Mileage: 73.4; 2,955.7, total
A nice ride on a beautiful day.
Maybe Kurt G. can tell me why the Rhinelanders are so obsessed with Hodags. Leaving town, it seemed like every other business had Hodag in its name. I know the Hodag was "discovered" near Rhinelander, but that was 100 years ago and I would have thought they'd have gotten over it by now. (For readers who may be unfamiliar with hodags, check wikipedia.com)
In the afternoon I stopped at the Double Buck Restaurant in the little town of Laona for a light meal -- two ears of fresh, sweet corn. The four young people working there were exceptionally nice. They were interested in my bike trip, and it was fun to talk to them about it.
The young woman that is 2nd from the right in the picture was the most enthusiastic. She lives in Iowa, so I hope she will do some training and then join the annual bicycle ride across Iowa in 2009, with thousands of other riders. She would certainly enjoy it.
The young man in the photo, Cody, has also been biking in the local area, and has been thinking about some longer bike rides/camping trips. If you are reading this, Cody, I encourage you to go ahead and do it! I am sure you'd have a great time, and you may find your trips getting longer and longer -- bicycle camping is a great way to explore new areas.
If any of you guys decide to make your first trip to New York City, I would enjoy showing you around.
I was trying to determine how far I would need to go until I came to a town with a motel, and Cody helped out by putting me on the phone with a friend of his, Taylor, who lives about 18 miles down the road in the direction I was headed. Taylor told me that there was a motel in Dunbar. As I continued my bike ride I had gotten about 18 miles down the road when a car flagged me down: it was Taylor, and he had brought me a bottle of cold Powerade! That was so considerate, and the cold drink really hit the spot! Thanks, Taylor!
These Wisconsin folks are amazing. Taylor's friendly gesture was almost the same as what happened yesterday when I guy gave me a bottle of cold water (see posting for Day 98). Kurt G: Be forewarned - the next time I see you I'll be expecting you to hand be a cold drink! (Preferably with a "head" on it; a Leinenkugel Honey Weiss would be nice).
1 comment:
Hi Walt, it's Shoopie; I've caught up with you again. I crossed the Sault and Mackinac bridges in the mid-eighties with son Michael on my motorcycle, when we "rode around the lakes" out of "Tronno" one wknd. Northern and Central Michigan was a lot more beautiful than I expected it to be. Please continue to have a safe trip and say hello to Leslie.
Ed
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