Palace Casino Hotel When the alarm woke us at 8:30 this morning, Cam looked out the window and saw a cloudy sky and rain falling. This is about the last thing you want to see on a bike trip! Nevertheless we headed for breakfast, and by the time we had finished an excellent meal, the skies had cleared and we packed up with a bit more enthusiasm. Overall we were very impressed by the friendliness and excellent customer service offered by the staff and the quality and cleanliness of the alcohol-free facilities at the Palace Casino Hotel. It was great value for our money and an excellent example of a well managed Native commercial property. Because we had a relatively short day, we didn't hit the road until around 11:00 AM, heading for Grand Rapids MN. (Interestingly, it turns out there are several cities with this name, including one in Michigan.)
The prevailing westerly winds were prevailing once again (yahoo!) and we made excellent time riding through the Chippewa National Forest. As we crossed the Mississippi River (for the second time), it started spitting (note that the Mississippi is more of a stream than a river at this point). The intensity of the rain increased rapidly, and we were glad to see the small village of Ball Club (really!) appear in the distance. We sought refuge from a complete downpour in a small general store along the highway, where we met Judy. She had lived in Ball Club for 25 years before she bought the store 13 years ago, and incidentally doesn't know the origin of the town's unusual name. It used to operate as a Bar and Supper Club, but Judy found that people just don't seem to have time for proper "suppers" anymore, so now she sells groceries, liquor, and some gas, primarily to the locals, who are mostly Native Americans. It was interesting talking with her as we dried out and warmed up. After finishing our food and hot beverages, we set out again under sunny skies.
Judy minds the counter in her store. There are many photos of her grandchildren on the wall behind her.
Cam and his "Burger King buddy" We did encounter a few more rain showers, but with the assistance of a moderate wind, we arrived in Grand Rapids at 3:45PM. We stopped at a Burger King with Wifi to look for lodging, where Cam was touched by a random act of kindness... A young fella won a free Whopper meal at a charity-sponsored game on the counter. The game required that you drop a quarter into water, and catch it on one of 4 small ledges. The young man skillfully caught it and was waiting for the manager, but the quarter fell off, so Cam vouched that he had done it, and he received his free meal. Later, as we sat looking for a hotel, this young man came over and kindly offered the free meal to Cam as he had already eaten and wouldn't be able to use it. We hereby name him as our Angel of the Day. Unfortunately, we didn't get his name, but we did get a picture. Thank you so much for this kind gesture - we greatly enjoyed the Whopper Meal while we wrote this blog entry!
Choosing a motel can be tricky - we usually want to stay fairly close to our route, as well as near eating places. Tonight we decided based entirely on "location", choosing the Budget Host Inn, as it was just off the Highway #2. The sign in front said "Free Wifi", but after checking in and showering we discovered we were unable to connect to the Internet, despite extensive efforts by the front desk clerk and Cam. We decided that having the word "Budget" in the name should be a red flag from now on (although it hurts Cam to admit to this...!)
The motel looked OK from the outside, and it had one good review online.
Unfortunately our room was located in the "annex"!
The bathroom fixtures are "retro" burgundy color and were pretty cool in 1964!
 Cam contemplates a WiFi-less hotel room... | We had no choice but to head back to Burger King, in order to work on some administrative tasks that needed attending to, as well as to write this post. Hopefully we will make a better choice in Duluth tomorrow! |  Note the "Free WiFi"! |
Ride Details:
- Distance: 96.0 kms
- Riding time: 4 hours, 2 minutes
- Avg speed: 23.8 kms/hour
- Wind: Northwest (moderate)
- Cumulative: 2,987.0 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Duluth, MN - 133.4 kms
For more ride details see Strava and for more ride photos, see our Photo Gallery.
- Distance: 96.0 kms
- Riding time: 4 hours, 2 minutes
- Avg speed: 23.8 kms/hour
- Wind: Northwest (moderate)
- Cumulative: 2,987.0 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Duluth, MN - 133.4 kms
For more ride details see Strava and for more ride photos, see our Photo Gallery.