Superior to Danbury

I always like to start and end our rides at a state line, or body of water, or landmark. Something just feels right about that. This year we started at the light house at Wisconsin Point which marks the main entry from Lake Superior to the cities of Superior and Duluth. It was neat to see, but not a calendar type view. It was overcast, starting to rain and air was not clear due to the fires in Canada.  Still a worthy start point seeing the vastness of the lake merging into the gray sky.

The weather forecasters had “promised” we were going to have rain overnight and then it would end about 8am. They lied….  It started raining at 8:20 and we left at 8:21. The first 40 miles of our 63 were in a light rain which soaked us completely. I have ridden in lots of rain. Some that included hail, some cold, some with wind, one so heavy I had to pull off because I couldn’t see. This was the more pleasant, “sociable” kind of rain. Note: These are my thoughts and do not necessarily represent my riding partners opinions. I really do enjoy hiking, biking, running in these kinds of rain. The sound is soothing, it mutes all the colors, and just gives a different perspective on the beauty of God’s creation. So often we hear “rain” and then cancel plans or stay inside. I think that in doing so we miss some great experiences.  

The only part I didn’t appreciate about the rain today was the impact it had on a short stretch of unpaved road we needed to take. It made the 4+ miles of “fire road” into a muddy mess that was hard to pedal and had the constant fear of wiping out. That, along with the gazillion mosquitos on that road made this a less than enjoyable segment.

However, when we came to the next turn we had a beautiful road, nice shoulder, a tail wind, and lots of slight downhill. We flew down those last 30ish miles.

We had lunch at mile 40 at a wayside as the rain stopped.  Our “SAG” had a lunch prepared for us that was amazing. I had been planning on almond butter on tortillas – her prep was more like gourmet food and lots of it.  That was a blessing!  

After a nice long break we finished the last miles quickly, drying off along the way, and made it to our motel in Danbury, WI. Bikes were washed, clothes changed, showers for all and then dinner.  

Numbers for the day:

63 miles

1617’ climbing

40 miles wet riding

1 bald eagle

1 fox

1 lighthouse