Saturday, July 22, 2006
Day 34 - Fond Du Lac, WI (from The Dells) - July 22nd 2006
Weather: Light Clouds/Partly SunnyLocation: FonduLac, WI (from The Dells)
Miles per day: 82.7
Average miles per hour: 13.32
Elevation climb:
Blizzards/Ice Cream to date: 25 (count 1 Famous Wisconsin Frozen Custard)
Flat Tires to date: 1
Well there is a reason that Wisconsin is Bike Country, if I haven't mentioned it already, it's fantastic cycling! Today was flat to light rolling hills with excellent scenery. With just 82 miles, we wandered about quite a bit. Departing the Dells, known for the lakes, waterways and incredible number of Water Parks, we headed towards Montello for our first sag. We spent the remainder of the day stopping for far too many farm photos (including a visit with the pigs - see photo).
The town of Princeton had major construction and provided ample opportunity to get lost, which we did! We stopped into the Police Station for direction to find our way out. In addition to the construction, the 'Country Roads' (CR) are labeled by the alphabet but you can be going straight when it changes to a different letter. Adding to this, there are then double and triple letter Country Roads (e.g. AA, UU and VVV). I am not sure I understand this and would think they could up with some better names!
At the final sag, we were directed to a Dairy Queen which turned out to be closed due to a fire. We wandered off route into the town centre of Ripon for lunch and a history lesson.
Ripon is where the Republican Party was founded in 1852 fusing the Whig Party and Free Soil Party 'to unite together anti-slavery elements'. In relation to today's Immigrant discussions, it is perhaps most interesting that the drive for the creation of the Republican Party of 1850s was "the measure denying noncitizen immigrants the right to vote or hold office. Wisconsin was in the midst of rapid settlement by European immigrants". A hot topic both now and then! In 1856, the first convention was held with Abraham Lincoln attending. Only an observation, the building was in disrepair and closed. With a bikers' agreement not to discuss politics, we quickly moved on to the more important discussion of the day: 'how much weight have you lost?'. A few in the group are looking slim but a bit like politics , we still could not get the facts straight!
Following that we cranked out 20 miles to Fond Du Lac (French meaning: Bottom of the Lake (Winnebago)). We had a quick celebration for Ilkka who became a grandfather (again) today with a baby girl, Zara. I was long overdue for laundry and conveniently enough, there was a SHOOTERS which is a laundromat and Pub...
Friday, July 21, 2006
Day 33 - The Dells, WI - 21st July 2006
Weather: Great cycling weather Cloudy/Overcast, no rain or sunshine...
Location: The Dells (from La Crosse, WI)
Miles per day: 92.7
Average miles per hour: 12.10
Elevation climb: 2162 Feet
Blizzards/Ice Cream to date: 24 (German Chocolate Cake 9/10). Note Well - It's getting harder to find DQs... wondering if I'm going to have to switch to Ben & Jerry's? Watch this space.
Flat Tires to date: 1 (at DQ)
The last several days have been long and tough so I was grateful for this easy day. Fantastic day of riding - weather and terrain were excellent. We spent much of the day on the Elroy-Sparta State Trail bike trail from Sparta, WI to Elroy, WI. Purchased in 1967, it was the first 'Rails to Trails' bike path in the USA converting railroad tracks built in late 1800s into a 32 mile cycle path.
No cars, stores or for that matter, civilisation. Wisconsin is a big Cycling State, home to Trek and Sparta is considered its capital. 'Ben Biking' is the town mascot (see photo). The trail was crushed gravel, with no more than 3% grade. With 3 tunnels, we alluded hills all day! For more info on Rails to Trails, see http://www.railtrails.org/
'The Final Four' set out with determination not to be the last today and also to make a guest appearance at 'route rap'. All was going spectacularly to plan, until.... We started seeing big placards with photos and messages (about 15 of them). After passing several, Lois comes to a halt, burst out laughing and says, 'That's me'....Her sisters, nieces and nephew had left a series of messages for about 5 miles into the hotel. On arrival, they barraged us with homemade cookies. Delicious! So goes another day and another excuse for being last in! Well worth it!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Day 32 - La Crosse, WI - July 20th 2006
Weather: Sunny 88
Location: La Crosse, WI (from Rochester, MN)
Miles per day: 88.75
Average miles per hour: 11.79
Elevation climb:
Blizzards/Ice Cream to date: 23
Flat Tires to date: 1
To the relief of us all, the weather was great today and so was the ride. The route map described a day of 'rollers' and that it was! We went up and down all day among amazing views of scenic farms. It was a full day of farm animals: Pigs, Turkeys, Dairy and even Elk.
