Wayne Goes Cycling

Nothing to report except difficulties getting Gail and her bike  here.  It appears (so far) that her bike is lost in transit and this is a disaster because Continental and Northwest won’t do anything because they are too busy pointing fingers.  It also appears that her biking shoes are missing from her luggage and that they may have been removed for inspection by the TSA baggage inspection group and never returned to the correct luggage.  Her luggage had the standard TSA notice saying that “this luggage had been ransacked for your security (or something like that).”  More on this saga in coming posts.

The Ferry Crossing
(40 miles and 500 feet of climbing)

Today it was the usual process to get up and get going.  I had slept in the gym again and I needed to gather up all my belonging.  There were a few people up and packed already.  There were going to be a lot of people leaving today (and some had already departed the day before) and logistics were to be challenging.  There were special arrangements to get all the vehicles up to the ferry dock by 11:30 and us riders to be ready to board by 12:30.  Because of the logistics, there was to be no SAG support without an SOS from one of the sweep riders. 

Once the bags were safely loaded on the truck and the tires were firmly inflated, I took off for the 6:00 breakfast at the same place we had dinner last night.  Once I got there, the news was that they had been expecting us at 6:30, not 6:00 so things were not quite ready.  We all ended up sitting around the U-shaped table and once the food came out to the buffet table, it was like a hoard of locusts had descended upon the food. 

Once breakfast was finished, it was time to head to Manitowoc, the Picnic and the Ferry.  The weather was cool and a short sleeve jersey top was just about right once I got warmed up by riding.  The first part of the trip was along a bike path that went along a busy highway.  This bike path was unlike most others that we’ve ridden on.  It was not an old railroad grade, but rather, the Old Plank Trail recreational path followed the ups and downs of the terrain that the highway went through.  There were lots of rolling ups and down; and a lot of street crossings that needed to be navigated.  Because it was so early on a Saturday morning, there was no traffic on those cross streets.  It was a delightful 10 mile ride east toward Lake Michigan with a cross wind from the north.

Then we turned north to Ludington.  Yes; into the wind!  It seems to never fail that we need to ride into the wind.  Much of the ride north was along sparsely populated roads with little traffic.  There were lots of forest land on either side as well as lots of cornfields and dairy farms.  The road had a lot of ups and downs and I got to work on my climbing hills with a standing position.  I find I can climb a 50 foot ascent in this manner, but any more and I need to quickly drop down into my lowest gears and spin up the rest of the hill. 

The road went on and eventually we came to our first water stop.  This was a lovely spot where we got out first glimpse of the lake.  It was so big and so broad and looked like the ocean.  Continuing on from the water stop, there were more woods, more farms, and now there were occasional houses on the bluffs overlooking the Lake.  One of the water towers that we passed along the way had the words “Kohler” on it and they looked like the “Kohler” logo on the bathroom fixture catalogues that I had been going through before this trip.  I though how appropriate for a toilet manufacturer to have enough water to flush a million times (for testing purposes?) at their own factory.  However, the smaller words on the tower added “Power Systems” at the bottom and this made me think that the factory wasn’t about toilets after all.  Oh! How the mind wanders while the feet go spinning along!

Once we reached Manitowoc, there were lots of houses and the town was bigger than many we’ve ridden through in the last couple of months.  Because there was plenty of time, I made a detour through the town to find a Post Office.  It wasn’t easy because it was a big town, but once I asked for directions it wasn’t too difficult to find.  

The Picnic stop was at the home of one of the former CycleAmerica staff members.  Her house was on the same street as the ferry dock and it was very convenient.  Her house was surrounded by bicycles and cyclist all buzzing around eating and chatting.  It was a delightful stop.  Her friend was doing reflexology treatments in the garage for a nominal fee. 

Then it was off to the ferry dock.  The first glimpse of the ferry was impressive.  I’ve ridden this ferry twice before; once about twenty years ago and a second time about ten years ago.  The first thing to notice was the size of the ship.  The second was the smoke coming out of the smokestack.  The ship is fueled by coal, a remnant of its prior function of transporting train traffic, including lots of coal cars, across Lake Michigan.  The loading of the boat was a festive time with lots of activity and excitement all around.  Paul from the Netherlands dipped his front wheel in Lake Michigan.  Eventually we all walked out bicycles onto the ship and stacked them along the wall next to the motorcycles. 

Then it was upstairs to explore the ship.   My exploring didn’t go very far because I found the movie theater and sat in the comfortable chairs and promptly fell asleep.  I awoke occasionally when the movie about the history of the car ferry ships was playing.  I recalled seeing this on the last trip I took across the lake.  It was still interesting.  Then a real movie started and I watched the entire film.  It was about the rebuilding of the Marshall University football team in 1970 after 75 members of the team, coaching staff and fans were killed in an airplane crash. 

