Author: Dennis Blanchard

Dennis Blanchard was born in Bristol, Connecticut. He and his wife Jane moved to New Hampshire in 1980 where he has climbed thirty 4000-foot mountains, biked the trails and enjoyed the wilderness. Never living very far from the Appalachian Trail, Dennis was always aware of the seductive siren’s call to hike it. Dennis is an electronics engineer who has freelanced for amateur radio, technical and motorcycle adventure magazines. He now lives in Sarasota, Florida.

Day 13 – Part 2, Vassar Michigan

There are all sorts of fascinating farm machines here. My grandkids would love to play with this.

41.36 Miles for the day. Tonight would be my first night to camp in my tent. I arose early enough, but before I knew it, the morning was wasting away. Such is the pleasure of having an air-conditioned room and relaxing seating and beds. At long last, I dragged myself from the creature comforts of the modern world and went out into the sunlight.

It actually was sunny. Lately, at least most mornings, it has been overcast, dreary and chilly. As usual, with poor Internet service, thanks to T-Mobile, my GPS was hopeless. At some point, as someone suggested in the comments, I need to look at changing that.

After making several wrong turns, I finally was underway. Usually, I avoid a large, “Lumberjack,” breakfast. Three eggs, bacon, ham, home fries, four slices of toast, tea, orange juice, etc. make one too full to actually go out and do work, and riding is work.

Approaching noontime I was getting anxious to find a place to stop for lunch. I was also curious about my surroundings. As I was riding the Harger Line Trail (bike/pedestrian trail), I stopped to chat with a rider going the other way. Gordie was a wealth of information. My first question was about a root plant that I saw them harvesting a few miles back. See photo below:

Next, I asked him why so much corn had not been harvested, the cobs were drying up on the stalks. I love corn, I would never let it get to that state! Gordie told me that the corn was “industrial corn.” I thought about that and concluded that it could be used for ethanol product, or perhaps for clothing fiber. Curious about my travels, he then asked me a few questions about my ride. It was a nice encounter, but I was hungry and wanted to move on. Sorry, Gordie.

I’ve learned that a bowl of raisin bran or Cheerios, some fruit and an orange juice and a cup of tea is plenty. However, this means that by noon, I’m getting hungry. At about 25 miles (42 km) I came into Frankenmuth, Michigan. I had never heard of the place but it is very European themed, especially Germany and Austria. The first establishment I encountered was The Old Christmas Station Restaurant (Currently, as of 2021, The Station 100 Restaurant). The menu was pricey, but I didn’t want to eat too much anyway, so I ordered a house salad and a curry chicken sandwich from the appetizer menu.

The salad was ample and excellent. It had all sorts of vegetables in it and a nice dressing. The sandwich was actually about as long as a sub sandwich, but open-faced and covered in chicken and curry sauce. It too was excellent and a very sufficient lunch, and not too pricey. The place was really ritzy and I thought perhaps they would throw me out on my ear, but they were very gracious and welcoming and I went away a very happy diner.

I learned later that the town was having a special event weekend, starting the next day, and it draws on the order of 80,000 people and has all sorts of parades and celebrations. It would be worth checking on if you’re in the region in early September. I don’t know where they would put all the people, the village isn’t that large.

Satisfied with lunch, I headed east. As the afternoon dragged on I had to decide on where to stay for the evening. The GPS (while I was in the restaurant and had WiFi) showed there was one motel in Vassar, MI. After Vassar, there wasn’t much for at least 30-40 miles. It would be a gamble to try and make it to 70 miles (110 km) for the day and beat sunset, so I opted for Vassar. I found the Vassar Inn Motel, which was about a mile from the bicycle route.

I was tempted to call ahead for a room, but I didn’t have any T-Mobile phone service, so I just had to chance it. When I arrived the woman that manages the place told me they were full. She offered that I could camp behind the motel and I jumped at the offer, there wasn’t much else I could do.

When I rode around back she came out the door with a nice big glass of ice water…I must have looked the part. Sue was a wonderful host and warned me that I couldn’t pay for camping there, it was her gift.

