We had pitched so that the sun when rising hit the tent with some light and heat and got the day started. We were amused by the pond with its fountain (or sprinkler) and wildlife. Last night swallows scrazed the water after insects, this morning geese floated, dabbled and flew. After breakfast we packed and got onto the road by about 9.40am. We did 4 or 5 miles getting back on route. Then via Dalbo, Milaca, Foreston, Ramey, Little Rock and Royalton to Bowlus. Mostly lightly undulating to flat with sunshine and fluffy small clouds carried along on the light SE wind. Since we were mostly going north that meant a modest tailwind today. We were forced to detour around a bit and the traffic into Milaca was heavy with more or less no shoulder - traffic had been diverted. Nice to get to the park in Milaca. I played on a playground boat, I miss the sea - which we are about 2000 miles from on any direction. This is uncomfortably far... Minnesota is a more mixed landscape than the maize and soya farms we've had for some hundredsof miles - frankly it's prettier too. More pumpkin patches, different grains (some I don't recognise - bulgar wheat?), smaller fields. Mixed crops, more woodland and lakes. The source of the Mississippi isn't very far north of here. We've decided to follow the alternate trail that does more literary things - the Lake Woebegon Trail and Sinclair Lewis' childhood home - I finished his Main Street recently. Literature rather than mosquitoes.... We crossed the Mississippi just before Bowlus. Bowlus is a small but very bike friendly town. We went to the Trailside Cafe and the owner, Jordie, told us where to camp ($10), we ate a very modest dinner (the groceries and gas filling station did very little grocery) but promised ourselves breakfast at the cafe. The cafe owner said that this was a bootleg liquor area - Minnesota 13 liquor.... sonething like irish potcheen. And here too the local nuns had a sympathy with the local illicit liquor makers. Pastoral support... We drank the cans of Icelandic Porter we've carried from Cambridge. Two west to east transam cyclists are also here - Palmer and Kensey - I'll add a link to Palmer's YouTube videos of doing the Northern Tier... This is the half way point of our ride - about 2100 miles done, 2100 to go... Palmer and Kensey have headed off in the opposite direction and suddenly they've disappeared...