Hoping for a Tail Wind

Passing The Miles

Despite meeting great people and seeing splendid scenery, sometimes I just need to push on and cover ground. Obviously being in a hurry is not part of this or really any bicycle tour, but I’ve been utilizing a method to pack on the miles.

I typically set an activity and then countdown on my odometer. So for example, earlier today I had a scenic twenty mile stretch without services. I broke it up, telling myself after the first 10 I would stop and eat some cheese curds and stretch out on the side of the road. Then I had another ten miles into a town so I decided I’d go ten miles and buy a sugary beverage (the lipton glass bottle green teas are boss!) and eat a banana/peanut butter sandwich in the park.

Lots of reinforcement and goals help push it along. I’ve got twenty mile left today: I might take a nap or get a coffee at twelve miles, and of course the final eight miles will be spent dreaming of taking off my shoes, setting up my tent and relaxing for an entire 6-8 hours. Only to do it all over again tomorrow.

Hello Wisconsin

After several movie references, this entry’s title marks my first TV reference. And so far America’s Dairyland has been amazing.

My first day, I caught the tail end of a festival in St Crioux Falls by my good friends in the OLS Crew. Met tons of people, had a hug bonfire and saw some great bands – like Phrym8, Bottom Feeders and Kanser. I even got to whip around the parking lot in the “medium bus” which earlier that day spent 60 minutes stuck in a mud puddle which apparently was where everyone was peeing the night before! (see the pic below). Shouts to Jake, Kyle, Nick, Tessa, Bob, Gust and everyone else; especially Bryce, the owner of the lovely stretch of land.

After that, I needed some time to plot out my next week’s route and deal with some mechanical issues. I had been offered housing by Bob and Cheryl Mundle via warmshowers.org, so I decided to only bike a half day – about 35 miles – to Amery. I was certainly in for a treat as my shelter for the night was Bob’s boathouse: literally 2 feet from the shore of Wapogasset Lake. Talk about waterfront accommodations!

I did some kayaking on the lake before my gracious hosts provided an amazing dinner and allowed me usage of their computer. Bob is a retired pilot and is truly one of the most interesting people I’ve me on this tour; he’s travelled far and wide via bicycle, boat and plane -and truly lives his life with passion and zeal. In fact, the morning I left, he biked the four miles into town with me, and shortly thereafter was hopping in his plane to meet friends and do some sailing on Lake Superior. Talk about a full day!

So good job Wisconsin, both on the hospitality of your citizenry and on those tasty cheese curds.