2010 Bike Trip

June 28, 2010 7:22 pm

We had gone to Cambridge for a bike shop, and the only one in town opened at 10:30 in the morning. Outdoor Edge was great. The technician Patrick tightened up Elliot’s derailleur, and showed us what to do. That got rid of the clicking. We also got more handlebar tape to replace the loose left side (as opposed to the right side we fixed in Grand Rapids), and a spare tube (the blown tube from yesterday was torn at the valve – unrepairable).

Tracy gave us a 20% discount for being on the Adventure Cycling tour, and did not charge us anything for the repair. Between customers, she advised me on the best way to get to Osceola. She let me take her picture, but was initially shy about it being put on the blog. She came around, but I never stop being amazed at how unaware some people are about how photogenic/attractive they are.

Attention cycling tourists! Good bike shop in Cambridge.

Elliot headed for the McDonald’s again while I was at the Outdoor Edge. When I met up with him, he was still waiting for his quarter pounder. When he finally got it, they gave him a card for a free meal, for his inconvenience of waiting five minutes.

On the outskirts of Shafer (that one’s for you, Lois), there were two boys on the side of the road holding up small signs . They were advertising their lemonade stand around the corner. Nick, Allie, and Jon had been out for about 25 minutes, and we were their first customers. It was 15¢ for a small, and 25 ¢ for a large. Elliot had a large, and I had two larges.

There was construction on the Osceola (OSSY-ola) bridge as we crossed over into Wisconsin.

As I reached the other side, a guy in a truck shouted “Get on the sidewalk!” What sidewalk? Surely, he didn’t expect us to walk our bikes on the grassy shoulder? This surprised me, since we went all the way across Minnesota, and the drivers were patient and courteous to a fault. They would cross all the way over to the left lane to pass us, even when we were well into a wide shoulder. When there was a car coming in the other direction, they would often slow down and stay behind us, until they could pass in the left lane. This would not have happened at home. One rude driver does not a pattern make, and I would not take it as an indictment of Wisconsinites, by the way. Everyone else has been nice.

We are now at the River Valley Inn & Suites. It’s very similar to the place we stayed at last night. The rooms are big, and they have a pool and spa. There isn’t a hair dryer in the bathroom or ironing board in the room – things we don’t need that much, anyway. It was $71.10 for a room with two queen beds, not surprising for a place that has “Suites” in its name, even if after an ampersand. My excuse for a motel this time is that my left knee was hurting slightly, and I want to get a good night’s rest so as not to push it to injury. We did only 44 miles today. I hope we can stay at a campground tomorrow. The weather is clearing, and it’s supposed to be sunny, cooler, and less humid.