Lemonade to Eau Claire

Thursday 5/31 Day 41

Chip & I

Saying goodbye. It is a skill I have not gotten used to over all these years. To say goodbye to people and not know the next time I will see them is unbearable. I come to notice that I get pretty quite and have a hard time making eye contact as if this was a solution to the pain. It isn't haha. I need to keep reminding myself that people come in and out of life for reasons. But this morning I had to say goodbye to Chip and Julie. A stay that I have really enjoyed for the company, entertainment, and relaxation. I got some pictures before I left and then headed off on my way. My plan for the next couple of days was a series of 100 mile days one today then a day off then two 100 milers back to back. With a goal of being at Lake Michigan by Sunday.

No Cheese Stand :(

My ride out of the city was pretty uneventful. A few people let me know where the sidewalk was haha. Sometimes I don't think that cars realize how much more dangerous the side walks are for bikers. To many people don't look to see if bikes or pedestrians are on them. I think in part of getting a car license it should be required that every body bike on a busy road for ten miles. It could grant some perspective.
Today I only had about ten to fifteen miles in Minnesota and then off to a new state. When I crossed the boarder I got my standard photo of the sign. I sadly can't get my bike in it all of the time. But this one I did :). I was a bit disappointed that there was nobody waiting to give me cheese.
As I road a bit into the state I noticed a difference in the terrain. Hills! I was pretty excited, I was getting board of all the flat lands out there. There was some twisting and winding, a whole heck ton of trees, and a pretty decent shoulder. So far this state gets a thumbs up. Oh man the forests on the side of the road are so thick.
One thing I have been looking for in Minnesota and here in Wisconsin are the giant water towers. Each city has them and the great thing about them is he fact that I can see them over trees. So I can tell when cities are getting closer and sometimes there is a little design on them. This was the fact with one little town about half way through my ride today where I stopped and got some ice cream, for calories and cooling down. It was a very hot day with very few clouds in the sky.
To continue my cooling trend I think about thirty miles later I stopped at a little cafe in a little town thirty miles later. I was blessed here with some ice cold lemonade! It's hard to believe this is the same trip where I was snowed on a little more than a month ago. At the cafe I met Alan. He shared with me some of his experience with photography and his website. I shared my info with him also. If you guys have not seen it, check it out at Jeffreyericson.zenfolio.com. It got me thinking of how I wish I could have brought my bigger camera with me. But I'm glad I didn't that would have sucked in he space department.

Coffee Shop, and Alan

After saying goodbye to Alan I headed off to Nicks place in Eau Claire. It was. Nice because the ride seemed to go fast than normal, must have been the lemonade. But when I got to Nicks he was not there so I met his mom Karen, his sister Alisson, and their roommate Dave. Once N ick arrived I met his brother Tony. We sat outside and drank beer and cooked some hamburgers. Oh they turned out so great, I love charcoal cooking. After a late night of chatting I fell asleep to some South Park.