Cathy and Tim Mueller in Angels Camp: Day 26

Can't believe our last day of cycling is done! Hooray, we accomplished our goal. :-)

This morning we got ready to depart knowing that it would be the last time to pack our panniers, to sleep in a hotel bed, to pedal to our daily destination. The feeling was good.
We enjoyed a nice breakfast with Carol, Tim's mom, before saying our heartfelt goodbyes.

The ride today to St.Paul was pretty simple, but we did get a little turned around trying to navigate the many bike paths. We stayed on the Mississippi River Trail most of the morning.

It was great finally seeing the St. Paul skyline off in the distance.

We were welcomed to St. Paul (about 40 miles into our ride) by Ron, Tim's friend for about 30 years. He guided us along the paths to some wonderful scenic overlooks then to his home for the final 12 miles of our journey.

A little relaxation time including a beer, burger, and fun conversation with Ron and Tricia on their back patio was perfect. Then it was time for our next task: breaking down and packing our bicycles.

After we cleaned up and settled in a bit, we were given a grand tour of some of the highlights of St.Paul/Mineapolis.
I was so impressed with number of people embracing the gorgeous weather by being active in the endless park atmosphere. It was awesome. We stopped by Lock and Dam #1 and got to witness the gates of the lock open for tourist boat.

We drove through beautiful neighborhoods as we toured a number of city lakes, stopping for a yummy picnic prepared by Tricia and toasted our safe completion of the journey with margaritas .

After a relaxing dinner, we continued our tour, and I continued to be amazed with the beauty, activity and energy of the people and surroundings.
Another park that had live music and lush grounds, also had a place to get a tasty treat. We carried our ice cream cones as we checked out the falls of Minnehaha.

We took a peaceful and hike to the mouth of this large stream, where it flows into the Mississippi River. It was special touching the Mighty Mississippi River after following it for the last 5 weeks.

We really appreciated not only staying with Ron and Tricia, but also them taking the time to share some of the best that St. Paul/Mineapolis has to offer.