day 33 (130 mi.)--you need to sign that passport: june got gary up to say goodbye and we gave each other a hardy wave as i headed out the drive. i had an idea of riding out on rt 15 down to 46, both straight shots and getting me to port sanilac with no complications. but, i got attracted to the back roads and kept to them in, even taking a couple of gravel roads until i connected with deckerville road. whenever i went 'off map' i repeated the phrase "adventure cycling" until i laughed aloud.
i stopped to chat up a farmer digging his potatoes and he told me i had made a fine choice. "it's a smooth road--for the most part, it has much less traffic than 46, and it will take you right to the lake!" he meant huron, and i decided to check out his "for the most part" as far as smoothness went. considering practically no cars had passed me so far, i knew his second point was bang on.
as i went along, i saw these large arms sweeping in and out of the low clouds and it took me a few seconds to figure them out. i took a movie, but it doesn't much do justice to the vision (mostly because you can barely see the "arms")...it was engaging though and i think i spent five-ten minutes just watching them. it was all very jack and the beanstalk-ish.
i stopped in deford at tea o'clock and had a snack chat with the local grocery worker and a county sheriff. the grocery guy was really taken with the idea of an extended bike tour, riding roads, eating, and sleeping when and where things felt right. "i've never met anybody like you before!" while i suppose it is sort of uncommon for a sixty year old to take a trip like this, i highly recommend the experience with its freedom and possibility.
like the apple trees i found at the edge of a freshly combined bean field. as i tested the varieties looking for a crisp one--i found it--i saw a bald eagle up in a dead tree watching over a tractor discing another field. the eyes, the tongue, ears, skin, and nose, get up close and personal when you are on a bike tour.
of course rural nature plays a big part of a trip like this, but i also enjoyed stopping in towns and talking to people--even when they spoke little english. three indiginous people gave me big smiles and shrugged their shoulders when they couldn't give me any information on a restaurant or road beyond town, "i don't know." a young man served me at a bar/grill and we got to talking about his future plans to leave port sanilac. the woman who drove me across the sarnia bridge into canada and then the canadian officers were super friendly and had all kinds of helpful information. when i apologized for not having signed my passport, he smiled and almost sang back, "no problem sir, it happens everyday."
after a grocery stop and making my way out of town, i found myself on another "adventure cycling" part of the journey when i had to detour because of a bridge out. couple that with increasing dark, and fewer and fewer houses out in the rural area beyond sarnia, and i started thinking about stopping for the night. as i was checking out a fairly flat but muddy spot in another bean field, a motorcycle passed me and pulled into the very next door yard. i decided asking them for a patch of grass was a more comfortable choice than i had in the field.
turns out brenda and mike were just the ones to ask. brenda invited me in and we looked at maps and chatted as i ate a late dinner. they gave me a bed and made me most welcome. brenda plotted a route to get me as easily possible down to king's hwy 3 without battling traffic. i went to bed and slept really well feeling lucky...
day 34 (115 mi.)--route finding with help: mike got up early with me and drank a cup of coffee as i had my tea and first breakfast. he opened his shed and i wheeled the bike out, finished packing, and pedaled away with a smile and wave.
brenda's route to 3 was perfect as far as i was concerned. i spent snack o'clock at a historical old church; another snack with a road question with a farm implement mechanic on a smoke break; lunch o'clock at a rest area and had a nice chat with a local kitchen installer; another snack talking with two flagmen as they cursed each other for not letting "the biker" through first!; dinner in a very quiet piece of woods beneath a huge radio tower; and finally pitching my tent behind a wooden structure at a paintball park.
in the last two days i had wheeled close to 250 miles and rather than being tired, i was wide awake and excited. ontario was mostly flat and the wind was not a problem as it had been. i had seen a lot of country and met a bunch of wonderful people. this is what it was all about.
day 35 (110 mi.)--far from and into the madding crowd: waking to another foggy morning, i took note of how heavy the dew and condensation made my tent fly. i shook as much off as i could, packed it away fairly damp, and pedaled off intent on rewarding myself with a restaurant breakfast if i could find one. about twenty miles later in simcoe i got my prize, at the shire restaurant and brew pub. the waitress was amused at the order--my usual: two eggs, as runny as possible on top of home fries with a side of salsa; toast, jam, and peanut butter; a belgian waffle with fruit and whipped cream topping; a mug and a thermos of tea; and a cinnamon bun to go. i thought of it as "eating like a hobbit" like their advertisement said, a hobbit about to go on a long adventure.
