Getting Real Again.
If you are too young to remember Fortran (Nick Smith), then the title of this entry (getting real again) will probably go right over your head. Graybeards will recall that in Fortran any variable beginning with the letters I - N is an integer, all other letters are for real numbers (floating points).
We have just completed a string of 5 consecutive integer states (Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota). Today we are finally back in a real state - Wisconsin. 5 in a row is a pretty good streak, but my personal record of 7 integer states in a row still stands.
Entry into Wisconsin involved going over the long, high US-2 bridge over the St Louis River. Although the bridge had an excellent bike path, completely separated from the car lanes, Alain and Kerry were both terrified. We kept our eyes on the pavement in front of us, so only the stokers have any idea what could be seen from the bridge.
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Jeanna had set up two alternate routes for today. Plan A involved a 10 mile side trip to visit the world's largest ball of twine (not the world's largest ball of twine that we already saw in Darwin, a different world's largest ball of twine). Plan B saved 10 miles by ignoring the twine.
Since rain was threatening, team S made a bee line for shelter and sent team A to investigate the twine. The route to the twine took us off of the well graded US highway and onto a series of progressively smaller and hillier back roads.
Just when we felt we were getting close to the twine, we saw an all too familiar "I'd turn back if I were you" sign.
Well, the sign said the road was closed to thru traffic. Technically, we were twine traffic, not thru traffic, so we kept going. This was a good move. Recent heavy rains had done some damage to the road, but nothing that would bother a bicycle.
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We got past the road hazards and found - nothing. We had reached the end of the road, but where was the ball of twine? Up ahead we saw a bar. We knew from experience that people in bars are always well informed about local balls of twine.
The folks in the bar did know about the world's largest ball of twine. It seems the reason we missed the twine was that it was right across the street from the alarming road closed sign. We were so focused on the sign that we missed the twine. So back we went over the bumpy road to see the twine.
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A sign informed us that this ball of twine had been rolled by none other than JFK (James Frank Kotera). We entered the yard and soon spotted the giant ball in a shed. Should we just go in? Before we could decide what to do, JFK himself came out of the house to greet us. He told us he's been "having a ball" for 39 years. His ball is 11 tons, and he is still adding more twine. I can't say it's very round, but JFK explained he didn't have access to a crane to rotate the ball to give access to the side on the ground.
We would have liked to stay longer, but mosquitoes were swarming all around the giant ball of twine. Perhaps they had figured out that the ball attracts visitors/victims. A van full of tourists that we had seen several times already must have also been searching for the twine. They followed us into the yard and struck up a conversation with JFK as we fled the mosquitoes.
On our way back from our twine detour, the skies opened up and team A got drenched. Meanwhile team S was high and dry, relaxing at our destination in Iron River. Does this count as a full rain day or just half a rain day? IMHO it should count as a rain day if either bike gets soaked.
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