Reset search
Northern Tier 2021
  • Chrysa Niewald
  • Chrysa Niewald

Northern Tier 2021

A 72-day adventure by Chrysa Read more
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarPhotosPhotosShareShareBucket list
InsightsCalendarPhotos
  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    1
    1

    Day 35 Fargo, ND to Fergus Falls, MN

    July 13, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    60.10 miles, 896 feet. Leaving Fargo, we crossed the Red River into Moorhead, MN. It took a few miles to get away from the city. We soon headed southeast on a two lane road with a slight tailwind. It was mostly agricultural with lots of corn and soy beans.

    As we approached Fergus Falls, our route took us on a gravel road for about two miles. Pavement was a welcome sight. Lunch was waiting for us at Dave's Red Chair Diner when we arrived at our hotel. Fergus Falls is the county seat of Otter Tail County.

    This afternoon I visited a nearby quilt shop and visited with the Tuesday Quilting Group. They suggested I visit the historical Fergus Falls State Mental Hospital. It was built in the late 1800's in the Kirkbride Plan. The building was enormous and my photos don’t do it justice. The hospital was designed on a model established by physician Thomas Kirkbride. Kirkbride believed that building design was an important part of patient treatment programs. The typical Kirkbride structure consisted of a central administrative structure in the middle, with long, straight wings that radiated from it. Patients lived in the wings, which were uniform, precise, and austere. The bare façade was supposed to bring discipline into patients' lives. Kirkbride asylums were designed to provide "moral treatment." That included exercise, farming, entertainment, and classes like reading and sewing.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    1

    Day 36 Fergus Falls to Sauk Centre

    July 14, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    75.01 miles, 1001 feet. It was gray and overcast at 6:00 am this morning with a chance of rain. However, most of the locals were not too optimistic that it would rain. We wound our way through town and picked up the Central Lakes State Trail. This paved trail skirted a number of small and larger lakes. While at times, it paralleled the highway, we were glad to ride the trail and not have to worry about traffic except at the road crossings.

    We stopped in the town of Alexandria and had a very late breakfast at a local restaurant-Travelers Inn. The food was great. Shortly after we got back on the trail, it turned into the Lake Wobegon Trail. A mile short of our hotel, we stopped at the Outpost which offered free smoothies to cyclists. All in all a good day and it didn’t rain!    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald

    Day 37 Sauk Centre to Monticello, MN

    July 15, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    70.59 miles, 896 feet. This morning was cool and very foggy. We returned to the Lake Wobegon Trail for the first half of the route today. The fog was so thick that my helmet was dripping water and my jacket was wet. By mid morning we reached St. Cloud. Our route took us through a business district and we managed to hit almost every red light.

    Our lunch stop was at 10:30 am. The rest of the route mainly followed the MRT- Mississippi River Trail which is a combination of trail and road routes. We arrived in Monticello a little after noon. We scored a laundromat across from the hotel, so we did some laundry. Dinner tonight was Chinese takeout. Tomorrow we maneuver around Minneapolis and cross the Mississippi. This is our last night in Minnesota as we will be in Wisconsin tomorrow.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    Sunrise over the Mississippi River
    Crossing the MississippiMississippi RiverMatoska ParkStillwater, MN Courthouse2The Big Hill

    Day 38 Monticello, MN to Hudson, WI

    July 16, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    73.77 miles, 1963 feet. Today we spent a lot of time on various trails. We traveled through a lot of urban areas near Minneapolis. There were lots of turns, road construction, and missed turns making parts of the ride tedious. We also started to encounter more hills. By mid morning we crossed the Mississippi River which is relatively small here in the north. We road a very nice trail through the area.

    There were several shaded trails through wooded areas. The last part of the trip was hilly with one huge climb through Stillwater, MN. We finally crossed the St. Croix River into Wisconsin.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald

    Day 39 Hudson to Chippewa Falls, WI

    July 17, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    84.3 miles, 3020 feet. Today the ride was all rural and a welcome change from yesterday’s noisy urban ride. There was more climb,but the roads and the farmland were beautiful. The route was a bit longer due to a route change. Most of the photos today are compliment of Tres Smith.Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald

    Day 40 Chippewa Falls to Abbotsville, WI

    July 18, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    70.7 miles, 3108 feet. Today was another rural day through Wisconsin. The roads were nice and smooth which made up for the hills! The farms are beautiful and we enjoyed the old and new barns. Our route took us through Amish and Mennonite areas. Since it was Sunday, we say many horse and buggies and young people on bicycles. Everyone was dressed up for Church and they waved as we rode by. We also passed two Mennonite Churches and every car in the parking lot was either black or dark gray.

