ask if he was okay. Yes, he was busy taking a picture of this hawk. I could see it, but he got the photo!

This afternoon, the clouds had pretty well cleared off and the temperature was rising. He was glad he had most of the ride over by then!  We both stopped in Pepin, Wisconsin for a short break. It was a fun little town with lots of restaurants and more wineries! It is also the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of Little House in the Big Woods.

I even got my picture taken!

Leaving town I spotted this fence made from skis. Tobey read my mind and stopped to take the picture.

The last eight miles had lots of hills, and then more hills. Poor Tobey!

After 63 miles today, we are at Walker's Silvermoon campground. We enjoyed a shrimp dinner in their restaurant and the service was great, too! Everyone is so friendly and many of the patrons have been asking questions about Tobey's ride. We also both noticed how many motorcycles there were EVERYWHERE! We asked and were told that it is a popular road for them and it's like this every weekend. With Monday being a holiday, it may be three days of them. We're hoping to get an early start again tomorrow, so that's all for Day 9 of his Great River Road adventure!

September 4, 2026 - Fridley, Minnesota to Hastings, Minnesota

It was cloudy when we got up this morning which was good! Tobey was on his way by 8:00 since the forecast was for hot (92) and high humidity. It was both by the time the day was over.
After he took off I looked over the route and picked out a few stops for me along the way. We passed many of the same places and he managed to get photos. This was at a restaurant that was for sale. Looks like it would have been a fun place!
Artwork on the trail.

No matter where he went there were wild turkeys!

Riding along the river he spotted the Gold Medal Flour ruins we saw on our very first ride in Minneapolis!

And the Pillsbury ruins!

This is an example of the trail.

And he had to wait for a train.

Yep, another wooden trail! Fortunately he didn't have to ride on this one.

Some parts of his path weren't so good.

Some nice big houses along the drive and as a bonus, he got the Mississippi River sign, too!

Both of our routes took us through the University of Minnesota campus on the River Road. There were HUNDREDS of students on campus. This was a museum on campus. Pretty futuristic looking.

He went by a sorority house and saw lots of girls out front, so he figured the fraternity houses couldn't be too far away - and he found the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house. Go Delts!


Oops ... I should not have been on this road. Don't tell anyone!

Do you think it belongs to Carlos?


We had not planned to meet until lunch, but about 20 miles down the road our paths crossed so he came in for a short break.



If you look closely, you can see the leaves starting to turn!

We parted ways and planned to meet for lunch down the road at the Pine Bend trailhead because there is a section of the trail that is closed and he would need to detour. It's funny because we both stopped at the Dam overlook - at different times, but both took similar pictures! On the far side there were locks, but you could only see them from the bridge and I didn't think it was a good idea to stop on a 4-lane road to take a picture!



I stopped at Hidden Falls - and they really were. No trail maps, no falls. Oh well - I continued on! Tobey did, too, and shared this pictures.

Riverboats

Barges


Riding along the river

Sometimes the road had no shoulder ... but fortunately, there wasn't much traffic.

He rolled into the parking area and had a well-deserved rest from the 90+ degree temperature.

We loaded his bike and drove the eight mile detour to the Fahey Avenue Trailhead and he was off again.
His ride took him through the Spring Lake Park Preserve. It's a 150 acre fenced area that allows the bison to graze sustainably and restore native tallgrasses.

There were also some bigger than life-sized artwork along his way.



As he rode into Hastings he had a few other fun shots.
He didn't check to see if there were any books I would want, but I did appreciate the picture!

We met in Hastings after his 58 mile ride. After we pick up some groceries we will settle in for the night and hope it cools off so we can go to bed early.