We also journeyed along a wonderful bike path known as the Minnesota Root River Trail (from Rushford to Houston) for about 12 miles, an old Railroad track converted to a bike trail (aka Rails to Trails). A group of our riders (see link - http://www.railtrails.org/ ) are raising money to further develop trails across America.
Near the end of the day, we entered Wisconsin and reached the Mississippi River.
For me, Minnesota went by all too quickly. In terms of riding in Minnesota, the days were long (due to mileage and weather) and I had little time to get to know the State or the People. On reflection, a few fun facts:
1- Minnesota Inventions: Stapler, Masking and Scotch tape, Wheaties cereal, Bisquick, HMOs, the bundt pan, Aveda beauty products, Tonka Trucks and Green Giant vegetables.
2- World famous Mayo Clinic is based in Rochester, MN
3- Candy maker Frank C. Mars of Minnesota introduced the Milky Way candy bar in 1923. Mars marketed the Snickers bar in 1930 and introduced the 5 cent Three Musketeers bar in 1937. The original 3 Musketeers bar contained 3 bars in one wrapper. Each with different flavor nougat..
4- With some lakes and waterways, MN has more shoreline than CA or FL. Also, the most boat owners per capita.
Apart from our day being slightly extended due to a few broken spokes, it was a great day. Or close to great... The only let down was that the only DQ that I saw all day was at about 9:00 AM and they were not yet open. I am missing my blizzards!Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Day 31 - Rochester, MN - July 19th 2006
Weather: Extremely Wet and Windy (Lightning/Thunder)- Photo shot at 10 AM.
Location: Rochester, MN (from Mankato, MN)
Miles per day: 101.5
Average miles per hour: 11.44
Elevation climb:
Blizzards/Ice Cream to date: 23
Flat Tires to date: 1 (at DQ)
Guts, Tenacity and Perserverance, the ingredients for today! Centuries (100 plus cycling day) are not easy for the everyday cyclist but even more challenging is doing them back-to-back! Following yesterday's century, under normal circumstances, today would be physically exhausting. As it turned out, today was no ordinary day and would challenge us to our limits! Why? First clue was at 6:00 AM: 'Red Sky in the morning, sailors' warning' - the sky was ablaze! Mother Nature and the DOT (dept of transportation) had lots of surprises in store today.With my stomach lined with Oatmeal, I confidently set off up the very steep mile incline out of town. That was followed by 5 miles of construction where the road was dirt and nearing the end, the local DOT advised us that we should not be on the road. Now he tells me!
At that point, the weather began chasing us down. As the dark clouds started rolling in, locals were telling us that we were in for bad weather. The local newspaper reporter who greeted us at our first SAG advised us that when he arrived at work, they were discussing where the Tornado Shelter was located. Great! We departed
quickly but within a mile, we were stopped in our tracks as the clouds with lighting and thunder were upon us. We darted into a local barn and waited for it to pass. We were stalled for 2 hours with just 30 miles down. We were losing time and getting hungry. We did consider ordering Pizza. Address? Back of the barn! In spite of my investment in rain gear for this trip, it did me no good packed in the back of the truck! We had no choice but to resort to the good old garbage. 
By noon, we were able to resume with 70 miles to go and in relatively good spirits. Although, it was wet, we made good headway and even started to see some sunshine until we reached mile 80. It was late, I was tired. Not only was it heaving it down but the wind was paralysing my progress and chipping away at my mental strength. We took a quick weather watch and concluded lightning was near. We headed for another barn just in time. As it happened, we picked a good one - it had a basketball hoop to keep us entertained!With sheer determination to finish the day, we put our heads down and ground out the last 20 miles to arrive just before 8pm. As I am writing this, the TV has flashed TORNADO WATCH 623. Many would think 'why go on' in such conditions? I can only tell that it is sheer satisfaction to finish a day! In simple words 'I'm loving it'...
