.jpg)
Click on this picture to see our real time location!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Update on Amie and Dan!
Hey friends. I dont remember where we last blogged, but I dont think it was in Canada, so Ill just start with Sault Ste. Marie (also, this is a french keyboard and the apostrophe button is actually an รจ... so there wont be any apostrophes in this entry.)
So.... we bike really far to Sault Ste. Marie, ate some Arbys, and passed out in a Super 8 motel (thanks dad :) It was great.
The next morning we got up and out and crossed over the bridge into Canada! It was long and there was no shoulder but the traffic was also very low so we made it. Then we biked absolutely all day long to Spanish, Ontario, 124 miles later. We cooked hot dogs at a cute little Marina on the north channel of Lake Huron where we also camped.
From Spanish (this was yesterday I think) we continued east on the TransCanada. Neither of us were having a very on-day on the bikes, and the weather was cold and cloudy with a headwind. Progress was slow, our legs were beat, and it was during a long break we took by a lakeside in Naughton that I texted the blog, shamelessly begging for encouragement. From Naughton we ended up biking about 26 miles straight on the worst stretch of highway of the whole trip. Heavy traffic, no shoulder, massive trucks, inconsiderate drivers, and dangerous gusts of wind had us both close to tears when we finally rolled into Coniston (just past Sudbury, the source of the satanic traffic).
Thoroughly shaken up and pissed off, we decided to crash there and give up on our grand plans for a 130 mile day, and pitched a tent in the park in Coniston. We wanted to use a computer to figure out a better route from the TransCanada highway, but the public library was closed, so while Dan communicated with her mom I decided to sneak into an elementary school and turn on one of their library computers that I miraculously stumbled upon. It started to load but it was Windows 98.... So I chickened out and went back to find Dan. That night we put away a quart of ice cream, cooked more hot dogs, watched some Avatar on my ipod, and passed out in our tent listening to idiot, drunk highschool punks laugh obnoxiously all night long.
Other than a few obnoxious teens in the park and scary road conditions, Canada has been green and beautiful. Theres a TON of french, different foods, weird money, and friendlier people. Otherwise I ve decided its exactly the same as the u.s.
This morning we are feeling better about life, and are currently at a tourist information center in Sturgeon Falls, ontario. We got on the computers here and have actually found a new route, as follows:
Transcanada highway 17 until just past Pembroke
Then we wind our way down toward Cornwall on the sideroads that skirt Ottawa
From there we enter nothern New York, and take the 37 to the 122 to the 11, all heading east.
Then we ll get on the 190 down to Plattsburgh, cross into Vermont, pick up the 2, and head down toward Burlington.
Near Burlington we will get on the 15 east until it hits the 2 again, which we ll take all the way into Maine. The 119 to the 121 will get us to Lewiston, where we will spend the night at Dans house, and then have a nice short day into Brunswick and the coast on highway 196.
Probably going to average about 100 miles a day until we re home!
Today we will probably just go to North Bay, where Ill purchase a new rear tire and maybe even an odometer... finally.
Now we re going to go eat donuts.
Thanks for the support everyone!!!! We love you all
So.... we bike really far to Sault Ste. Marie, ate some Arbys, and passed out in a Super 8 motel (thanks dad :) It was great.
The next morning we got up and out and crossed over the bridge into Canada! It was long and there was no shoulder but the traffic was also very low so we made it. Then we biked absolutely all day long to Spanish, Ontario, 124 miles later. We cooked hot dogs at a cute little Marina on the north channel of Lake Huron where we also camped.
From Spanish (this was yesterday I think) we continued east on the TransCanada. Neither of us were having a very on-day on the bikes, and the weather was cold and cloudy with a headwind. Progress was slow, our legs were beat, and it was during a long break we took by a lakeside in Naughton that I texted the blog, shamelessly begging for encouragement. From Naughton we ended up biking about 26 miles straight on the worst stretch of highway of the whole trip. Heavy traffic, no shoulder, massive trucks, inconsiderate drivers, and dangerous gusts of wind had us both close to tears when we finally rolled into Coniston (just past Sudbury, the source of the satanic traffic).
