I took a week of vacation with the intention of heading to the Blue Ridge mountains with my bike, some cold beer and my man (priorites not necessarily in that order).  The forecast was grim, threatening unrelenting rain, which I optimistically ignored.  I mean, really?  Our cycling trip to SC back in March was rained out and statistically speaking, the odds of this happening twice in one season were slim.   Calculating odds (incorrectly) is one of several (many) reasons why I suck at and avoid poker.  We drove 2 miles towards the airport before deciding to abort the mission.  It’s as though we were playing chicken with Mother Nature, seeing who would back down first.  You got to know when to hold em’, when to fold em’.  I threw in the towel, waived the flag, took a knee, conceded to her superior power and hatched Plan B for Bike.

We tossed the bikes into the Jeep, added more ice to the beer cooler, and set a course to northern WI. Best dam Plan B ever.  The loons were yodeling (listen below as papa loon has something to say to an unwelcome male who moves in on momma loon), turtles turtling, spring peepers hoping not to still be peeping by morning, fish biting on my flies, flies biting on me, pileated woodpecker pecking, hummingbirds magically hovering… I could go on but this is starting to sound like a Grizzly Adams version of the 12 Days of Christmas.

Biking in Shawano County is probably not on your bucket list, but I would argue that it shouldn’t be dismissed.  We enjoyed ZERO road rage.  In fact, every single vehicle including pickup trucks gave us the required 3 feet of clearance plus some.  It was like being queen for a day, and the only one around for miles in spandex.  It’s easy to look good without any competition.  We rode through the town of Pella (not the home of window and doors) and found a bar called Hopper’s.  My Cousin, Taylor, had the nickname Hopper so I knew good things were to come.  Dam right.

Mother Nature decided to heat things up this Memorial Day weekend.  The cabin has lots of amenities, like running water and electricity, but AC is not among them.  Alas, we headed home to spend the remainder of our cycling vacation turned staycation. Once I got over the fact that I was burning vacation time to reside in Dane County, I had the best dam vacation. Our 70-mile ride on Saturday targeted Hyde Store in Iowa County as our refueling station.  A scenic detour (Garmin communication was at an all-time low) led us to Hyde’s Mill at a dam built in 1850.

Lesson: we need not travel far or spend much money to enjoy premier cycling.  And, we don’t have to be on vacation to enjoy cycling.  Here are two very different post-ride photos, one on vacation and the other taking a break from writing a dissertation.  Any way you look at it, a sweaty Drafter jersey is a damn good thing.

With that endorsement, here is an opportunity for a cycling event in September that I would highly recommend for the post-ride party.  The beer is dark, cold and plentiful.

Tyranena Oktoberfest Registration Link

This coming Monday, with Mother Nature’s permission, we will once again try to ride the Taverns, Churches and Ball Diamonds route (formerly known as Tom Collins).  Short Pour route cuts back at Kick-A-Boo. Drone Master Christopher will be at several key locations, so look sharp and not out of breath at the following check points:

• Highest peak on Church Rd
• Along Kick-A-Boo
• Near Indian Lake turning onto Matz
• Along Rauls Rd

PDF download: Tom Collins 30 25

Garmin link: Taverns, Churches and Ball Diamonds

Please come celebrate with Coach Arms and Legs as they begin the June count down for whoever is currently occupying the middle.  And, it’s the last opportunity for a singles ride with Cookie Monster and E Money before they say “I do”.

Draft responsibly,

BrickO