The Pandas are continuing their journey through Minnesota, mostly by following the Mississippi East and South. Last night we camped at a State Park, where we actually went swimming in the Mississippi! Apparently up here is the only place where swimming in the Mississippi is a pleasant activity, as it gets very muddy down South.

The last couple days have been very pleasant rides through mostly wooded areas on mostly back roads. Yesterday, we found a breakfast place, Chippewa Paws, which saved us from our never-ceasing hunger, and served us 6 plates of food for breakfast. It was amazing!

Camping has become a little more stressful recently as it is a constant battle against the mosquitos. We ran out of DEET last night: it was a huge mistake. Thankfully we were saved by a friendly fisherman who gave us his bug spray.

An interesting change from the dogs that generally chase us for long distances is the dog that we chased for nearly a mile the other day! It burst out from the long grasses on the side of the road in front of us, and, upon seeing us, took off down the road. Every so often, the dog would tire, slow down, glance back at us, and take off again. Finally, growing tired of this, we chased the dog down until it noticed it couldn't outrun us anymore, at which point it stopped, turned around, and ran back the other direction! It was a strange creature.

We seem to be escorted wherever we go by a pack of flies, who seem to enjoy the eddy we make in the wind, much like dolphins will follow a boat for long distances, and the turtles in Finding Nemo follow the ocean currents. Except that these flies are annoying. While it is nice that they don't seem to have any desire to eat us, they do have the tendency to fly into our helmets and mouths, which is something neither dolphins nor turtles are prone to do. This is one of the good things about dolphins and turtles.

The Pandas are looking forward to decorating their bikes for July 4th, and to arriving in Minneapolis in three days!