Day 35 -- Going for the double conti?

July 24, 2005

ROUTE: Fon du Lac to Manitowoc, WI

DISTANCE: 57 miles

WINDS: Strong tailwind . . . .yee haw!

WEATHER: Uncomfortably hot and muggy

TERRAIN: Rolling farmland

TOTAL CLIMBING: 1,810 feet

RIDE OVERVIEW: Here we are in Manitowoc, a town that gets its name from the Chippewa word munedoo-owk, meaning "the place of the great spirit." This town on the shores of Lake Michigan was incorporated in 1851 an dubbed the Wisconsin Maritime Capital. It lived up to its name when it built 28 submarines for World War II use. Manitowoc is also home to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.

But, back to the beginning: We awoke this morning to high humidity and heat but a wailing tailwind out of town. Breakfast was in the same hotel conference room we ate dinner in last night, and included pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, Danish pastries and muffins, as well as coffee and cranberry, apple, or orange juice. All seemed to be going smoothly. We slept in due to the short day and loaded the luggage after a late breakfast at 6:30. Even though it was only a 57-mile day, which most of the group could hammer out in less than 3 hours, riders were piled up in the lobby like yellow jackets on Gatorade waiting for Mike to open Box for luggage load. By the time he got situated and ready for the bags, Mike and Josh and I were nearly buried as riders were throwing bags on faster than we could stack them. So much for Type A personalities mellowing out.

Our route today was across the beautiful Wisconsin countryside toward Lake Michigan. Riders passed the lighthouse and park on Lake Winnebago, and one suggested we redirect the route through it next year as it is very scenic and would add little or no mileage. I know I've said this about every state, but I think Wisconsin is one of the most scenic states we ride in. Each state has its moments, but Wisconsin's dairy and crop farms dot the rolling countryside and remind one of Norman Rockwell paintings and also hint of the Pennsylvania and New York countrysides. One thing I really like about this area is the fact that people take so much pride in their yards. Everywhere you look you see beautiful landscaping and colorful flowerbeds. For example, the couple in the background working their garden in the photo to the right were pleased to have us pose riders before their flowers, only a fraction of which are evident in the photo. Val's jersey complements the color scheme.

I set up the SS today under a tree in a McDonalds parking lot in the town of Kiel. The wind was blowing so hard I had a time of it holding everything down. It also blew the riders to the SS in record speeds. Though I'd motored right along, I was not quite set up when the first riders blew in. After I set everything out, the quickest to disappear were the cookies Matt's mom had baked--three big bags of oatmeal m&m cookies. Yum! Yesterday we had chocolate chip oatmeals made by Chip's friends, David and Anne Feye. This was the second batch of Feye cookies we've had at the SS, still some riders have never gotten a crumb as these cookies disappear so fast. Then this evening when we got to the motel, Big Mike's mom an dad were there and gave us a big box of homemade chocolate chips, which Mike wanted to donate to Tuesday's SS . . . but, first, he decided to take a couple for himself and Karen and then started passing the box around and . . . well, there will be no McGeough cookies at Tuesday's SS.

The last few miles before town we got riders got their first glimpse of the "Pond." County road XX took us as far west as we could go without getting wet so we turned north to parallel the Lake all the way to town. You could tell we were close to the water because of the the [slightly] cooler damper air that met us within a mile or two of the lake and because of the large flocks of gulls parked in the farm fields. Tomorrow's ride across on the ferry may be a bit chilly, and may even be rainy, but should be a fun bit of something different for the riders.

Everyone got in super early today--most by 10:30 or 11 am, so enjoyed a second continental breakfast. Our rooms were not ready at our early arrival, and the humidity was such that any movement at all caused one to . . . drip . . . drip . . . drip, so some went to air-conditioned restaurants in the area, others went to Walmart across the street, and a few went to a Laundromat to get wash done. Karen and I were in that last category, but the Laundromat was not air-conditioned, so we spent some time in a nearby grocery. I bought myself a salad at the deli and we both found a place to sit and drink a cold drink while  waiting for our clothes to finish.

Tomorrow we have a day off . . . sort of. We will be boarding The Badger, a large, coal-fired ferry, and crossing Lake Michigan. We'll load at 9:00, be at the ship at 12:00, and get into Ludington, Michigan about 5 hours later since we lose an hour to the eastern time zone when we get off the ferry. 

Tomorrow is going to be a long day, but we have a few diversions planned: Mike generally makes a slide show of the photos we've taken, and riders will be able to view it in the stern of the boat. Also Sue2's devised a Top Ten List contest, and riders are forming teams. Seems the main question is "Who will the judges be?" We assured riders that the impartial staff will select a panel of impartial judges. Even if a team's list doesn't win first prize (being first in the buffet line for a week) it will be fun to see what the teams come up with. Len also told me that he and some others plan on playing bridge, and I know some plan on working on their computers. I plan on treating tomorrow's four hours like a luxury cruise, and to this end bought myself a rhinestone toe ring so that I'll fit right in with the party crowd.

It's hard to believe we have only two more weeks of this ride left. I don't think the riders realize that yet, but they will become aware when we get on the other side of the lake. Our next riding day is 115 miles and I'm riding Float . . . I hope we get a break from this heat and humidity. I'll be back again when we ride to Mt Pleasant. Have a good day. Susan 

HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY: 

• "Is room 205 on the second floor?"
• Chips: “Is there a way to get around this climb?"
  Mike: “Yes, if you don't mind going 20 extra miles."
• "We're going to be playing bridge on The Badger."
  "Well I may be playing on the bridge but I won't be playing bridge."
• "Omygawd! I'm doing 30 and I'm not pedaling!"

DUH! OF THE DAY:  (Actually a couple of days ago.) Dianne had a mechanical and saw Silver coming so flagged it down with a H-O-H (hand on helmet). It didn't stop! She couldn't believe that Josh would just drive right by without stopping...Turned out -- DUH! -- to be a Roto Rooter's van that just looked like silver.  

PHOTOS OF THE DAY:

This route is rated for mature riders only.

Team "Life is Good" waiting for a couple of riders . . .
who were also waiting for this group, but around
 the corner. Took 'em awhile to hook up.

Who dressed this woman this morning?

Hey, we're in Cheesehead country, so Mike
had to buy himself a slice. Now he's
 The Big Cheese . . . or should I say Ham?

Ever wonder where those packets of Gatorade
come from? Well, now you know.
We captured one of the Gatorade gremlins
on film. The other one is shy but her initials are Sue2.

Who's going to win this sprint to the finish--the cyclist or the buggy?