Once the movie was over it was up to the deck to see where we were.  We could see the Michigan shore in the distance and there were lots of our cycle group milling around on the deck.  I worked on some postcards.  As the shore grew closer and we entered the harbor, the attention turned to watching the ship dock.  Then it was waiting in line to get down to the bikes, then it was off the ship.

We had been given maps to the school which was about a mile away.  There were no yellow arrows so it was an adventure to follow a map without the whispering yellow arrows helping ensure we made the correct turns. The school was nice and I set up the tent for the weekend.  Unfortunately, I set it up near a basketball court and soon there was a game of neighborhood kids playing.  I decided to relocate the tent so I took everything out of it and carried the assembled tent to another spot away from the basketball courts.  Apparently, I was told, that it was hysterical to see my tent “on the move” with only my feet visible underneath. 

For dinner, about a dozen of us went back downtown in an overloaded taxi-van to Michaels Fine Foods.  The beer and prime rib was good. There was a large TV and we were able to get the two hour recap of the Tour de France events for Stage 19.  Tomorrow will be the final stage, Stage 20, of the Tour. 

Then it was bed time again.

To Plymouth
(62 miles and 1900 feet of climbing)

Sleeping in the Beaver Dam High School had gotten off to a little shaky start because of the thunder storm.  While we had been cycling through drought plagued areas, this town had received a two inch deluge just the previous day.   It looked like something similar was going to happen tonight.  Our weather forecast for today was 60 percent chance of rain and a high of 60 degrees at our destination, Plymouth.  I decided that today would be a great day for my long sleeve jersey and I made sure I had my rain gear. 

Breakfast was a short ride away and it was fully satisfactory.  Then we needed to double back a little and to head east and north on a number of county roads.  The route was pleasant going through corn fields and a surprising number of open fields. The pavement was generally good for riding on, but there were often the irritating thunk … thunk … thunk of underlying concrete pavement seams. 

The path took us along a busy highway and then along the Heinxxx Marsh.  This marsh was very large and is part of a National Wildlife Refuge area.  I stopped and saw that there was a three mile automobile loop through this part of the marsh and I followed it.  There were varied types of terrain ranging from forested areas, to prairie, to open ponds, to cat-tailed choked marshes.  There were a number of pull offs for the information signs.  Goldfinches were everywhere and there were a lot of other water birds that I could see … Sandhill cranes, Great Herons, Egrets as well as Canada Geese and ducks.  Wildflowers were all around and it was a delightful place.  I rode my bike out on the floating boardwalk (it was wide and there was a railing) and it was delightful to be underneath the dozens of swirling birds (purple martins?).  I rode the trail a second time in the opposite  direction to see it again. 

Continuing on down the major highway again, there was a sign to be aware of wild life crossing and noting that there had been 394 roadkills this year.  I assume that this count did not include frogs and snakes or it would be too low.  For the next 10 miles or so, there were a few other observation areas.  And the size of the marsh was even more impressive.

Once we turned off the busy road, there was a water stop with Lemonade instead of Gatorade.  This was a pleasant change except that it boasted less sugar and there was no sodium and potassium (ingredients that Gatorade has and which cyclists need).  The route passed through more rolling hilly terrain with corn fields, grass lands and some woods.

As I was traveling along, I started to see some lawn signs opposing some wind turbines.  In front of one house was a huge sign that said “Greed and Stupidity Is Ruining the County” and “Good Neighbors Don’t Allow 400 Foot Towers.”  I stopped to ask a man who was cutting his grass about the signs.  He told me about the plans to install about 130 turbines in the area and that construction had just started three weeks ago.  He went on to talk about the proximity of these wind turbines to the Wildlife Refuge, bird fatalities and the central part of the these marshes in bird migration.  He noted that the two wind turbines that we could see had been there about ten years and they were half the height of the new ones.  I told him about my riding for Soldier’s Heart and gave him a bumper sticker and some literature. 

The new ones must be really big because it was at least five miles to get to the ones that were only 200 feet tall that were in the distance.   Today’s ride was quite long before the Picnic stop and I was getting hungry.  As I turned a corner in one of the little crossroads, I noticed two familiar bikes and thought I’d stop in to see what was happening.  I found Beth and Peter finishing up their fish and chips platters and some high carbohydrate liquid refreshments.  They suggested that I join them, but I politely declined.  It was only another half hour, or so, ride to the Picnic Stop.  So I continued on.   