Thoroughly shaken up and pissed off, we decided to crash there and give up on our grand plans for a 130 mile day, and pitched a tent in the park in Coniston. We wanted to use a computer to figure out a better route from the TransCanada highway, but the public library was closed, so while Dan communicated with her mom I decided to sneak into an elementary school and turn on one of their library computers that I miraculously stumbled upon. It started to load but it was Windows 98.... So I chickened out and went back to find Dan. That night we put away a quart of ice cream, cooked more hot dogs, watched some Avatar on my ipod, and passed out in our tent listening to idiot, drunk highschool punks laugh obnoxiously all night long.
Other than a few obnoxious teens in the park and scary road conditions, Canada has been green and beautiful. Theres a TON of french, different foods, weird money, and friendlier people. Otherwise I ve decided its exactly the same as the u.s.
This morning we are feeling better about life, and are currently at a tourist information center in Sturgeon Falls, ontario. We got on the computers here and have actually found a new route, as follows:
Transcanada highway 17 until just past Pembroke
Then we wind our way down toward Cornwall on the sideroads that skirt Ottawa
From there we enter nothern New York, and take the 37 to the 122 to the 11, all heading east.
Then we ll get on the 190 down to Plattsburgh, cross into Vermont, pick up the 2, and head down toward Burlington.
Near Burlington we will get on the 15 east until it hits the 2 again, which we ll take all the way into Maine. The 119 to the 121 will get us to Lewiston, where we will spend the night at Dans house, and then have a nice short day into Brunswick and the coast on highway 196.
Probably going to average about 100 miles a day until we re home!
Today we will probably just go to North Bay, where Ill purchase a new rear tire and maybe even an odometer... finally.
Now we re going to go eat donuts.
Thanks for the support everyone!!!! We love you all
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
zoom zoom
From Claire, Tamara, and Lucia
Tipler to Escanaba 93.3 miles
In the morning we discover that everything has been drenched overnight, that there are several slugs on our gear and a toad in my bike shoe! A friendly couple gives us a ride in their truck out of our campsite on the 6 miles of muddy gravel road. (It would have been a long, uncomfortable ride out otherwise.) After a bit of biking we cross into Michigan! We have lunch in Iron Mountain, an old mining town, then continue on through a town called Norway, and a bit later cross into the eastern time zone. :-)
A poem for the afternoon:
It's so hot I can't think;
It must be time to take a drink.
I am drinking so much water,
but it just keeps getting hotter.
The humidity makes the air feel thick,
and all my clothes begin to stick.
It's not a great day to be outside,
but we're still going for a ride!
When we reach Escanaba, our destination for the day, it's getting late. There isn't camping in the town, but there is a campsite a few miles up the road. It's a great place to spend the night, showers and bathrooms for free!
Escanaba to Engadine 92.3 miles
We start off the day with a spectacular view of lake Michigan. Then 10 miles in or so we stop at Jack's restaurant to use the bathroom, and notice that they are taking huge cinnamon rolls out of the oven. They look so delicious that we decide we have to buy one and share it. Definitely the best one of the trip so far! Our next views of the lake are even more spectacular. It is deep blue with small whitecaps and the far edge disappears into a misty haze that melds into the sky. The shore along the road is sandy almost dune like with scrubby green grasses and coastal pines that just hide the lake from view. We have lunch in Manistique by the beach and go for a delightful swim in the lake. It's surprisingly warm! Since this is our fourth long day in a row, we decide to go out for dinner, but the town we are planning on stopping in is so small that it doesn't even have a gas station where we can buy food, never mind a restaurant. So, we continue 7 more miles up to road to Engadine, where we find a grocery store and a spacious pavilion where we set up our tent. That night is a HUGE rainstorm, and we have fun dancing in the rain.
Engadine to Brimley State Park 73 miles
We decide that we will take a slight detour to go to a health clinic because Lucia was experiencing uncomfortable side effects from her asthma medication, and I had been feeling lightheaded. The friendly doctor prescribes Lucia some medication, and says I just need more electrolytes.
A poem for the morning:
As I put drink mix in my water and almost spill,
A man gives me a twenty dollar bill.