I set up the tent and threw in the sleeping bag and rode off to find something to eat. It was a choice between a Subway shop and a McDonalds. I’m not a big fan of McDonalds, but they have fantastic WiFi and, if it is only once in a while, it won’t kill me. The manager of this McDonalds talked to me after I had my meal and I was complimenting him on having installed electrical outlets at a bunch of the customer seats so one could charge a phone. He proudly said it was his idea and it worked great for me. I do carry backup charging gear, but McDonalds made it so convenient that I was beholding to them. It really did make my life easier. Not only that, I had an excellent connection to call home.

A number of years ago NPR did a series on McDonalds and how they were trying to improve their image with the public in respect to animal care. They hired Temple Grandin, a Ph.D. in animal behavior and worked with her to improve the lot of the animals involved in their products, such as chickens, pigs, and cattle. The series changed my view of McDonalds to where I will stop in once in a while. It had been at least 25 years since I had been in one of their stores. There was a movie about Temple Grandin and it is worth a watch if you haven’t seen it.

My campsite at Vassar, MI. I put a wire into the tree at the far right for my antenna.

I returned to the motel and finished unpacking the bike. I took a short nap and shortly after sunset I threw a wire into a tree and set up my ham radio station on two folding chairs. Just as I was ready to settle down for some radio fun, the skies opened up and it started to pour. The stars were out only a few minutes earlier.

I hurriedly dragged everything into the tent and set everything up again. I managed to operate for a while and then my legs were getting cramps, so I shut down for the night.

It poured all night long, intensely at times. I awoke about 7 am and it was still pouring, so I turned on the radio and, using Morse code, connected with Henry, K1PUG, in Harwinton, Connecticut. He lives near the high school that I graduated from back in 1965, Lewis S. Mills. People are often surprised to hear that I actually talk with Morse code these days. In the world of amateur radio, it is still a very popular way to communicate. It is my favorite, even with all the newer digital modes that have come along over the years. It is always a good skill to have.

Anyway, we’re into the next day here and I’ll close this out for now. The rain has finally stopped and I will be on the road again by 10 am or so.

Day 12 – Part 2, Bay City, Michigan

A little over 57 miles. Two and one-half hours spent at bike shops, in all, a good day. The weather cooperated. There were predicted “scattered” thunderstorms, which usually means they scatter over me. It was my good fortune that I was behind them for most of the day, whereas I’m usually trying to outrun them. I followed one rainbow for at least twenty miles. Following is the summary of my day:

In the morning I rode to the local bike shop, (LBS), Rays Cycle, in Clare. They opened around ten and I was the first and only customer there. Jake, the only worker there at that time took my bike and worked on it while I went to the Cops And Donuts bakery. Weird name, but their tea and donuts were good.

When I returned to the LBS, Jake had some bad news for me. He had removed the front derailleur (the front shifter mechanism on a multi-speed bicycle) and found he couldn’t repair it. That, and he didn’t have a replacement in stock. He put it all back together, including the Bunji cord temporary fix I had instituted. I had him replace the chain while he was at it, it was nearing end-of-life. He suggested that they have a shop in Midland, MI, thirty miles (fifty km) up the road and I could try there since I was going that way.

The ride from Clare to Midland was a very nice and paved rail trail. Rail trails are good for several reasons. First, they usually are surrounded by trees on both sides, which shields the riders from winds, especially headwinds. Second, the trees offer shade when the sun is intense. Lastly, trains don’t climb steep grades so the trails are usually very near level. I made the thirty-mile trip from Clare to Midland in two hours.

The Ray’s LBS in Midland didn’t have the part either. Why, in the year 2018, are we still dealing with so many parts that do the same job but don’t fit all the machines? Didn’t we solve mass production problems such as these 150 years ago? They called their shop in Bay City, MI and that shop indeed did have the part. It was my lucky day, they were sending a vehicle up to the Midland shop and would bring the part along.

I took all the gear off of the bike (for the second time that day, having unpacked everything in Clare) and left the bike. I went for a walk, had some lunch and wandered down to the Tridge. The Tridge is a bridge that forms a three-legged bridge to three different points of land. It is only for pedestrians and bicycles. Years ago, maybe 27 years, we visited the Tridge as a family on a Michigander ride. The Tridge was reasonably new then and has just undergone total repair and refinishing and looks great. While there, Ray’s bike shop called to tell me the bike was ready. That was really quick, I don’t think I was gone much over an hour. The repair looked great and solved my shifting problem. Ray’s was very professional and speedy. I highly recommend them if you’re passing through the region and need bike service.

