We are spending our rest day outside of Crystal Falls. After breakfast, our host packed us into his truck and dropped us off on the Paint River with a couple of canoes. We were to drift.downstream for a few hours; at the next launching point he would meet us and bring us back. It is another perfect day although the sun was a bit intense at times on the river. A kingfisher flew put ahead of us and landed over and over. There was a family of small hawks calling in their shrill voices.
We had been assured that the Paint River would be calm - no rapids. We floated along, taking the occasional paddle stroke to keep going in the right direction. We had also been warned that there would be a couple of places where we'd have to walk where the water was too shallow. I guess I just didn't think much when I pictured that. I imagined a sand bar or something that we'd carry the boats over. It didn't occur to me to think about how the water moved through to continue the river's course.
We soon found out. We began to see lots of little disturbances in the water, and quite a few rocks protruding. We heard the water rushing. We looked very carefully, chose the best path we could, and made it through. Hurray! But then it happened again, and again, and eventually our luck ran out and our canoe ran up on the rocks. Bruce ended up getting out to lighten the boat and push it through the shallows a few times. After three hours we reached our landing spot & headed back.
We went to town to do laundry and find lunch - we are so lucky to have Jim and Aline with us! We are almost ten miles from town here - it would have been peanut butter & washing clothes in the shower without them.
Or perhaps we'd have had to stay closer to town, and then we would have missed the bear. Our hosts have a big barrel of feed for the local wild turkeys out in the back. Only the bears have figured it out. Now, most mornings & evenings, guests can watch various members of the local ursine crowd lying there like dissipated ancient Romans and stuffing themselves with turkey food. Yes, we do have pictures.
One more miscellaneous observation: I like the way towns in the midwest have water towers with their names written on them. We can generally see the big, round towers from a few miles out which is an encouraging landmark.
No miles today.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Ready for a rest day
Only 30 + miles today.
I am sitting in the great B&B we will be staying at for two nights listening to thunder roar, watching lightning flash, and not worrying at all. We rode very gently into Michigan, our seventh state, we stopped for a quick lunch in Crystal Falls and headed a few miles north. Jim came out to meet us in the car. He told us we were headed for a gravel road, and assured us it would not be cheating to accept a ride - we are about eight miles off the official route and will just be riding back to resume our journey on Monday- and besides, he was at a loose end. Poor Aline twisted her ankle on their walk this morning & was resting. We weren't hard to persuade. We hopped in, came to this very nice place, took long baths and are looking forward to doing very, very little for a whole day.
I am sitting in the great room surrounded by stuffed animals. Not the toy store variety. There is a raccoon climbing the support post of the staircase. A bobcat stares down from the rock chimney. A moose head graces the wall above the back door. A black bear reaches hopefully for a mud-based hive hanging from one of the interior logs of this log building. So who cares if it's raining? The wildlife viewing is great right here. For the more domestic of us, there are a couple of (not stuffed! very active) dogs and a cat. The perfect setting for a very welcome quiet day.
Another random observation: signs showing family names outside their houses - usually out by the mailbox. The trouble is, a distressingly high proportion of the people producing the signs have declared war on Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves. If she were to come here with her apostrophe removal kit, she would have one big job ahead of her. The thing is, they all want to call themselves the Brown's, or the Miller's. Maybe I should be more charitable in my assumptions. Maybe the woods are full of single, possessive people. Maybe that's not much more charitable?
Miles today: 34
Total miles so far: 2662
I am sitting in the great B&B we will be staying at for two nights listening to thunder roar, watching lightning flash, and not worrying at all. We rode very gently into Michigan, our seventh state, we stopped for a quick lunch in Crystal Falls and headed a few miles north. Jim came out to meet us in the car. He told us we were headed for a gravel road, and assured us it would not be cheating to accept a ride - we are about eight miles off the official route and will just be riding back to resume our journey on Monday- and besides, he was at a loose end. Poor Aline twisted her ankle on their walk this morning & was resting. We weren't hard to persuade. We hopped in, came to this very nice place, took long baths and are looking forward to doing very, very little for a whole day.
