Menasha to New London, Wisconsin Friday, May 21, 2021
The Vrabec‘s house was beautiful, the bed comfortable, but I only slept five hours. The news about Ben really shook me up. Steph had to get out early, but we still had time for a nice breakfast, and I was able to leave the house before 9, very early for me.
The weather was slated to change, so I tried to get as far as I could before that. It caught up to me in New London: rain, thunderstorms with hail predicted. Normally I would ride anyway, but today I was creeped out. My ultimate destination, Timm’s Hill, the highpoint of Wisconsin, was 160 miles away by the direct roads, much longer if you stuck to the back roads and bike paths. I decided to try the main roads. They were safe enough, but the shoulder was only two feet wide, with a rumble strip on one side and soft gravel on the other. Trucks were generally considerate as they sped by, but some came quite close. It was OK if you maintained a firm grip on the handlebars, but it wound up being quite exhausting. When I stopped in New London, it took five minutes from my pulse to drop below 120. I have an EKG feature on my watch, I wondered if I was in atrial fibrillation, but it turned out only to be benign sinus tachycardia. I was just nervous.
I kept thinking of Ben, and his accident. At least he had someone to call for help. New London was only 26 miles in; I had wanted to go 67, to Wittenberg. As I rode the last 2 miles to the motels, I kept wondering, should I stop here or keep going? The storms would stop overnight, I could get to bed early and get a jump on the highways before they got busy next morning. The wind would not be as favorable, though.
You know what clinched it for me? My odometer had stopped working in the rain. Damned if I was going another 40 miles and not get “credit”.
The cheaper motel, a Quality Inn, did not look very prepossessing, but the inside had been recently renovated. The manager asked me to use the back entrance for my bike. I had waltzed right into the marble entryway of the Chicago Magnificent Mile Marriott, but at the New London Quality Inn, they had me use the service entrance.
I did have a nice soak in their hot tub, and felt better. I might wind up losing a day, and the storm never got as bad as predicted, but it still felt like the right choice. I had a nice long talk with sister Sarah, whose class at Holy Cross graduated today, and marked the end of her three year term as head of the Environmental Studies department. She starts her sabbatical in July. Congratulations!
Steve Shepard has posted my latest podcast today, recorded 18 days ago in Erie PA: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-natural-curiosity-project/id1443160082?i=1000522665545
Distance 28 miles, 1,593 total. Time 4 hours with stops. Elevation gain 524 feet
The Ends of the Earth 
Good to see you last night even tho the light was motel dim. You were missed and also supported for your endeavor. Stay safe my friend. If you had been here you could have had 2 complete desserts. Alas, I had to eat it..
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