    After lunch, we reached the small community of Colby. They were having a three day cheese festival complete with a parade. The main streets were blocked off, but they let us ride through. We watched the parade for a bit. It was very long and like most rural parades included every vehicle and farm implement in a 20 mile radius. We headed to the concession stand to kill some time because our hotel rooms would not be ready until after 2:00. A cool drink in the shade was very pleasant. The local newspaper reporter for the Tribune Phonograph stopped and took our picture and interviewed us. We watched a tractor pull on the way to our hotel. It was the first time we ever saw one held on a city street. We are used to seeing them in fields or grass tracts.

    Tomorrow we head to Wittenberg and will probably encounter more hills. Some friends are meeting us for dinner tomorrow evening so we look forward to that.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald

    Day 41 Abbotsville/Colby to Wittenberg

    July 19, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    69.55 miles, 1932 feet. Today was another day of corn, beans, and dairy farms. The first half of today’s route was on smooth pavement with a little less grade on the climbs today. Once we reached Rib Mountain, the traffic got pretty heavy. So we spent much of the rest of the day on trails. Some were paved, but most were rail trails with crushed limestone. The mosquitoes were hungry and in spite of having used bug repellent, they found places to bite me where I hadn’t covered. We arrived in Wittenberg a little after noon. Tomorrow is a rest day which is much appreciated after 7 straight days of riding. We will be heading towards Lake Michigan and the ferry in a few days.Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    2016 Coast to Coast Reunion in Wittenberg
    Leaving Abbotsville on Monday

    Day 42 Rest Day in Wittenberg, WI

    July 20, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    After seven days of riding, today was a rest day. We had dinner last night with some dear friends from our 2016 Southern Tier Ride, so we stayed out later than we have done in weeks, so we slept in a bit. Robyn and Mark brought us a huge bag of Amish cookies to share with the group.

    Today’s activities included laundry, bike cleaning, online bill paying, a couple of zoom meetings. It will be an early dinner and bedtime. Tomorrow we head to Green Bay.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald

    Day 43 Wittenberg to Green Bay, WI

    July 21, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    71.90 Miles, 812 Feet. It was chilly and a bit overcast as we left this morning. At mile 8 we jumped back onto the Mountain Bay Trail. It is a crushed limestone rail trail, but not as finely crushed as the Katy Trail. The trail crossed paved roads every half to one mile, so we had to stop frequently. The trail changed names a couple of times.

    Our lunch sag was in the small town of Pulaski. From there we had about nine more miles on the trail and thankfully, the trail surface improved. The last leg of the route took us through residential areas of Green Bay and eventually by Lambeau Field. We get to sleep in a bit later tomorrow since we only have about 40 miles to Manitowac where we take the Badger Ferry across Lake Michigan to Ludington, MI.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald

    Day 44 Green Bay to Manitowac, WI

    July 22, 2021, Lake Michigan ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    41.45 Miles, 632 Feet. Our morning ride led us to Manitowac where we met the Badger Ferry. Over half the ride today was on another rail trail - the Devils River State Recreational Trail.
    We boarded the SS Badger for a 60 mile/ four hour trip across Lake Michgan. As soon as we land, we enter the eastern time zone.Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    2Lake Michigan
    Courtesy Tres SmithWe could hear the buzz of the power linesRoadsideSand Dunes

    Day 45 Ludington to Muskegon

    July 23, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    83.4 Miles, 2549 feet. After an overnight rain, we left this morning with rain gear on prepared for a downpour. Fortunately all we experienced was some light Michigan mist. Several other groups of riders did get rained on. After some turns and hill climbs out of Ludington, we turned onto USBR 35 (US Bicycle Route)

