Woke up early in downtown shawano. the trio of walking women stirred me at 5:00, so that i was on the road by 6:00. incredible cloud patterns momentarily had me wondering about rain. a fast moving wind answered those doubts quick enough. 40 miles into greenbay, all along the mountain bay trail, at least to the outskirts of greenbay. Uneventful as i rode into the sunrise.
greenbay surprised me though. don't know what i was thinking, but i was not expecting flat. i guess i figured that since it was on the edge of the lake, it would slope down to the lake. there wasn't much sloping going on. flat. hope the water don't rise. greenbay is built around the fox river, one of the few rivers that flow north. a fairly wide river, it splits the downtown.
i did my research and found my cafe, kavarna. nice place, excellent chai. they get their chai from a guy down the street who makes it. possibly the best i've had on this trip. i had two cups. and a huevos rancheros. and a local made biscotti, double wide.
a couple of hours later, i'm packed and ready to go. but first a twenty minute conversation with an irish truck driver who is very envious of my ride. he's the only one sitting outside, in the noonday sun, with no shade. he's been writing something, there are papers in front of him. he's driven alot of the country, so he knows most of the route i've been on. the conversation loses its flavor when he starts into a monologue on social issues, so i excuse myself and head off.
35 miles to appleton and guido and julie's home. The first 25 are on another rails to trails that runs to the east of appleton, then 10 miles back to the west to the condo. the first 12 miles or so are paved and very quick, then it changes to gravel. wisconsin has a funny attitude about these trails, which are state trails. there are pay boxes at each parking area along the way telling you to pay a fee. $4 for the day, $30 for an annual pass. this applies to cyclists and roller bladers. this is all wrong. i understand user fees and generally agree with them, but we should be encouraging physical activity and alternative means of transportation. this is positive for the whole community, not just for the users. user fees here would just discourage it. i've never seen a fee for a bike trail before. i did not pay the fee either day.
i must admit to a certain excitement knowing i'm only 25 miles from lake michigan and the ferry. in my younger days, in my need to make goals and avoid interacting with people, i might have turned east and gone straight to the ferry. but i am so much older now....
25 miles in and i turned west toward appleton, into the wind, reminding me why i'm riding west to east. but it's not too bad, and in less than an hour i'm into the appleton area. neenah, oshkosh, and several other communities around lake winnebago and the fox river. this is home to kimberly clark and the paper industry among others. a little industrial refuge amid america's dairyland. mills line the river. the river is channelled in concrete, and it's power harvested.
i move pass the river, figuring i will have time to see it later, and head to my final stop for this phase. i pull into the driveway just as guido pulls up in the van. Pictures are taken documenting arrival and immediately food comes out. a quick change of clothes and i sit down to beer, salsa, and chips. i've ridden around 2000 miles total and 700 miles in the last 7 days.
it's break time. i will not ride again for a week. time to get fat and happy.
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