I hope most of the readers followed my recent cycling trip from Dubuque, Iowa, to almost New Orleans. Much has happened now that I have been home a week. I just missed some heavy rains that followed my departure and caused major flooding in Mississippi, in fact rain was steadily falling for the first third of the train ride home. Total miles cycled were 1,168 and would have rounded off at 1,200 miles had I not had three flats on the final day.

After I got home, I read back in my book, “Cycling the Northwest” and was especially interested to read about the day in 2017 that I pedaled into Lake Itasca State Park and found the source of the Mississippi River. It is a small park in Minnesota, heavily populated by mosquitoes and flies in the summer. I had a flat just as I entered the park and battled to fix it and go on to the source. Lake Itasca is a decent sized lake, and the Mississippi drains out of the end of it, at about 12 feet wide and two feet deep. People go to the park to walk across the Mississippi and even sit down in it. They buy shirts that say, “I walked across the Mississippi River!”

I didn’t follow the river when leaving Itasca park but did cross it a couple of times on small bridges. At about 30 feet wide and probably deep enough to drown, I didn’t think much about it as I then headed east toward Wisconsin. What I didn’t do was follow the river, now called the Great River Road, and visit the little towns as it headed south on down toward Dubuque, Iowa, where the river is much larger.

Now there is a void that leaves me wondering what the northernmost 600 miles are like. Wondering so much that the need to do this section, like the recent ride, is on the top of my list. I will complete that segment before publishing the book on the Mississippi adventure. I am already ordering the maps for Minnesota and Northern Iowa. Look for further updates as to when this ride will happen.

Back at home, things are happening in the world of running. Our Beginning Runners Class kicks off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Salisbury Police Department. A complete description of the class was in last week’s Gotta’ Run column.

The next race for the county is the Run for the Word 5K in Landis on Sept. 10. Wonderful community involvement, great shirts, awards and refreshments plus a superfast course while all proceeds go to fund the Bible teachers in the South Rowan area schools. These teachers are not funded by the state.

The second race is the Run to the River 5K from downtown Spencer to the Yadkin River, the last two miles being the fastest segment ever done in Rowan. Starting near the Spencer Town Hall on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 5 p.m., this is a point-to-point course, with transportation provided to take runners and walkers back to town hall. All this is part of the Rowan’s Creek Week celebration that also includes a bike ride just before the 5K and a sunset kayak ride following it.

Both races are brand new, very well planned and all levels of walkers, runners and kids are encouraged to join the fun. The BRC and both races are listed at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org and www.runsignup.com

Ralph Baker keeps me posted on the latest in shoes and I am trying a pair of nitrogen infused Brooks’ Glycerin 20 shoes, listed as offering soft strides like never before. I’m a big fan of Brooks and will report more next week.

I am very happy to be back in Rowan County and super excited about the fall racing calendar and BRC class. And thankfully, the South Rowan Y Service Club has settled the ice cream debt for my Mississippi River ride. It remains unclear whether this is a lifetime commitment at this time!

Hope to see you at one of these events in September!