    Much of today's route was part of the Michigan West Shoreline route. We rode through some beautiful areas near the lakes. The houses big and small were lovely as were the small towns. It was a long day and we have another one tomorrow    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    Moon setting at 6:00 am

    Day 46 Muskegon to Kalamazoo, MI

    July 24, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    87.8 Miles, 2246. Feet. This morning we road a good 40+ miles on several very nice paved trails. The trails curled around through wooded areas making the ride more interesting than straight line rail trails. We worked our way around Grand Rapids. There was a huge parade just ending as we passed through Byron. The later part of the route was a mix of new black top and packed dirt. Our overnight tonight is in Kalamazoo. We look forward to a 53 route tomorrow and a rest day on Monday. We have accumulated a lot of dirty laundry.Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    Kalamazoo Trail
    Road Closed, but we still traversed itKalamazoo River

    Day 47 Kalamazoo to Albion, MI

    July 25, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    56.04 miles, 1427 feet. Today was supposed to be an easy 50 something day. Unfortunately the overnight rain created some hazards and six people in our group including us fell on various parts of the route. We both fell when we hit our brakes on a slimy wet wooden trail bridge. One of our fellow cyclists in front of us failed to negotiate a curve and was laying on the trail in front of us. As soon as we hit our brakes to avoid hitting him we slid on what might as well have been black ice. We have some bruises, but will survive.

    Otherwise, we rode on the Kalamazoo Trail for part of the morning and then on roads. It was a nice day and the route ended in Albion. We met several fellow cyclists from our southern tier ride and enjoyed dinner and their company. We have a rest day tomorrow and will then forge ahead for seven days to reach Niagara Falls. The trip has gone quickly and we have just three more weeks.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald

    Day 48 Rest Day in Albion, MI

    July 26, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We had a nice rest day in Albion. Our big chore of the day was shipping home some clothing items that we don’t need so we could lighten the load! A short walk around the downtown was pretty, but sad that so many store fronts are empty.

    Tomorrow we head to Adrian and our last night in Michigan. Our original plan was to bike across Ontario, Canada on the north side of Lake Erie, (Canada is still closed to tourists) but we will be heading south toward Toledo, Ohio where we will ride the south side of the lake and end up in Niagara Falls in a week. Stay tuned for more adventures!    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald

    Day 49 Albion to Adrian MI

    July 27, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    58.45 miles, 1214 feet. Today was a nice quiet ride through mostly rural Michigan. We rode quite a ways on the Falling Waters Trail. We stopped for donuts in Brooklyn and made it to Adrian before noon. Our Sag chef Dave served up sweet potatoes and sweet corn for lunch. Tonight is our last night in Michigan. On to Ohio!

    The internet is non existent at this hotel, so this might not get uploaded until tomorrow.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    Sylvania, Ohio
    2Coffe break in Sulvania1Toledo Trail1Toledo University1Portage RiverNorth Coast Inland Trail1

    Day 50 Adrian, MI to Fremont, OH

    July 28, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    68.28 miles, 512 feet. Leaving Adrian, we rode on a busy highway for the first 15 + miles. There was intermittent shoulder, but we were glad to eventually turn onto some country lanes. We passed through some cute towns including Blissfield and Sylvania.

    At mile 25 we left Michigan and entered Ohio. For a short time we were on a trail that took us through part of the University of Toledo campus. We rode quite a bit more busy highway through the outskirts of Toledo. We rode through both row house neighborhoods and industrial areas.

    Our lunch stop was at a funeral home parking lot. A few days ago our lunch stop was at a country cemetery. We hope this is not a pattern!

    After lunch we finally turned off the highway and arrived in Elmore, Ohio. The Main Street had a lot of cute shops including a quilt shop. I scored some bicycle fabric and panel of the entire US which I will use to commemorate our ride. There we picked up the North Coast Inland Trail which was a nice change from highway and traffic noise. The route today was flat and easy. It was getting quite hot by the time we reached our hotel in Fremont. Tomorrow is a much longer day and there is a threat of rain.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    Fellow Coaster John Ilenin
    Kiprin, OHLake ErieLake ErieLake Erie

    Day 51 Fremont to Westlake, OH

    July 29, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    82.78 miles, 1028 feet. With the threat of rain this morning, I packed the go pro and put my phone in a water proof bag, so there are not many photos today. The first 45 miles were mostly on the North Coast Inland. Depending on what county you are in depends on whether it is paved or not. By mile nine, it started to rain and we were pretty wet, so a bunch of us took refuge in a Burger King. Several riders had flat tires which slowed the group down a bit.