as the sun was starting to break through i wheeled away, not exactly full, but satisfied. i was aiming for cayuga and planning to turn off 3, and follow the grand river toward the north side of lake erie. the county rd i took was a joy--no traffic, plenty of sun, and a beautiful river, what could be better? i got into dunneville, found the library and emailed my friend kaleigh who had asked me to stop on my way back home. (jalil and i had worked with her at sead a couple of years ago, but had missed stopping on the east-west trip across ny state.) i figured at this rate i would be there the next day--well ahead of the rain due the next night.
after dunneville i found some really beautiful and nearly empty county roads that led to an even more secluded conservation trail. i stopped twice on the latter and chatted firstly, with three workers clearing trees and brush, and secondly, with an older woman biking home from visiting her parents at a home in the next town. she told me how to hook up with the friendship trail in port colborne: "turn right on cement road, ride to the lake and turn left, go to the canal and find the bridge--cross it and you'll find the trail!" riding ontario was easy!
indeed i did find the friendship trail, and it was as simple as that. it was paved and fast. a couple of bikers stopped at a crossroad, told me that the peace bridge to the us was just a couple miles further. at this rate i could get across and make it through buffalo before it got dark. unlike the sarnia bridge into canada, this one into the united states let you walk across. as i crossed the bridge i stopped to watch rowers sculling in the calm behind a break water.
far beyond the boaters i spotted a giant cloth structure which struck me as rather phallic looking. turns out it was the ferry street bridge to broderick park, under construction and covered. when i got across, the officer checking me in was not nearly as friendly even though he answered my greeting of how are you with "i guess i can't complain." he gruffly gave me back my passport and pointed me out the door, "do you know where you are going? right through that gate with the exit sign on it."
buffalo was busy but it was easy to navigate and before it got really dark i was past the airport on rt 33 or genesee street. with front and back lights blinking, i kept pedaling out of town. after testing two other spots but not being satisfied with flatness--by far the major parameter by which i pick a spot--i finally found some tall grass to set up my tent in a historic cemetery just west of millgrove ny. (the picture below was taken the morning after.)
this link will get you to the street view… i slept just about in the center, to the right of the flag, behind the multiple trunked tree next to a larger individual trunk…better to block the light of a street lamp right across rt 33. the spot came complete with:
- several raccoons chittering in the trees--one actually dropped down and scratched at my pannier. luckily i had thought to clip it shut
- rt 33 about 15 yards north with a steady stream of traffic
- the drone of I-90 not all that far off beyond 33
- an active train track to my south
- under the constant buzz of planes in a flight pattern connecting buffalo to the world.
it was anything but quiet--thank god the ghosts did not bother me.
day 36 (75 mi.)--headed for a friend to beat the rain: buttercrumbs bakery was the first stop i made the next morning. looking for a cafe, i noticed this place right off and went in to enjoy the goodies after talking to a local sitting at an outside table to smoke. three muffins, tea, and more conversation with harry inside, along with the gentleman with the ugly dog hunting, blaze-orange shirt on, …
the jell-o ("america's most famous desert") museum in leroy ny…what is in a jell-o museum you might ask? well we would both have to go in to find out as i was hungry and needed a computer, so i went down to the river by the library and ate first, then emailed kaleigh to tell her when i would be pulling into shortsville. i do wonder if they have removed all vestiges of bill cosby yet though…?
after leaving leroy, i headed off the main roads and pedaled into some really wonderful biking. passing 'sportsmen clubs', old graveyards, and produce stands galore (ok, there were only two gun clubs, but lots of the other stuff…). soon, i ran into the hills south of rochester--more than i had seen for days! the scenery was sublime though and with color just starting to happen, i was cruising along with a huge smile.
earlier, the crushed stone paths in ohio, wisconsin, michigan, and ontario had reminded me of what sawyer and hannah love in the dirt roads of western massachusetts and southern vermont; they rode the D2R2 again this year. these roads took me back to prince edward island and a canadian maritime tour i took years ago. coincidentally, soy and han also road pei this july.