The Picnic Stop was in the Kettle Moraine State Forest and it was a nice ride through the forested areas.   The pavement was new and the only thing I got tired of was the ups and downs and the road followed the surface of the glacial moraines.   At the picnic stop, I was welcomed as a long lost rider.  I was much further behind the main group.  They were glad to hear the news that the other two riders had already eaten and they could start putting the food away.  As we were getting ready to leave, the others showed up and got some snacks for the road.   I would not be surprised if this was the exact place my Wisconsin friends had taken me to 20 years earlier. 

In the mid day sun, I was pretty warm.  It never rained on us this morning and my long sleeve jersey was hot with the temperatures were in the high 80’s (not the 60’s … as we heard in the forecast).  There was less than 20 miles more to go and it turned out that there were a number of pretty big hills.   They were fun to go down and not as much fun to climb.  They were probably in the 150 foot climbing range.  There was a really nice downhill as we entered the town of Plymouth.  Then the route took us through the downtown area and then to the school.  Once there I set up my nest in the gym and then decided to add some more miles.  It was suggested that I go to the “Old Plank Road” recreational path. It went almost all the way to Lake Michigan at Sheboygan.  It was a nice path and eventually I was able to get 103 in for the day.  “Another day … Another Century,” I began to say.

This being Friday evening, there was an awards ceremony after dinner.  Doug and Joyce were given a pair of “personal billboards” that pinned onto a shirt and these were really great for them.  A little 1.5” x 4” LED panel would scroll words such as “Bye Bye” and “Thanks So Much.”   Peter got the rider of the week award and said his best day ever cycling was a day he rode in Spain up a long climb and at the top was a monastery where he was going to spend the evening and they had a bar with good beer there. 

The children’s theater was putting on a play “Tom Sawyer.”  We were invited to observe the play (free) if we sat in the back.  I wanted to go, but the meeting went so long, I decided to walk into town and get some copies made.  I ended up stopping at one of the bars and enjoying some liquid carbohydrates. 

The Earliest Picnic Stop
(65 miles and 1500 feet of climbing)

Today, we were to get up and ride to Beaver Dam.  The day started of with a ride around the middle school on the bottom of the street and off to breakfast at the breakfast buffet where we ate the previous evening.  I remember looking at the parched, golden brown lawns of dead grass and feeling the pain of drought.   We had our own dining area at the front of the building and there were rows of tables for us.  As we left, we headed out on Mulberry Street and all I could think of was the Dr. Seuss book entitled, “And to Think It Happened on Mulberry Street.”  Then we passed signs for the Barnum and Baily’s Circus Museum/.  They didn’t open until 9:00, but rumors were that some from the group were going to be visiting it before heading out.  I wasn’t so inclined.

The road out of town was quite pleasant.  The shoulder was generally wide enough and the trucks were not too frequent.  We crossed the Baraboo river.  I don’t recall seeing it, but the roadside information signs said I passed it and that the Baraboo River valley in this area illustrates almost all phases of Wisconsin geology.  Continuing on, we crossed the Wisconsin River which was nearly all sand bar (mud bar) that is.  The drought had diminished the flow immensely to the lowest level in many years (according to a news paper article). As soon as we crossed the river, we turned south into the wind.  And soon found ourselves in a park where the Picnic Stop was.  It was about 9:00 AM and not too many people were very hungry. 

The Picnic Stop was at a nice little lake and we had been told to bring some swim wear if we wanted to swim.  However, it was quite cool, not very sunny and somewhat windy.  This made it less than ideal for swimming.  Carrie from Massachusetts went for a brief swim, but decided to make it a short swim.  The Canada geese also made the beach environment less pristine than one would like. 

After taking a long refueling break, it was time to hit the road again.  There were a long succession of turns on county roads that were actually pleasant.  The winds out of the south and east made the ride harder than I wanted.  At one point, I turned around to ride with the wind just for the joy of a tailwind.  We’ve all gotten used to the fact that we will have lots of headwinds and we keep telling ourselves that “headwinds are my friend; They give me patience and they make me stronger …”  It doesn’t help much.

These county roads went up and down and they were tiring.  I had already done three 100 mile days this week and I was feeling the effects of the exertion.  The route went through mostly open land that was probably for grazing and haying.  There was less corn and soybeans here.   Continuing along, were was a stretch of the road that cut through the middle of one of the bays off of Beaver Lake.  Then I knew I was getting close to town.  Unfortunately, it was not all that close.  And once we made the final turn north toward town the traffic and congestion became much worse.  The routing through the town had lots of twists and turns and it was more confusing (and especially, it was further) than I had hoped.  Finally I made it to the school.  We couldn’t put tents on the grass next to the school because a rainstorm last night had left that area flooded.

