Crossing Middle America

   As we near our next state line, Wisconsin, we are treated to more mellow roads through the fertile farmlands of Minnesota.  The riding here is not so spectacular as the western states but is very peaceful and we often get lost in the moment of cruising through the miles of green fields and quaint farm houses.  The afternoons are really starting to heat up and we are relieved to come upon the Adventure Cycling Bunkhouse near Dalbo, Mn.  The bunkhouse is a free service run by an ex-military, turned farmer, named Donn Olsen.  Donn started the bunkhouse in 2005 when he helped out a couple of cyclists who needed a place to camp.  He found there was a need for places to stay along the Adventure Cycling route and he enjoyed meeting with touring folks.  He finished off the lower floor of his unused barn, put in some sleeping rooms and created the wonderful oasis that many now enjoy.  After a hot afternoon of cycling Kelly and I were thrilled to walk into the air conditioned main room complete with a stocked refrigerator, ice cream, frozen pizza, cold drinks, ours for a small donation, and a hot plate for cooking.  A clean solar shower was also available.  All this for free.  Donn even goes out to rescue the occasional stranded cyclist...the man's a saint.
   Our last day in Minnesota found us crossing the Mississippi River, already a large, powerful, muddy river, before crossing into Wisconsin at the town of St croix Falls.  Our day finished with a very hot climb with busy traffic out of the river valley in the Wi side where we treated ourselves to an evening at a nice hotel with a pool and spa with a day off the following day...a nice break after a week of cycling.  We find that about 5or 6 days in a row is about our max.
   Our first real day of cycling Wi took us through lush, rolling terrain across more farmlands and wooded areas.  As the afternoon wore on the hills became steeper and more frequent.  In  a place where the don't have a ski hill with more than 400 ft of vertical how can the riding be this tough?  After a night at a pleasant little camp on the Chetek River we headed out in the rain to see what else Wi had to show us.  After a wrong turn, resulting in a 10 mi. detour, we got back on track on deserted roads snaking through some deep north woods country.  No description of Wisconsin is complete without mentioning their state bird...the deer fly.  these nasty little motivators definitely keep you on the move.  While mosquitos seem to prefer tapping into Kelly, the deer flies obviously prefer man-flesh.  Powering my bulky touring bike through the northwoods with my limbs flailing wildly I must have looked like nothing so much as an entrant in a Special Olympics cycling event.
   We're getting into some very hot afternoons now and, although the riding is great, counting the lite beer cans along the road is losing its entertainment value.  Actually, I'm a bit disappointed...I thought  Wisconsans had better taste in beer.  Like much of the country, the midwest is having an especially hot and humid summer with little rain.  It's getting too hot to camp and we seem to be moteling more and camping less as we go along.  After spending last night at the  "Wildlife Bar and Campground"  (at least they have their priorities straight) we got on the road by six and were done by 10:00 with the temperature already a sultry 91 degrees. We are currently holed up in a motel in Shawano, Wi escaping the heat in our air conditioned room. I'm hoping to ride into Manitowac Wednesday with an old high school friend, Bob Peschel and we should be at the ferry to cross Lake Michigan on Thursday where we will be entering our final time zone and onward to Michigan, Ontario and the final leg of our trip.