I am sitting in the great room surrounded by stuffed animals. Not the toy store variety. There is a raccoon climbing the support post of the staircase. A bobcat stares down from the rock chimney. A moose head graces the wall above the back door. A black bear reaches hopefully for a mud-based hive hanging from one of the interior logs of this log building. So who cares if it's raining? The wildlife viewing is great right here. For the more domestic of us, there are a couple of (not stuffed! very active) dogs and a cat. The perfect setting for a very welcome quiet day.
Another random observation: signs showing family names outside their houses - usually out by the mailbox. The trouble is, a distressingly high proportion of the people producing the signs have declared war on Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves. If she were to come here with her apostrophe removal kit, she would have one big job ahead of her. The thing is, they all want to call themselves the Brown's, or the Miller's. Maybe I should be more charitable in my assumptions. Maybe the woods are full of single, possessive people. Maybe that's not much more charitable?
Miles today: 34
Total miles so far: 2662
Not quite perfect
We set out for Santa's place with more perfect weather, perfect scenery, and promising food options. As we approached the first likely town, things looked great - there were lots of people around on bicycles. Always a good sign. I stopped briefly to make a few notes (my brain gets mushier every day) and one young guy stopped to see if I was ok. We got talking and he asked about our trip. Where in Connecticut were we headed? When I told him, he happily announced that he works on a very cool farm in Old Saybrook! He told me a bit about it. Did I know what a stupa is? Oh, you're from San Francisco - you must know. (An interesting perception about our city - and as it happens, I did have a vague idea). Anyway, he encouraged me to visit if we have time.
When we pulled in to Boulder Junction, I was not too surprised to find that it is the sort of resort town I had expected to see more often on the trip. Plenty of newish cafes and gift shops, places to rent bikes & kayaks. We immediately found lunch and more great ice cream at a place with a very full bike rack. We set out to do the next stretch on a nice little bike path. The maps only told us to take it for about two miles, but it must have been extended considerably since the maps were made; we stayed on it for maybe four miles, and could have gone on. We chose to get back on the road, though. It was surprisingly busy and there was no shoulder. I was mildly surprised that Adventure Cycling had chosen it. Well, sometimes there's not a lot of choice. The bike trail continued to appear regularly beside us for about four more miles. Hmm.
We reached a major intersection, and Bruce had the presence of mind to ask why our supposed road was not mentioned on any of the signs.
Oh.
Cost us about 8 miles. We found a way to rejoin our route without starting all over again, but so much for another perfect day. I think this was our first serious wrong turn, though, which isn't too bad.
Really, it was ok. It wasn't a very hilly day & we were moving right along & the temperature was very pleasant. So we found our way back and continued towards Santa's. Just short of our last turn, Jim and Aline came along. Jim & Bruce decided it was time to give Jim a turn to ride, so at about mile 70, I had a new companion who was not familiar with Shimano road gearing, who did not have bike shoes to go with the SPD pedals, whose shorts wrre meant for swimming, who is mostly a runner these days, who is pretty darned competitive, and - oh, yeah - who was not a bit tired. He gave me quite a workout. I was actually pretty excited to realize I could do it without much trouble. I guess 2500 straight miles have really made a difference.
So we pulled up to Santa's Backwoods Motel. (What will I have to talk about now that it's behind us??!) It turns out to be a very small, basic but very clean motel in a very remote area. Oh, the walls in our room were green, and there was a green lace curtain, but the pictures were of wolves, not reindeer. Turns out the whole area has a bit of a Christmas theme - of sorts. The place we had dinner had subdued Christmassy decorations. When we rode out this morning, we saw Christmas stuff in a front yard. The others told me the motel offers for sale Christmas tree lights - multi-colored lights in shotgun shells.
Oh, and this is a day late because Santa has yet to get WiFi.
