Dans Big Adventure - Northwoods loop - Fall 2020

Northwoods Day 15 - Hayward,WI to Red Cedar Lake near Birchwood,WI Monday Oct 12, 2020 Miles 41.5 Total time ~4:30 Ride time 3:56 361 miles from Shawano Woke up warm and dry in my cheap motel room, while it rained steadily out side. If the rain stops as predicted, this will be my last day of riding on this northwoods tour. I pack up and get a delayed checkout, and sure enough, the rain trails off before noon. I hit the ride @12:40 and the sun and blue skies are already asserting themselves, pushing the clouds to the east. It actually turns into a nice sunny afternoon in the lower 50s as I pedal back to my brother's cabin and my truck. I'm taking my time as this is a short 30 miles day and my last, enjoying the remaining colors. At least I took my time until I realized it really is a 40+ mile day, and I don't want to run out of light! Patches of trees are still nice, as I hit part of the route near Hayward that I missed on the way out. ...

Dans Big Adventure - Northwoods loop - Fall 2020 Northwoods Day 14 - Marion Park, Glidden WI to Hayward,WI October 11, 2020 Northwoods Day 14 - Marion Park, Glidden WI to Hayward,WI Sunday Oct 11, 2020 Miles 59.5 Total time 5:45 Ride time 5:11 Today is a day of change.  Cloudy overcast skies greet me in my sheltered camp spot, then it cleared and was sunny, then the clouds moved in midafternoon, a harbinger of shift in the weather. This weather change will change my plans as well. I was planning on starting my dirt backcountry route today, with 4 -5 days of dirt roads and trails between here and Superior. But with 2 heavy rain storms followed by cold days for another week+, dirt doesn't sound to enticing after a couple of storms. Snow flakes predicted Thursday right where my dirt route is headed! So I am going to use this last nice day to divert to close the loop and get back to my truck in a couple of days of riding. I will explore the northwood ...

Northwoods Day 13 - Big Lake CG Marion Park, Glidden WI (again) Saturday Oct 10, 2020 Miles 62.6! Total time 7:30 Ride time 5:40 Got up 1/2 hour earlier as I have a long day to reach Marion Park again in Glidden. It is quite brisk this morning under clear skies as I do my morning bustle, pausing time and again to watch old Sol creep up over the lake. Dawn is every bit as good as I have heard reported ;-) Still cool as I ride back to the bike path, I get 7 more miles of the nice path, but clouds have rolled in. It is supposed to get to the low 50s today, the sooner the better as my fingers are a tad numb in their shade.               Deer Corn and Apples More and more blue sky is showing until the clouds are in full retreat. It is a fine crisp autumn afternoon, at least when not heading into the modest north wind. Still there are some stretches of nice colors, while other stretches have just the last species left to sing the coda for this...

Friday Oct 9,2020 Miles 49.8 Ride time 4:46 Total time ~ 6:30 25 miles on bike path in Vilas Dirt Oaks are in season Not so cold this this morning, and today is suppose to nice, hi 60s to maybe even 70! I get to wear shorts today. My knees will be blinking in the bright sunshine. I am leaving the alternate route, 6 miles from where it meets the main route in Conover, and will take a short cut to further west on main route to get to Boulder Junction. I hope to catch the nice Heart of the Vilas paved bike trail and head back west  The weather is nice as I navigate the busy 4 lane US45. Doubly glad this morning that I avoided it yesterday. I hit my chosen county road to Sayner and start my short ish day. There is more traffic than I thought on this county road and when I see a bike route sign leading away, I check it out on my maps. Looks like a backroad route can be done, and again it is a wise choice. Narrower, quieter roads, plus some dirt make my steed happy. I wind through some ...