May 22-July 10, 2012

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Wisconsin---"Really quick! Speaking of Consuelo, Lillian and I took Spanish together in school. And so, I would just like to say to you and to everyone here, "Gracias para vivar en la casa, en la escuelas, en...en la azul...markada. Tienes con bibir en las Fortuashla? And gracias!"














Doug had the coffee brewing and we ate a quick breakfast of yogurt, fruit, and granola before heading out to ride. He led the way to a rails-to-trails path called the Military Ridge Trail. Madison seems very bike friendly and Doug said the path is full of people on the weekends. It was well maintained, at least on the eastern end and runs from Madison to Dodgeville. It was supposed to be in the 90's again today in Madison, uncharacteristically hot, so we rolled along at a pretty good clip.








Once in Dodgeville, we rode west on Highway 18 towards Prairie du Chien. Traffic was tolerable, but seemed to consist of as many trucks as cars. We watched in awe as dark clouds formed to the south of us, creating wave-like patterns and hopefully generating some rain for the farmers. The corn here in Wisconsin looks green and lush, but Doug and Kathy had told us the southern part of the state was suffering for lack of rain.















We had a nice tailwind going into Prairie du Chien, so we actually finished the day's riding around 2 p.m. I ended the day with 100.9 miles, an average of 14.6 and an elevation gain of 1510'. There is a nice memorial for the men and women who have served in the military in the middle of town.







I was at McDonald's updating the blog while Karen looked for a place to get a haircut. She found Ken. They talked about cycling a bit and then he showed her his bike, a Huffy with a wicker basket on front so that he can carry his coffee. I didn't get to meet him, but I'm probably not overstepping my bounds by saying that he doesn't have identity issues. :)








We drove over the bridge and into Iowa, and headed for Clearlake State Park. We decided to eat along the way and stopped at Applebee's in Mason City. Pasta was on my mind, and I filled up on it. When we got to the park, it was packed and we weren't on the reservation list. Uh-oh. We talked to the park host and it dawned on me that maybe...maybe I had made reservations at the state park across the lake...McIntosh Woods. The campground host called over to McIntosh Woods and...sure enough...our reservation was 7 miles away. Phew...sometimes, I am lucky to remember my name.



maybe you can't...because you won't...

Friday, June 29, 2012

Illinois---"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."




Ken and Sue were already up and in the kitchen by the time we came downstairs. I found out from them that their oldest son went to Hillsdale...that makes us kindred spirits...:). Sue fixed us an amazing breakfast...eggs, toast, fruit, juice, homemade muffins that were so delicious all of us want the recipe! And...she sent all of the extras with us! They are wonderful people with big hearts and we so enjoyed our quick stay with them.





Ken had helped me with my route last March...so we enjoyed our early morning ride...heading west on some very empty country roads. We basically rode a reverse "C" from Rochelle around and up to


Rockton.





Humidity is a term for water vapor in the air and that is what we had today. Headwind in the morning, tailwind in the afternoon, and temperatures in the upper 90's. We were all dripping with sweat by 9 a.m. When we were finished riding and loading the bikes, it started to rain, but it was a short 5 minute shower. This area is in dire need of rain...and I hope they get it. Some of the stands of corn we saw today looked severely stressed.





Laura's best friend grew up in Poplar Grove, which was about 12 miles from our endpoint. We drove to the address and Laura took a few pictures and sent them to her friend's phone. Modern technology, you know...It took a little while, but soon her friend figured out what the pictures were, and the childhood memories came flooding back. Such fun.








We drove to Madison, Wisconsin where we stayed with Doug and Kathy, our Warm Showers hosts. Doug is an avid cyclist and about to leave on his own adventure. He and several of his friends are headed to Maine where they will be dong some touring. Kathy's love is gardening and her yard is full of her labor. She has an extensive vegetable garden, fruit trees, kiwi, and berries. They fixed us a traditional Wisconsin meal...brats and beer. Doug had crafted the beer himself and it was delicious. I helped him pick some raspberries and we all had ice cream with berries for dessert. We enjoyed our conversation with them...and the topics ranged from coffins to cicadas. Thanks so much for letting us stay with you!

maybe you can't...because you won't...

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Indiana---"I want American food, dammit, I want French fries."














Steve was up early making coffee and we chatted with him while eating some yogurt and granola. Louise catches the 5:48 train into Chicago...a 2 hour commute. Yikes! We said our goodbyes before they left for the station and Laura and I headed west on some very fun roller coaster hills. I kept smelling bread. I told Laura so. And then we saw...Bunny Bread Co. Bunny Bread on Boyd Boulevard. Say that as fast as you can ten times.








I'm afraid today's routing wasn't very scenic. You can only look at so many fields of corn and soybeans. When I routed Indiana, I confess that I was merely trying to stay close to Illinois and away from Chicago. Fortunately, we get to talk to great people along the way. Patty talked to a woman who said she was a "city girl"...she married a farmer and raised 6 kids...but didn't want to go to the city now because "it's not safe". :)
Speaking of safe...some of the roads we were on today were minor roads and consequently, the surface was not always smooth. Other roads were larger, busier roads...some with good shoulders, so you pedal with a lot of noise from the traffic, some with poor shoulders so you feel vulnerable to the traffic. We want to be safe, so my goal is to choose a route that is minor but with a decent surface. Chip seal makes your hands numb from all the vibration.