the hills i mentioned were covered with horse farms, or whatever you call them. huge green expanses with miles of white fence spread out from the road, always with a couple of nice looking horses grazing within. several times one or two of them would run along their side of the fence, shaking their manes and tales when they got stopped at a corner but i kept going. i also kept pedaling when i passed a late 50's mercedes benz for sale. i took this picture from the internet, but it looked identical, sans the white fence in the background.
i went by a really solid, beautiful looking barn that i was tempted to stop and pin a note to a post, "if you ever want to sell this barn, call…" right past that on the other side of the road, is the grave yard that kaleigh told me got hit by a tornado on wednesday evening. that must of been the huge, roiling storm system i saw pass just north of me as i came across the peace bridge. i guess i was lucky not to be more intimately involved.
rolling into shortsville, it was easy to find kaleigh's as her dad, ron, was indeed mowing the lawn as she had predicted. i got a warm greeting and a hot shower before kaleigh and evan even got home from work. a couple of huge stuffed peppers sealed the deal--it was a great place to stop and rest, especially since it was supposed to rain all day friday.
day 37--rest and relaxation: rain woke me early and i thought of ron who left for his cable job even earlier, he was going to get wet. i stayed inside and ate, mapped my route, blogged, and emailed. kaleigh's brother ryan and i made pizza for the evening, including the dough, one meat, one "salad" made especially for sue, ron's girlfriend, and myself. we finished out the evening with some rousing games of uno. i begged out of a second round to pack for the morning.
ciao
day 30 (80 mi.)--people are wonderful: i woke fairly early, packed, and headed out dreaming of breakfast. it was fairly cool, with maybe even a touch of frost. i wasn't expecting a restaurant very soon as i was heading into some pretty rural territory. just past the little burg wahalla though, i spotted a big sign, country critters cafe with a couple of trucks in the lot--score! the waitress jessica took my large order with out much surprise and i dug into my 'american fries' eggs and salsa, thinking that waffle was going to taste really good. a woman came out of the kitchen and sat next to me to eat her own breakfast. it turned out norma, was more interesting than the food and i slowed down to listen to her history. i got her to pose by my bike where she finished telling me about working as an undertaker in a jewish funeral parlor.
i rolled away smiling at how people, no matter where you go, have some pretty incredible stories. the rest of the morning took me by plenty of more rural homes and until i got to the town of baldwin--with a library. while i was there i met freddie rosado, a bee keeper from branch, a 'town' i just passed through. i also got the addresses for all the postcards i wrote back on the badger (the ferry from manitowoc to ludington) and dropped them off at the post office.
as i headed out of town, i passed another rail-trail but choose to stay on the highway. a few miles down the road, a really stiff wind and the rolling hills got me thinking that maybe the trail would be better--flatter and less windy. i took the next connector i found. then as i bumped along on a rather rough pere marquette rail trail for a mile or two i started to wonder should i go back to the highway. i found some smoothness in certain areas and decided to stick with the trail. i came into reed city and stopped at the just closed trail center and chamber of commerce. no problem, it was still lunch o'clock so i parked myself at a picnic table and spread lunch out.
after reed city, the trail was paved and i made some really good time despite the nasty wind. at one point i did get off the bike and walk along with another older biker. "the wind is killing me..." started a nice conversation for almost half a mile. i remounted and took off as we neared his truck parked at a crossroad. just after that i passed a tiny lookout next to the river pictured below.
now things were really pleasant on the trail...and i pedaled into the evening toward my goal of clare. as the sun set and colored everything bright pinkish-red--"...sailor's delight..."--i knew clare would be tomorrow and started looking for a flat camp site. i found my spot and pulled off the trail, set up things, and ate before zipping myself into bed.
when i woke later to go pee, i felt a pressure deep in my jaw at the tooth my dentist had advised me to get pulled before i left. "it's only going to cause you trouble." i can remember saying back, "there have to be dentists out on the road..." now as i fell back asleep, it struck me it was going to be a pain in the butt to actually stop at one that could pull it. maybe it would go away.
day 31 (60 mi.)--real and figurative aches: toothache aside, i rode along happy that the grey sky was just that and not raining too. i went through clare and then came to coleman where a breakfast cafe stood on the corner of main street just off the pere marquette. eggs, potatoes, salsa, tea, and this time strawberry pancakes filled a good part of the 'tank' but there was still room i told the waitress. she had just told me "you eat like my teenage son!"
