The Star Lake store owner and Postmaster, Deb was a delightful woman. As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, she had the 4 of us over for hamburgers, hot dogs and baked beans. Nothing fancy. Just impromptu. Her husband of 3 years added to the flavor of the gathering as did her 13 year old grandson. Kid was a trip.
I have to say that I don't want to be one of the stories Deb tells about cycling groups that have come through over the years. I won't share her tales here. She added some stories about her own past. She predicted that Star Lake was destined NOT to change as it was hemmed in by state forest. Her family owns 3 of the 4 businesses in town. They pretty much close up in September for the season and head south as in southern Wisconsin. Star Lake has earned a spot in my good story repertoire.
We cut out of the campground by 6:30 am and headed over to the store for some breakfast food and coffee. Deb kindly opened up early for us. She was shuttling back and forth be'tween the store and the Post Office which were in the same building essentially. We bid adieu and headed west. Steve lingered behind to spend some quality time with his tablet. We are certain to tag back up again.
The first 17 miles were only slightly hilly. The road was very lightly traveled and in good condition. Sandy Doyle is right. Wisconsin is very green. I am really enjoying the wild flowers that line the roads for miles. We turned into a bike path for about 6 miles which abruptly ended in a nice little town of Boulder Junction. It had a nice, well kept laundromat. Just what we needed. We met a couple that was touring from west to east. We exchanged some information about our respective routes and said good luck. It was their first bike tour. What a start!
Sure enough, Steve showed up as we were underway with the wash. When our baggage was back to somewhat clean, we headed west again. We didn't see Steve again until we reached our destination.
This time the terrain was without a wrinkle. I really enjoyed the almost totally flat mileage. For miles the roads were flat and fast. Wildflowers adorned the roadways. Lots of lakes and small farms dotted the scenery. A fun few miles. Then we came upon our destination. Mercer.
It's a cute little town with an IGA grocery. No barber. Gift shops that close too early. Several restaurants and bars. A fish fry is advertised everywhere . 3 motels to choose from. We needed a little mercy from primitive existence for a night. The next camp is several miles down the road and it's primitive. Believe me when I saw showers are in order. The next camp with facilities was another 41 miles. No one was interested in another long day but, you guessed it, Fred. He went along with the short day. Tomorrow looks like a normal day with about 65 miles or so on tap. Breakfast at 6.
Today's total mileage = 39
Total mileage so far = 1,845
Have a good weekend.
Cheers.
KPW
Finally, a big shout out to my mother in law. It's her birthday today!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARBARA!
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