We had a strong wind out of the south, but we put our heads down and pedaled hard. Fortunately, that didn't last all day. 15 of the last 20 miles were tailwind so Laura and I sailed along at more than 20 m.p.h. That was fun!




It was 85 degrees when we finished and the temperature rose to nearly 100. I finished with 100.1 miles, an average of 14.3 (amazing when I consider the wind...) and an elevation gain of 744'.
Patty spent the day driving and getting groceries. She had fixed a flat on her rear wheel, but midday it was flat again. She had the task of getting us to our overnight destination at Rochelle, IL. We stayed with Ken and Sue, but when we arrived only Ken and his son-in-law John were there. Sue was at a baby shower for her daughter...Ken and Sue are expecting their first grandchild in August. They are going to love it. Grand kids are the greatest joy in my life. Ken had made BBQ pork spareribs and Sue had left potato salad and a cabbage salad. What a feast! It was all delicious...thank you both so much for letting us stay with you!
maybe you can't...because you won't...

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Michigan---"Paladins. Paladins kill Jumpers. I kill Paladins. Class dismissed."







Karen, Patty, and I headed west from Morenci over some gently rolling hills. The sun was coming up and the temperature was around 52 degrees...it was downright chilly for awhile. There was light traffic that picked up whenever we got close to a town. This was particularly true when we got to the larger town of Hillsdale.











Hillsdale was one of those serendipitous moments when I did my routing last winter. It is the home of Hillsdale College. A friend's daughter went to school there. I love their philosophy and the fact that they accept no federal funding. If I knew then what I know now, I would have gone to school there. I had thought...maybe I could pick up a t-shirt...but then I realized that I would be riding through during summer...there would be no students...and we would be pedaling through at 8 o'clock in the morning. I gave up the idea. Laura to the rescue. As she was sagging, she waited patiently for the bookstore to open and bought me a very cool hoodie. Talk about above and beyond the call of duty! Thanks so much for all of that, Laura!






Laura actually drove all day today. She took the day off riding to let both Karen and Patty get in a century...and we did it in style...my average for the day was 14.5 with 100.2 miles and an elevation gain of 1388'.


We called our Warm Showers hosts for the night, Steve and Louise. It was early in the afternoon, but Steve welcomed us to their home in New Carlisle. He is an artist, having worked in watercolors and now pottery. He has a business called BlackTree Studio Pottery, and you can check out his website at blacktreestudio.com. Louise has worked at the Chicago Children's Museum for over 20 years...she is due to retire this year and is excited about having the time to garden and help Steve with his venture. We talked to her about coming out to Washington to do one of our week-long bike rides next fall. They were a delight to spend time with...gracious and full of good conversation as we dined on Steve's roasted chicken and vegetables. Thanks so much for allowing us to spend the evening with you!














maybe you can't...because you won't...

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Ohio---"WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE WHERE YOU BUY UNDERWEAR? WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? UNDERWEAR IS UNDERWEAR! IT IS UNDERWEAR WHEREVER YOU BUY IT! IN CINCINNATI OR WHEREVER!"

Laura and I left the campground at 6 and I was surprised at the number of hills we encountered. Maybe we were going to get those West Virginia hills after all. I found out later from Liz that this area is a ski area. Pretty soon we left the hills behind and were left with...corn. So.much.corn. Farm after farm was growing corn and soybeans. The terrain was gently rolling hills with sprawling houses and wrap around decks. There were big red barns with farm equipment parked alongside, waiting for an assignment.



We went through the towns of Galion and Bucyrus, Sycamore and Fostoria. It would have been a delightful ride were it not for the wind. I figure you can only love the wind about 25% of the time. The rest of the time it is annoying. Today it was just plain hard, and by the time we were done riding, I was whupped.








We loaded the bikes and headed to Morenci, Michigan to camp at Green Valley campground. We had a hard time finding anyone in charge, but finally got a phone number from one of the other campers along with directions to the tent campsites. A couple arrived in their little golf cart and though we had made reservations, she had misplaced them. She decided we should stay for free. We didn't argue. She decided we could use the pavilion...again, we didn't argue. It was wonderful to have extra time to take care of some nagging little chores that we had been putting off...cleaning and lubing the bikes, adjusting brake pads, and organizing clothes bags.





We had a fine meal of brown rice and chicken with broccoli, summer squash, and red pepper. We even had some Thai peanut sauce and a fresh green salad to go with it. But...lest you think we were only eating things that were good for us...read on.

We had had a conversation in the truck a few days ago about favorite candy bars. It's a dangerous topic for me because I like all kinds of candy, and soon after the conversation, I found a 3 Muskateers bar in my "stash" of stuff. I was going to eat it after West Virginia...celebrate after all of those hills...but then the hills never materialized and I couldn't justify eating the candy bar. Today...after the headwinds for the better part of the day, I felt entitled. I cut it up in pieces to be our dessert, but finished most of it myself. Sugar has not been good for me on this trip...the day following a lot of sugar I feel sluggish and low energy. We'll have to see how I feel tomorrow.

maybe you can't...because you won't...