Doris had organized our breakfast the night before, but she was still up at the crack of dawn to see us off. She had not only put much time and effort into making our visit special, she also shared much of her personal life with us. We enjoyed seeing photos of her children and grandchildren and seeing her exquisite handiwork with a special type of Norwegian lace making. I'm sorry that I don't remember the name of the stitching.
In Wisconsin, we began to see what we thought were license plates on the lawns in front of each home as we traveled on the back roads. We kept wondering why the houses needed license plates. We were later told they are fire markers to help locate the home in case of an emergency. These people in Wisconsin are well organized.
At one point Carol and I missed a turn. I felt somewhat inadequate until we flagged down different drivers and not one could tell us where 85th Street was. Finally, a driver we had asked earlier remembered where the street was and she doubled back to inform us what we needed to do. We got back on route and vowed to pay more attention to the road and less to our conversation. I also got confused when I saw streets like "21 1/2 Ave" or "6 3/4th St". I'm not kidding. The most fun street we came to was "Honky Dory".
When Carol and I needed a cold drink, we stopped at "County Line Tavern", a bar that sits between Polk and Barron Counties. Several men were having lunch and they sure seemed to enjoy hearing about our bicycling adventure. They couldn't believe we had already pedaled over 2,000 miles. They just kept muttering in awe "4,000 miles on a bicycle?" We are a little over half way and we can hardly believe it ourselves.
When we arrived in Cumberland, we met up with people from Habitat for Humanity who were driving us to Rice Lake, 20 miles away and off of our route, to stay with Doug and Mattie Pitts. The plan was for someone to drive us back to our route in the morning. There was a little confusion, but between a small truck and a station wagon, we, three bicycles and many bags were on our way to Rice Lake. Pam's bicycle was tied to the back of the pickup. I sat in the jump seat behind the front seat of the truck.
We were given a tour of some Habitat homes in Cumberland and even met Magritte Graf's family, who live in one of the homes. It was quite rewarding to meet the 5 children and Magritte who are so happy to have their own home. Magritte and her husband are working to individualize it for their own needs and all are thrilled to be out of a three-bedroom apartment.
Upon arriving in Rice Lake, there was just time to shower and eat a lovely fruit salad that Josie Pitts prepared for us before we were interviewed by the local newspaper. Then, Terry Warren, Executive Director of Rice Lake Habitat for Humanity, had arranged for us to have a question and answer session with any interested locals in the community. What a treat! It is so inspiring to know people are following along with us on our journey. Afterwards we were treated to a lovely dinner by Habitat. Pat, the volunteer secretary, accompanied us and told us which Wisconsin dishes we needed to try. Her top recommendation was Mexican deep fried ice cream. It was enough for me just to watch this part of the feeding frenzy.
We were also joined by my longtime friend Patty McCrery. We met in California and she now lives in Sparta, WI. She drove two and a half hours each way to see me on my bicycle in Wisconsin. We had a great visit and she was very polite about not divulging secrets about the nutty things we did in the 70's.
We returned to the home of Doug and Mattie Pitts at the North Shore Resort on Rice Lake. Their resort cabins were all booked and they put us up in their own home, in their own bedroom. After discussing our next day's route and visiting with Doug, Mattie and their daughter, Josie, we fell asleep, in separate rooms.
Josie, Doug and Mattie Pitts, North Shore Resort
1 comment:
There is so much to comment on in this blog entry. Not sure I can remember it all at this late hour. My friend Cindy and I were lesson-planning all day (and much of the night) for China. But I couldn't wait to read your blog and see what you've been up to. 2,000 miles already? I feel like if I ever rode my bike 2000 miles across the country, even though it's not coast to coast, that would be something to crow about! Impressive.
They gave up their own bedroom for you guys? That's so amazing. And the daughter didn't even whine? Dorothy, we're not in Southern California anymore.
So what crazy things did you and Patty do? I can't picture you doing crazy things like I did. I'm so curious. Maybe I'll hear some stories in an email sometime (hint, hint)-- JK. That's Just Kidding, not Jack Kozak!
And you got to share your experience to other interested people. How was that? Did they have interesting questions? Did you feel like you had some expertise with which to share and answer their queries? More Excitement.
I gotta get some money to H for H before your ride is over. Every time I read your blog, I say I'm going to donate, but then I wander off and it's out of my head. How neat that you got to meet someone who actually benefitted from what you guys are riding for. How does one get connected with a H for H home?
Well, g-night.
Hilary
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