Richard Treks: Notes on BALM Day 6

Yesterday was a fun but difficult ride due to nasty weather, so today we camped early in Potawatomi State Park, where we relaxed and went on short excursions. You might think today was a farkle, a dice move where you get no points, but that would a misguided conclusion. There was a lot to like about today.

I learned some geography. This peninsula of Door county is bordered by Lake Michigan to the north and east and by Green and Sturgeon Bays to the south and west. If you look at a map of the town Sturgeon Bay, you'll see it's located on a cut that connects Lake Michigan to the bay. That is not a natural cut. It's man made. Perhaps the canal was cut to avoid having to sail around the tip of the peninsula and to avoid the Death's Door straights. That's where the name of Door County comes from.

Potawatomi State Park has the coolest dog! Clyde Mohound is the face on thousands of postcards, t-shirts, and mugs. Clyde is an old dog, and lazy, hardly ever opening his eyes.

I'm still amazed that spring is just starting here in northern Wisconsin. I suppose Gary and I will be riding into spring throughout the remainder of Wisconsin, the entirety of the Michigan Upper Peninsula, and the northern section of Michigan along the lake. This BALM is turning into a reoccurring moment like the movie Groundhog's Day. But with a prettier landscape!

Just a short while ago I used my phone to record some late evening birdsong, which I messaged to Ann. She said it was cool and that was something I shared with Gary and his sister George.

Though I marveled in the splendid landscape of Sturgeon Bay, I missed seeing the Bikers for Jesus. They're a friendly group of kids, and I hope to come upon them one last time before we leave the area, pass through Green Bay, and work our way to the UP.

Without my bike, which I've named 'Anders (please note the beginning apostrophe) there are numerous places I likely would have never been: for example, across Missouri on the Katy Trail; from St. Louis across Missouri and Kansas to La Vita, Colorado; from Chicago to Qwapaw, Oklahoma, on Route 66; from Mission, South Dakota, to St. Louis via the Cowboy Trail and the Lewis and Clark Trail; from western Wisconsin through Illinois to St. Louis via the Great River Road; across Iowa. Along all those routes, I have met people and passed through landscapes that define the country. The rides have been intimate journeys, some alone, some with friends. But on all of them, I have been thankful for the financial stability, the health, the profession, and the encouragement of Ann, all of which have made travel by bike possible.

I'm in my tent, writing this on my iPad, listening to Airborne Toxic Event. Gary and George are in their tents, in their own worlds, but all three of us are connected by this ride as we camp in Potawatomi State Park right next to Sturgeon Bay. Sturgeon Bay opens into a larger body of Green Bay, which in turn opens into Lake Michigan. On 'Anders is a decal from Adventure Cycling: You travel farther by bike. That's been true for me in many ways.