Day 38

Day 38 was 40 miles less than yesterday, but to me actually felt longer.  I think there are a couple of reasons for this.  One I felt really good yesterday and for the first part I was in a zone, but felt good all day.  By comparison, the last 20 miles today was a real grind.  I suspect another factor is we did not load until 7:30.  Though I understand the reason for the late start, (shorter day and flat terrain), we are primed to be on the road generally between 6:00 to 6:30 so we just ended up sitting around after breakfast waiting to leave.  The first picture is me kicking back before I left. 

We did ride through some pretty wooded areas as we have before.  The second picture is of a densely wooded area along the ride.  We have been in and out of these areas yesterday and today and though difficult to describe, they seem different to me than wooded areas in MN.  Part is the trees are right next to the road with no ditches in places. 

I got my chocolate milk fix when I got in.  I also had a sub sandwich from Subway.  I have eaten at enough Subway’s on the trip to be Jared's assistant. 

My room is very nice as have been the rooms all along the trip.  Some were quite small, but they were clean and met the objective.  I have met and thought a lot about the invisible workers in America on this trip.  These are the service people who work at hotels cleaning rooms and working at convenience stores and restaurants among other jobs.  These people work very hard, for very little money and the only time they get noticed is when they do not do their job.  We all expect a clean room at a hotel and the hotel expects the rooms to be cleaned as fast as possible during the busy season.  Many of these workers are seasonal, or laid off when business is slow, but also expected to work very hard when they are there.  Many do not have health care or adequate dental care.  I have seen women with few or only one tooth in their mouths.  I have been impressed at how many take their jobs seriously and work very hard.  I always try and visit with hotel service people and thank them for their work.  Our country has spent most of the last two years debating raising taxes on the wealthiest in our country and though I am not super rich, I am clearly blessed and by most definitions would be considered in the wealthiest group.  We spend very little if any time discussing the millions and millions of individuals who work hard cleaning rooms, bussing tables or working in convenience stores making our lives possible and easier.

Tomorrow looks to be a long day with rain and t-storms all day in the forecast.     

 

Day 37

Some days life is just good and Day 37 was one of them for me.  In athletics every once in awhile you can get in a zone and though mine are few and far between, today was one of them.  For the first 40+ miles I just cruised and felt really good.  I actually skipped the first rest stop as I did not want to get off my bike.  (This is not good as we sign in at each rest stop, that is one of the ways the staff keeps track of riders.  Fortunately, a friend saw me go and signed in form me.)  We were going through county roads with low traffic, in or near a government forest land.  We were often right next to the trees and even at 9:00 I was in an area where the road was completely covered by shade. Unfortunately, the zone ended and I still had 73 miles to go, a total of 113.  But I still felt pretty good and made good time.  

The only picture is from the third rest stop which was next to a senior center.  I could not help but think that some of the riders were the same age as some of the individuals in the senior center.  Life is partly about genetics and health issues, but it is also about the lifestyle we lead and the choices we make.  At a rest stop a friend told me he doesn't date women his age because they are “really old." I am not sure that is true as I know women his age that are pretty amazing, at the same time it was funny and had some truth to it.  Many women could say the same thing about a lot of men.

After a great day of riding, I got great news.  Morgan just found out that he passed the second level of the CFA (Charted Financial Analyst) exam.  In my estimation, this is the most difficult program in the financial services industry and passing the second level is an amazing achievement.  

Tomorrow we go to Birch Run.

Day 36 - Part 2

The ferry ride was better than I anticipated.  Before getting on the ferry, I found a bike shop in Manitowac which had restored antique bikes.  The picture is of bikes in the shop along with an owner.  One of the bike was a kid’s bike from the 1950s that weighted over 50 lbs. 

The next pictures are of the ferry unloading, riders stacking their bikes and the Michigan coast from the ferry.  The ferry was three stories and it was a beautiful days so most riders spent the ride on the top deck in lounge chairs.  There were two restaurants, big screen TVs and bingo which I ignored.  I read and took a nap.

The last picture is me under the welcome Michigan sign.  Tomorrow we ride 113 miles and again we lost an hour as we moved to Eastern time.  Cuts the night short. 

Day 36 - Part 1

Today is virtually a rest day.  We bike a few miles to the ferry across Lake Michigan and then when we arrive in Ludington. Then we bike a couple of miles to the hotel.  A few comments.

Wisconsin was a great ride.  We caught a break with the weather as one day our ride was the only area in WI which was not getting hit by severe weather.  Wisconsin is a great bicycling state.  Part of it is all the paved farm (dairy) roads throughout the state.  Part is WI was an early developer of the rails to trails bike trails which helped develop a bicycling culture.  Part is WI is an outdoor state where residents and visitors enjoy a wide variety of outdoor activities.  It is also is a very beautiful state and the ride through was especially scenic.  One of the riders said Wisconsin is the state Illinois always wanted to be, but could not.  Not sure if that is true, but it is a great state. 

Minnesota was beautiful as always.  Riding through farm country in the prime of the growing season was to me very impressive.  To often when we eat, we forget a farmers everywhere are working hard to grow the food we eventually consume.