I repacked the bike and was off to Bay City, another twenty miles (33 kilometers). The second leg of the trip was hot and tiring, the directions were more confusing and I had trouble keeping to the bike route. At last, in downtown Bay City, I found a Comfort Inn and was there for the evening. I put the bike and gear in the room and then walked down to a local Asian restaurant and had a Weng Weng (Tequila, rum, grenadine and pineapple juice drink) and an orange crusted chicken dish. It was a Filipino dish and was a nice way to finish the day. I was too tired to even update this blog.

Day 11 – Part 2, Luther, Michigan

As a solo bicycle rider, I take the day as it comes. Pedaling out of Ludington, MI, after spending the night there was like any other day; surprises awaited discovering.

The ride to the hotel the night before was uneventful, but in the dark after disembarking from the S. S. Badger ferry ride across Lake Michigan. I have plenty of rear lights for the bike, but the headlamp is a smaller, less powerful version that I use when traveling. I don’t plan on doing much riding at night when away from home. In Sarasota, I have a light that would blind.

The names of places can be puzzling at times. I rode into Free Soil, Michigan. I can’t begin to imagine how that came to be. I suppose I could research it, but, like in college, I’ll leave that to the reader. The skies kept threatening to drown me, but so far, so good. I gambled that a quick lunch would allow me time to get to somewhere safe for the night. The forecast was for severe thunderstorms, but I was hungry.

I stopped at the Heidi Hof House and had a nice meal. As usual, a customer noticed the bicycle and was appalled that someone could actually ride that far, especially a senior citizen. We had a nice chat about it. He offered to buy me a beer, but I don’t like to drink alcohol while riding. Lunch went well and still no storm.

This area of Michigan, at least according to my Adventure Cycle Association maps, is devoid of anything looking like a hotel. I was certain that I would be camping tonight. As I came into the outskirts of Luther, MI, I rode down a side road to check on the Carrieville State Forest Campground. It was late afternoon, and other than a bunch of noisy dirt bikes riding the trails, the place was pretty empty. I attempted to sign up for site #4, but, since didn’t have the correct change for the drop box, I planned to ride into town, have an early evening meal, and get some change.

Luther was about three miles from the camp. I rode into town and looked to see what was open (This was Sunday of Labor Day weekend, most places would be closed). On the left side of the main drag there appeared to be two places, I think one was Loggers Landing, and the other was North Bar. The North Bar had a crowd gathered at the front door so I wasn’t hopeful about being able to get in if there was a long line.

I walked the bike up to the bar on the sidewalk and as I approached the crowd, I was greeted with by some very happy sounding people, and loud music coming from the bar. My mind raced, did I want to try and wait out the crowd or try to get something to eat?

I tied the bike to a pole and at once several folks gathered around with a bunch of questions. I answered what I could and then asked about how long the wait was to get in. They said there was no wait (they were mostly outside to have a smoke) and told me to head on in. Just then, a woman came out and peppered me with questions and explained that the North Bar was having their annual Customer Appreciation Day. The woman, Jen, was managing the festivities. The fact that I wasn’t a regular customer and it was my first time there didn’t matter in the least. I was treated as a long-lost friend and dragged in before I could protest.

Welcome to Customer Appreciation Day at the North Bar, Luther, Michigan.

In just a few sentences Jen managed to squeeze out my life’s history. She went up to the microphone and said something about having a minor celebrity in their midst, a fellow riding a bicycle coast-to-coast and then pointed at me. There was a big round of applause…I really had to like this crowd.

They were bringing just about everyone in the place to the stage area to sing – most of them solo. Surprisingly, many of them were really good singers. Most of the songs were country western and a few, quite humorous. There was free food and I sat there and ate to my fill. What a crowd.

I was terrified that they would ask me to sing, I don’t know a single word of any songs, it would have been a disaster. I wrote down the name of my book, Three Hundred Zeroes, on the back of my business card and caught Jen’s attention and went outside to explain to her that I’d like to give a copy to anyone that helps me out, and I had just had a free meal. I told her about the book and how it was dedicated to my brother Tom that was killed in action in Vietnam. The next thing I know, she drags me inside and hands me the microphone! I had warned her that I didn’t want to be a “downer” on such a lively party by telling my abbreviated story. She assured me I wouldn’t be a “downer” and that everyone there would be interested. She asked if I was doing the ride as a fundraiser for a cause and I replied, “no, just for my bucket list.”

It didn’t matter, she seemed to think that it was a fundraiser. Someone had just handed me $20, and I didn’t know what to say. I took the microphone and explained how my brother, Tom and I were going to hike the Appalachian Trail together when we finished our military duty, but it didn’t happen because he was killed in 1968. Further, I explained that I hiked the trail with his Purple Heart Medal and in spite of having to get off for three hundred days for a six-artery heart bypass surgery, I did go on to finish the whole 2200 (3540 km). Now I was doing this bike ride. I told them I’m not doing a fundraiser, but somebody had given me a twenty, and I would put it to good use for a veteran in my town.

Then to liven things up I told them that I had been riding across Wisconsin for over a week (lots of state rivalry in the midwest) and that in that entire time I had never seen anything like this. That brought a good laugh and applause. I didn’t want to drag it on, so thanked them and handed the microphone back. What a great crowd. Following that, a few more rushed up to me and handed me more cash, in all, $102.00. I promised to put it to good use when I get back to Florida, we have plenty of veterans there that can use the help.

It made me so proud to be an American, they didn’t care about where I was from, my politics, my religion, etc., all that mattered was a common bond with caring about others, in this case, veterans. Thank you, Luther, Michigan. I’ll report back after I get home.

Following all that, a woman named Cheryl approached me and offered a cabin room to stay in for the night. It was getting late and I was exhausted from a 60+ mile day. I said certainly. She had me follow her to the cabin and set me up there for the night, then she went back to the festivities.

Her two chihuahuas, Roco and Maxie (sp?) were left with this stranger. I showered and hit the hay. Maxie never did warm up to me and sulked away, but Roco was scared of the approaching thunderstorm and quickly became my buddy, he wanted protection.

I went quickly to sleep about 20:00. I was exhausted and it had been one of the finest days ever on my bike ride. Thank you, Luther, MI.

PS: The next morning, Cheryl gave me two tomatoes from her garden. These are not the run-of-the-mill tomatoes one gets in the market, these are juicy, flavorful, wholesome creations. I treasured them all day. Later, I stopped at a Subway shop and picked up a few scoops of tuna fish and feasted on two delightful tomatoes.

Day 10 – Part 2, Manitowoc, WI / Ludington, MI

The SS Badger, 1 September 2018. Coal-fired steam engines.

Today, I finally made it to the ferry boat, the SS Badger. It was only a 28-mile ride, counting a side trip to a very nice bakery. Most of the ride was hot and humid, but down near Lake Michigan I stopped to put on a long sleeved riding jacket; it was foggy and cool.

Bakery at State St., Ludington, Michigan.

The doughnuts in the State St bakery were top notch. They didn’t have tea, so I settled for coffee, only the 4th cup of coffee I have ever had. It was okay, I survived it. If you’re in town, check out their doughnuts.We sailed at 17:00 and after a four-hour voyage, we landed in Ludington, MI. Currently, I have to leave my hotel room in Ludington, MI in less than an hour, so I’ll enter some more later, or in tomorrow’s update.

As promised, here some additional notes about the day:

The voyage was full of vehicles. There were two buses full of an Amish contingent. It was quite a sight to see them running all over the place. They seemed to be quite fascinated with the ship, it may have been a first voyage for many of them. Who knows?

I met another lad as we were boarding, Jesse. I think he said he was from New York. He just finished his civil engineering degree and decided that he would like to do a coast-to-coast bicycle ride before plunging into a carrier. I thought that a wise decision, it may be some time before he gets another chance.

We parted ways on the ship for a while. I then ran into him in the cafeteria and joined him at a table. The ship has lots of activities going on and had Badger Bingo playing when I arrived. The ship’s captain had just finished answering questions about the ship. I caught a few facts:

The ship goes through fifty tons of coal a day.
The ship is considered a national landmark.
The engines are two, 3,500 horsepower steam engines that spin at about 125 RPM.
The ship is 410 feet long.
To see more: https://www.ssbadger.com/about/

I’m not a bingo player, but Jesse had a card and played on, to no avail.

