May 13, 2022
This Day Was Too Easy . . . And I Deserved It
Governor Dodge State Park
Let's see, what should I write about today? Well, I know one thing I won't be discussing, even though I would like to. A pledge is a pledge, and I live up to my pledges, no matter how much I regret them later on.
If you're interested enough, I suppose you COULD look for visual clues in my pictures.
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Since it was only about 15 miles to my destination today, I tried my damnedest to find things to do between 6:00 a.m., when I woke up, and 11:00, when I had to get out of my room. I ate a couple of hard-boiled eggs and a cup of apple juice at the motel's skimpy breakfast. I watched quite a few episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond" on TV. I answered a few comments on my journal. I read and commented on a couple of other Cycleblaze journals. I looked up a route to the state park on Google. I neatened up my room so the housekeepers wouldn't think I was a slob. I took my time packing up my gear. I sat there, doing nothing at all, trying to hold out until checkout time.
After all that, I still got so restless that I was on the road before 10:00. And I pedaled as slowly as possible so I wouldn't get to the park too early. And for the same reason, I also stopped to take pictures of mundane things I wouldn't normally waste my time with.
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North of the town of Dodgeville, I took a couple pictures of things that I photograph no matter where I am. I can't resist anything big, cheesy, quirky or weird.
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I think the reason I was hesitant to get to the state park too early was my experience on last year's bike tour. The Idaho State Park Rangers were serious hard asses about early check-ins for their campsites. Conversely, the Wisconsin ranger said, "Yeah, just go down there and set up. No problem!"
Golly, I'm liking this state more and more every day.
So, I did go down there. Down and down and down to the shores of Fox Hollow Lake. I wish the campground had been right there. That would have been the happy end to my story.
Unfortunately, there is a short, but ridiculously steep hill up to the campground. I finally met my match. I had to take two breaks to catch my breath in only 1/5 of a mile. I'm so glad nobody saw me doing that, and I cannot understand why I'm writing about it on the worldwide web.
It was a short easy day (except for that hill) which was nice. I don't mean nice in that I rode my bike less. I mean nice in that I finally got to mix in some Driftless Area hiking and camping with the biking. The god of my church--The Church of the Great Outdoors--sayeth that walking the earth and sleeping on the ground, under the sky, in a tent, with a foam pad and sleeping bag, is good for the soul.
I set up camp and stripped down to nothing but shorts, consumed a couple Wisconsin-brewed IPAs, and wrote in my notebook.
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In the evening, I hiked back down to the lake for a refreshing swim and to watch the sunset. I was sitting on the small beach, minding my own business, when a couple of girls walked by and parked themselves between me and the sunset. Then they took out their phones and started taking pictures of each other in rather provocative poses. I could not believe they were conducting the photo shoot so blatantly only a few yards away.
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Relatedly, when I first arrived on my bike earlier in the day, I saw a couple of skinny dippers in a different part of Fox Hollow Lake. WHAT KIND OF PLACE IS THIS?
How I Cooked Some Wisconsin Bratwursts
Not everybody knows this, but I am one of the most famous grill-masters in my entire neighborhood. As such, I was looking forward to tonight's dinner.
I picked up some of Wisconsin's own Johnsonville Brats on the way to the state park, with the intent of cooking them on the campsite grill. I would gather a few dry sticks, set them on fire, put a few bratwursts on the grate where many hundreds of brats have been cooked previously, and listen to them sizzle.
I just have one question: What kind of campground doesn't provide a grate over their fire rings? That's just wrong!
Good thing there's more than one way to cook a brat.
Today's ride: 16 miles (26 km)
Total: 151 miles (243 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 14 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 7 |
I am waiting with bated breath though for the first wine review. That's why I continue to show up here... :)
2 years ago
2 years ago
Skinny dippers, bikini clad girls and fantasy suites! What kind of place is this? I wouldn’t mention this to the Feeshko. Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.
Cheers,
Keith
2 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago