Good morning from Bruce, Wisconsin! We are back in my home state...America's Dairyland. Since Pelican Rapids, we had a great time riding through Minnesota. The landscape changed pretty drastically from the North Dakota flats and the lakes, trees, marshes, and rivers add to the enjoyment of riding. We've seen a lot of deer and many different types of birds.
On Saturday we rode from Pelican Rapids to Long Prairie. It was hot, but we had a rest day planned so we pushed through the entire 97 miles by 3:00. We were greeted by a cool little coffee shop/butcher/meat market (only in the Midwest!). Jenny got a peaches and cream smoothie and declared it a definite highlight of the trip. After a laundry stop we pedaled to the local RV park to camp for the night. On Sunday, we took a rest day...slept in (to 7:00), had a leisurely breakfast (energy bars), and went to church. We spent the time after church looking for an air-conditioned building to hang out in. We had a good time reading at a local restaraunt and then got some groceries. We got to relax the whole afternoon...it was wonderful. The temperature was between 85 - 90 so we were grateful for our spot in the shade and the breeze.
Monday was a good 70-mile ride to Milaca. They did not have camping so we stopped at the Super 8 for the night. The ride from Milaca to Turtle Lake yesterday was one of the most intense days of the trip. We walked out of the hotel at 6:15 and it was already 80 degrees! By 9:30 we saw a sign that said 92 degrees...no clouds and extremely humid. We took a long break in a malt shop in Taylors Falls, MN. I had an espresso malt that was marvelous. After lunch we headed out of town and crossed the St. Croix River into Wisconsin. After one big climb in that heat, I was questioning whether or not we should even be riding that day. We stopped to consider the options and some clouds started rolling in so we decided to keep on. We had a little shade on the 24-mile ride from the border to Turtle Lake, but I don't remember how intense the humidity can get. Jenny said, "Scott, I miss the desert. Remeber the desert where it's cool." When we stopped at the air-conditioned library in Turtle Lake after 90 miles in that heat it felt like Heaven.
We called the local casino and asked if they had tent sites. They did and they included use of the hotel's pool and $5 back if we went into the casino and signed up for the "Player's Club". We dropped our things at the tent site and I practically ran over to the pool. Had a great time soaking and cleaning up and then headed over to the madness that is "St. Croix Casino". We both signed up for the club and got a voucher for $5 each. Since the campsite was only $10 and the temptation to gamble did not grab either of us, we cashed in and ended up staying for free. Best of all, it was 2-for-1 at the buffet. We enjoyed fresh salad, ham with sauerkraut, BBQ ribs, salmon, pasta salad, and too many deserts to name. I think we got our money's worth : ) It worked out really well.
We are 45 miles into our day today and stopped here in Bruce to pick up one of our re-supply packages. We were walking over to the grocery store and ran into a gentleman that runs the local radio station. We told him about the cause we are riding for and since we will be going right by the station he asked us to stop by for an interview and some pictures. They have an internet site so I'll send a link once it's up.
It is so impressive to see how receptive people are to the cause of bringing clean water to impoverished communities. It seems like something everyone relates to and, since it is necessary to life, it is a tie that binds us all.
We are very excited to be close to Wausau, WI where my sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and niece live. We hope to get there tomorrow and take Friday off to hang out with them before continuing on to Lake Michigan and the highly-anticipated ferry ride! Plans are to be in Grand Rapids, MI on July 3 so we can join everyone for July 4th festivities at the lake.
I'll try to get some pictures up in the next few days.
Talk to you soon.
Scott and Jenny
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