Later they switched to a trivia game. I’m not much for trivia, but I offered to help Jesse since teams were allowed.

He was very smart and was doing well. I assisted with a few tough ones and he ended up with a score of 34, the highest in the room. When they called him up for his prize, he insisted I go too. The game master interviewed us for a short bit, asking about our rides, etc. and then had us choose prizes. Jesse went for the Badger playing cards and I took a Badger bumper sticker that he had showed interest in. When we returned to the table, I gave him the sticker, he seemed thrilled.

In all it was a fine voyage and a fun thing to do if you are in that area of the world. The Badger is truly one of the last steamers in active duty.

Enjoy.

Day 9 – Part 2 Brillian, Wisconsin

Today was my first 75 mile (120 km) day. I had hoped to make it to Manitowoc, WI to catch the ferry to Michigan. The SS Badger sailed at 01:30 in the morning, but I was falling short of the miles needed to get there before sunset. By late in the day it was obvious I would have to find a place to stay for the night. I don’t have my powerful riding lights for night riding that I use in Sarasota, FL.

At one point, the roadway was covered with small, dead turtles. They were crossing the road to get to a pond and many did not make it. I spied this one little critter headed to the pond. As turtles are wont to do, I put it on the side of the road it came from, facing the other way, it would immediately turn around and head towards the road and pond. I knew it would. I dismounted, carried it across and headed out. At least one made it.

Along the way I ran into the same fellow that I had met many miles back that had tried to get me sorted out when I was lost near Tilleda. He saved me from a bad decision. I, once again, didn’t have a working GPS (thanks T-Mobile) so I was sitting at an intersection trying to decide what to do. There was a shorter route I could take, but I had no way of knowing how well I could ride it on a bicycle. He informed me that there was major road construction ahead and if I took it, there was an additional ten miles of detour. So much for that pipe dream. Instead, I followed the Adventure Cycle Association map towards Wrightstown. I crossed the bridge for the Fox River and then had to make a decision. The day was getting late. I found I had a GPS connection so I hunted for hotels. It showed I could go back six miles (10 km) or go to one that was 13 miles ahead. It looked like there might be two hours of sunlight left. I called ahead and found that there was a room available, so it was forward motion.

I thought maybe I was riding through a Victoria’s Secret.

The hotel was in Brillian, 13 miles (21 km) southeast of where I was. I went about a mile and was following the GPS on my phone. It was difficult to understand what the GPS was saying, for some reason, it was speaking Spanish. I have no idea why, and I don’t speak Spanish. I stopped in front of a high school and tried fiddling with the settings to find English, but had no success. I gave up, the sun was progressively trying to disappear and I figured I could just watch the map progress. I assumed, correctly, that I would eventually lose the GPS signal, so I tried to memorize as much of the route as I could. I headed south as quickly as possible and sure enough, about two miles down the road, the Spanish voice excitedly tried to tell me something. I figured she was excited about the connection being lost.

At about the half-way point, the GPS came back and the voice calmed down. I notice that the phone’s battery was just about totally discharged. Fortunately, I carry an external battery pack for just such occasions, so I pulled over and plugged it in. The GPS then told me (in Spanish, I’m assuming here!) to get on a rail trail. The trail is the Fox River Trail and even though it is gravel, it is fairly nice to ride on and I was making good time. After six miles (10 km) or so, I came to the Friendship State Trail and only had five more miles to go to the Inn. The sun was getting quite low now and I put on my headlamp. Once again the trail was in fine condition and made really good time. I arrived at the Cobblestone Creek Inn just as it was fully dark. It was a 75 mile day (120 km). For an old guy, I was pretty pleased with myself, especially since the bike is fully loaded.

Day 8 – Part 2: Shawano, Wisconsin

The apple trees here in Michigan are looking really good

I set out from Antigo, Wisconsin under questionable skies. It was cool, at least for this Floridian, temperatures were in the mid-forties Fahrenheit. Heading east on WI 64 the road was mildly hilly but not much of a challenge after a good night’s rest.

So far, the hotels have been really welcoming and accommodating. I always feel a little apprehensive showing up with a bicycle that has been collecting road grime all day, but I’ve never been made to feel unwelcome. I do try to wipe it down before I arrive, only to be fair.

