After a hardy breakfast with my host family I left the house by mid-morning. There was no need to leave any sooner as the ride to Twin Rivers was only 89 miles. The sun was out and a slight breeze was in the air. It was another beautiful and sunny Monday morning. The route made a way out of town through the beautiful suburbs of Milwaukee along the lake to Port Washington,a historic tourist town. The sea green lake water was shimmering under a bright and shiny sun. I briefly toured the waterfront before climbing out of town back on the Lake Michigan Circle Tour on my way to Sheboygan and Manitowoc. By now clouds were moving in from the west and when they covered the sun the temperatures dropped considerably. Soon highway 32 merged with the interstate prohibited for cyclists and I continued on the Ozaukee trail. This Rails to Trails bike path cut through farmlands connecting the small towns of Belgium and Ostburg. The asphalt trail was nice and smooth and flanked by trees and wetlands. Rabbits, ground hogs and wild turkeys were all part of the scenery. An occasional deer would dart off in the distance and sturdy Belgium or Dutch farm horses were grazing in the fields. Near Sheboygan the winds became more fierce and soon I realized that my estimated arrival time with my Warmshowers host was in jeopardy. I called Carol and explained my situation and that I would arrive by seven oclock an hour later than planned. As the road deteriorated, the wind kept pounding me and the hills grew taller. I was inching away ever so slowly along the beautiful lake shores. Large dunes were now adding to the scenery and with ten miles to go I realized that my new time estimate could not be realized. When I called Carol again to give her an update on my progress she told me that Joe was under way with his mini van and meet me on the route. After cruising through downtown Manitowoc Joe flagged me down from a parking lot on the outer edge of town. He offered to pack the bike in the car and drive to his house. I explained my dilemma that I needed to ride every mile and with six to eight miles to go I would be there within half an hour. By now the wind had died down and I was flying over a smooth asphalt road along the lake. The clouds somewhat subsided and the sun was shinning through again, illuminating the sky and reflecting brightly down on the lake. Within twenty minutes I made it to Joe and Carols house. After a hot shower and doing my laundry, Joe and Carol took me out for dinner and a brew at a local restaurant. Back home we shared stories from the road as Joe is an accomplished touring cyclist himself with two trans continental bike rides under his belt. We concluded our visit slightly before midnight and within no time I was sound asleep. Water is life. Pass it on!Help stop water poverty at: fundly/rudyvanprooyen
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 15:00:28 +0000