i rode through the large town of midland after leaving the trail. it was getting greyer and much windier as the day went on. about ten minutes after leaving town, i was thinking how terrible it was to bike routes with no shoulder when the wind was blowing so badly, directly into your face...then the rain started. i had thoughts of stopping and asking the folks i saw in their barns or garages and ask if they ever considered renting out space. the 15-ish miles from midland to bay city were definitely the toughest
miles i had pedaled this trip. at one point i got past a farm house
wind break and was nearly blown off my bike. i had to drop down to the
middle chain ring just to keep moving ahead.
when i got into bay city it started raining harder and harder, i
realized my hair was going to be a mess. i was riding along thinking this
is getting ridiculous--windier and wetter every block. at a stop light, a woman rolled down her window and asked "how far are you going?" she pulled ahead a few streets, turned in, and stopped. i caught up with her, june, and she told me about warm showers and directed me to her house where she would ask her husband, gary. the feeneys took me in and gave food and shelter that was indeed warm.
they were long distance bikers themselves and we shared plenty of stories. they also had the tv on so i got a chance to catch up on what was happening out in the non-biking world.
day 32--a rest day: church...rain is tapering--sort off...decided to rest one more day...all packed...glad i am not riding in south carolina
day 26 (95 mi.)--starting east, with a blessing: i opted for late start trying to let the rain get far enough east that i would never catch it. i said goodbye to nancy dawn and followed 96 east out of town. i went right by the pine tree apple orchard she and palmer had taken me to the day before. being that it was monday morning i thought it would be quite different than the weekend commercial madhouse we saw it as yesterday. but then again, it was developed to be that. i rode on toward stillwater.
a bridge out on the county roads i had planned to ride in wisconsin led me back to rt 64, the double lane hwy that map my ride kept throwing me off. it was under construction for some miles but eventually got 'normal'. again, being a monday morning, it was not at all crowded and i didn't have any qualms riding along a freeway. in fact i got several close encounters with birds off in the surrounding fields: a hawk perched in a tree, another hawk hunting a field, five or six turkey vultures circling off in the distance, one-two-three pheasants in the corn stubble, and my second flock of sandhill cranes--4 of them, taking flight with their raspy calls, less than 100 yards away.
when 64 reduced to two lanes i passed a large bar and grill with picnic tables out. i set up under one of their umbrellas and was on my third sandwich when a mini-van pulled in and a guy got out and came over to me. turned out keith, was a local minister that dabbled in commercial window washing and blessings for travelers in this part of the country. he asked if i minded getting one of the latter. when i replied that i thought he already had blessed me by stopping to talk, he took that as a yes and gave me an official one, chanted in hebrew no less. i felt refreshed as i packed up and got back on the road.
the midwest might not seem like the most exciting biking terrain, and at times i suppose i could agree, but i fell into some sort of comforting zone as i kept pedaling east, absorbing the experience. at a snack break i noticed the sky was full of roiling clouds of deep blue and purple with bright red highlights and realized the sun was setting. it was time to start looking for a camp. i passed the town of bloomer and got serious finally settling on another bar and grill that just happened to be closed on mondays. pushing my bike to the back under some oak trees and next to a cornfield, i found a flat spot. i mixed up some hummus and ate a couple of sandwiches. the stars were all out as i set up the tent and crawled into sleep.
day 27 (115 mi.)--what time is the right time: when i got up around 5:30 it was really windy--blowing the tent hard. when i took out the two stakes holding down the fly and tent, it started rolling off into the cornfield. in flat farm country the wind seemed to always be blowing--check out the street view on google! i slept at the back of the building, listening to the wind, traffic, and the refrigeration in an alternating chorus.
the hills appeared soon after i got on the road just as the sky was starting to lighten in the east. even though he was out in la, jalil and i still had an argument going as to which was worse, hills or wind. this morning i was actually thinking they were about even.
it was still dark enough to see two owls fly across the road. i started thinking about how those owls were occupying the same niche as the hawks seen the day before, only without the sun. since i was pedaling in the dark, i naturally contemplated how that was different than riding in the daylight. flashing bike lights and lower traffic aside, seeing things on a much reduced scale in both amount and detail, made me focus other senses more than i might in the light.
