Wisconsin

Saturday, June 7 (Day 22)

Distance: 56 miles (+20 mile bump?)

Average speed: 10.3 mph

Max: 28.6 mph

Total: 1336 miles

Weather: overcast, thunderstorm, light showers

I started the day early, early enough to catch the sunrise! I was planning to ride 100 miles for the first time.

Ten miles into my ride, I was feeling good and ready to ride all day when I heard a pop and hissing from my rear wheel. I struggled for over an hour replacing the tire and tube, and then I pinched it (and the tube got a hole) so it wasn't working. 

I was feeling very frustrated crying by the side of the road when a woman in a car (Judy) stopped and asked if I needed help. For once, I said yes and tried to hide my tears (in case you haven't noticed, I'm quite good at crying). Her friend Amy had an SUV and stopped immediately as well, and she offered to give me a lift to an RV park nearby as she put my things in her car, without blinking twice. Judy hugged me and said good luck and Amy took me away. At the RV park, a man in a van took me to a small town nearby where an old woman ran the bike shop that is going out of business.

I bought tubes and she sent me to a mechanic to help me put one on without pinching it. It started pouring just as I had packed up so Jim invited me to hang around until it died down. I stayed there talking to him for about half an hour, and I could tell that he really just wished he could do it himself. 

I went to a McDonald's (I've sunken low from my standards at the beginning of my trip) after that to get organized and decide where to stop that day, because I didn't have time to ride 100 miles anymore. As I was settling down to look at my map, three young boys took interest in my bike. They asked me where I was going. 

"Really? In that thing??" They kept asking me. If you've ever met a kid, you will know how bold they are. "How much did it cost you? Can I see your shoes? I could never do it alone, I'd need a radio or something. We are so totally going to do that someday." They were really excited to have their picture taken, and rode away on their mountain bikes, talking about how cool it was to just go to McDonald's and make a friend. They were cute :)

After that, my ride was wet and cold. I couldn't stop or mosquitoes would eat me alive. I rode another 45 miles before calling it a day early, ready to be at home in bed with my cat and a good book and tired of being wet. 

But I made it into Wisconsin! 

I made it to camp and had barely set up my tent when a woman walked by my campsite. Her name is Vicky, and she was completely amazed by me. She kept saying how "that's just the coolest thing ever." And invited me to sit by her campfire as refuge from the mosquitoes. I gladly accepted. Her husband, Red, kept saying how I was "As cool as they come," and "That's the coolest thing in the world." They had never met someone touring cross country on a bike. They shared their dinner with me and I sat next to their fire talking with them for five hours and well past my bed time (and theirs). 

I'm not sure how it came up, but at one point I mentioned that I was nervous about wearing a bandana on my head (I started doing it to hide my dirty hair...) and Vicky sort of laughed at me. She said "Really? You're riding across the country! You worry about what people think of you? You don't have to. That's the coolest thing about it, you don't have to worry about what anyone thinks of you."

They both said "Aren't you so glad you stayed at this campground and met us?" I am indeed!! They said I should write a book. I'm not sure how I feel about that...

People came by a few times and stopped and chatted with us, and it was very nice. 

Red said "I can tell you're confident." That's the first time I've heard that. And, well, I suppose now it's starting to be true! I'm confident that I will make it across the country on my bike, and I'm confident that I'll meet more great people in my life, and one day I will find a good job. I'm confident that I'm following my dreams, and I'm starting to realize how rare it is to actually do that, and to be able to and to have the support it takes. Vicky talked about how she had always talked about doing different things, but how that was always just talk and talk never leads to much. 

Lots of incredible, amazing, interesting people today, I can hardly believe it. Still, after three weeks of being on my bike, no one day is ordinary and the kindness I have received is unbelievable. I could not be more grateful!