Biking with Bill

THE SHORE OF LAKE MICHIGAN

It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Southeastern Wisconsin. There were only a few people around as we departed Fond du Lac for Manitowoc, WI, located on the shore of Lake Michigan. It was a short 60 mile ride through the cornfields on untraveled county roads. There were no trucks to be seen, and only the occasional passing car. We were all dressed in our red, white, and blue America by Bicycle jerseys–as we are asked to do on days going into a rest day town.

We were almost alone on the roads, just 54 cyclists in the quiet of the morning’s rising sun. We were in no hurry today.

I began to feel a little guilty about missing church on this Sunday morning. I was nudged by the town signs as we entered St Peter, Calvary, and Marytown, WI with its grand Catholic church perched on the hilltop.

A group of 3 bikes passed us on a downhill–it depicted the variety of two-wheeled vehicles represented on this tour. First was the tandem with Steve and Barb (ME) in command, next was Jon (VT) on his conventional road bike, and finally Larry (MA) on his lay-back recumbent. All were cruising along comfortably and enjoying the ride.

I rode mostly with Nancy today, a fellow Floridian and Team RTC member. We entered the town of Kiel, where none of the 3400 inhabitants was anywhere to be seen. We were all alone until the SAG stop at the far end of town. The rolling hills kept us active along with the “DO NOT MISS” county road turnoffs on our route sheets. At the 47 mile mark we caught our first glimpse of Lake Michigan. What a sight!

Arriving at the busy lunch spot in Manitowoc, there were the usual questions by the folks there and subsequent amazement at the time, logistics and distance of our cross country bicycle trip. There seemed to be a great deal of interest in cycling on this final day of the Tour de France–and I noted some degree of pride that Floyd Landis , an American, had won.

We will board the ferry at noon tomorrow to travel across Lake Michigan–on our rest day.

Floating across America,

Bill