in taylor county, 64 runs into and then south of a fairly large collection of natural areas that combines several different ecosystems. the ice-walled lake and the eskar sections seemed like places to explore if i wasn't on a bike headed home. i did stop and eat first lunch at a large entrance sign to the pirus road swamp where 119 runs into 64. it was a sunny comfortable spot that would have lulled me to sleep if i was interested.
a few miles down the road i started my county road riding that would take me into wausau. what that basically meant was that i would avoid the big towns and pass through little "hamlets" as some call themselves. i stopped for a second lunch at a graveyard next to a cute little church. i had just seen a woman walking her dog--on a leash--way out in some well-manicured fields. at what seemed to be the dog walker's brightly painted, richly trimmed house i noticed at least two late model suvs and i wondered which big city did they move here from? soon enough, back on the road i got a possible answer when i came into the town of little chicago. as i went up and out of town, a woman in the loudest biking suit i have ever seen--a really bright blue with some sort of wild design--atop a super bike--carbon fiber and fast--flew by me. dogs on leashes and really expensive bikes seemed more city than country.
even with the wind against me and steep hills galore i made good time and got into wausau. after a lucrative stop at a grocery, i found the start of my next off road trail, the mountain-bay state trail. i laid out a fine supper with all the food i had just bought and ate until the sun completely disappeared. thinking that this was not the best place to sleep, even though it was quiet and flat, i packed, turned on the lights, and headed east. about 10-ish more miles out of wausau i stopped and set up the tent. it was a clear and getting cold and felt really good to crawl into the sleeping bag.
day 28 (95 mi.)--cold can lead to warmth: my first frost--cold riding but sparkling for the eyes. the sun was pretty much in my eyes but i did see the deer standing in the trail. for some reason animals seem much less skittish with bike riders and i often got really close to them before they bolt. i was wearing my winter gloves but it didn't take too long before my fingers felt like wooden blocks. i figure it is the constant pressure of leaning on the bars. it definitely gets worse when i am on a graveled trail rather than smooth asphalt.
i rode on to warm up before stopping to eat. my reward was a picnic table beside a nearly glass surfaced lake. i was able to take off some of the cold weather gear and spread out a breakfast feast. i have been buying the large container of yogurt since jalil left (he didn't think we could finish it...) and eating it over two sittings--one in the evening and one in the morning. my favorite is to add fruit, usually a banana or strawberries, granola, and dark chocolate chips.
...great trail most of the way to green bay...
some snowmobile club guys working on bridges...'sin'amon buns...getting through the big city of green bay...Denmark...relatively protected on the trail--no hills until i left the hills...
day 29 (30/10 mi.)--wow, that chain really was dirty!: cruise into manitowok...health food store...piggly wiggly...josh and dan at the heavy pedal...library closed on thursdays...sub...ss badger...bob...kids love granola bars...10-ish miles out rt 10...wind and hills
day 24--food is good: plans to get out and see the sights today gave way to more eating, conversation (with aj, my nephew, as well as p&nd), and more eating. we did finally get downtown and palmer and nancy dawn took me into the new guthrie theater. the views were way cooler than what you see in the picture of my brother and me looking out an observation deck on the 'endless bridge', but it gives you a sense. check out the latimes article if you want more insight. (i remember my grandmother and i went to the old guthrie to see waiting for godot in the 70's.)
palmer snapped a picture just inside looking through the blue glass to give you an idea of the three week biker look--before shaving. we went out for indian food right after this and i actually got full on a delicious coconut curry with tofu and veggies. they took me shopping at the seward coop right after and i stocked up with some quality food for the road. it will weigh me down but the food will be fresh and nourishing--and not loaded with sugar or food coloring. of course by the time i got home i had to have a bowl granola, bananas, chocolate chips, and yogurt...it sounds legit if you call it carbo loading.
i have pretty much decided my bald-ish head will be pointed east on monday. i have started a route going across wisconsin toward the ss badger ferry on lake michigan, from manitowoc wi to ludington mi. i will head mostly straight, into canada, and then back into upstate ny around niagra. it is only a matter of time and pedaling between there and home.
time for bed...
day 25--the true lightness of being: oh how responsive the nishiki is without a load! nancy dawn led palmer and i around some local trails this am--it was fast! after a nap, i made a big batch of pesto and palmer built some flat bread pizzas--yummy, more carbo loading. as we finished dinner out on the porch, the super blood moon eclipse was starting. we spent a good bit of time observing that and palmer and i three handed a picture using phone and binoculars...