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Day 30 - Mankato, MN - July 18th 2006
Weather: Sunny, low 90s
Location: Mankato, MN (from Worthington, MN)
Miles per day: 102.6
Average miles per hour: 13.60
Elevation climb: Neglible. A downhill day!
Blizzards/Ice Cream to date: 23 (German Chocalate 9/10!)
Flat Tires to date: 1 ( this occurred day 4 at a Dairy Queen!)
Dairly Queen is as American as Apple Pie and Baseball. We've all agreed that my trip should really be called 'America by Blizzard on-a-bike'. With my count now approaching 23, it is demonstrating that I have a knack for finding the DQ! Today, the 'FINAL FOUR' team outwitted our fellow riders and found St James Dairy Queen up on 7th Avenue in St. James. Always one to chip in, I assisted owner Curt Rogers serve up our fellow customers (Stu and Lois). And with a quick mop, I was off and biking again!.
In anticipation for today and the possibility of our nasty friend, my adrenaline was pumping on how I was going to beat her today. My strategy was simply to have an early start before she was awake. Sure enough, I downed my chocolate milk in the parking lot and was on the road by 6:00 AM. After ten miles, we opted to leave our fellow riders some cryptic notes (e.g. Where R U Wolfpack?). They turned out to be too cryptic and sure enough they found us at the first SAG stop. And then would you believe it, the wind was really no where to be found! I could have slept in... But we later caught our daily siesta in a fantastic spot - 9th hole!
The scenery continues to be corn and more corn. Although, I should add that at this point, the corn is for livestock. This really means that most of the day there is rancid smell of pigs in the air and the occasonal squealing sounds about. We have collectively agreed 'no more corn photos'! As the day ended, we passed Crystal Lake and viewed this interesting bi-plane below.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Day 29 - Worthington, Minnesota - July 17 2006
Weather: Sunny 88, Headwinds and sidewinds
Location: Worthington, Miinnesota (from Sioux Falls, SD)
Miles per day: 82 (planned 70)
Average miles per hour: 11.71
Elevation climb: 600 feet
Blizzards/Ice Cream to date: 21
Flat Tires to date: 1
Following a day off, I seemed to have trouble pulling myself together - I was LOOLOI (last one out, last one in). At the beginning of this trip, I stretched the days out with afternoon siestas under the trees as others beat it out to the hotel. Often on my own, passing cyclist would check to see that I was still alive and then move on. However, as you can see, this new alternative sport is growing in popularity. It really is a great way to enjoy everyday. Highly recommend it!
The initial 10 miles on the bike path along the Sioux River were fantastic. Every city should have a bike path - very calming, quiet and relaxing. As we moved into Minnesota (mile 26), the landscape was vibrant with blowing rich deep green seas of soybean and cornfields. Luscious! No signs of the extensive irrigation systems as seen in Wyoming and Idaho.As the day progressed, the level of difficulty continued to increase substantially.
The cyclers' nemesis, that invisible beast was gaining strength and ready for a good fight. You can see it here beating the corn to the ground. Winds were blowing from the N-NE - a direction that we were heading. Coming off a rest day, I was in no mood but had to take the it head-to-head.Now there is a grand debate among all long distance cyclist. Is it easier to cycle East to West across America or West to East? Everyone has an opinion. Seems the answer is always the opposite direction of whatever direction you are going. For us, it seems we have had more than our fair share of Headwinds, making even these 'easy' days terribly tough. That said, the main benefit of winds from the North, was that it was much cooler today.
My day was further challenged following a photo stop at mile 62. I hopped on my bike, passed a few cyclists as well as the SAG wagon and no one noticed or said a word. Until a few miles down, fellow rider Abe looks at me and says 'Where's your helmet'..... A costly extra 7 miles. Let's just say it was one of those days.Arriving in Worthington, all was revealed. Firstly, there were windmills in the distance indicating that this part of the country is ferociously windy. This was then confirmed as one look at the local attractions: Windsurfing Regatta on Lake Okabena. Need I say more? Mother Nature rules!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Day 28 - Sioux Falls, SD - A rest day
Today was a well needed rest day. Both bike and engine needed a tune up. I have done just over 2200 miles on my bike. This means new tires, new chain, new cassette and a good tune up. I had no idea the investment required for a bike. Perhaps even with gas going to $3.00 a gallon, a car still may be cheaper. One chap spent over $500 on his bike! I can't afford these days off. 
