I was hoping to make some good miles today so I got an early start. I only had a little left of the log jam area. Rounding a corner I saw my first motorboat (not running, just the first one I saw).

As soon as I hit Lake Irving, the wind picked up. It’s a fairly small lake. The crossing would have only been about a mile, but the winds were kicking up pretty decent size waves. I turned into the wind and paddled along the north bank. It was pretty hard work, but just made progress with each stroke.

It was nice to pass under the road bridges and get a little rest. As soon as I entered Lake Bemidji it was back to work. The downtown park was really close. I landed there and got my boat out of the water and locked it up. This was the first time I was using the cable and padlock. They have a Paul Bunyan statue.

I wanted pizza, but being so early I settled for a popular diner. I should have thought about it being Sunday. It was packed. While waiting I washed my hands with running water for the first time this trip. I got back to my boat and waited for the wind to turn. It didn’t and so I waited. At some point I decided I would just suck it up and see how bad it was. It was bad. By now the waves had white caps on the top and they were breaking before they got to shore. I managed to get a half mile before I pulled off on a sandy beach.

It was a narrow strip next to the road a little above me. I checked the weather but nothing looked hopeful. It called for 16 mph winds with gusting around 30 mph. The direction meant it would get worse as I continued around the lake because the waves would have more distance to build. I sat and waited for the wind to die down. It never did.

I finally gave up. This was my home for the night. It was across the road from a McDonald’s and down the embankment. I didn’t set up my tent so I wouldn’t draw attention. It wasn’t supposed to rain anyway. I laid alongside my boat to block the wind.

Mileage: 2.9 + 2 bonus miles

Total Mileage: 54.7

Day 6