I set up my nest in the gym again and began plotting my next activities.  I was feeling pretty good and after asking for where one might do some extra riding, the school custodian suggested some rides to the north. We had a map showing the county roads and I decided to go and see about putting on either wither 20 or 30 miles.  If I did 30, then I would have dome four centuries so far this week. 

The ride north of town was great.  After some food, I had energy and the wind was at my back as I rode north.  I knew that it would be much slower heading back to the school.  It was great fun to be zooming along at 18 -23 MPH on roads with no traffic and good pavements.  Yahoo!  These roads had some open fields as well as lots of corn.  Once I got back to the school, I had put on 101 miles.
 
Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant with a buffet, Dos Gringos, and it was really filling.  I tried to avoid some to the cheesiest foods, but, it is hard to avoid in the land of the “Wisconsin Cheese-heads.”  After dinner was the mundane task of laundry at the local Maytag center. 

We had been invited to a performance of “Singing in the Rain” by the local community theater, but laundry took too long, and I was too tired to go so I skipped it.   There was some trouble getting tall the gym lights out (a couple of fluorescents were still on).  I don’t remember them going off because I was soon sound asleep.
 

Thorin Oakenshield; Son of Thrain; King Under the Mountain
(76 miles and 2100 feet of climbing)

It was another day of waking up in the gym, packing and getting ready.  Then it was off to Breakfast at the same place we had dinner the previous evening.  It was a wonderful breakfast with a buffet of quiche, oatmeal and sweetbreads.  Orange Juice and Coffee were at the table along with a yogurt parfait (vanilla yogurt, with blueberries and strawberries and a dash of granola on top).  After eating too much again, it was time to get on the bike and start riding on the Sparta – Elroy Bike Path.

We got on the path behind the restaurant and rode through town for a few blocks to a park where there was a twenty foot tall man on an antique big wheel bicycle.  The sculpture talked to us and told us a few things about the path and how to get places.  If you missed what he said, just wait a few moments and he will start again.  We took pictures and then began to follow the route out of town.  Then there was a left hand turn onto the bike path in front of an old depot-type building.

The path was a crushed limestone which made a good surface to ride on.  I had been apprehensive after hearing that we would be riding 56 miles on an unpaved bike path.  I had been used to unpaved bike paths using pebble sized stones which were hard to ride on.  This surface was very good … even with the skinny road tires.  

The path entered the woods and it kept going on and on.  There was a gradual climb, but it was never very steep.  The path began to show slopes on both sides and an information sign said that this rail bed was made mostly of coal cinders.  We kept going on.  Then we came to someone’s backyard and there was a sign for water, soda and flashlights.  They were closed, but we didn’t need anything.  The reason for the flashlights was that we were approaching the first tunnel.  These tunnels are huge.  The first hint of the tunnel was a sudden drop in air temperature.  Then we saw the huge gaping hole in the mountain and two doors standing guard on either side.   The sign said that cyclists must walk their bicycles.  Because the tunnel was 3800 feet long, there was no light visible at the other end. 

Our group entered the tunnel and it quickly turned eerie.  A forty foot vaulted ceiling and the tunnel was nearly 20 feet wide, lit by a few flashlights made me think of the book “The Hobbit” again and the Name Thorin Oakenshield, Son of Thrain; King Under the Mountain was reverberating in my head.  It seemed like we were approaching the lair of Smaug (the dragon).  With water dripping from overhead, my thoughts suddenly switched to Golum and the Orc tunnels.  What an adventure!

Eventually the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel became visible.  Because it was so hot and humid outside, the moist air at the entrances turned to fog as it was cooled.  This made it hard to see anything outside the tunnel until we were near the end. Looking back at the tunnel, once again the doors stood like silent sentinels guarding the entrance. 

Once we were riding on the path again, the riding was easy because the slope was now downward.  It was a delightful ride through forested land with small bridges over streams and other roads that the path crossed over.  There was a road that paralleled the bike path that we could see from time to time.  Along the path there were a number of small towns where the town depot was converted to bike rental and snack shops.  Apparently the pie shop and ice cream shops abducted some of our riders. 

After crossing under the road that had paralleled the path, the path began to go up again.  It climbed gently until reaching a second tunnel.  This tunnel was less than half the length of the first one and you could see light at the other side.  It was just as impressive as the previous tunnel though. 