He says it's to buy food along the way.
What a great way to start the day!
Then we go to the hospital to get me and Lucia checked out;
The doctor says we're ok to keep biking without a doubt.
At first his sense of humor gives us a scare,
but turns out he's really nice and his name is Clare.
For lunch we get $20 worth of pizza at a local place;
it's so delicious I get a HUGE smile on my face.
Turns out the breadsticks are even better,
and the lady who works there is very super friendly. I'm glad we met her.
After all this food we feel a bit sedate,
but it's time for a ride on highway 28.
In the afternoon we ride by some road construction. They have closed off one lane of the road, but it is fine to bike on, so we have a whole lane to ourselves! Later in the afternoon we discover wild blueberries, and immediately pull off the road to eat as many as possible. We camp on Lake Superior in a bustling campground. The sunset over the lake is spectacular and we meet an incredibly friendly couple who inquire about our trip and let us use their fire to cook the curry we are making for dinner.
This morning we woke up and biked over an impressive bridge into Canada! We are all super excited to be in a new country, and can't wait to explore.
Tipler to Escanaba 93.3 miles
In the morning we discover that everything has been drenched overnight, that there are several slugs on our gear and a toad in my bike shoe! A friendly couple gives us a ride in their truck out of our campsite on the 6 miles of muddy gravel road. (It would have been a long, uncomfortable ride out otherwise.) After a bit of biking we cross into Michigan! We have lunch in Iron Mountain, an old mining town, then continue on through a town called Norway, and a bit later cross into the eastern time zone. :-)
A poem for the afternoon:
It's so hot I can't think;
It must be time to take a drink.
I am drinking so much water,
but it just keeps getting hotter.
The humidity makes the air feel thick,
and all my clothes begin to stick.
It's not a great day to be outside,
but we're still going for a ride!
When we reach Escanaba, our destination for the day, it's getting late. There isn't camping in the town, but there is a campsite a few miles up the road. It's a great place to spend the night, showers and bathrooms for free!
Escanaba to Engadine 92.3 miles
We start off the day with a spectacular view of lake Michigan. Then 10 miles in or so we stop at Jack's restaurant to use the bathroom, and notice that they are taking huge cinnamon rolls out of the oven. They look so delicious that we decide we have to buy one and share it. Definitely the best one of the trip so far! Our next views of the lake are even more spectacular. It is deep blue with small whitecaps and the far edge disappears into a misty haze that melds into the sky. The shore along the road is sandy almost dune like with scrubby green grasses and coastal pines that just hide the lake from view. We have lunch in Manistique by the beach and go for a delightful swim in the lake. It's surprisingly warm! Since this is our fourth long day in a row, we decide to go out for dinner, but the town we are planning on stopping in is so small that it doesn't even have a gas station where we can buy food, never mind a restaurant. So, we continue 7 more miles up to road to Engadine, where we find a grocery store and a spacious pavilion where we set up our tent. That night is a HUGE rainstorm, and we have fun dancing in the rain.
Engadine to Brimley State Park 73 miles
We decide that we will take a slight detour to go to a health clinic because Lucia was experiencing uncomfortable side effects from her asthma medication, and I had been feeling lightheaded. The friendly doctor prescribes Lucia some medication, and says I just need more electrolytes.
A poem for the morning:
As I put drink mix in my water and almost spill,
A man gives me a twenty dollar bill.
He says it's to buy food along the way.
What a great way to start the day!
Then we go to the hospital to get me and Lucia checked out;
The doctor says we're ok to keep biking without a doubt.
At first his sense of humor gives us a scare,
but turns out he's really nice and his name is Clare.
For lunch we get $20 worth of pizza at a local place;
it's so delicious I get a HUGE smile on my face.
Turns out the breadsticks are even better,
and the lady who works there is very super friendly. I'm glad we met her.
After all this food we feel a bit sedate,
but it's time for a ride on highway 28.