About seven miles out from Antigo, I joined up with the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) coast-to-coast route that comes from further north. This was fortunate because I’m carrying their printed maps. They’re nice maps, printed on waterproof paper and they point out things a bicyclist will find useful, such as water sources, restaurants and places to camp. As I rejoined the ACA route, T-mobile became totally nonexistent. Without the T-mobile data stream, my GPS is hopeless.

Heading south on the ACA route, I managed to avoid any serious rain and had a comfortable day’s ride, managing almost 50 miles (76 km). At one point. the map had me somewhat confused and I wandered around near Tilleda until a fellow (Henry) at a small park signaled for me to come over. I explained what I was trying to do. The road ahead was WI 29, a divided highway. It didn’t have any signs prohibiting bicycle travel, but it isn’t any fun traveling on a road such as that. He looked at my map and explained that I should head back towards town and take a right. When I returned to town I still didn’t see the route I was looking for. When all else fails, read the instructions. The maps have a column on the side that gives a verbal description of the route, such as: “A, 18.5 (30) Turn left onto Ball Park Rd. B, 20 (32)Turn right onto Rock Rd…” I had already passed Ball Park Rd twice but wasn’t aware I was supposed to turn there. Dummy. I stopped in the Post Office and the kind lady there straightened me out. In the process, I lost about half an hour and rode about four extra miles for nothing. Incidentally, the previous “18.5 (30)” is the miles and kilometer distances.

I rode through one town yesterday that had an eerie feeling about it. I felt like I was riding into a Stephen King novel. The people were looking at me very strangely, they would just stare and didn’t look friendly.

My stomach needed sustenance, it had been some time since breakfast. I went into a market that had a small deli in the back. Everything was deep-fried, I mean everything. No sandwiches, sliced meats, salad…nothing. I had some fried jalapeno and corn thing.

Some fellow, maybe the owner, came along and asked about my travels. I told him I was headed east, towards Massachusetts. He started telling me he was going to pray for me and Jesus would take care of me and he made a point to have everyone else in there pray for me as well. It was really weird. He couldn’t say a complete sentence with the word, “Lord,” “Jesus,” or “prayer” in it, I mean not a single sentence. Everybody else in there was the same way. A few just stared, with really empty eyes and didn’t say anything. As I went out the door somebody yelled they were going to pray for me, and our President. I never dreamed I would end up in a sentence with him, but there it is. I couldn’t wait to get out of there!

As I was riding out of town I notice that there were an inordinate number of signs with all sorts of bible quotes and psalm lines. I pedaled even faster…what a weird place. In all my years of travel, that was the strangest experience. I’m surprised Cujo didn’t come out of a yard to chase me out of town.

Day 7 – Part 2; Antigo, Wisconsin

I managed 65 miles (105 km) today. I love distance in kilometers, it sounds like you’ve accomplished more. It feels better to see the odometer actually clicking up more often too.

So far, for the week, the hotels have been really nice about me bringing the bicycle into the room. They even go out of their way to arrange things so I can either be on the first floor or very near an elevator. I’ve been a real wimp this week, no camping at all.

The route from Antigo, WI to Manitowoc, WI. Source: Google Maps

I’m currently in Antigo, Wisconsin. That puts me about 125 miles (201 km) from Manitowoc, WI where the S. S. Badger sails to Michigan. The Badger is a ferry that costs $6.00 for the bicycle and $52 for me. I will get across to Michigan without pedaling 90 miles (145 km). I must be getting old, I’m looking forward to it.

I won’t be on my ham radio for the next few nights, I’ll be too tired and working too hard to make the ferry. Look for me from MI.

Today I was riding through some deep woods. Since it was the perfect country to site bears, I kept an eye out for them as I rode along. At one point, a young bear, maybe a two-year-old, ran across the road in front of me, about a quarter-mile ahead. It was slightly downhill so I didn’t linger to investigate. I was carrying a fresh banana, that may have been too much of a temptation.

Wild turkeys. All females, the males don’t seem to form large bunches at this time of year.

Throughout the ride, I have been seeing hordes of wild turkeys everywhere. After the first bear sighting, I saw another bear trying to chase after a turkey, but the bird was sly and quick and easily got away. I didn’t think a bear would chase a turkey but they are opportunists and I suppose just about anything is fair game. At least the bear was distracted by the bird and ignored me.