Miles Friday: 84
Total miles so far: 2628
When we pulled in to Boulder Junction, I was not too surprised to find that it is the sort of resort town I had expected to see more often on the trip. Plenty of newish cafes and gift shops, places to rent bikes & kayaks. We immediately found lunch and more great ice cream at a place with a very full bike rack. We set out to do the next stretch on a nice little bike path. The maps only told us to take it for about two miles, but it must have been extended considerably since the maps were made; we stayed on it for maybe four miles, and could have gone on. We chose to get back on the road, though. It was surprisingly busy and there was no shoulder. I was mildly surprised that Adventure Cycling had chosen it. Well, sometimes there's not a lot of choice. The bike trail continued to appear regularly beside us for about four more miles. Hmm.
We reached a major intersection, and Bruce had the presence of mind to ask why our supposed road was not mentioned on any of the signs.
Oh.
Cost us about 8 miles. We found a way to rejoin our route without starting all over again, but so much for another perfect day. I think this was our first serious wrong turn, though, which isn't too bad.
Really, it was ok. It wasn't a very hilly day & we were moving right along & the temperature was very pleasant. So we found our way back and continued towards Santa's. Just short of our last turn, Jim and Aline came along. Jim & Bruce decided it was time to give Jim a turn to ride, so at about mile 70, I had a new companion who was not familiar with Shimano road gearing, who did not have bike shoes to go with the SPD pedals, whose shorts wrre meant for swimming, who is mostly a runner these days, who is pretty darned competitive, and - oh, yeah - who was not a bit tired. He gave me quite a workout. I was actually pretty excited to realize I could do it without much trouble. I guess 2500 straight miles have really made a difference.
So we pulled up to Santa's Backwoods Motel. (What will I have to talk about now that it's behind us??!) It turns out to be a very small, basic but very clean motel in a very remote area. Oh, the walls in our room were green, and there was a green lace curtain, but the pictures were of wolves, not reindeer. Turns out the whole area has a bit of a Christmas theme - of sorts. The place we had dinner had subdued Christmassy decorations. When we rode out this morning, we saw Christmas stuff in a front yard. The others told me the motel offers for sale Christmas tree lights - multi-colored lights in shotgun shells.
Oh, and this is a day late because Santa has yet to get WiFi.
Miles Friday: 84
Total miles so far: 2628
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Perfect day
When we headed out it felt a bit humid. There was some fog early this morning. We went uphill almost right away. It didn't matter. The fog lifted quickly, but left lots of clouds behind - puffy, nice looking clouds that didn't threaten and did keep the intense sun at bay. The hill was less steep than it looked. What little wind there was came from behind. We knew where the best stops would be. My legs seemed more than ready. The temperature was warm, never hot. The road was rolling. The scenery was great. Wisconsin lived up to its reputation for good pavement most of the day. It was the sort of day that makes it hard to imagine not riding.
We went through one town quite early & picked up some extra stuff to drink. As we were riding out we passed two women walking along with binoculars. They told Bruce what they had been seeing, so I kept my eyes open and saw the trumpeter swans they mentioned. We stopped to gaze at them, and spotted a loon as well. Back on the bikes to Glidden, where we actually had to choose between restaurants, and we were not confined to hamburgers. I got a chicken sandwich, and I got to choose grilled rather than fried. I had no idea how great that would feel until we got out here! I stopped at the local bakery and got some cookies; the baker's young son rang up the sale & I could here him muttering the calculations
Back on the road. A deer came out and stated at me. It bobbed its head, and I nodded back. Again, again. Then I looked around to see how close Bruce was, and when I turned back the deer had vanished. We reached Butternut, the last town we would see before our destination, Mercer. Bruce had suggested we stop for ice cream, an idea I never turn down, and almost the first thing we saw in town was an ice cream shop. It was definitely the best ice cream I have had on this trip, and some of the best I have ever had. We sat & chatted with the owners as we ate & learned that it has won first place among Wisconsin ice creams for 9 years. Aline and Jim are toying with the idea of going back to try it tomorrow.
