We are now in Plover, Wisconsin having covered 1061 miles in 15 riding days with two rest days. We have camped six nights, had four hotel nights, and stayed with generous hosts the other 7 nights.
Fathers Day started with a rainy night in tents at High Cliff State Park near Appleton, Wisconsin. The rain stopped between 5AM and 7AM as we broke camp and let loose again for wet riding at 50 degrees 12 miles to the Third Street Cafe in Menasha for a hearty breakfast with friends of Linda and Henry.
We exited the restaurant for another soggy hour of riding before Linda got our first flat tire during another fortunate dry spot in front of a Quik Stop Truck Stop. We made a quick fix and stocked up on afternoon eats. The afternoon alternated between light mist and dry as we crossed the lovely Wisconsin dairyland. About 20 miles outside Plover we were joined on bike by my high school friend, Jeff Polzin, who will host us for two nights in Black River Falls and ride with us to Mankato, Minnesota.
Tonight we are all enjoying a barbecue and warm beds in Plover with Linda and Henry's med school friends Paula and Matt.
Henry's notes for today:
Day 17: The pitter patter of rain on my tent started at 4 am, and my heart sank knowing that it would be at least another partial day of wet riding. However, we had social commitments, and had to stay on the move. We met Charlie and Mike again, as well as Henry's hand surgery colleague Jon Cherney and his wife Pam for a filling breakfast at the Third Street Diner. Jon has had a very successful hand surgery practice in Appleton since 1995. He is in a group of 7 hand to shoulder surgeons. The cold rain continued as we said goodbye to our friends in the Appleton area, and headed west towards Plover, just outside Stevens Point. Because of where we changed Linda's flat tire, we had our first introduction to Kwik Trip, a great convenience store chain based in La Crosse, WI. The special treat for the day was 2 Snickers ice cream bars for $2, which Tim discovered in the freezer case. Tim and I could not resist. After consuming other lunch specials at the Kwik Stop, we kept riding; the rain did stop eventually in the early afternoon. We joined up with Jeff Polzin, Tim's childhood friend, about 20 miles east of Plover. Jeff's wife Susie conveniently dropped him off to join our slow-moving peloton. Jeff lives in Black River Falls, WI, and will be riding with us to Mankato, MN.
Our evening destination was at Matt and Paula Riordan's in Plover. Matt was Henry's residency classmate in St. Louis, and retired just over a year ago from a very busy Stevens Point general orthopedic practice. We were treated to a fabulous steak tenderloin and bratwurst dinner, with all the trimmings. Our hosts were again exceedingly gracious, and treated us like royalty. It was great for me and Linda to catch up with Matt and Paula.
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| From left right, new faces are Jon and Pam Cherney, Mike Uhing, Charlie Gaebler-Uhing. |
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| The Riordans took good care of us. Thank you! |
Map of Today's ride:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3754947557
https://www.relive.cc/view/u3609653221
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