Our, "Ok, Let's Try This Again" tour!
Success at last.
Last April we attempted a short multi-day trip to test out some of our new equipment. Being excited for the trip, I posted all kinds of info about it. I talked it up in an attempt to get others as pumped up for it as I was. Well, Mr. Murphy (of Murphy's law fame) saw my posts and decided to come along. The trip was a total disaster. 40 mph headwinds, a bad knee from a crash, multiple flat tires, frustration, tears, you name it. If it could have gone wrong, it did! Thanks Murph.
This time, I decided to say NOTHING, until the trip was over. Thankfully, Mr. Murphy had decided to go ruin someone else's day and left us completely alone for almost the entire trip. He did make a brief appearance in the form of a pulled back muscle on day one and a broken spoke on day two, but after a resting her back and my short tussle with the spoke, we came out victorious and Murph realized he was no match for our grit and determination. Buh-Bye!
Day One - Home to Long Lake
"Inside Voices Please"
We got on the road fairly early. Thankfully the brutal heat wave we had been experiencing for the last 2 weeks had broke. The weather was warm but not hot.
This hill was B's first big test. By far the biggest hill she had ever had to ride up. Painted on the road were the words: "Feel The Burn" so that told us we were not the first to try this climb. Little did B know that this was to be the first of MANY climbs she would have to face over the next few days. Most of them she conquered. A few she did not.
After that climb, it was time for a rest and some water.
After we arrived and had set up camp, the first order of business was a shower. Food was next on the agenda and then it was definitely time to kick back, relax and enjoy the solitude of nature. The solitude however, was soon to be shattered. We were on the top of a hill. At the bottom was a large group of about 8 adults and 2, screaming, crying, fighting, whining, yelling, and just, over all, obnoxiously loud children. Yes folks, you are outside, but you are not the only ones here. Not everyone here wants to spend their evening listening to you screaming at your kids to stop screaming. But, everyone in the campground had to do just that.
Day Two - Long Lake to Harrington Beach
"I saw Saturn, but not Uranus"
Just for the record, cemeteries make awesome resting areas. They are quiet, peaceful, usually have big trees which provide plenty of shade and best of all, the residents never complain about you being there.
This was the killer hill of the day. B actually took this pic when she was already halfway up it. If you look closely, you will see a small black dot at the very top. That, would be me. Gives you a little indication of the seriousness of this climb.
We made it. Camp is set, showers done, spoke replaced, now it's time to start supper. We were trying something new. Vegetarian chili. B added a few things to it and it was pretty good.
After dinner, we went on a water run. We saw a sign stating there was a Saturn viewing at the observatory tonight at 9:00. The observatory? In a state park? Cool! Let's go. It was a bit of a walk, but walking felt good after riding all day. We are really glad we went. It was very cool. Saturn looked a lot like it does in the astronomy books.
Day Three - Harrington Beach to Mauthe Lake
"Naked ass in a corn field."
Almost right away today, we ended up on a dirt road. This was the 2nd one I had unknowingly routed us onto. Guess I have to look a little closer at my maps. So the day started out a little rough. Not bad, just bouncy and a little washboardy.
Not 7 miles into our day, B decided that she needed to change her bike shorts. Thinking they would be cooler in the heat, she had put on a pair of liners. They were not cooler, nor were they comfortable. Maybe it was the fact that we started out on a washboard road. Not sure.
We stopped at the edge of a corn field so she could dash in and change into a better pair of shorts. I took a couple photos while I waited. I just happened to turn and look at her when I saw the sun, shining off her naked ass, thru the dark green of the corn stalks. (SHH. Don't tell her though. She has no idea.)
About 12 miles down the road, we found a cheese store and decided to stop for a bit. SO glad we did. They serve ice cream! Plus, I found my new favorite string cheese. It's just basically mozzarella, but as you rip it apart, it gets all stringy. Mmmmm. So yummy!