this was a good rest, but i had to get to bed, pack up early in the morning, and start the trip home. i didn't know how much computer access i would have, but a few short notes now and then over should appear over the next two weeks.
stay tuned--ciao...
if you have been reading this blog right along, you knew that the last section of riding--from chicago heights il to st paul mn--was an individual effort. jalil flew out to la to battle with tom--his rental agent--and set himself up for school. (as a bonus, celeste was also flying in for a visit!) there are both advantages and disadvantages to riding without a partner. while it would seem that a solo rider can go a bit farther each day, i miss the give and take of working out daily logistics as a team.
one yummy thing i learned riding with jalil is that we both love peanut butter more than should be healthy (that and his butt looks fantastic in lycra). watching him spread an enournous glob of 'extra crunchy' on a tiny piece of bread has the same effect on me that pavlov's bell did on his dogs. he, meaning jalil again, not the dogs, also salavates over really good fruit and would have had a couple of high moments on this leg that almost equaled the one we had back in ny state at feinan's fruitstand.
more day 18 (105 mi.)--riding through heavy traffic: as you can see, i left my mom with plumbing problems...(after my brother matt also failed to 'fix' things, she actually called a plumber who reconfigured piping below the sink and installed a new faucet above. which, since we told her to send us the bill, should make her happy!)
i pulled out of her driveway about 9-ish in the am and headed west and north, as mentioned earlier, to bypass chicago traffic. while i would not complain too much, i can report fairly accurately, that there are a lot of people driving cars--at fairly high rates of speed--in the chicago area, even way west of town on a sunday. it was on this leg of the trip and probably this day, that i solidified my theory that 'if you just keep pedaling, you can get anywhere.'
after passing elgin, traffic seemed to lighten up so i figured it was a good time for lunch. as i was packing up after two or three pb&j sandwhiches, i thought to myself, now would be a perfect time for some fruit. lo-and-behold, before i hit pingree grove, klein's farm and garden market appeared--on my side of the road to boot! just like marcia feinen back in ny, chris klein (exhuberant smiling woman on the left) hooked me up with some "quality produce" after i querried about a more ripe nectarine and bought a couple of gala apples.
it was such a good stop and i was so full i must have been dreaming when i zoomed right past the turn off near starks for route 20 going up to merengo. i saw the sign that said marengo 17, but when i noticed another that said marengo 12--after riding at least 10 miles west--i figured oops. oh well, 72 to 23, the roads i took got me there and was definitely well paved, scenic, and peaceful.
at marengo i stopped for the other standard meal, subway. fueled for the evening, i took off north on 23. there seemed to be a lot of truck traffic but i made it about 10 miles north toward route 14 before it started getting dark and i saw a good camping spot. as i wheeled my bike into a protected area, a very large buck, or at least the head and neck of one, with at least 10 points on his rack, stood very still and eyed me in passing. when i stopped to stare back he bounded off into the swampy section of woods behind him. tyler warner sprang as quickly to mind...he would have loved to seen that.
i settled into some really comfy high grass and only woke up about four times, as trains, trucks, and assorted traffic rumbled and or roared by.
day 19 (105 mi.)--into the dairy state: the next morning, i rolled past a truck load of construction workers coming my way, setting out about two miles of cones. thankfully, that only lasted up to where 23 ran into 14 at the town of harvard il. in a few more miles i was welcomed into the dairy state where recreation, industry, and agriculture were all "open for business"! not that i have anything against any of those opportunities, but i was immediately frustrated by the condition of route 14--it was as bad as that road back in indiana.
things improved north of walworth and breakfast, again, the standard subway--egg and cheese is my favorite so far, don't hold back on the veggies. soon enough it was janesville and lunch o'clock. just before i stopped, this late model car stopped a few hundred yards ahead of me and flagged me down as i approached. the driver wanted directions to the rock county correctional facility...he had quite a laugh when i told him i was from new hampshire. but i told him i had seen a sign for a 24hr truck stop 2 miles down the road. turns out the rccf was only a mile further.
as i made my way around the town oregon, headed for madison, i stopped at another 'correctional center', this one complete with a working farm and a huge pen of pheasents. i started to wonder how many bad people are there in wisconsin to have so many places of correction...? the officer who helped me with directions was really nice despite his having to get to a work detail asap.