In the afternoon we ride by some road construction. They have closed off one lane of the road, but it is fine to bike on, so we have a whole lane to ourselves! Later in the afternoon we discover wild blueberries, and immediately pull off the road to eat as many as possible. We camp on Lake Superior in a bustling campground. The sunset over the lake is spectacular and we meet an incredibly friendly couple who inquire about our trip and let us use their fire to cook the curry we are making for dinner.
This morning we woke up and biked over an impressive bridge into Canada! We are all super excited to be in a new country, and can't wait to explore.
America's Dairy Land
From Claire, Tamara, and Lucia
After two wonderful days in the twin cities where we saw A Streetcar Named Desire at the Guthrie theater, ate delicious food and ice cream ranked among the top in the country, and shopped in thrift stores, we went on a short ride up the Lucia's cabin accompanied by her dad, Jay. Lucia's cabin was fantastic, we were all treated to hour long massages and got to experience true Wisconsin cheese curds along with homemade root beer.
Day 45, 64 miles to Spooner Wisconsin
From Lucia's cabin we dropped in to visit her aunt and uncle, who live just down the road. We had heard a lot about their house, and it was a sight to see! It was wonderfully put together, full of beautiful and interesting pieces of art and wonderful open living spaces. After espresso we headed down the road with Lucia's mom, crossing the boarder into Wisconsin. Biking on the road we planned (highway 8) was a disaster (lots of tractor trailers going 60 miles an hour and barely any shoulder), so we got off as soon as we could and decided on a more scenic and a bit longer way across Wisconsin. At lunch we said our goodbyes to Lucia's mom and Shana, who flew up for a visit, and then biked around 30 miles until we ran into Tamara's parent's at a scenic view point. Later we had a great Mexican meal together and a restful night in a hotel :)
Day 46, 90.4 miles from Spooner to Fifield Wi
Before heading out of Spooner we tried a local bakery favorite "cows" which were cinnamon rolls with icing and chocolate syrup, they were delicious. We headed to Ojibwa for lunch, seeing mostly trees on the way, and met Tamara's parents there. We biked a solid 40 miles after some delicious food and met Tamara's parents for dinner in Filield. After some group photos and goodbyes we headed down the road planning to go 10 more miles. It started getting dark though (it was around 8:30pm) so we pulled off at a day use cross country ski area and found everything we needed, even a little warming hut to store our bikes in. Free camping is the best.
Day 47, 99.3 miles Fifield to near Tipler (the town that doesn't really exist) Wi
We got up and headed to Minoqua, a nice touristy town. After lots of grocery shopping we headed to Eagle River where we had lunch and walked around drooling in fudge shops. We got out a little later then planned and headed to what we thought would be Tipler Wisconsin. After getting there we realized there wasn't really a town, so we headed down a gravel national forest road to a lakeside campground. It turned out to be over 5 miles of gravel, and after already biking over 90 miles, it was a tiering end to the day! However, our campsite was right on the lake. We all got to swim, and we went on a mission to make friends with someone with a truck to take us out in the morning.
After two wonderful days in the twin cities where we saw A Streetcar Named Desire at the Guthrie theater, ate delicious food and ice cream ranked among the top in the country, and shopped in thrift stores, we went on a short ride up the Lucia's cabin accompanied by her dad, Jay. Lucia's cabin was fantastic, we were all treated to hour long massages and got to experience true Wisconsin cheese curds along with homemade root beer.
Day 45, 64 miles to Spooner Wisconsin
From Lucia's cabin we dropped in to visit her aunt and uncle, who live just down the road. We had heard a lot about their house, and it was a sight to see! It was wonderfully put together, full of beautiful and interesting pieces of art and wonderful open living spaces. After espresso we headed down the road with Lucia's mom, crossing the boarder into Wisconsin. Biking on the road we planned (highway 8) was a disaster (lots of tractor trailers going 60 miles an hour and barely any shoulder), so we got off as soon as we could and decided on a more scenic and a bit longer way across Wisconsin. At lunch we said our goodbyes to Lucia's mom and Shana, who flew up for a visit, and then biked around 30 miles until we ran into Tamara's parent's at a scenic view point. Later we had a great Mexican meal together and a restful night in a hotel :)
Day 46, 90.4 miles from Spooner to Fifield Wi
Before heading out of Spooner we tried a local bakery favorite "cows" which were cinnamon rolls with icing and chocolate syrup, they were delicious. We headed to Ojibwa for lunch, seeing mostly trees on the way, and met Tamara's parents there. We biked a solid 40 miles after some delicious food and met Tamara's parents for dinner in Filield. After some group photos and goodbyes we headed down the road planning to go 10 more miles. It started getting dark though (it was around 8:30pm) so we pulled off at a day use cross country ski area and found everything we needed, even a little warming hut to store our bikes in. Free camping is the best.
