Red Wing to Holeman, WI
Hi All--
Bill and I are here at Bill's twin brother Joe's place in Holeman, WI, about 9 miles from La Crosse after pedaling 65 miles from Red Wing. MN.
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| A pretty florist's shop in Red Wing |
This morning we posed before a mural with which I was very familiar, having ridden America by Bicycle's Great Mississippi River Ride (Minneapolis to New Orleans) once as a guest and three times as a staff member. Of course it's the Twinkie syndrome again: "I'll take a photo of you and then you take a photo of me."
Not much to report. Joe and his wife Buernele are at a wedding rehearsal and dinner for Joe's daughter, Erica, who will marry tomorrow. Not wanting to eat the wedding goodies, Bill and I went grocery shopping and arrived back with salads and fruit and chicken, micro popcorn, beer, and chips—all of which is past history.
We also stopped at a bike shop. Bill wanted to check to see if his 20-year old, 7-speed Specialized bike could be converted to handlebar shifters. He is jealous of the "ease and speed"—ha! ha! ha! tears running down—with which I climb. Actually it is all in the shifting. Bill stops pedaling to shift his downtube shifters. Each time he stops pedaling, of course, he loses any momentum he has. His solution is to shift into granny BEFORE all climbing, and then slowly, grind his way up. Not surprisingly, the bike shop could not help him. I bought him a spider bungee as a consolation gift.
Speaking of climbing, yesterday we stopped for a drink at a Subway that shared an outdoor area with a bar. There were about 10 bikers (motorcyclists) sitting in front of the bar, and they were very impressed with us. We ate it up, and then took off. By 'en by ol' B'rer Bill and sidekick Susan were faced with a very steep, winding climb up a bluff. Near the top we had to dismount and push our bikes. Just as we began pushing—you guessed it—the motorcyclists who thought we were he- and she-heroes passed, each giving us a wave and toot toot on the horn. Geez! There went our pride.
Today was a WI record-breaker for low temps in July. It didn't get over 62. I wore my vest and raincoat all day (believe it) and loaned Bill my pink hoodie (which he wore under his jacket) because he was so cold. The wind was out of the north and very cold. We'd get sweaty climbing and then stop for a rest or drink and get chilled. I am still cold, even though I am inside.
Joe came and picked us up at a McDonald’s outside of La Crosse to save us the last few miles to his house. We were appreciative as we were cold and windblown.
Enuff for now. We will stay here tomorrow on our Rest Day (dare I write those two words?) and then continue this adventure on Sunday.
Susan