despite his help and my sketchy directions, i managed to get onto a restricted access highway and a bit befuddled...i got off at the first exit "before" a woman assured me, "the law grabbed me." with her help and an equally lost driver named luke, i found the days high (or "rose" as jay davis likes to put it), the forty mile, military ridge bike trail, from verona to dodgeville. when i asked luke if he had a map, he responded, "even better, i have a phone." given how adept jalil was at working google maps on his phone--when he had a connection--i figured great. imagine my suprise when he futzed about for a while until he finally handed it to me "here, do you know more about phones than i do?"
the bike trail, once i got to it, took me off in the right direction as its terminus was on route 23 a road i was headed for. the surface was a quite smooth, fine-crushed limestone and pretty fast. i zipped along until dusk and found a place to camp just west of barneveld. trailside, with my bike leaning against a disc harrow, i tucked into a patch of tall grass, just as soft as the previous night's.
day 20 (90 mi.)--on and off trail: i awoke early and rode about 15 miles in the cool, most of it before the sun hit my back. i got into dodgeville and broke stride. skipping the subway in front of me i got directions to a country kitchen. pancakes, eggs, hashbrown's, and two postcards later i peddled out of town. i may not have mentioned the search for postcards earlier, but this was the first business i walked into with honest to goodness, real postcards. i had bought a couple of generic blanks from a post office--they are to send from each state to the canaan elementary fourth graders--but these picture beauties would be way more appreciated.
off trail and back on road, i headed north to reedsburg where i had planned on looking for a series of four trails, stretching 101 miles--bike 4 trails. lunch o'clock, i pulled into town and first things first, i visited the grocery and had my second fruit experience. wandering the isles looking for more peanut butter, yogurt, and fruit, i spied a half of yellow watermelon. it was definitely to big to carry but i bought it and hung it off the handlebars as i made my way to the chamber of commerce to purchase a trail pass. pass in wallet, i made use of the picnic tables and then restroom to slurp down the several pounds of juicy, sweet melon, wash up, and then start in on an actual lunch.
the 400 trail, first of the four, took me to elroy in quick fashion. at the modernized train station--complete with showers--i stopped and had an evening snack of a couple of pb&j sandwiches as i wondered about. i saw the play structure made of connected triangles and thought of leah wheelan's geometry class. it was pretty cool set in a bed of soft, crumb rubber. i don't know if you can make it out but there is a seat suspended right in the middle of all that web like rigging.
at that point i got onto the second of the trails, elroy-sparta. this promised to be really cool, as it had not one, not two, but three fairly long tunnels to go through. i rode toward them excited by my find of a giant puffball just outside of town. as it got darker and darker, i kept thinking about stopping but hoped to go through at least one of the tunnels before stopping. soon enough the dark increased a significant amount and massive overhanging stone walls on both sides of the trail funneled me into a black hole. it was by far the coolest 'scenic' type thing to happen to me on this trip--only it was so dark i couldn't see it, or get a good picture. winding my way through, with a measly front light to see into the gloom, i made it out the western end and could just make out the overhanging sides again. given that the grade sloped down, i pedaled an easy mile to a picnic table, or place to stop and set up camp.
the road was not too far off but traffic was pretty light that night. there were some cows mooing off in the distance. at one point much later when i woke i heard the distinct clip-clop of a horse, drawing an amish buggy. it may be a stereotype, but what the heck was a good religous soul doing out at that hour? i fell back to sleep wondering did the buggy have lanterns or battery powered lights?
day 21 (80 mi.)--lots more trail: another early rise and off into the foggy mist. by the time the sun found my back again, i spied the 2nd tunnel and stopped to get a picture. it was not nearly as impressive as the longer one in the dark, but it looked good. the two i went through this am were shorter and you could see the proverbial "light of day at the other end..." i am not sure if the 1st tunnel had the same huge doors or not, but they were quite something. i couldn't imagine why they were there, but built like they were, there had to be a reason.
by the time i got to sparta--"bike capital of the united states"--it was breakfast o'clock. i parked and ate trackside at the picnic tables across the former tracks from another refurbished train station. the entire trail system runs along old railway lines and hence comes with a great base of crushed limestone, running as straight as can be, and with an even grade, up or down.
