Day 57 – Aug 8, 2015 – Waupun WI to Manitowoc WI – 73 miles
3 days of over 70 miles each day. We are getting tired. But we finally made it to Manitowoc WI! We are back on our original tour and can open our Adventure Cycling maps again. We made it here to catch the SS Badger ferry across Lake Michigan to Ludington MI. Yep we cannot pedal across the lake, this crossing is planned on a typical Northern Lakes tour.
This day was tough. We started a little late because as we were having breakfast in Waupun I decided to confirm some lodging in Manitowoc. I looked online and nothing was available. I called the Best Western and they confirmed the bad news – PGA in Sheboygan WI – all the hotels within 50 miles booked. I called an RV park in Manitowoc, also all booked. What do we do? We have to catch ferry. After an extensive search I started calling all hotels. The AmericInn had one room available. Got it. That took a good hour to do.
We left around 9am and took the Wild Goose trail to Fond Du Lac. Bad news for me. The trail has been rained on hard and had turned into a sticky mess, especially under the tree canopies. My tire tread is deeper than Gregg’s on my newer Schwable Marathon tires. The front tire especially caked on this mess of mud and pebbles. It was super hard to pedal. It was so weird that I had to stop on the trail to scrap off the mud with a stick. It was very uncomfortable ride for me. Gregg had no issues. He happily rode along listening to is ipod music. What a mess! I should write a letter to Schwable and send them pictures. It is also making me concerned about riding the C&O Canal trail which can also get pretty messy.
Making it to Fond du Lac we decided to have an early lunch and plan the rest of our route. I was worried about another rail to trail route. The options of trail vs road were not available to Manitowoc so we chose the most direct. Still we had another 50 miles to ride. After a good lunch it we got back on the saddles for a long slow slog.
We had head winds and rolling hills. We chose to take some country roads that we really beautiful. At one point we were on a Century Ride route following the arrows up and down the hills. All the farms had flag polls proudly flying the stars and stripes, most had plastic deer and other curious garden ornaments like black face servant figures. This was pretty weird. I saw three of them, one hold a flag, another fishing, and one sitting on the porch. They were about 2 ft tall. I saw a small black face cookie jar in an antique shop window in Hastings MN that was for sale for $250 some days ago, which I thought was curious. I suppose these farmers way out in the middle of nowhere WI got them in the 40s or 50s when it was fashionable to collect them but don’t really realize that they could be offensive to many people today. Maybe some of you remember the Sambos controversy? I think that happened in the 1980s?
We finally made it to Manitowoc around 8:15pm just moments before it was too dark to ride without lights. We can’t do that again, it far to dangerous on these country roads especially on a Saturday night. The hotel was right at the Interstate Highway again far from any restaurants. How sad. We quickly checked in and asked about a taxi service. Sure enough they had a great taxi service here. We took a cab into town 5 miles away and they offered free taxi service back if we were picked up and one of 10 bars in town. We had dinner which was excellent. I had Canadian Walleye that was super fresh, served lightly battered and pan fried. No seasoning necessary, not one dip of tatar sauce. It was delicious.
After dinner we walked across the street to have a night cap of a Jagermeister shot, for digestion, and called the cab. Good system they have here in Manitowoc. Bars pay a weekly fee and it keeps drunk drivers off the streets. Back in the hotel we quickly crashed. This is becoming super tiring. No days off since Fargo. But now we just need to get to ferry and enjoy a 4 hrs trip across a Great Lake.
auchandgrog
Hi Mike, Gregg here,
You should visit Wisconsin but only in the summer — don’t want to freeze. I thought Manitowoc was an interesting place. We are getting in shape but I am going to have to do some very serious dieting to loose all the weight I need to.
auchandgrog
Hi Mike, Gregg here,
Did you know there was a game, created in the late 70s or early 80s, titled the Creature that Eat Shebogen. You really should find time to visit Wisconsin. Interesting place. You should probably wait until late July or early August of next year to avoid being frozen. No so sure about the super shape. Still going to have to do some serious dieting to lose all the weight I need to. On the trip, it is hard to diet when you need to keep those carbs coming in all day.
Mike Williams
Glad you guys made it to your destination. You guys are going to be in super shape by the end of the trip, if not already. Interesting about Shebogen having a PGA event. My parents owned a hardware store there before we moved to Cali. It was a very small town and my dad worked part time at the Kohler plant to makes ends meet. I really need to go back and visit
auchandgrog
Hi Pete, Gregg here,
Fenders are a define yes with some reservations. Fenders are fragile and sometimes have to be adjusted. Fenders can jam with mud. Fenders are, however going to keep you and your bike (think of things like the chain) much cleaner, and in not to extreme conditions, dryer. In California, fenders are not so important. In places like the mid-west, where it rains often, they are a big advantage. For years I toured without fenders. Finally, I fell victim to my need to spend money on my touring bike and installed a set. I then found out that even in California, they are worth it — puddles, greasy pavement, and the occasional rain. I have only used plastic Planet Bike fenders so have no information on other brands or materials.
Gregg
Pete
Now that you guys have ridden thousands of miles, through sticky, melty, and wet. What have you learned about fenders? Worth it? Pluses? Minuses? Other ways to overcome the elements? Brand? Material? Anything?