After the ice cream we turned on a less major road & were sort of concerned about the pavement condition. It actually was almost all great. Soon after we turned we stopped by a little pond and saw cedar waxwings, a wood duck, a green heron and a muskrat. It was one of those idyllic days. The hills got shorter and steeper, the trees backed away a bit to give us views of lakes, marshes and meadows.
This is why we came.
Odds & ends:
I can't believe I forgot this yesterday. While Jim was cooking that fish, he and Aline called out to me that there was a bird in the cabin. Before I got inside they had changed their minds - it was a bat. A nice, healthy bat swooping around (eating mosquitoes, or so we were told). I managed to close it into one of the bedrooms, but the windows had fixed screens so we could not think how to shoo it out. We dragged the poor manager down & he valiantly went in with a towel. He came out thinking he had accidentally killed it, and picked it up with a paper towel, but it was only stunned & it flew away - fortunately just as he had gotten outside.
Jim went out to run this morning early but had to come back because the bugs were so aggressive. A shirt and some spray allowed him to finish, and by the time we were ready to ride they had subsided. Although I have had quite a few bites since June 1 (did you know mosquitoes know how to draft off a cyclist???) I have not ever been kept awake by that annoying whine. And the mosquitoes and flies are no worse in Minnesota and Wisconsin than they were in Montana and North Dakota, probably because of the extraordinarily wet weather those usually dry states have had this year.
We now know what a supper club is. We had seen a few but had not ventured in yet. The guy at the great ice cream place recommended The Dingaling Supper Club for dinner tonight, and it was very good. Apparently supper clubs are generally nicer restaurants than cafes. We will most likely be visiting more of them.
I am sitting in a laundromat waiting for our stuff to dry. Soon after I arrived, a hummingbird came in and could not find its way out again. It flew to the windows; it flew up to the light fixtures (flourescent ceiling panels); it couldn't find the open doors. There was a couple here - the man was tall and was wearing a baseball cap. As the poor little bird got tired, the man was able to catch it in his hat and send it on its way.
When we first saw a sign for Mercer, it claimed the title of "Loon Capitol." When we rolled into town, we spotted a giant statue of a loon - we plan to try for a family calendar picture there in the morning; soon after that as we passed a lake, we could hear loons calling.
Tomorrow is a day we have been wondering about since we made our reservations. We will be staying at Santa's Backwoods Motel. Really. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
The clouds are getting very pink. The days are a bit shorter now- we can actually stay awake for sunset. Sometimes.
Miles today: 67
Total miles so far: 2544
We went through one town quite early & picked up some extra stuff to drink. As we were riding out we passed two women walking along with binoculars. They told Bruce what they had been seeing, so I kept my eyes open and saw the trumpeter swans they mentioned. We stopped to gaze at them, and spotted a loon as well. Back on the bikes to Glidden, where we actually had to choose between restaurants, and we were not confined to hamburgers. I got a chicken sandwich, and I got to choose grilled rather than fried. I had no idea how great that would feel until we got out here! I stopped at the local bakery and got some cookies; the baker's young son rang up the sale & I could here him muttering the calculations
Back on the road. A deer came out and stated at me. It bobbed its head, and I nodded back. Again, again. Then I looked around to see how close Bruce was, and when I turned back the deer had vanished. We reached Butternut, the last town we would see before our destination, Mercer. Bruce had suggested we stop for ice cream, an idea I never turn down, and almost the first thing we saw in town was an ice cream shop. It was definitely the best ice cream I have had on this trip, and some of the best I have ever had. We sat & chatted with the owners as we ate & learned that it has won first place among Wisconsin ice creams for 9 years. Aline and Jim are toying with the idea of going back to try it tomorrow.
After the ice cream we turned on a less major road & were sort of concerned about the pavement condition. It actually was almost all great. Soon after we turned we stopped by a little pond and saw cedar waxwings, a wood duck, a green heron and a muskrat. It was one of those idyllic days. The hills got shorter and steeper, the trees backed away a bit to give us views of lakes, marshes and meadows.