My front derailleur (the front shifter on a multi-speed bicycle) is giving me trouble. On the really steep hill climbs it is resisting shifting into the lowest gear (known as the “small ring”). At home, it would be a simple replacement, but out here on the road, I’ll just find a bike shop to do the work. I’ve temporarily fixed it with a small elastic Bunji cord.

In all, the bike has been performing very well. It should, it is built for this sort of riding. I purchased it used from a fellow hiker and he had already used it to ride coast-to-coast before me.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice. In the morning it will be in the mid-40’s °F (4.5 °C) and is supposed to warm up to 70°F. It was supposed to be that warm today but never made it. I rode most of the day with a jacket and long-fingered gloves.

Well, it is off to bed, I need to let the motor rest.

Day 5,6 – Part 2, Medford, Wisconsin

At the rate I’m going, I think those in the buggy might make better time. By now I should be averaging about fifty miles (eighty km) a day. My goal is around sixty miles (100 km) a day once I get back in shape. Of course, the real problem has been the weather. It just has not been cooperative. I refuse to ride in lightning and it has been a constant on this ride thus-far.

Day 1: 54.50 Miles (87.7 km)
Day 2: 34.17 Miles (55.0 km)
Day 3: 57.27 Miles (92.2 km)
Day 4: 27.43 Miles (44.1 km)
Day 5: 49.17 Miles (79.1 km)

As I write this, I am in Medford, WI. I stayed at the Medford Inn last night. The hotel was alright, but it had zilch for WiFi. It had three “hotspots” for WiFi and they weren’t even tepid. I finally found that if I sat in the office, in a particular chair, I could get enough of a connection to make it work. As has been the case in my travels around this country, T-Mobile is non-existent here. They’re fine in metropolitan areas, but come up really short in rural America. If you plan on travel, do look into AT&T or Verizon, it is worth the extra cost.

I stopped in Gilman, WI on my way. It is a charming little town. I had some lunch at the Kountry Kettle and really enjoyed the “down home” cooking. I felt right at home and everyone made me feel welcome. These are the moments that make a trip such as this such a joy.

I stopped by the Gilman Veterans Memorial on the way out of town. I began to wonder that if we gathered up all the military hardware from around the country, we could outfit a pretty good army. I think that is an M60A1 tank, we have one something like it at home in Sarasota, Florida, too. Even though I am a veteran, I would rather see us spend more on schools and health care and less on hardware that ends up sitting.

At one time, many years ago, I was asked by a certain someone to go pick out some wallpaper for out bathroom. I found what I thought was perfect. It had little toilets on it. That ended my interior decorating days forever. In a bathroom along the way, I saw the perfect match to my choice (see above). What do you think?

I’ve decided to take an early “Zero day.” Hikers refer to a day off as a Zero-day because they are walking zero miles. The weather alert this morning was forecasting doom and gloom, so here I sit is a Boarders Hotel in Medford. At least the WiFi is great here. With all the rumbling and flashing going on outside I think I made a good decision.

I had a light lunch and a two-hour nap…life is good.

Day 4 – Part 2, Cornell, Wisconsin

The ride out from Bloomer, WI, started out gloomy and foreboding. There was a bit of sunshine for a bit, but it vanished early on. I kept an eye off to my right, watching the forming clouds.

My intention for the day was to ride to Medford, WI, about 65 miles (105 km) away. Terrain looked promising, no big hills to climb, with one exception. At the top of the hill, there was a route sign that cried out for a sign below it that says, “Top.” Eighties music fans would get it.

As I entered Cornell, WI, I stopped to check the weather. There was an alert on my phone, something about “Quickly finish loading all animals onto the Ark, it is about to get real!” Maybe that wasn’t exactly right, but you get the idea.

Coming into Cornell the first thing one sees is the Stacker. It was used to stack logs for the pulp mills. At 175 feet, (53.3 M) it is an imposing sight. I hangs right over the park tennis courts

I looked around on the Google Map tool and found I had a choice between a state campground 2.5 miles away (4 km), or a motel 4 miles away (7 km). I called ahead and was assured of a room, so I had some lunch and pedaled my wimpy butt to the motel. The forecast was for severe lightning, I’ll take a building over a tent anytime. It turned out to be a wise decision.