Day 47, 99.3 miles Fifield to near Tipler (the town that doesn't really exist) Wi
We got up and headed to Minoqua, a nice touristy town. After lots of grocery shopping we headed to Eagle River where we had lunch and walked around drooling in fudge shops. We got out a little later then planned and headed to what we thought would be Tipler Wisconsin. After getting there we realized there wasn't really a town, so we headed down a gravel national forest road to a lakeside campground. It turned out to be over 5 miles of gravel, and after already biking over 90 miles, it was a tiering end to the day! However, our campsite was right on the lake. We all got to swim, and we went on a mission to make friends with someone with a truck to take us out in the morning.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Fw:
From: 3204920341/TYPE=PLMN
Received: Aug 3, 2010 12:16 PM
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Reader's Digest: Amie and Dan's past week on the road.
Hey friends, here's a quick account of what has transpired in the lives of Amie and Danielle since our split in Sioux Falls -
After our friends rolled out after 2 nights in Sioux Falls, Dan and I decided to spend an extra night with Liz Evans and use the day to gather the gear we now needed to acquire (a new stove, some bike tools, map, etc.).
The next morning, after another luxurious evening and cozy beds, we finally packed up, had an unbelievable pancake breakfast, and made our sad goodbyes. We bike a fast 68 miles that day, up to a small town called Lake Benton. We went out for burgers and then found a small campground just outside the city. We even discovered an old, one-room cabin, apparently from 1882 and belonging to a pioneer named John Snyder... all-in-all a very eventful day?
From Lake Benton we headed east to Redwood Falls. We managed to crank out the day's 78 miles before 2 pm, so Dan and I spent the afternoon wandering around town, looking for a movie, eating ice cream, and playing frisbee. That evening our friend Kenzie, who also goes to Bowdoin, was driven down to Redwood Falls from St. Cloud by her mom to join us biking for a few days!! We got her gear all situated, and pitched our tents behind the bathrooms at a baseball field.
With Kenzie in tow the next morning we set off for Henderson, MN, only about 60 miles away. The day was scorching, almost 100 degrees and incredibly humid. We took frequent breaks, had lunch at Dairy Queen, swung into a library, and finally made it to Henderson, a tiny town with a cute main street next to a river. We tried to swim in the river but it was silty and disgusting, so we settled for a spigot bath. Then we spent the evening/afternoon wandering up and down the streets. Apparently every Tuesday here there is an old/awesome car show, and people park their old/awesome cars along the main street and everybody comes outside. After seeing the sights we settled ourselves under a pavillion in a park, since the weather looked like it was about to get nasty. A short while later the city cop, Chester, pulls up to us and tells us that we shouldn't camp there because there has been a tornado warning issued. Luckily, we had been offered house space by a woman I met earlier in town. We rode up to her house and got beds, showers, and safety from the massive storm that passed through shortly afterward.
From Henderson, we said goodbye to our hosts and made a break for the state border. It was an 86 mile day to Red Wing, and along the way we stopped in Northfield to visit Kenzie's aunt briefly. Otherwise it was decently uneventful. The last 20 miles of our ride into town we rode on a bike path that connects Cannon Falls and Red Wing. Getting off the highway and into a green tunnel was amazing. Red Wing is also a cute city on the river, though we didn't manage to find downtown that evening. Instead we had some pizza for dinner, and then found a city park to loiter in until dark. Somehow we got away with camping there, possibly our stealthiest yet.