Since our last rest day in Sioux Falls we rode accross MN and WI in 7 days.  Though hot in MN, we did not run into any major storms and caught a tailwind many days.  For me it was a especially wonderful leg because of the people who came to visit me.  It started with Dot and Ken in Sioux Falls who drove from Fargo to see me and take me wherever I wanted to go.  Then, Charlie and the Barb and the banner going into Rochester.  That is not only a tour highlight, but will be a lifetime highlight for me.  That was followed by Morgan and Christi coming to Rochester.  One of the riders asked Morgan if he brought his guitar, Morgan said no, just wanted to hang with his dad.  Very cool and special.  Then going out for supper with my friends at Harbour.   That was a long day and knowing that great food and more important being with great friends really gave me incentive.  Finally, Kelly and Kevin surprising me in Fond du Lac.  They drove a lot of miles to be with me and it was very special.  It is very easy in life to forget that you are important to other people.  This leg helped me remember that.  Thank you everyone and all the rest that have sent me good wishes.

We lose an hour when we arrive in Michigan.  Riders have been asking me if I will be torked again.  I said yes, I do not mind losing an hour when I drive or fly, but on a bike tour it really bites, especially when we have 113 miles the following day.

Time to pack and go find the ferry.  I have four hours to get there.  Hopefully, it will be enought.

Day 35

By our standards, today was an easy day, 58 miles from Fond du Lac to Manitowac.  Another very nice day for riding with a tailwind part of the time. 

The first picture is of Nancy and her daughter Adrianne.  Nancy turned 69 today.  This is her second time on this ride.  She did it four years ago and now is doing it again with her daughter Adrianne.  She proves every day that all ages can do this tour, you just have to want to and train.  Nancy works out all year long and has actually done bike tours all over the world.  She is a very consistent and strong rider. 

The second picture is of the lighthouse as we left Fond du Lac.  Pretty cool.

The third picture is of an unscheduled rest stop.  Travis, who is the rider with MS which is in remission, is doing this ride to raise money and awareness for MS.  His wife SuEllen flew in from Denver a couple of days ago and some of his family from Chicago drove up to have cold water and snack bags for us.  It was very nice and a real treat.

The fourth picture is our first sighting of Lake Michigan.  As we approached the Lake and rode near it, the temps really dropped. 

Finally there is a picture of Kim's sister Kelly and her husband Kevin from last night.  It was awesome they came to see.  They took me out for turtle sundaes and I think that was one of the reasons I was not hungury today. 

Tomorrow is virtually a rest day as we take the ferry across the lake to Michigan.  We ride a couple of miles to the lake and a couple of miles when we get in at the other side. 

Day 34

Day 34 was a good day.  We rode 84 miles from Wisconsin Dells to Fond du Lac in Wisconsin.  Again, we got a break on the weather which made the day better.  The forecast was for scattered t-storms, some possibly severe; However, when I got up around 5:15 Fond du Lac was having a severe t-storm which essentially cleared all the weather out of the way for us.  The rest of the bad weather was south of us. This meant we had cloudy skies and relatively cool temps for the first 40+ miles.  I have commented before on the different smells as we have ridden through varous areas.  Mountains with evergreens, prairies with sage, and all the farm smells when we road through MN.  Today, with the recent rain, the smell was clean and fresh, as long as I did not smell myself or other riders. We rode along beside lakes through green wooded areas and crops growing. 

The first picture is of some falls at the first rest stop.  The second picture is of me being totally color coordinated.  My shirt is red with black biking shorts, my bike is red and white, my tires black with a red stripe, and my shoes black with red and white print on them.  Normally, I could care less about fashion, especially on a bike, but yesterday I got a lot of grief from other riders for two reasons.  I was wearing rubber booties over my biking shoes.  The reason is the forecase was for rain and I wanted to keep my shoes dry and riding on the crushed limestone would be dirty, especially if wet.  Since it only sprinkled, I ended up not needing the booties and caught a lot of grief.  The second reason is normally I wear touring shorts with pockets, but every once and awhile I wear traditional biking shorts.  Since I like pockets, I cut the bottoms out of some old touring shorts and put them over the top.  Since they are both black most people do not notice (see picture), but yesterday word got out and I got a lot good natured ribbing.  I just said I am a trendsetter.  

Had a great surprise tonight.  Kim's sister Kelly and her husband Kevin came to see me on the way to see his familly in Wisconsin.  It was fun to hangout and eat some ice cream.

Finally, Courtney turned 30 today.  I have talked to her and sent her a text, but also Happy Birthday Courtney.  You are an amazing person and I am blessed to have you as my daughter. 

 

Tomorrow we go Manitowoc.

Day 33

At 91 miles, day 33 was only three miles longer than yesterday, but it was much longer in a lot of other ways.  It started late, as we loaded at 7:00 and then myself and a number of other riders waited to see if a t-storm would blow through.  We left and the t-storm fizzled out.  After about 30 miles we road on the Elroy-Sparta trail which is one of the earliest rails to trails bike trails in the US.  It is very scenic and the first picture is of the beginning of the trail.  The one problem is it is crushed limestone which slows down the average speed pretty significantly. Also there are three tunnels that you have to walk through and carry a flashlight.  The first tunnel is about a mile long and it is completely black inside. Without a flashlight, it would be impossible to see.  The picture is of the entrance -- it looks like something out of Lord of the Rings.  When I entered the tunnel, I immediately remembered I do not like enclosed spaces.  I finally got through and the next two were much shorter. 

When I got to the Wisconsin Dells, I had a great treat.  Some friends from Harbour with whom we have worked for years came up to take me out to supper.  We had a great meal at an outstanding restaurant.  It was a great time and I am most appreciative of them taking the time to do so.  It was very special for me. 

Tomorrow we have chance of t-storms again.