There was a water stop at a visitor’s center in Elroy.  I got some postcards and a few other items.  Eventually this part of the bike path gave way to a path that went through the open fields.  Sometimes there were trees alongside and sometimes there were none.  The path went on for miles like this and then the Baraboo River was on the left side.

The picnic stop was at Reedsboro which was as far as we were going on the path.  Since I had doubled back on part of the path to do an extra 16 miles (or fun), I was among the last to arrive.  Today was “Crazy Carry’s Salad and Corn Days” which hit the spot.  

After picnic, it was time to ride on roads again and one of the problems with this was that I needed to climb up real hills.  This was harder than I thought.  I suppose it has something with riding flat roads all day and then being shocked at a 12 percent climb.  Most of the hills were much gentler, but the heat and humidity of the day made them all harder work on the uphill.  This section was actually a really enjoyable ride through farmland and wooded areas.  Then we were at the crest of a hill and the entire valley was visible down below … a very pretty sight … even if the elevation difference was only about 400 feet (as opposed to the 4000 foot vistas in the Rockies). 

Once at the school, I had put on another 100.3 miles today.  Dinner was at a local buffet and it was good.  I was tired so there was nothing to report after dinner.

One Case When No Headwind is Bad
(94 miles and 1500 feet of climbing)

This morning Breakfast was set for 6:30 and about 5:45 it seemed like a good time to begin getting up.  There was sunlight coming into the gym through the open door.  I didn’t sleep too well because of the heat, humidity and stickyness. Breakfast was provided by “The Friends of Laura Ingels Wilder” and it consisted of a baked egg casserole, sausage, toast, and fruit.  There was a cereal option too. 

Eventually it was time to get on the bike and go.  As we rode south along the Mississippi River, there were times when we would get glances of the vast expanse of the river.  On the western side there was a large estuary, or backwater, that was huge.  All I could think of was the number of mosquitoes that could grow there.  Across the river we could see Minnesota. 

The road had its modest ups and downs, but the trend was downriver so there were not many significant uphills.  Most of the time there were so many trees that it was difficult to see any part of the river.  A double set of rail road tracks were between us and the river.  A number of trains passed us as we cycled along.  There were

One of the more interesting places we passed was the Lock and Dam Number 4.  There was a visitor platform with information about the estuary and the locks.  You had to climb a pedestrian walkway over the railroad tracks to get to the visitors platform.  Looking south, there were a number of smokestacks from some large coal fueled power plants.  Later as we cycled past them, they were Dairyland Power Cooperative’s Ames and Magdett plants. 

Continuing on down the Route 35 we came to a bike shop that was great. They were on the south side of town and they had lots of bikes and lots of accessories.  I ended up getting some energy food, skin cream and some more clothing.  I was there quite a while.  At the Picnic Stop, there was almost nobody there.  They had already done the picnic and they were gone.  There were about five of us in this last batch of riders.  The special meal deal for today was tortilla corn chowder that was excellent.  

Shortly after Picnic, we turned inland and began climbing out of the Mississippi valley.  It wasn’t a big climb. But there were definitely more ups than down in this stretch of the route.  The weather was hot and sticky and there was virtually no wind.  We had hoped that we would have a day with no headwind and especially no headwind while going uphill.  Today was that day!  But I found out that with no wind and the slow speeds that I typically maintain on the ascent, there was no cooling and that made it really HOT.  A little headwind would have been nice.  

About 10 miles from Sparta, I ran across an interesting tiny state park.  It was a series of small sculptures that was created by two retired people between 1929 and 1936.  These sculptures included a passenger ship, a replica of their wedding cake, a church (or synagogue) and a peace monument and a flag.  For color, they used broken red, yellow, blue and green glass (and probably other colors too) inserted into concrete.  The state of Wisconsin acquired it as part of a folk art initiative.

Shortly after the glass park, we turned south toward Sparta and the last eight miles was mostly rolling hills down into town.  Once I reached the school, I decided to add an extra eight miles to make today’s total mileage over 100 miles (third time in three riding days).  

Dinner was downtown and after getting cleaned up we all went.  It was a delicious meal with chicken and rice in a cream sauce (with vegetables and bread).  I was surprised when they started handing out small hot fudge ice cream sundaes to everyone.  They were good.

Returning to the school, there was a meeting about tomorrow’s route. And then it was time for getting ready for bed.  Once again there was trouble getting the gym lights out, but, eventually the maintenance people were able to do that.
 

