We’re out the door early for the short walk down the street to Coffee Pot Cathy’s, the only early breakfast spot we see on the map. We get there at 6:35, five minutes after it opens. It’s a good thing we’re there so early because it’s a tiny place with only four tables. One is already taken when we arrive, and the other two are gone five minutes later.
Breakfast is fine, but on the way back to the room later we spot a second breakfast spot with its open sign out on the sidewalk that we’ll check out tomorrow.
We walk another short two blocks to the waterfront, which is much more interesting this morning than last night when I came out briefly just at dusk. It’s very pretty, and it’s easy to see how this place became so locally popular. Still, two days is really longer than we really care to be here.
Looking across the channel. The tip of little Casino Island, which we saw the silhouette of last night, is on the left. Heart Island with its massive, improbable castle is out there on the right.
I’m surprised when a large freighter slowly drifts upriver - I thought they’d all be on the far side of the river by the international border. This is the Isa, a Polish ship on its way west from Amsterdam to Duluth.
Amazing. Here comes another giant, threading through American Narrows just north of Cherry Island. This ship confuses us because it’s the twin of the one we just saw five minutes ago. It’s like the ship made a u-turn in the channel.
But no, this is the Narew, presumably on its way back to Amsterdam with its mountain of wheat. Polls team doesn’t have that large a fleet sailing the Great Lakes - it’s amazing to see two of them so close together.
Rachael’s back is improved today, but she declares that it’s time for a day off the bike. We decide to go our own way, and she leaves for an eight mile hike that takes her through the small Otter Creek Reserve and then to the shore at Keewaydin State Park. She especially liked the trails at Otter Creek, where she had the place virtually to herself.
With no obvious best destination for a ride I sketched a pretty goofy-looking route for myself - roughly 40 miles, mostly flat, mostly on very quiet farming roads. It’s more or less a rest day so I really putter along, just enough to keep momentum.
I stopped by every pond and wetland all day, looking for turtles. Never did see one. Not enough snags for them to sun on, I suppose.
Jen RahnI like how the legs below line up with the seated driver, almost making home look like a really tall guy walking behind the horses! Reply to this comment 3 years ago
Keith KleinHi Scott,
I’m not sure about the correct name for it, but I know what it’s used for. It’s for making hay stacks. Fork hay onto the lower part, and it is carried by a sort of conveyor to the top and added to the stack. There might be a way to power it with horses, but I’ve only ever seen them used but running a belt off a tractor.
Cheers,
Keith Reply to this comment 3 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Keith KleinThanks for letting me know. I wondered, especially with the straw still hanging off the lip. I’ll bet this one was horse drawn. We’re in Amish country, and if they’re plowing the fields with horses scooping up hay would be easy work. Reply to this comment 3 years ago
Bob DistelbergYup, that's an old milk can. I remember in the early days of the farm where I grew up (before we modernized to have a tank to store milk), we used those cans to transport milk from the farm to the local creamery. Reply to this comment 3 years ago
Biking past Amish farms is interesting, and so colorful. On the opposite side of the road behind me a farmer is teaming up another pair to put to work.
Scott AndersonTo Kelly IniguezOf course I wouldn’t take a 40 mile ride on a rest day. That would be really overdoing it. This was only 39. Reply to this comment 3 years ago
