I Love Animals

May 19, 2022

Downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin

In the past, I did all of my on-line journaling on the computers at public libraries. Those were the good old days. Now I'm an up-to-date kind of bike tourist and I carry a small laptop with me. I don't carry one of those portable wi-fi devices though, so I always fall behind after a night or two of camping. Sometimes I haul that little laptop into a small town library and borrow their wi-fi to try to catch up.

But I've got to admit that, more and more, I've fallen into the easy habit of catching up in motel rooms. I don't know if that's better or worse, but this morning I had a lot of time to kill before setting out on my ride because it was a short distance to downtown Milwaukee. That gave me time to catch up on the journal before check-out time. Doh! Except for the wine review. That had to wait until I got to Milwaukee.

Now I am in the middle of downtown Milwaukee, I posted the wine review, and I'm ready to tell about today's ride.

It's rare when I'm up early enough to see the sunrise this time of year.

After taking that picture, I spent the next five hours either in bed, on the computer, in the breakfast room, or drinking coffee and watching TV. Then I packed up my stuff for the exciting ride to the biggest city of my tour.

There isn't much to say about the first half of the day. It was all urban riding on some pretty non-bike-friendly roads. Sometimes it was downright scary. In those cases, you just gotta put your head down, pedal straight forward, don't swerve, and hope for the best. That strategy hasn't failed me yet.

After a stop at the Walmart for a cheap duffel bag to pack my stuff in for the train ride home, it was only a short distance until I got onto the Hank Aaron Trail. And it was only another short distance when I saw a sign pointing to the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Zoos have animals and I really, really like animals. I still had plenty of time to spare before check-in time at the hotel, so I thought "why not check out some animals."

I used my animal telepathy talents to determine what they were thinking. Here's what I came up with:

"You'd look mangy too if you had to live in these conditions."

"Feed me some popcorn like those other humans did."

"I'm the king of the animals. I don't belong here."

"Is it true? I was named after a luxury British sports car?"

"If I could, I'd pack my trunk and get outta here as fast as possible."

"We'd stick our necks out for you. Will you stick your neck out for us and help us escape?"

All in all, I think the Milwaukee Zoo is as good as any other. But I get a bigger thrill out of seeing a lowly chipmunk running free and wild across the Glacial Drumlin Trail than I do seeing such majestic animals cooped up in confined spaces.

After an hour at the zoo, I returned to the Hank Aaron Trail. I made a video.

The Hank Aaron trail provided me with some very different views than the Glacial Drumlin Trail. City views. It went past some heavy industrial areas, including a gigantic Komatsu factory and the Milwaukee railroad yards.

First view of the Milwaukee skyline from the trail.

These domes are part of the Mitchell Horticultural Park. They contain a lot of plants and stuff. I think I will come back here tomorrow when I explore the city by bike.

I had a couple more things to do today before going to my hotel. I rode down to the train station to make a reservation for me and my bike to ride the rails back to St. Paul. Then I rode to the Metro Market to pick up enough food and Wisconsin beer to get me through the next two days.

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Today's ride: 23 miles (37 km)
Total: 298 miles (480 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	11
Comment on this entry	Comment	9

Bill StoneWillie Mays asked me to express his appreciation to you for mentioning him in the same breath as Hank and Harmon.
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2 years ago

Gregory GarceauTo Bill StoneSomehow, I knew you'd notice that.
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2 years ago

Bill ShaneyfeltLooking forward to your dome-estique post! :-)
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2 years ago

Gregory GarceauTo Bill ShaneyfeltSad to say, I didn't make it back there. I had too much fun in other parts of the city and then rain moved in.
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2 years ago

Mark Bingham"I don't carry one of those portable wi-fi devices"
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2 years ago

Lorenzo JarreDid you drink any Old Milwaukee? Does anyone in Milwaukee drink Old Milwaukee? I drank some in Canada. I wouldn't exactly recommend it.
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2 years ago

Gregory GarceauTo Lorenzo JarreOld Milwaukee was always one of lowest cost/lowest quality beers on the market. I haven't seen it in years. Not even sure if it's made anymore. If it is, I'm pretty sure it's not brewed in Milwaukee anymore.
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2 years ago

Karen PoretTo Bill StoneSay Hey!
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1 year ago

Karen PoretTo Bill StoneAnd, native Wisconsin son, Duane Kuiper also thanks you, Bill..If you don’t know who he is, turn in your San Francisco Giants cap..
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1 year ago