25th Anniversary Tour - Day 22

07/08/2006 04:34:41 by Administrator

From: Wausau, Wisconsin
To: Cornell, Wisconsin
Mileage: 100




Another Century? We were driven because there was virtually nothing on our planned route from Wausau to Cornell for lodging (that perked our interest). We are here in Cornell at Brunet Islands State Park with a waterfront tent site, hot showers, and tired legs. Thank goodness the showers were a 1/2 mile from our tent site (to and from), so we could officially cycle a true century. Any other time we would have left SeeMore to protect the homeland and walk.

We started our day with a big breakfast at a restaurant next to the hotel in Wausau, then proceeded to climb three very large hills on our escaped route out of Wausau. On the second hill we met Bob Dennee who was just completing his 40-mile ride to have breakfast with his Dad. He had an 8:00 am appointment, but had time to talk to us as we climbed. He was in a Red Rim trike (three wheeled recumbent), which he designed and built. The trike's steering, shifting, and braking is done from either handle bar, which they have three patents for. He was making these hills look easy, even after 40 miles!

Our route today featured a northwestern direction and our first 40 miles were hills, hills and more hills. When we pulled into Stetsonville, we had serious reservations that we could make it to Cornell that night.

About 3 miles from Stetsonville, we had our second liquid sunshine of the trip. It was such a perfect day, weather wise, for riding because it was overcast. We put on our rain gear just in time for the heavens to open up, then rode until Stetsonville.

Stetsonville (population 466, maybe) has only 5 streets, two churches and two bars. We rode around those streets looking for some place to eat and get SeeMore out of the rain. Failing to find anything inviting, we parked SeeMore under the American Legion pavilion and sat down to plan our options. The time was either 12:00 noon or 11:59:50 depending on which side of the street you were on, because the church on the left corner began it's chimes and 10 seconds later the church on the right corner began the same chimes, just using a different key.

We left SeeMore to guard our picnic table under the American Legion pavilion and walked downtown to the gas station/mini store and was greeted by the cashier with the words "Are you those two people on that funny looking tandem that's been riding around town!" Seems we are quite a sight, and probably the strangest thing to arrive in town in a while.

We got some bread and cookies for our PB and J sandwich picnic at the American Legion pavilion, and I sat down while Mary decided to ask the people in the American Legion if she could use the little admiral's room. Sitting, making lunch, an elderly Wisconsin lady walked up to me and asked, "Do you think they will be playing baseball on this field today?" I mentioned to her (while dressed in cycling clothes, with helmet and SeeMore next to me) that I was just cycling through and I was not from Stetsonville. Even though we were just two feet away from each other she then said, "If it's going to rain some more, then they probably won't play a game". I simply replied that I believe she was right. Next thing I know, she directing people to park their cars blocking entrance to the baseball field by saying, "The guy in the pavilion said there will be no baseball game today, so it' s ok to park our cars here"

We escaped from Stetsonville without rain and without people yelling at me for giving the command to block the baseball field and decided that Medford (5 miles up the road) was two short of a day, and we went for it. We were rewarded with a gentler ride through woods and forests of middle Wisconsin AND an excellent camping site!