From Red Wing we headed north into Wisconsin, making the requisite stop at the border sign. Wisconsin was beautiful right from the start - incredibly green, with rolling hills and rivers absolutely everywhere. We took our time this day, tired from our long day the day before. We made it to camp around 4:30 after doing only 60 miles. We found a campground called Twin Bridges just a little northeast of Menomonie, WI. We stealth-camped again there, cooked some burritos, made a fire, and passed out before 9 pm.
We got an early start this morning, because I didn't tell Dan or Kenzie that the alarm was set for 6... Then we headed north. Apart from a cute baby in a bar and some beautiful riding, the day itself was uneventful. So uneventful, actually, that we made it to Ladysmith, WI by 3:30 pm in the hopes of seeing a movie. The theater wasn't open, however, so we had dinner instead, found a city park, and sat there bitching about how bored we were getting with biking and being dirty and tired all day. Seemingly in response to our complaints, we ended up having one of the most memorable nights of the trip. As we sat there complaining, we noticed a group of highschool kids and younger swimming in the river we were sitting near. One of their number was incredibly intoxicated, and the others were taking care of him and laughing at him. A short while later we heard someone yell, "You don't fucking hit a girl!!" Then the drunk kid was attacked by some of the other boys. He was too drunk to function, and they were kicking him as he lay in the grass. The fight stopped quickly, but we thought about calling the police. I went to the bathroom, and a short while later Kenzie came inside suggesting we call, because the kid was now sitting at our pavillion and being harrassed further. I called 911 from the bathrooms and the cops said they would come check it out. As we left the bathroom, we watched the drunk kid be picked up by an older boy, carried away to the foot of a tree, punched in the face repeatedly, and then left there. The cops showed up just as the older boy and his sister drove away. Eventually, the boy was taken away on a stretcher, and we wrote police statements.
Later, we realized that it was clear that we were the ones who had called the cops, and that those involved in the crime were still hanging around the park.... We decided not to sleep there, and Jennifer Willey paid for a hotel night for us.
The next day we loitered at the hotel stealing continental breakfast until about 11 am. Once finally on the road, we made a sprint to our friend Kim's cabin in Tomahawk, WI. We biked really, really fast. Google maps gave us bad directions, added 10 miles. FINALLY at the cabin, Kim's boyfriend cooked us a delicious dinner, and we had fun around the fire pit for the rest of the night.
August 1st we spent entirely at the cabin, fishing, swimming, frisbeeing, eating, shopping, etc. Our good friend Kayte even showed up that afternoon! It was a perfect, lazy rest day, and we topped it off with more food, drink, and fire pits, ultimately crashing in beds.
So obviously the next morning we didn't get out before about 12 noon. Kenzie headed home at this point, but Dan and I spent the ENTIRE day riding. We pulled into Norway, MI after 110 miles, the last 10 of which were in the dark.
I think we're just about in Eastern Time! about to head east on highway 2. More updates to come
After our friends rolled out after 2 nights in Sioux Falls, Dan and I decided to spend an extra night with Liz Evans and use the day to gather the gear we now needed to acquire (a new stove, some bike tools, map, etc.).
The next morning, after another luxurious evening and cozy beds, we finally packed up, had an unbelievable pancake breakfast, and made our sad goodbyes. We bike a fast 68 miles that day, up to a small town called Lake Benton. We went out for burgers and then found a small campground just outside the city. We even discovered an old, one-room cabin, apparently from 1882 and belonging to a pioneer named John Snyder... all-in-all a very eventful day?
From Lake Benton we headed east to Redwood Falls. We managed to crank out the day's 78 miles before 2 pm, so Dan and I spent the afternoon wandering around town, looking for a movie, eating ice cream, and playing frisbee. That evening our friend Kenzie, who also goes to Bowdoin, was driven down to Redwood Falls from St. Cloud by her mom to join us biking for a few days!! We got her gear all situated, and pitched our tents behind the bathrooms at a baseball field.