Now for the engine, I mainly needed a Pizza (I am really missing UK Pizza Express), beer and some extra sleep. With temperatures over 100 degrees (35 plus celsius), outdoor activity was limited. But with a day off, it was a good time to re-group! Organising my technology (PC, Camera(s), phone(s), recharger(s), ipod, storage, email, photos and numerous cables) is nearly a full time job. And yes, I can see most of you laughing at the thought of this! When will that universal cable exist? And what did we do before all this stuff? On this trip, daily logistics can be quite challenging. Each night, all must be unpacked and repacked as each day, we move to the next hotel. At times, I feel like I need a CIA security sweep following me out of the hotel room. Check, double-check, triple-check seems to be the standard. As most of us have learned the hard way, it is so easy to leave something behind (e.g plugs, rechargers, swimsuits, t-shirts). You name it, someone (or perhaps just me!) on the trip has managed to leave it.
Last week, we hit some rain. Drivers have told us, it is very difficult to see us. So Lois and I are taking no chances, we headed out to get our 'glow in the dark' yellow jackets just to be sure.
Now for the engine, I mainly needed a Pizza (I am really missing UK Pizza Express), beer and some extra sleep. With temperatures over 100 degrees (35 plus celsius), outdoor activity was limited. But with a day off, it was a good time to re-group! Organising my technology (PC, Camera(s), phone(s), recharger(s), ipod, storage, email, photos and numerous cables) is nearly a full time job. And yes, I can see most of you laughing at the thought of this! When will that universal cable exist? And what did we do before all this stuff? On this trip, daily logistics can be quite challenging. Each night, all must be unpacked and repacked as each day, we move to the next hotel. At times, I feel like I need a CIA security sweep following me out of the hotel room. Check, double-check, triple-check seems to be the standard. As most of us have learned the hard way, it is so easy to leave something behind (e.g plugs, rechargers, swimsuits, t-shirts). You name it, someone (or perhaps just me!) on the trip has managed to leave it.
Last week, we hit some rain. Drivers have told us, it is very difficult to see us. So Lois and I are taking no chances, we headed out to get our 'glow in the dark' yellow jackets just to be sure.
Day 27 - Sioux Falls, SD - July 15th 2006
Weather: Sunny 102 plus
Location: Sioux Falls, SD (From Mitchell, SD)
Miles per day: 71.7
Average miles per hour: 12.23
Total elevation climb: 1327 feet (not much)
Blizzards/Ice Cream to date: 19 (Heathbar - 8/10)
Flat Tires to date: 1
Well they say you are in South Dakota when .... 'the wind blows you into the next state'. Today, that was only going to happen if we ended back in Wyoming. Those nasty headwinds and sidewinds made for another tough day. In anticipation of a rest day, I had only one objective: 'getting into the barn' but it was not that easy. With a headwind, you have to pedal twice as hard and focus twice as hard to ensure you don't get knocked off the bike. With a 6 am start, we managed to pedal into the Sioux Falls Dairy Queen by 1pm.Now, there have been four of us who end up last everyday. Our excuses are always quite good but for some reason, we get very little sympathy:
1- Simply out of shape for the trip (comparatively speaking of course),
2- Our obsession with photo shoots and ice cream at every opportunity,
3- Acting as the Animal Rescue Team saving birds, goats, turtles (or any animal) from the risk of roadkill, and
3- Bad luck with DQ and liquor store parking lot flats.
In spite of our plausible excuses, we have taken some abuse for being last. Of course, not one to get mad, we get even with madness..... Not March Basketball Madness but rather July Bike Madness. We have been scheming for weeks with our team name: 'THE FINAL FOUR' which was revealed at Route Rap. The Wolf Pack, 3 Amigos and Peletons can now see us coming.... Watch out, we are moving on up!