A meager 27 miles (43.5 km) for the day. Coward, or wimp?

Just as I rolled the bike into the room, all hell broke loose outside. This was a prime time for a nap, what else was there?

You know you’re in hunting country when the hotel has a sportsman warning sign that says no cleaning of animals will take place in the hotel room. That they had to post a sign tells you something.

After a few hours nap and washing things, it was time for an early evening meal. I rode down the street a few hundred feet and found a nice restaurant.

The staff was friendly and the service, great. I guess it would have to be, I was the only customer there. They had a BBQ Rib special for the evening, all you can eat. I haven’t been eating much meat on this ride so I gave into the temptation and ordered the special for $15.99.

They brought me a nice plate of food, enough so I didn’t even order more. I had a very pleasant chat with the bar keeper and explained what I was doing. A younger member of the waitstaff did most of the serving.

When finished, the “check” was delivered to my table. Why do they call it a “check?” It is a bill. If I took that “check” to the bank, I don’t believe anyone would deposit it. It doesn’t look like a check, it looks like an itemized bill… drink, main dish, taxes and total.

Speaking of the total, the meal, as mentioned earlier, was $15.99 and there was a soft drink, the total should have been around $19.00 (I don’t recall the exact amount). It was a whopping $27.00! The tax was $9.77. I brought the “check” up to the bar to have them look at it. The young person that waited on me explained that the food tax in Wisconsin is 5.5%. Taking the calculator and entering my food costs, the amount was multiplied by 0.55 and ta-dah, the taxes came out to $9.77.

If you’ve been following along on this journey, you’ll recall my tirade about the pennies in Glendive, MT, the incident involving Sister Mary Hang-em-High. It was happening again. At this point, a couple had walked in and sat at the bar–locals. They confirmed the food tax was 5.5% and were astonished that my taxes were so high. It was being calculated at 55% and the person doing the calculating didn’t see the error, even after I pointed it out. “But, but the calculator says…” Is this a result of a failed education system, failed parents, or too many cash registers that total everything up automatically. This restaurant didn’t have the automatic cash registers, they were using a sixties-vintage calculator. Maybe they should consider an abacus. I don’t know the answer, but we’re in trouble.

The weather had cleared for my trip to the restaurant, but predictions were for a very active lightning storm evening. I did go out and set up my ham radio on a swing by the Chippewa River for a while and then it was off to bed.

During the night the river rose another eight inches or so, it certainly has been raining and there is more in store.

Day 3 – Part 2: Bloomer, Wisconsin

Dorothy might have been from Kansas, but I think the Tin Man was from Wisconsin.

Who says farmers don’t have a sense of humor? This guy made me chuckle. The ride today was a vast improvement over yesterday. Easy rolling hills, good weather, and food-finds along the way—riding as it should be.

I started out from North Richmond heading east on WI 64. It has a good shoulder and light traffic. I didn’t even need the GPS and put it away for the day.

After 57 miles (92 km) I stopped in Bloomer for the night. I was planning on camping, so I could set up my radio, but an inexpensive motel called out to me. Hard to believe they had vacancies on a weekend, but they did. A picnic table out front was perfect for using the radio.

After a short nap, I went into town, about a mile, and ordered General Tso’s Chicken. I brought it back to the room. On the way back I stopped by the local Veteran’s Memorial. It seems every town has one and I always feel a connection with those being honored. No matter how small the town, they never seem to forget. The population in Bloomer is 3539. Back in WW I I’ll bet it was only a few hundred, but there they were on the monuments. They even had names from the War of 1812.

After dinner, I went out and threw a wire up into a tree and fired up the radio. Unfortunately, there was so much electrical noise from neon signs and the like that I didn’t have too much success. I talked with one fellow in Pensacola, Florida and then retired for the evening.

One of the unfortunate things about having a successful business in these towns is life suffers in other ways. They have some sort of unique sand in the area that is useful for fracking for petroleum. Digging the stuff up has polluted the local water table and there is a warning in the motel that urges one to not drink the water:

The Chinese food had a fortune cookie: “You will have good luck and overcome many hardships.” I hope so.