June 7, 2019
Through the Woods
Eagle River to Crandon
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Jackie’s avg speed: 9.7 mph
Scott’s avg speed: 11 mph
Weather: 60-80 degrees, variable northeast winds, 10 mph
The previous day had been hard, mostly because of the heat and distance. The forecast for today was the same, and we expected similar terrain of rolling hills, but it would be shorter. Crandon was 40 miles from Eagle River and the next lodging option would have been 70. Not a difficult decision.
The first four and a half miles of our route took us through housing developments on the edge of Eagle River, and then we came to the Three Eagle Trail, a packed sand and gravel path for snowmobiles in winter and bicycles the rest of the year. The trail was laid under a tree canopy, parallel to Highway 45, but without the noise and speeding cars. I was wearing thin pants, no chamois padding, and was glad to be in the shade and cushioned by the packed earth. (I was covering up a sunburn on my legs from the day before. Sunblock sticks don’t work like the gooey creams. A lesson learned).
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When we got to the town of Three Lakes eight miles later, it was time for coffee. Deja Brew was a more like a contemporary mercantile than just a coffee shop. Inside was a boutique with women’s vacation clothes, acrylic martini glasses, logo insulated coffee mugs, and many other fun things bicyclists can’t use. It did offer fresh baked goods, so we got a sweet roll to have with the coffee and iced tea, plus two bagels for the road. This was unscheduled, but sometimes you need to avail yourself of life’s pleasant surprises.
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Our route next followed Highway 32, named for the 32nd Infantry Division, formed from Army National Guard Units from Wisconsin and Michigan in WWI and WWII. The French called the 32nd Division “Les Terribles” for advancing over terrain other soldiers could not. The 32nd was the first Allied division to pierce the German Hindenburg Line of defense in WWI. The road cuts through beautiful territory on the far east side of Wisconsin, from Michigan in the north then along the west shore of Lake Michigan to Illinois in the south. The memorial plaque reminds all who travel it to remember the soldiers who fought so we could enjoy the views in peace and freedom.
The sun was high overhead and beating down at 13:00 when we stopped in Hiles to eat our bagels. Sometimes gas stations have shaded benches out front, but not this time. We sat on a patch of blacktop near an open garage door. Inquiring minds might wonder why we don’t sit on the lush soft grass. It’s tick season, and I’ve picked off five or six since spotting the first one in Havre in May. A few cars came to fill up and then drove on. Nobody paid any attention to the gray haired couple sitting on dirty asphalt having a picnic.
Lunch time over, we turned our rigs back onto the road. At mile 29, we took County Road S that cut eastward through clearings in the woods for small farms, over hill, over dale. In the last miles before Crandon, cars were zooming in both directions, many with boats in tow. Weekend travelers were preparing for down time at one of the numerous lakes in the area.
We checked in at the Main Street Inn ($60 plus tax) about 14:30. After cleaning up, Scott synced our Ride With GPS app with the Adventure Cycling route while I did the laundry. We went to the Crandon Hotel restaurant for dinner and had excellent pepperoni and mushroom pizza, made from a local recipe. We boxed the leftovers for lunch the next day. We read our books until bedtime about 21:30.
Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 1,429 miles (2,300 km)
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