This is why we came.
Odds & ends:
I can't believe I forgot this yesterday. While Jim was cooking that fish, he and Aline called out to me that there was a bird in the cabin. Before I got inside they had changed their minds - it was a bat. A nice, healthy bat swooping around (eating mosquitoes, or so we were told). I managed to close it into one of the bedrooms, but the windows had fixed screens so we could not think how to shoo it out. We dragged the poor manager down & he valiantly went in with a towel. He came out thinking he had accidentally killed it, and picked it up with a paper towel, but it was only stunned & it flew away - fortunately just as he had gotten outside.
Jim went out to run this morning early but had to come back because the bugs were so aggressive. A shirt and some spray allowed him to finish, and by the time we were ready to ride they had subsided. Although I have had quite a few bites since June 1 (did you know mosquitoes know how to draft off a cyclist???) I have not ever been kept awake by that annoying whine. And the mosquitoes and flies are no worse in Minnesota and Wisconsin than they were in Montana and North Dakota, probably because of the extraordinarily wet weather those usually dry states have had this year.
We now know what a supper club is. We had seen a few but had not ventured in yet. The guy at the great ice cream place recommended The Dingaling Supper Club for dinner tonight, and it was very good. Apparently supper clubs are generally nicer restaurants than cafes. We will most likely be visiting more of them.
I am sitting in a laundromat waiting for our stuff to dry. Soon after I arrived, a hummingbird came in and could not find its way out again. It flew to the windows; it flew up to the light fixtures (flourescent ceiling panels); it couldn't find the open doors. There was a couple here - the man was tall and was wearing a baseball cap. As the poor little bird got tired, the man was able to catch it in his hat and send it on its way.
When we first saw a sign for Mercer, it claimed the title of "Loon Capitol." When we rolled into town, we spotted a giant statue of a loon - we plan to try for a family calendar picture there in the morning; soon after that as we passed a lake, we could hear loons calling.
Tomorrow is a day we have been wondering about since we made our reservations. We will be staying at Santa's Backwoods Motel. Really. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
The clouds are getting very pink. The days are a bit shorter now- we can actually stay awake for sunset. Sometimes.
Miles today: 67
Total miles so far: 2544
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Celebration time!
Aline and Jim caught up with us today. Hooray!!! We did fine on our own - most of the time - but having support feels very good. Having the dinner they prepared felt pretty wonderful, too. Fish, corn, salad, sauteed vegetables and sparkling water. I really don't know what we'd have done otherwise. We are in a fairly remote area and most of the little restaurants we passed during today's ride are out of business. Having their support and their company is going to be a real treat.
Last night's B&B was very nice. It was an old house furnished with, as far as I could tell, eveything that had ever appealed to the owner. But the clutter worked. It was fun looking around at it all, and the bed, the bathtub and the breakfast were terrific. We even had a thunderstorm in the middle of the night.
Actually, that was predicted. Today's weather was not supposed to be great, but fortunately the worst was overnight. We decided, since today's ride was not particularly long, that we would stick around long enough to do our laundry while the storm system passed. It was raining when we got up, but we didn't have any rain at all while we rode.
Today was one of those days I can't ever figure out. How do you know how good a day you're going to have? Bruce felt rested and ready to roll, but I felt sort of tired. Yet after about ten miles that he was not having much fun, and I felt like anything was ok - it was all easy. It happens to me all the time & so far I have no clue why.
We had lots more of the Wisconsin woods and lakes. I spotted a smallish animal in the road once, and approached wondering what it was and how long it would stick around to let me see it. Well, it stuck around until I was almost on top of it. It was a little racoon. Even when I got very close, it thought the thing to do was to head off the road by running across in front of me, growling as it went. That was a bit unnerving.
I have to admit there was a tough side to my day, too. Many of the roads we took were in pretty bad shape. At times they took all our attention. No time to admire the surroundings. I had heard that Wisconsin had very good roads for bikes. So far, we have not experienced that. Some are pretty good for a while; most are rough and have those b-bump, b-bump joints every few feet that really get old after a while. We ended up shifting over to a bigger road towards the end of the day, which helped.
