Day 2 – Part 2 in New Richmond, Wisconsin

There is a saying that goes, “Some days it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed.” This was one of those days!

The forecast this morning was for “scattered thunderstorms.” I live in Florida, I know what thunderstorms are. The detail that was left out of the forecast was that the storms were all going to be “scattered” right over me.

After leaving the warm, dry comfortable hotel, I rode out into a light mist/rain. Heading north I rode about five miles when the rain turned into a torrential downpour. Then the lightning started and didn’t let up for the rest of the day. I would ride a mile or two, then the lighting would get dangerously close and I would take shelter. The first shelter was in North Hudson township. They had a ball field with covered picnic tables. I managed to stay somewhat dry and spent an hour and a half…waiting. I had been riding on McCutcheon Rd for about four miles. It is unpaved and has lots of loose gravel.

The hills were difficult to climb, my rear wheel would start to spin in the mud and I had to dismount and walk the rest of the hill. Rinse and repeat.

At the shelter (see first photo) I decided to avoid continuing on McCutcheon, it was just too difficult. I headed north when there was a lag in the storm. When the lightning would get too close I would pull into a farmyard and ask if I could sit on the porch. In one case, I was sitting outside a home trying to decide if I should ask. Zap! Bang! Rumble!. A strike hit about 100 feet from where I was stopped. I rushed down the driveway and onto the porch. A terrified group of kids were staring out the window and the woman inside granted me a visit on the porch…no questions asked. This storm was intense, as were the accompanying rains.

After maybe, three-quarters of an hour, I ventured out again. I traveled about a mile and then repeated stopping on porches. Nobody was home, so I just sat there and waited.

One malady of GPS that I discovered, at least on my Android phone, was that raindrops act as finger-touches on the screen. It was nearly impossible to use the GPS, every raindrop would “click” the screen and take me off to some other destination. I finally gave up and just went into “dead reckoning” mode. After a few more hours of misery, I spotted a double rainbow and knew I was near some good luck.

I started out around 10 AM and it was now getting near five in the afternoon. I had gone, maybe, twenty miles east on my trip to the Atlantic and eventually turned north for about ten miles, I needed to find indoor accommodations, no camping tonight. Eventually, I ended up in North Richmond at an Amerivu Inn. The staff was warm, welcoming and treated me like family. Keep in mind, I’m dripping wet, cold and I’m certain quite a sight. No matter, they gave me a room that I could roll my bicycle to (right through the main lobby) and encouraged me to make myself at home. I was meeting Wisconsin hospitality. If you’re on a bicycle ride in North Richmond, I highly recommend this hotel.

When I arrived in the hotel room, I connected the computer and the first thing I saw on the screen was:

I’m in St. Croix County, and I can vouch for the warning.

In all, I spent about eight hours riding in cold rain, wind, and huge lightning. After a hot shower, I am ready for bed. Good night to all. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be much better, it couldn’t be worse!

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. View all posts by Dennis Blanchard