Wisconsin Already!
(68 miles and 1800 feet of climbing)

Early this morning I was awaken twice by the rat-a-tat-tat of rain on the tent.  These were not little drops of rain, but rain bombs.  The rain did not seem to be heavy or to last long, but it seemed like the rain drops must have been huge.  I think that the first shower was about 2:00 AM and the second was shortly before 5:00 AM.  I was not looking forward to packing up the tent in the rain.  As it was, the rain stopped by 5:30 when it was time to get serious about packing.  Breakfast was at a remote location and I was ready to head out by 6:15.   The remote location was at the home of one of the CycleAmerica people which was 13 miles away. 

The ride was really nice in the beginning.  Then it started to sprinkle and then it turned to a light rain.  Once I added a rain visor to keep the rain out of my glasses, the ride was fun again.  As we approached the breakfast house, the rain ceased and would not return for the rest of the day.  I got there too early and decided to do an extra five miles while the breakfast was being set-up. 

Breakfast was wonderful and it featured French Toast smothered in strawberries and bananas, plus oatmeal, plus ham and muffins plus juices etc.  I imagined that the French toast were really French “Powder Milk Biscuits” so that I “would have the strength to do what need to be done!” as the Prairie Home Companion jingle goes. 

Continuing on, we went about four miles to Cannon Falls where the international headquarters of CycleAmerica is located.  Their offices were across from the local VFW hall and I dropped off a few copies of the Soldier’s Heart flyers and bumper stickers.   We all posed for pictures in front of their offices as lots of cars whizzed by looking at us with quizzical expressions.   After all the photos were taken, we then headed fro the Cannon Valley Trail which is a 20 mile rails-to-trails bike path.  

It was an absolutely delightful ride along the river and through farmland.  The wildflowers were amazing.  I took dozens of pictures of each type of wildflower that I saw.  I could vaguely remember the names of most of them.  Some were not familiar to me at all.  In my wildflower hunting days of many years ago, I was told that the best places for native wildflowers were along rail roads or old cemetery walls.  These were the best places because they were not farmed, grazed or significantly disturbed over the last century.  Spectacular was a good word for this segment.  Because I wanted to get more miles in, I backtracked about ten miles and rode about 20 extra miles.

The bike path ended in Redwing, MN and that is where the picnic stop was located.  Because of the extra miles, I was the last person to get there.  I got a nice quick lunch that was centered around a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, yogurt and cookies (plus other stuff too).  Doug and Joyce from Texas returned from a side trip to a bike shop and I decided to make a similar side trip also.

After the bike shop, it was time to travel through Redwing and then to cross the Mississippi River.  This was a nice trip, but the bridge was too narrow for sightseeing because of all the trucks passing by.  A few miles from the bridge, we crossed the west branch of the Mississippi River and then turned south to follow the river. 

The terrain was immediately different because we were now going up and down relatively small hills instead of pedaling along on flat lands.  We could see the river on the right hand side from time to time and also the rail road tracks that ran between us and the river.  The road continued in this manner, typically going through forested hills with higher bluffs to our left.  This was a delightful road with little traffic (but there was some) and scenic overlooks and historical markers every few miles.  The road went along lake Pepin which is created buy a natural dam that formed from the silt (delta) of another river flowing into the Mississippi River. 

Eventually we came to the town of Pepin and I decided to add another 5 miles so that I would have ridden over 100 miles for the day.   When I finished and rode into the school, I felt great, except for my poor tender seat.  After cleaning up and changing, we had dinner in the cafeteria that was put on by the friends of Laura Engels Wilder who was born here and who wrote books about this town also.  They said that they would be using any net proceeds from the meals that they were serving for their annual Laura Engels Wilder Days event in the fall.  Dinner was a good salad and lasagna with garlic bread.  It was good and there were some deserts also. 

After dinner a small group of us went to the local bar for some liquid carbohydrates supplements (e.g. beer).  While we were there, a young couple from near Minneapolis stopped by and we talked about our bicycle trip across the country.  They did some biking and were very interested.  They were traveling to celebrate their second wedding anniversary.  The conversation turned to Soldier’s Heart and the bumper-stickers.  She was very impressed with them and wanted some more.  Her brother was coming home from Iraq in a few months after an 18 month deployment.  She said that when he was last home on leave he had told her some things that he had been doing and she indicated that he was troubled by how he was doing.  She and the rest of her family were apprehensive about how to relate to him and to better know how to ask how he was doing.  I shared a number of stories from earlier encounters in this blog and they may not have been very reassuring.  I strongly suggested that she watch the DVD that was on-line through www.soldiersheart.net to see how veterans from previous conflicts would respond.  After realizing that we had been talking for so long on their anniversary, it was time to change the subject.  Shortly afterwards I decided to head back to the school and get ready for bed. As I was leaving, I left a few bumper-stickers with the proprietor and some other customers she was sitting with. One of the bumper stickers was snatched up by the customer and she said she would make the two others available to others.

