Eden to Menasha, Wisconsin. Thursday, May 20, 2021
This was one of those days which was so pleasant, you almost feel guilty. It’s not supposed to be this easy. When is the other shoe going to drop?
There were no hills to slow me down this time. After lingering in that “garden of Eden” of the Breezy Hill campground, it was an easy swoop down to Fond du Lac, at the southern tip of Lake Winnebago.
From there a ruler straight, beautifully paved road with a strong tailwind blew me into Oshkosh, famous for toddlers clothes, an annual air festival, and an old fashioned drive-in restaurant, where Courtney brought me my drink on roller skates.
The wind continued to push me the length of the lake to the Vrabec’s lovely lakeside home. Steph, an environmental sciences teacher, pampered me with laundry and a sumptuous shower, and we met Mike, an ophthalmologist specializing in LASIK surgery, for dinner at a great Mexican place in town. Mike has climbed Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc, and Mt. Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, is a pilot and avid cyclist. I had such fun talking to them I lost track of time and kept them up. I have to remember, not everyone is retired!
The bliss was undercut by some dispiriting news. Christine texted to let me know that Ben (this was the couple from Namibia I rode with last week) had suffered a head injury. His front wheel apparently collapsed while swerving to avoid traffic. He was taken to the local ER where head and neck scans were negative, but he has to follow up with a neurologist in Davenport. I talked to them both, he seems fine, but they realize how catastrophic this could have been. They are rethinking whether it is wise to continue. I asked them to call me anytime with updates or questions. Oh, my heart just goes out to them.
Although I’ve never felt healthier, it underscores the precariousness of my own situation. I’m three years older and traveling alone. I promised them, and Jane, to be extra special careful.
Distance 46 miles, 1,565 total. Time 5 hours with stops. Elevation gain 368 feet
The Ends of the Earth 