Windy. Windy. Windy… but this time – going in the “good” direction!
We actually had a strong tailwind most of the day! And loved it…

Today had two high points promised on the cue sheet – and neither one
failed to impress us along the way! The tallest waterfall & the biggest ball of twine!!!
Welcome to the Northwoods!!!… it’s crazy up here!

In Pattison State Park, we stopped off for a quick walk to see the tallest waterfall
in Wisconsin – a full 165-feet tall. We’ve seen a lot of waterfalls this week… each one
promising to be better, bigger, wider, fuller, deeper, larger, greater, etc. than the rest!

Shortly after the waterfall, we hit a great stretch of road… smooth & great tailwind.
I was pedaling easily and cruising at about 28mph. Loving it. Flying with the wind.
In the moment…. loving the speed… enjoying the wind… and then all of a sudden…
bang, blast, psssttt…. thump, thump, thump… a total tire blow-out!!!
Yep, I blew right through my rear tire!!! Not a little… a lot – all the way through!
So I was then stopped on the side of the road watching riders fly by, as I waited for the
bike mechanic’s truck to come by and help. They finally showed up and luckily had a
new tire for me. As they were changing the tire, I asked them what the average life
expectancy of bike tire is… and they replied about 2,000 miles. Well… since I was
well over double that mileage on these tires, I guess it was somehow inevitable?!
Once it was fixed – Chris & I were back on the road… ready to fly again with the wind!

Then, and oh but wait there’s more... we got to see the Largest Ball of Twine!!!
And a whole lot of crazy going on…

And here’s John… one of “The Boys”… standing in front of the ball of twine and showing
off his school’s T-shirt as part of his “What I Did On My Summer Vacation” tour!!!

So the guy has been collecting twine and weaving it for the past twenty-some years!
Trying to beat the competition and the other crazies out there making twine balls.
And yet… he’s already started another ball… which he calls “Junior.”
Like I said… there’s a whole lot of crazy going on!

Windy. Windy. Windy!!!
After last night’s storm, we woke up to cloudy skies and strong winds…
headed in the WRONG direction. It was a very long day of riding into the wind!

Along the way, we ran across this great old school – left alone to the elements.
It was also a great chance to tour the school and play on the dilapidated merry-go-round!

Then we stopped for another “water stop” and saw the original Davidson Windmill
that was tethered down… lest it would be spinning frantically in today’s wind!

After the windmill, it was a few more mile into the wind to get to Amnicon Falls.
A great little park with a LOT of waterfalls flowing through. As well as a rocky island,
stone bridges, covered bridges and a large bald eagle flying over!

After the waterfall park, Chris and I headed back into the wind – pressing on as best we
could. It was good to see along the way, that we weren’t the only ones battling the wind.
Grouping together to stay warm and have fun with their friends!

As we neared the end of our windy tour today, we ran across a huge pile of wood…
which explains where a lot of the trees go up in the Northwoods?!

On our third day, we left the town of Washburn to head towards Port Wing.
It was a little cloudier today – hopefully not a sign of things to come…

As we head off towards Bayfield, we were treated to a beautiful sunrise along
a small beach we shared with a guy walking his dog.

On our way towards Bayfield, we stopped off at the quaint little Eckel’s Pottery Shop.
Some very nice work and a wonderfully whimsical entrance! While there, we parked our bikes
and had to step over a very large pile of bear dung. Welcoming, huh?

After the pottery stop, we headed back up the street for some pie.. only to find out that they
didn’t sell pie by the slice! So instead, we had to “suffer” through some of the best fruit
turnovers EVER fresh out of the oven!!! Baked right there in her garage!!! Literally!!!
As we were preparing to leave the owner & baker was telling us that her cat was missing
and that she hopes a bear didn’t get her. I couldn’t “bear” to tell her about the bear dung
we saw across the street. Coincidence?… I don’t think so.

We then continued into Bayfield for a quick stroll through town. Bayfield is the port town
for the ferries that take you out to the Apostle Islands. Chris and I decided not to go over
to Madeline Island as we had gone there to ride mopeds last time we were here.
Instead, we pedaled on.

As we continued down the road, the clouds continued to roll in.
But then we ran across one of my favorite places – and those of you who know of
my love of “rusty metal” will understand… a crazy house’s front yard full of garbage!!!
The entire front of the house AND the house across the street were both covered with trash!!!
Rusty stuff everywhere!!! I loved it. And marveled at what must have gone on to get this to
the place it is at. Not only is it a great collection of stuff, but it was also oddly “displayed”
and grouped in sections with walkways in between. And yet is was not a store…
not a trash heap… not a flea market! It was just a crazy collection of stuff!!!

Then the rain began… first as a light drizzle… then a little heavier. Luckily, we were close
to Cornucopia – the northern most town in all of Wisconsin!!! Even better, the locals had
prepared a lunch stop for us of fresh “fish tacos”… had to try them… and LOVED them!!!