after the requisite pb&js, i took off on the 3rd leg, the la crosse river trail. well fueled, i covered this flat section quickly and rolled into la crosse and onalaska along the mississippi, flowing by just to the west. you could see the mighty river, but i was dissapointed that there was no clear outlook of the impressive water and with its many islands at that point. once through town a huge amount of flooded forest started cropping up, with plenty of bridges to carry a biker over the wet. besides the wet, a working set of train tracks was pretty much constant traffic of some really long trains strung along it.
i met two sets of long distance bikers, mike going north, and kristen and will going south. mike and i chatted about bikes as we pedaled until he turned toward perrot state park and a local brew in trempealeau. kristen and will were going the other way, clear to louisiana, following the great river trail. they had started up at the canadian border and had passed through bemidji where i went to college. we share a few interesting stories and exchanged electronic addresses to follow each others' progress.
at the great river trail's end, the 4th and final section, i got back onto 35, the great river road. way different than the trails, but sometimes just as interesting. the trains were often just a few yards the other side of the road, and i figured out their whistle pattern--2 long, 1 short, 1 log--blown as they approach crossings. there were some random long blows i figured were hi to the neighbors or some not so secret lover, living trackside. i am constantly amazed, and have been the whole trip, at how close houses and such are to trains and traffic.
dark overtook me somewhat north of alma and as i set up camp, i put the rainfly on--just in case. the first time i woke it was raining, as it was the next three times (remember trains and traffic were always close at hand). but when the human sounds quieted, one could hear all sorts of animal noises out in the "lake" on the non-river/track/road side. jalil would have freaked, but something even whacked against the tent a couple of times in the wee hours.
day 22 (100 mi.)--along the mississippi: speaking of very early, as i got back on 35, i had my lights flashing. they stayed on until breakfast o'clock when i pulled into pepin--birthplace of laura ingalls. i took the photo of the historical marker to show skip p. that i actually do stop sometimes, basically to eat, but i can read. even though it was still really early, the park bathrooms were open and the picnic tables had a roof above. for some unexplained reason there were also five regular refrigerators under the same shelter. don't ask...
north of maiden rock and the smiling pelican bake shop--which was big time dissapointingly closed on thursdays, i was so looking forward to some baked goods and maybe tea after seeing their name on the section of 35 they adopted--i came upon some hills the likes of which i had not dropped down to the granny gear since ny state. two monster climbs of about two miles each got my heart rate up and a good sweat going. my luck that the resultant down hill runs were even longer than the ups. the stretch from diamond bluff up to prescott was especially roller coaster like, including a down hill run in town with traffic approaching the crossing of the mississippi. my brakes had not been used that hard this trip.
just before that little drop, i ate lunch atop the hill overlooking the mississippi at the great river road visitor center and then skipped between raindrops over to the town library, biding time while the showers passed. if you look at their website the double roofed pagoda was were i sat. soon enough i was over the river and climbing out of the valley, headed toward minnesota 95, which would take me up the east side of the city away from most of the traffic. i made it up to lake elmo library and checked my email for my brother's hidden key combo. the library kept me a bit longer than i should have stayed as they tempted patron's with tea and cookies.
with the final pathway marked out, i set off on the last 17 miles of this journey. i suppose the late hour payed off as i got onto a lakeside bike path just as the sun was setting. i had taught jalil the "red in the morning, sailors take warning, red at night, sailors delight" saying when we were together and wished he was there for all the "delight" supposedly promised by the color i was getting to see. it was beautiful and i only had 10 more minutes or so until i made it to palmer's and nancy dawn's. with impecable timing, i finally got the key free and had just opened the house door when my brother pulled into the drive.
day 23--at rest: this morning nancy dawn and i were chatting before she left for work about all the things i could do today...i ended up drinking tea and eating, drying gear out, and blogging. up to this point it has been very satisfying. but now...
later!
the hills i mentioned were covered with horse farms, or whatever you call them. huge green expanses with miles of white fence spread out from the road, always with a couple of nice looking horses grazing within. several times one or two of them would run along their side of the fence, shaking their manes and tales when they got stopped at a corner but i kept going. i also kept pedaling when i passed a late 50's mercedes benz for sale. i took this picture from the internet, but it looked identical, sans the white fence in the background.