I am sorry we don't have more time to explore Wisconsin. We didn't schedule any of our rest days here. This is definitely a place I would like to see more of.
By the way, today justified Adventure Cyclings claim; it was much flatter.
Miles today: 59
Total miles so far: 2477
Last night's B&B was very nice. It was an old house furnished with, as far as I could tell, eveything that had ever appealed to the owner. But the clutter worked. It was fun looking around at it all, and the bed, the bathtub and the breakfast were terrific. We even had a thunderstorm in the middle of the night.
Actually, that was predicted. Today's weather was not supposed to be great, but fortunately the worst was overnight. We decided, since today's ride was not particularly long, that we would stick around long enough to do our laundry while the storm system passed. It was raining when we got up, but we didn't have any rain at all while we rode.
Today was one of those days I can't ever figure out. How do you know how good a day you're going to have? Bruce felt rested and ready to roll, but I felt sort of tired. Yet after about ten miles that he was not having much fun, and I felt like anything was ok - it was all easy. It happens to me all the time & so far I have no clue why.
We had lots more of the Wisconsin woods and lakes. I spotted a smallish animal in the road once, and approached wondering what it was and how long it would stick around to let me see it. Well, it stuck around until I was almost on top of it. It was a little racoon. Even when I got very close, it thought the thing to do was to head off the road by running across in front of me, growling as it went. That was a bit unnerving.
I have to admit there was a tough side to my day, too. Many of the roads we took were in pretty bad shape. At times they took all our attention. No time to admire the surroundings. I had heard that Wisconsin had very good roads for bikes. So far, we have not experienced that. Some are pretty good for a while; most are rough and have those b-bump, b-bump joints every few feet that really get old after a while. We ended up shifting over to a bigger road towards the end of the day, which helped.
I am sorry we don't have more time to explore Wisconsin. We didn't schedule any of our rest days here. This is definitely a place I would like to see more of.
By the way, today justified Adventure Cyclings claim; it was much flatter.
Miles today: 59
Total miles so far: 2477
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Flat defined?
It's ok, really. I mean, it's not that I don't do hills. I am signed up for the Mt. Diablo challenge when I get home. But I did spend a fair amount of time today wondering just what dictionary Adventure Cycling uses. The back of the map we are now on describes road conditions. Mostly flat, it says. It wasn't exactly Haleaka, true, but we started at about 600' elevation and are now at about 1400' and I figure we gained the difference several times. Flat was a very rare thing today. And really, it doesn't matter. I just like to know what to expect is all, especially when I head out for 80 or 90 miles.
We were at a very nice B&B last night. One where I wanted to be very careful where I put my well-used cycling gear. The canopy bed was so high I was glad to have fairly strong arms - no way I could have gotten up without them - and even more glad when Bruce found a little stool I could use to climb up there. Once there, I was very comfortable & enjoyed looking out at the St. Croix River. Of course, breakfast was not particularly early which was nice, but we got a latish start.
I think I mentioned yesterday that we had miscalculated the distance. No matter how many ways we tried, we came up with almost 90 miles. At dinner last night we found out about a new trail that appeared to take a few miles off, so we gave it a try. It worked out just fine. Not as fast as paved surfaces, but easily ridden. Our stretch was about 11 miles long. At the end was a little town with a bike shop where we figured we could get more route advice. The guy there was delighted we had used the trail. It is very new and apparently it was quite a struggle to limit its use to non-motorized vehicles. ATVs and snowmobiles are very big around here. However, he thought the rest of our route was as it should be.
We stopped for lunch. Although our mileage so far was only about 19, it was 11:30 and the next town was about 30 miles farther along. So we headed out after noon with more than 60 miles to go. 60 not-so-flat miles. 60 very pretty miles.