It is a hot and muggy night and I think sleeping will be not as sound as I would like.

Another day off and nothing to report.  It was a cool day and we thought that a storm might hit, but nothing happened.  Dinner was at a local Indian restaurant (the sub continent, not Native American) and that was a really great change. 

I updated the progress map in the gallery.  You can get to this at the following location:

http://www.waynegoescycling.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=57&g2_navId=x8ac8ab90

Lost?  Don’t Know What Direction To Go? Just Ride into the Wind and You Will Be On-Route.
(99 miles and unknown feet of climbing)

The early group had indeed left.  I had heard them getting ready to leave and now they were gone.  About 5:30 the rustling of bags and duffels was enough to let me know it was time to get serious about arising.  Breakfast was at 6:00 and that was about exactly the time the caterer showed up … much to the disappointment of those who were hoping for an even earlier start.  It was to be a long day with just under 100 miles. 

Once the new bike wheel was inspected and the tires pumped up, it was time to put on the saddlebags and hit the road.  There was a small group of us and I was really happy to have my bike back.  It felt really good.  The weather was pretty cool, but I avoided wearing a jacket and decided to just ride in the cold because I would be warm soon enough.  Today the route was both east and south.  In a state where the roads generally run east / west or north / south).   It didn’t take long for us to be out in the middle of agricultural fields of corn and soy. 

It was obvious that the wind report from last night was nearly accurate.  The winds were to be from the south east and that was our direction.  This time the wind forecast was just on target.  As we rode along, we decided that it would be hard to get lost.  Whenever there was a question which way to go? “Just ride into the wind and you will be on-route!,” was our new motto.

The roads  took us south, then east, then south, then east and occasionally there would be a short section where the road would actually turn and the wind would be at our backs.  We all commented on these moments when we gathered around the water stops.

At the first water stop, one of the guys from TN had a gash on the side of his tire and didn’t know what to do.   It wasn’t bad enough to take apart and put in a reinforcing boot, but he was afraid that it would burst and he’d be out of luck.  Since I had my saddlebags, I offered the spare folding tire that I carried and this allowed him to continue on.  If I had a tire problem, they would be just behind me.  So … everyone was happy and on their way.    I was feeling good and I had been catching and passing a number of folks all morning.  At one point, I was in a pace line with Paul and Roy from the Netherlands so that we could avoid the full impact of the wind for about five miles. 

The wind wasn’t brutal, it was just persistent.  It seems to be mostly from the south and when we were heading east, it was mostly a crosswind. My knee had been hurting and I decided to stop and raise my seat a little.  I also made a quick call home and left a message.  When I started up again, my knee had decided to complain bitterly and I wondered if I would be able to even make it to the picnic stop in six miles.  The headwind made it necessary to push on the pedals more than I would have liked.  I took it real easy and made it to lunch. 

At lunch I was able to beg some Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory drugs and applied ice to the knee.  After about an hour, I was ready to get on my bike and see how far I could go.

As the miles wore on, my knee started to complain but I kept on going at a modest pace.  At first there were 40 miles, then there were twenty five, then there were ten and finally I reached the downtown area with only a mile to go.

I saw that I was going past the VFW hall and stopped in.  There was a bingo game going on and only had a chance to introduce myself to the manager and drop off some Soldier’s Heart flyers and bumper stickers.

Because I wanted to add another mile (to be able to claim 100 miles for the day) I went past the school and then I saw that there was some event with a tent by the side of the road and people intently watching down the road.  As it turned out, this was day three of a four day AIDS ride.  They were waiting for the last group of riders to come in for the day.  It was a four day, 300 mile ride.  I told them about our trip going across the country and handed out some bumper stickers and Soldier’s Heart information. 

I added that there are many Vietnam veterans who are still suffering.  A young man interrupted and said that the reason was that the veterans of the Vietnam War has PTSD were that they called ‘baby-killers’ and that such labels were the cause of the PTSD.  I explained that we, as a country, had two choices.  We could either deny that such things ever happened and leave the guilt on the shoulders of individual soldiers for them to deal  (like the uncle several days earlier) with or we could say ‘thank you for doing what we, as a country, asked of you.  We accept responsibility for having put you in a position where you had to do what you did, for us.’  This later approach helps share the burden underlying PTSD and is one of the key approaches to healing PTSD.

