July 9, 2024
We’ll have a barrel of fun
Day Ten: Kenosha to Milwaukee
This was it: The final ride of the tour. We slept late and had a makeshift breakfast of leftover tacos from the night before and an apple we had been carrying since South Bend. Then, one last time, we rolled our bikes out of through a hotel lobby, drawing incredulous looks from other guests. It was about 10 am.
The streets of Kenosha were relatively calm as we pedaled back to the lakefront. The sky was slate grey, and the temperature dropped at least five degrees as Lake Michigan came into sight. On the bike trail, we rode past the Carthage College campus before leaving the city.
The city of Racine came next. We didn’t see much of interest there or for most of the miles to Milwaukee. The truth is that we were tired. Hills that would not have been noticed before were suddenly major efforts.
The route didn’t help allay the sense of fatigue. The directions had us turning constantly, from bike path to road and back again. The road crossings were rough as each curb cut was interrupted by an open gutter that runs alongside the road, ensuring extra bumps.
Yes, we were grumpy. We got a little relief from a meeting with someone who works in one of Milwaukee’s bike shops and was riding to Kenosha to meet her husband who was racing at the velodrome (!). Also, we happened upon a Subway at just the right moment for lunch. (We were out of food.)
The approach to Milwaukee turned more lively, and we relaxed a bit. We were riding on local roads, mainly Route 32, which featured a bike lane and lots of fun businesses and cafés. A short bike path connected us to the harbor district where we saw the first work crews installing temporary fencing for next week’s GOP convention.
The last mile included the toughest hills of the day. The lakefront path curled inland, over the highway and up a series of hills. We rolled into the Truly Spoken bike shop, where our bikes will be boxed for shipping home. The guys there were great—patient as we unpacked the bikes and generous with good suggestions.
We have a rest day in Milwaukee before flying home. But we got to the business of being tourists right away. After cleaning up at the County Clare Inn and Pub, we caught a ride to the Brewers stadium for a baseball game. The home team lost pretty comprehensively to the Pirates (12 to 2), but we had a good time. Beer and brats for dinner and a seventh-inning chorus of Roll Out The Barrels … that’s about as Milwaukee as it gets!
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Listen: Beer Barrel Polka, Frankie Yankovic And his Yanks
Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 485 miles (781 km)
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