Wisconsin is another one. Very scenic, very welcoming. More pine trees, more hills, more dairies, but still a lot like Minnesota. The regional pronunciation is about the same. The lawns and gardens are colorful and tidy. There are more cars and less pick-up trucks than in Montana and North Dakota (I often thought that a regular car was almost a sure sign of a tourist in those states). Anyhow, mile after mile of greenery and lakes and ponds with occasional traditional barns thrown in, lots of cows (the ones here are not afraid of bicycles, unlike their wilder range-cattle relatives in Montana and North Dakota), lots of birds, lots of wildflowers. The bird songs are sounding very eastern: blue jays and cardinals and black-capped chickadees all over.
Although we had a few tired and hungry moments today, it was for me mostly a day that kept reminding me how glad I am to be here.
Tonight is supposed to be filled with thunderstorms. We are hoping they will have moved on by late morning. Only 50 miles tomorrow so a late start won't matter much.
So happy to be here, if only it weren't Willie's first birthday! Happy birthday, Willie!!! Let's celebrate together when wr get back!
Miles today: 82
Total miles so far: 2418
We were at a very nice B&B last night. One where I wanted to be very careful where I put my well-used cycling gear. The canopy bed was so high I was glad to have fairly strong arms - no way I could have gotten up without them - and even more glad when Bruce found a little stool I could use to climb up there. Once there, I was very comfortable & enjoyed looking out at the St. Croix River. Of course, breakfast was not particularly early which was nice, but we got a latish start.
I think I mentioned yesterday that we had miscalculated the distance. No matter how many ways we tried, we came up with almost 90 miles. At dinner last night we found out about a new trail that appeared to take a few miles off, so we gave it a try. It worked out just fine. Not as fast as paved surfaces, but easily ridden. Our stretch was about 11 miles long. At the end was a little town with a bike shop where we figured we could get more route advice. The guy there was delighted we had used the trail. It is very new and apparently it was quite a struggle to limit its use to non-motorized vehicles. ATVs and snowmobiles are very big around here. However, he thought the rest of our route was as it should be.
We stopped for lunch. Although our mileage so far was only about 19, it was 11:30 and the next town was about 30 miles farther along. So we headed out after noon with more than 60 miles to go. 60 not-so-flat miles. 60 very pretty miles.
Wisconsin is another one. Very scenic, very welcoming. More pine trees, more hills, more dairies, but still a lot like Minnesota. The regional pronunciation is about the same. The lawns and gardens are colorful and tidy. There are more cars and less pick-up trucks than in Montana and North Dakota (I often thought that a regular car was almost a sure sign of a tourist in those states). Anyhow, mile after mile of greenery and lakes and ponds with occasional traditional barns thrown in, lots of cows (the ones here are not afraid of bicycles, unlike their wilder range-cattle relatives in Montana and North Dakota), lots of birds, lots of wildflowers. The bird songs are sounding very eastern: blue jays and cardinals and black-capped chickadees all over.
Although we had a few tired and hungry moments today, it was for me mostly a day that kept reminding me how glad I am to be here.
Tonight is supposed to be filled with thunderstorms. We are hoping they will have moved on by late morning. Only 50 miles tomorrow so a late start won't matter much.
So happy to be here, if only it weren't Willie's first birthday! Happy birthday, Willie!!! Let's celebrate together when wr get back!
Miles today: 82
Total miles so far: 2418
Monday, July 25, 2011
#6
Wisconsin, our sixth state, is today's destination.
We set out from downtown Minneapolis this morning in rush hour traffic. Bikes everywhere. One guy saw our panniers almost immediately and came alongside to ask questions. We rode with him for a few blocks, then he sent us in the right direction to the bike path along the Mississippi. Yes, this was the day the route actually crossed it. Our bridge was a ways south so we got to ride along the river for a mile or two & admire all the engineering feats it displays. A lock, falls alongside it, bridges of all types and ages. There were several signs telling some of the history, but I got caught up in the rush hour feeling so we didn't stop much. We did stop for a few pictures once we were on our bridge.