Then it was off to the school and settign up the tent.  After cleaning up and changing, a number of us went to Grady’s for dinner and some liquid carbohydrates.  There were no steaks on the menu so we all picked something different.  I got a taco salad with rice pilaf on the side.  After a short walk back to the school,  it was time to go to bed.    

The Borrowed Bike
(84 miles and unknown feet of climbing)

The gym where I was sleeping began to stir in the dark as occasional alarm clocks went off sometimes around 5:00 AM.  I eventually got up a packed and then started to get the borrowed bike ready to go.  I didn’t want to have my saddlebags on this bike so I rearranged things and only took a spare tube, tube patch kit and the multi-tool. The bike had been set up for me and it fit perfectly.  There were a few problems and the most annoying one was that the headset wanted to point straight ahead this made it difficult to make the fine-tuning adjustments necessary to go in a perfectly straight line.  My straight line was a little jittery.   

Breakfast was a Valentino’s (same as dinner) and we rode a bike path to the downtown.  I wish we knew it was there earlier.  It was a nice buffet and soon we were all on our way.  I don’t remember much about the ride except that it went through lots of corn and soybean fields.  The only other thing to note was that we headed into the winds again.  The headwinds were not too strong, but they were an ever-present force to pedal into.  Because the borrowed bicycle did not have an odometer, I wasn’t sure when or where to turn.  I needed to keep an eye on riders ahead of me and see if they turned and I needed to look for and follow the yellow arrows.   As it turned out, I did not get lost.  I’ve gotten pretty good at guessing distances.  Not exactly adjusted right and I ended up with my left hand going numb quite frequently. 

The picnic stop in Olivia, MN (the corn capitol) was a welcome sight.  I needed more fuel to continue riding and a break from the bike was sorely needed.  The handlebars were not exactly where I wanted them, and they had less padding on them than my bike.  Possibly it was the rougher roads, but I was gland to let my wrists rest.  We followed the detours after picnics and it was a lot of county roads with relatively little traffic.  There was a cute little farm with some animals in a pen along the road.  There were two horses, two goats and two donkeys. 

At one point, something looked very strange.  Out of the soybean field, I saw an army of what looked like corn plants standing among the smaller soybean plants.  It looked like they were on the march.  I flagged down the SAG vehicle which was just going by to see if they saw it too … an army of corn plant zombies … come back from the dead … it was almost like the night of the living dead.  I thought that the zombies were stalking something.  While I couldn’t hear anything, I knew that they would speak in husky voices.  They thought it was a corny joke, but when they realized I was serious, they offered me water, something to eat, and a chance to SAG into the school and get out of the sun that was apparently making me delirious.  I declined so that I could continue to scout for other corn zombie activities.

As we arrived in Hutchinson, there was one short stretch of no shoulder busy road.  Then it was town streets again.  Upon arriving at the school, the following poem had been posted:

I love the wind.
The wind is my friend.
It makes me a stronger, faster, more powerful rider.
-Doug Baysinger, Sugar Land, Texas

I needed to add a few extra miles for today, so I rode back out the route about three miles and then returned.  I really enjoyed the ride out because I got the thrill of riding with a tailwind and watching the scenery going by at 20 – 24 MPH instead if 10-15 MPH for the direction we had ridden all day.

Again, I decided to sleep inside so I wouldn’t need to take down my tent in the morning.  Then it was time for a shuttle to go about 5 blocks to a Chinese food buffet.  I got lots of fried rice and all sorts of other of my favorite foods.   I used lots of soy sauce to ensure I got enough salt to last for a week of heavy sweating.  Yum.

After dinner, I couldn’t resist doing laundry because it was only one block away.  When I did finally finish, I returned and joined the weekly awards ceremony which was already in progress.  The news about tomorrow’s ride was that it would be about 100 miles because of some detours. 

Rumors had been flying about an event preceding the release of the new Harry Potter.  It appears that about four or five people were going to ride in to Northfield so that they could be at the bookstore when it opened at 8:00 AM.   For this to happen, they would need to leave at about 2:00 AM.  I let them all know that I had some headlights and some taillights to spare.   I left them out and in the morning they were gone. 

As I was getting ready for bed, I noticed that Nyall, our bike mechanic, was busy working on my rear wheel.  He had gotten a new rim (for spokes that were evenly spaced along the rim instead of my old one which was based on about twelve sets of two that had large spaces between each pair of spokes).   Because he needed to use my hub (with spoke spacings for the previous configuration) he needed four different length spokes.  Consequently, he needed to cut, file the end and rethread each spoke before he could use it.  He was on his second iteration of this when I talked to him.   He said it would be done in the morning.