With Kenzie in tow the next morning we set off for Henderson, MN, only about 60 miles away. The day was scorching, almost 100 degrees and incredibly humid. We took frequent breaks, had lunch at Dairy Queen, swung into a library, and finally made it to Henderson, a tiny town with a cute main street next to a river. We tried to swim in the river but it was silty and disgusting, so we settled for a spigot bath. Then we spent the evening/afternoon wandering up and down the streets. Apparently every Tuesday here there is an old/awesome car show, and people park their old/awesome cars along the main street and everybody comes outside. After seeing the sights we settled ourselves under a pavillion in a park, since the weather looked like it was about to get nasty. A short while later the city cop, Chester, pulls up to us and tells us that we shouldn't camp there because there has been a tornado warning issued. Luckily, we had been offered house space by a woman I met earlier in town. We rode up to her house and got beds, showers, and safety from the massive storm that passed through shortly afterward.
From Henderson, we said goodbye to our hosts and made a break for the state border. It was an 86 mile day to Red Wing, and along the way we stopped in Northfield to visit Kenzie's aunt briefly. Otherwise it was decently uneventful. The last 20 miles of our ride into town we rode on a bike path that connects Cannon Falls and Red Wing. Getting off the highway and into a green tunnel was amazing. Red Wing is also a cute city on the river, though we didn't manage to find downtown that evening. Instead we had some pizza for dinner, and then found a city park to loiter in until dark. Somehow we got away with camping there, possibly our stealthiest yet.
From Red Wing we headed north into Wisconsin, making the requisite stop at the border sign. Wisconsin was beautiful right from the start - incredibly green, with rolling hills and rivers absolutely everywhere. We took our time this day, tired from our long day the day before. We made it to camp around 4:30 after doing only 60 miles. We found a campground called Twin Bridges just a little northeast of Menomonie, WI. We stealth-camped again there, cooked some burritos, made a fire, and passed out before 9 pm.
We got an early start this morning, because I didn't tell Dan or Kenzie that the alarm was set for 6... Then we headed north. Apart from a cute baby in a bar and some beautiful riding, the day itself was uneventful. So uneventful, actually, that we made it to Ladysmith, WI by 3:30 pm in the hopes of seeing a movie. The theater wasn't open, however, so we had dinner instead, found a city park, and sat there bitching about how bored we were getting with biking and being dirty and tired all day. Seemingly in response to our complaints, we ended up having one of the most memorable nights of the trip. As we sat there complaining, we noticed a group of highschool kids and younger swimming in the river we were sitting near. One of their number was incredibly intoxicated, and the others were taking care of him and laughing at him. A short while later we heard someone yell, "You don't fucking hit a girl!!" Then the drunk kid was attacked by some of the other boys. He was too drunk to function, and they were kicking him as he lay in the grass. The fight stopped quickly, but we thought about calling the police. I went to the bathroom, and a short while later Kenzie came inside suggesting we call, because the kid was now sitting at our pavillion and being harrassed further. I called 911 from the bathrooms and the cops said they would come check it out. As we left the bathroom, we watched the drunk kid be picked up by an older boy, carried away to the foot of a tree, punched in the face repeatedly, and then left there. The cops showed up just as the older boy and his sister drove away. Eventually, the boy was taken away on a stretcher, and we wrote police statements.
Later, we realized that it was clear that we were the ones who had called the cops, and that those involved in the crime were still hanging around the park.... We decided not to sleep there, and Jennifer Willey paid for a hotel night for us.
The next day we loitered at the hotel stealing continental breakfast until about 11 am. Once finally on the road, we made a sprint to our friend Kim's cabin in Tomahawk, WI. We biked really, really fast. Google maps gave us bad directions, added 10 miles. FINALLY at the cabin, Kim's boyfriend cooked us a delicious dinner, and we had fun around the fire pit for the rest of the night.
August 1st we spent entirely at the cabin, fishing, swimming, frisbeeing, eating, shopping, etc. Our good friend Kayte even showed up that afternoon! It was a perfect, lazy rest day, and we topped it off with more food, drink, and fire pits, ultimately crashing in beds.
So obviously the next morning we didn't get out before about 12 noon. Kenzie headed home at this point, but Dan and I spent the ENTIRE day riding. We pulled into Norway, MI after 110 miles, the last 10 of which were in the dark.
I think we're just about in Eastern Time! about to head east on highway 2. More updates to come
Monday, August 2, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)