The Right And The Left Sides Of The St. Croix River

June 1, 2016

Interstate State Park, Wisconsin

The obvious way to start this journal would have been to blurt out a big complaint about something--anything. It could have been funny to scream out something horrible on the very first day, especially if it was sincere, yet sufficiently profane. Plus, it would have broken the ice, let the cat out of the bag, and let me off the hook, (and other cliches too) and then I would be free to go wild with complaints for the rest of the trip. After all, the no-complaints pledge would have already been broken so why stop with just one?

Surprisingly, I have too much integrity to give up that easily just for a cheap joke. I am committed to this self-imposed obligation for the next five weeks, AND THAT'S FINAL!

Besides, what was there to complain about? As I sit at my campsite, pen and notebook in hand, I reflected on my day and could only come up with positive thoughts. Those thoughts can be summed up in the following images:

A barge working its way south on the Mississippi River.

Hawks that didn't fly too far away before I got my phone ready to photograph them.

Horses that responded to my whinnying at them.

Sheep with comical black bellies from lying in the mud.

An ominous sky full of vultures for extra ominousness.

In addition to those photos, I had no reason to complain about the moderate temperature, the 10 m.p.h. breeze that alternated between a tailwind and a crosswind, the rural hills early in the ride and the somewhat longer hills later on. The day was almost pure perfection. Then we crossed the St. Croix River into Wisconsin.

"Noooooooooo! Please don't make me go into Wisconsin! It's the land of cheese, rabid Green Bay Packer fans, Republican Governor Scott Walker, and beer."

"Calm down, G-2. There is nothing wrong with cheese and beer."

When I crossed over to the east (right) side of the St. Croix River, I couldn't help but notice that the shoulders on Wisconsin Highway 35 were about half the width of Minnesota's Highway 95, which runs along the west (left) side of the river. Please don't try to read anything political into this paragraph.

After eight miles of the narrower shoulders that lower taxes provide for the citizens of Wisconsin, I steered my bike to the entrance of Interstate State Park, where I got a campsite for the night.

Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 54 miles (87 km)

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