Wisconsin: Family, Friends and Fun

Wisconsin - Family, Friends and Fun:

6-22 – The Heat is on… For most of the ride we have had very moderate temperatures, mostly in the 50’s and 60’s. While 85 degrees cannot be defined as a “scorcher” with the high humidity it felt much warmer today. Our guess is that this will become more the norm as we ride farther east and the calendar rolls around to late June and July.

Nice Shoulders: On a tip from our buddy Gary we re-routed to take state highway 95 from Princeton MN to Taylor’s Falls MN. As suggested highway 95 had a wide paved shoulder that made riding a pleasure. For anyone going through Minnesota from St. Cloud to Taylor’s Falls we highly recommend this route.

The Best Root Beer Ever: I mentioned the heat earlier. When we rolled into Taylor’s Falls we happened on to the Frostop Root Beer stand which brews its own root beer. No doubt the 40+ mile ride in the heat had an impact, but I think they make the best root beer I have ever had. It was so good I had to have two. We also had some appetizers including deep fried green beans which were a first for everyone in our crew.

The Niemuths: We were so fortunate to be put up by our good friends Crow and Claudia Niemuth in Eau Claire. As always Claudia put on the dog and no one went away hungry. Crow and Claudia are great friends and their hospitality and friendship are always a blessing for us. Crow and Claudia along with their children Maria and Camille are a wonderful family to be around as there is always lots of laughter and good cheer.

The Changing of the Guard: Lisa picked up Tom this morning at the MPLS airport. Tom will be taking us through Maine for the remainder of the trip. I took Lisa to the St. Paul train station this evening so that she could get back to Mary, Mackey and West Glacier for the remainder of the summer. It’s always hard to say good bye to your spouse. This will be the longest Lisa and I have not been together since we were married 25 years ago. We both wish that she could make the entire trip, but are grateful for the time that she was able to be with us.

6-23 – Just Like Old Times: Today the ride went from New Richmond to Cornell Wisconsin. My good friend and riding partner from our Fall Creek days, Dick Krueger, rode along. It is always good to ride with Dick as the conversation is always easy and interesting. The 80 miles went by in very short order.

The Kruegers: Thanks to the Krueger’s for putting us up and hosting a get together with a few friends. Dick and Michelle are great people and have been extraordinarily successful in the most important aspect of life, raising a wonderful family. Their children, Jamie, Callie, Shelby and Zach are all wonderful people and highly successful young adults. It’s always a pleasure and a privilege to spend time with them.

The Leader-Telegram: We want to thank the Leader Telegram (especially Sara and Andie) for the nice article that appeared in the LT informing folks in the Chippewa Valley about the Tour de Mission. The article was well done and the two pictures were great. Thank You.