We spent some time on the St. Paul streets - still plenty of bikes, but not quite as scenic as Minneapolis. More industrial. It was fun seeing the great variety of cyclists: the guy we talked to early, all rigged out in one of the Tour de France jerseys & matching shorts; lots of people in shorts & t-shirts; several guys who thought it was too hot for shirts; lots of people in their work clothes & shoes; all ages, all speeds; one young woman on an older road bike wearing sandals who pushed and swayed to pass me on a steepish little hill, then laughed when I passed her at the top, she, off the bike and gasping, I, just pedaling along at my tortoise pace; once we got out of the cityish areas, lots of kids. The bicycle is a major way of getting around in the Twin Cities.
We were soon on the Gateway Trail. 15 miles of paved trail through shady woods and wetlands and fields and a bit of town. Again, bikes and bikes, and occasional runners and walkers. Parts of the trail were designed for horses - an unpaved bit that criss-crossed our paved path - but we didn't see any riders today. A few miles out another cyclist started chatting. Terry has lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota and rides a lot. She also knows many trees and flowers, so we spent many miles interrogating her- so many miles that we missed our turn & had to backtrack a couple. From there we had only about 20 miles to go. It was all easy today. We even had some tail winds.
The last few miles followed then crossed the St. Croix River, the boundary between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Only a mile or two in we reached our B&B, a very comfortable one with a little balcony overlooking the river.
The only negative is that we seem to have miscalculated a lot of the ride lengths over the next few days. Tomorrow threatens to be close to 90 miles. We have looked at all sorts of maps and will at least partly be going on alternate routes. There are some great looking but unpaved trails. Keeping our fingers crossed!
Miles today: 56
Total miles so far: 2336
We set out from downtown Minneapolis this morning in rush hour traffic. Bikes everywhere. One guy saw our panniers almost immediately and came alongside to ask questions. We rode with him for a few blocks, then he sent us in the right direction to the bike path along the Mississippi. Yes, this was the day the route actually crossed it. Our bridge was a ways south so we got to ride along the river for a mile or two & admire all the engineering feats it displays. A lock, falls alongside it, bridges of all types and ages. There were several signs telling some of the history, but I got caught up in the rush hour feeling so we didn't stop much. We did stop for a few pictures once we were on our bridge.
We spent some time on the St. Paul streets - still plenty of bikes, but not quite as scenic as Minneapolis. More industrial. It was fun seeing the great variety of cyclists: the guy we talked to early, all rigged out in one of the Tour de France jerseys & matching shorts; lots of people in shorts & t-shirts; several guys who thought it was too hot for shirts; lots of people in their work clothes & shoes; all ages, all speeds; one young woman on an older road bike wearing sandals who pushed and swayed to pass me on a steepish little hill, then laughed when I passed her at the top, she, off the bike and gasping, I, just pedaling along at my tortoise pace; once we got out of the cityish areas, lots of kids. The bicycle is a major way of getting around in the Twin Cities.
We were soon on the Gateway Trail. 15 miles of paved trail through shady woods and wetlands and fields and a bit of town. Again, bikes and bikes, and occasional runners and walkers. Parts of the trail were designed for horses - an unpaved bit that criss-crossed our paved path - but we didn't see any riders today. A few miles out another cyclist started chatting. Terry has lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota and rides a lot. She also knows many trees and flowers, so we spent many miles interrogating her- so many miles that we missed our turn & had to backtrack a couple. From there we had only about 20 miles to go. It was all easy today. We even had some tail winds.
The last few miles followed then crossed the St. Croix River, the boundary between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Only a mile or two in we reached our B&B, a very comfortable one with a little balcony overlooking the river.
The only negative is that we seem to have miscalculated a lot of the ride lengths over the next few days. Tomorrow threatens to be close to 90 miles. We have looked at all sorts of maps and will at least partly be going on alternate routes. There are some great looking but unpaved trails. Keeping our fingers crossed!
Miles today: 56
Total miles so far: 2336
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