Once in Port Wing, the rain stopped. We toured the very small town and had
a wonderful spaghetti & meatball dinner in the Town Hall. We returned to the school to
see that the clouds were rolling in again, and a huge storm was predicted for the evening.
The wind picked up, the rain began… and then around 9:00pm the storm hit!
So hard that the tour organizers called everyone into the building for their own safety
as the winds were picking up to 35 mph and crazy rain pummeling our tents!!! Luckily,
my tent is pretty good and I stayed dry overnight as I slept in the heavy rain.

For our second day, we left the very small town of Mellen (population 425) after
a very chilly evening of camping… we actually woke with a light frost on the ground!
So once we had breakfast, packed up our gear and waited for it to warm up a bit…
we started our pedal off to Washburn.

Early on, we ran across a great “wall of hay” which begged for a photo shoot.
Rolls and rolls of hay stacked three high and as far as the eye could see – almost!

For lunch, we were in the town of Ashland… where I also took the chance to buy some
warmer clothes for the frigid Northwoods evenings! As we continued on, we decided
to take the longer route option which turned out to be a beautiful rolling road through
some stunning scenery. It was another beautiful sunny day on the bike!

Including this cool tree – where it looks like the top just fell right off?!

So we arrived in Cable, Wisconsin on the Bike Wisconsin shuttle.
As I had not slept at all overnight getting ready – I slept the whole way there!
We stayed the night at Telemark Resort… which is in desperate need of a rehab!
We met up with a few friends, enjoyed an evening campfire and went to bed early.
And started off pedaling today from Cable to Mellen.

So Chris and I started out our day with the sun shining – ready to go!
With plenty of miles to go – and lots of great roads to travel…

The night before we met a nice family that was telling us about some of the cool things
in the area. They mentioned Garmisch Resort – which was apparently the original summer
home of the Loeb Family in the 1920’s… of Chicago’s murderous Leopold & Loeb fame!
So Chris and I decided to take a quick trip off-route to see the place. It’s beautiful.

So we continued down the road and enjoyed the scenic Northwoods.
There’s a lot of trees, marshes, evergreens and beautiful scenery along the way.

Towards the end of the day, we made it to Copper Falls State Park for a little scenery & hiking
just outside of Mellen… our day’s ending destination. With a two-mile hike around the gorge,
you get beautiful views of the many waterfalls in the park.

But during our hike… we found this strange plant! Anyone know what it is?
I was intrigued by the clusters of horizontal “leaves” which “floated” on the stems!

After our hike at Copper Falls, Chris and I decided to go on another hike to the lesser-known
Red Granite Falls… only to find out there’s a reason they’re lesser known! After a nice hike
we found the “falls” which really turned out to be a large pile of rocks… but still a nice place
to dip our feet to cool off!

So I’m headed off for another week of fun on my bike!
A full week of biking & camping all around the northern tip of Wisconsin.
This will be my third year doing this tour – every year a different route.
Getting ready, packing, overpacking… and not getting any sleep!!!

More to come… hundreds of miles to go!

So now that my “early-morning-before-work-sunrise-bike-ride”
has once again become my morning addiction… the miles have been racking up.
So this morning, as I was riding the lakefront, not only did I get
treated to yet another stunning sunrise that changed from cool to even cooler…

But then, as I continued to pedal south along the lakefront I hit a morning milestone…
a thousand miles on my bike for this year so far!!!
PS – Don’t be fooled by the “didn’t-make-it-into-the photo” missing decimal point!!!

Then, as I turned around at Northerly Island to start the ride home, I was treated
once again to another spectacular sky show! The clouds had rolled in,
the sun was hidden, and the whole sky seemed to open up into a blanket of clouds!

So after the woven clay plates on Monday, we continued our “weaving” theme
with a traditional weaving project – each kid with their own vertical “loom.”

We started with dowel rods & twine hanging from the ceiling. They had to string the loom
and tie it off the bottom with another dowel rod and hung a brick at the bottom
to keep it all taut. Once assembled, their looms were ready to start weaving. We discussed
techniques and colors.. and let them go! They loved it… in fact, they’re still doing it!!!
Tomorrow we’ll a short break from it today for some of my favorite – Tie-Dye Day!!!
But as soon as we were done – they will be right back to the weaving.

Then Friday is our last day for this camp. They’ll need to finish weaving back & forth
and then tie-off the bottom and add some decorative fringe!!! And voila’…
another week of Summer Camp will have come to an end. With a lot of happy kids!!!

Another beautiful morning ride. After a couple days of clear skies,
it was kind of nice to have a little more “drama” in the sky this morning.

As the sun came up, the sky changed to orange for another beautiful sunrise.
Followed by a little drizzle for the ride back home! But still a beautiful way to start the day!

And as if playing with the kid’s all day wasn’t enough…
my adult’s Beginning Wheelthrowing Class begins tomorrow night!
It’s another 8-weeks of fun – and a chance for the brand new beginners
to get their hands dirty, and the “experienced” beginners get to further
their skills and begin to develop their own style!

Lillstreet Art Center
Beginning & Advanced Beginning Wheelthrowing
Tuesday nights from 7:00pm-10:00pm… with ME as your teacher!!!

There’s only a couple spaces still open – register in person or online!!!
If you miss out on this Summer Session, mark your calendar now for the
10-week Fall Session which will begin on the Tuesday after Labor Day!