    We met our friend John Ilenin at a trailhead shelter at Kipton. He had ice water and homemade cookies waiting for us. Lunch was a few miles later.

    Our last 28 miles featured a pretty good tail wind for most of the way and we found our route taking us along the Lake Erie shoreline. You will have to believe me when I tell you that the mansions along the lake were amazing. Tonight we are in Westlake, OH and tomorrow we pedal onward towards Cleveland and beyond.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald

    Day 52 Westlake to Austinburg, OH

    July 30, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    70.33 miles, 1357 Feet. Today’s ride was mostly urban. Our morning took us right through downtown Cleveland where we passed the Cleveland Browns Stadium and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A cool north crosswind kept the temperatures moderate as we rode mostly along the south coast of Lake Erie. We encountered many stoplights and probably two thirds of them were red causing us to stop a lot. On the other hand it gave us a brief rest! Not too many photos again today as the traffic was heavy and much of the route was commercial. Tonight is our last night in Ohio as we will reach New York sometime tomorrow.Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald

    Day 53 Austinburg, OH to Findley Lake, N

    July 31, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

    76.3 miles, 2576 feet. Our route this morning had us on a great trail for about 5 miles. Ohio trails are really nice for the most part. Since it was Saturday, we had the roads mostly to ourselves for the several hours. The route followed the coastline of Lake Erie even though we couldn’t always see the lake.

    We crossed into the northwest corner of Pennsylvania around mile 20. Much of our ride was lots of residential areas with some farms. Public restrooms were hard to find.

    The urban trails through Erie, PA were a bit tricky, but we managed to navigate them. After lunch the route was more rural with lots of grape vineyards and nursery farms. Shortly before our hotel we crossed in to New York State. Our overnight is on Lake Findley. We are watching the weather for tomorrow as it looks like rain.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    GrapesBarcelona LighthouseBarcelona LighthouseLake ErieSuncliff on the Lake2

    Day 54 Findley Lake to Derby, NY

    August 1, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    65.95 miles, 1716 feet. We checked the radar and hoped to miss the rain today. Our route out had a few climbs and and then a long steep (9%) downhill back to the lake. I was up to over 40 mph at one point. We actually were back in Pennsylvania for a few miles and then back to New York. The ride again hugged Lake Erie for most of the day. There were lots of grape vineyards again today.

    About mile 30 it started to rain and we can hear thunder over the lake. We took refuge under an overhang of an abandoned building for the downpour. We arrived in Dunkirk a few miles later and had a nice coffee and donut stop at Tim Horton.

    Sometime later we entered the Seneca Nation. We hit another rain shower there. I don’t have a lot of photos today due the rain. Tonight we are staying at Suncliff on the Lake. It is a 19th century mansion converted into a wedding and event center. It is quite interesting.

    Tomorrow should be a short day and we should reach Niagara Falls by noon. We have a rest day on Tuesday and hope to take in the sites.    Read more

  • Chrysa NiewaldNorthern Tier 2021Chrysa Niewald
    Sun Cliff Manor - our overnight last night
    Buffalo

    Day 55 Derby to Niagara Falls

    August 2, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    41.74 miles, 744 feet. Today was an urban adventure! With only 39 miles, we thought this would be a short ride day. As we neared Buffalo, we had lots of turns on and off urban trails. We encountered road and trail closures due to construction. Some of the trails were very nice and new and others were in need of repair. We crossed several major bridges fortunately on protected but narrow bike lanes.

    There was also a lot of photo ops as we rode right next to Lake Erie and then the Niagara River. We also made two Tim Horton stops for donuts and orange juice.

    Less than two miles from the end, Richard had a flat tire. He tried to put enough air in it to make it to the end. He ended up walking it and our Steve picked him up. We made it to Niagara Falls shortly after noon. Tomorrow is a rest day and we will play tourists. More photos to come.    Read more

  • 2026© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice