75 miles from Pelican Rapids to Parkers Prairie. The weather today more than made up for yesterday: bright sunshine and NW winds to help push us most of the day.

After lunch (and fudge) in Battle Lake, we encountered several dogs that seemed intent on coaching us into a faster pace. All but one gave up the chase with a few hollers of "Halt!", but one ditch-runner continued even after Laura hit him with some dog spray. Sorry, Camille, he had it coming and it didn't seem to bother him too much so we couldn't feel too bad.

As arranged over the past few days, we met Mark in Parkers Prairie and loaded the bikes into his truck for the 30 mile drive to his and his wife Cindy's house. Cindy was diagnosed with Crohn's in the past year, read our article on the Mayo Clinic website, and offered us a place to shower and stay. Mark also happens to be a cyclist (has completed 15 Headwaters 100's) so we had plenty to talk about with them both. We were treated to a fantastic meal (burgers, corn on the cob, fresh garden tomatoes, Bass Ale, and homemade brownies) and then had a wonderful evening chatting with them about all sorts of topics.

These are the sorts of experiences that really rejuvenate us and help us recognize how lucky we are to have met such nice people along the route. Thanks, Mark & Cindy, for all your hospitality! We hope to see them next time they visit Mpls.