As we were coming into a small town, I heard B yell behind me: "CAR!" I looked but didn't see any cars. "WHAT?" I replied. Again, I heard her yell, "CAR!" I looked all around but there wasn't a car in sight. I slowed and let her get closer and said: "Where's the car?" Her reply was: "Not car. I said BAR!" We made the call to stop and have a few while charging up our electronic devices. This was both a blessing and a curse. We had a few too many and it made the last 4 miles to camp really hard to peddle as we were so relaxed. Note to self, stop at one if not done for the day.
We came around a corner and I saw a grouping of signs that read: "Walker lies will let you down, faster than a strapless gown." (For those outside of Wisconsin, Walker is our governor. That's all I have to say about that.) I pointed them out to B and we had a good chuckle.
About 25 yards down the road, I saw this mailbox, all banged up. I pointed it out to B and we kept pedaling. Shortly after passing this mailbox, B said, "You should get a picture." I told her to keep going as our next turn wasn't for a mile yet.
I hadn't gone but 100 or so yards when my GPS started doing the recalculating thing. I had missed a turn. B was a couple hundred yards up the road, getting ready to climb a big hill. OH NOOO!!!!! "STOP!!!" I screamed. She didn't hear me. "STOP!!!" I screamed again. She kept going. I was mashing the pedals trying to catch up. Screaming "STOP!!!" 12 to 15 times I screamed as loud as I could scream. Finally, she pulled over and stopped.
As I rolled up to her, she gave me that "You better have a good reason for making me stop on a hill!" look. She had gone 2/3 of the way up a pretty steep hill. "We have to go back. We missed a turn." I said as I recoiled in anticipation of the fallout. I will not repeat what was said next.
When I told her I was screaming at her to stop but she didn't hear me, she replied "No. I heard you." I just thought you were a sheep." "A SHEEP?" I answered. "You scream like a girlie sheep." She said. "I kept hearing this sheep and kept expecting to see it standing in a field somewhere. I figured it had to be close cause it was getting louder every time I heard it." At this point, I was laughing so hard I could barely coast down the hill we had both gone up for no reason.
After we got home and we were looking at the photos, B said, "Why did you take a picture of a mailbox?" "You told me to." I said. "No...I was taking about you taking a picture of the Walker signs." So here, after all that, I never even took a photo what I was supposed to. UGH!!!!
Day Four - Mauthe Lake to Home.
"9 out of 10 raccoons prefer peanut butter over green beans."
1:15 a.m. I was awakened by a noise that I knew was a raccoon. I got up and shined the light around camp. I saw 4 sets of tiny little glowing eyes looking down at me from a tree. Aww. Baby raccoons. My mind said, "Where's mama?" I shined the light onto the table and there she was. She jumped off the table onto my duffel that was balanced on the seat. It flipped, sending her tumbling to the ground. She took off into the woods as fast as she could and shortly her babies scampered off to join her.
In the morning, we found why they came to visit. We had a bag with some left over green beans in it as well as some garbage from snacks we had the night before. The bag with the green beans was on the ground and had just one small puncture in it, along with all of the green beans. The empty package from the peanut butter however, was totally destroyed. Well played raccoons. Well played.
7:00 a.m. Coming down out of the campsite was quite the challenge for my brakes. 300 lbs of bicycle and me on a 10% downgrade, with a stop sign right at the bottom.
Made it home safe and sound and HUNGRY! Got cleaned up and went out for a celebratory dinner of pizza and salad. Ok. I had the pizza, B had the salad.
We had a great trip. Everything went well, the weather was beautiful, the traffic was mostly light, we didn't have any major breakdowns, and we even had a slight tailwind the last 2 days. Couldn't have asked for anything to go better. While driving to dinner, we were already planning where to go on our next trip. Stay tuned to this blog and our face book page for more info. Just don't expect anything to be posted until after the trip! ;-)
B's Good Points: Lot's of downhills and string cheese. Also, that I did more than I thought I
was capable of doing.
B's Bad Points: Uphill! Also, had some numbness issues in my hands and toes.
P's Good Points: Had a successful and fun trip. Determined that all of our equipment works well. Oh
and I have to mirror B and say string cheese.
P's Bad Points: The only bad point that I can honestly think of is the obnoxious family that we
encountered on our first night.
