T1 Day 36 (Kayla)

July 12th 

Balsam lake to Hayward

Since it had been 8 days since our last rest day, we were all feeling a little run down and we’re not very excited to be biking the 81 miles to Hayward. Although an AirBnB and a rest day awaited us there so we had that to look forward to at least. I hoped that hayward would bring the recharge that both my body and my bike so desperately needed. 

We set off from Balsam Lake around 8a and by 9:30a I had decided that I needed to put some hype music on if I was going to make it through this day (it’s never too earlier to get hyped!) Not only were my normal morning aches not wearing off like usual, my bicycle was in rough shape. The little tumble I had taken back in kindred, ND seemed to have messed up my shifting somehow and so it was skipping between gears whenever I tried to shift to easier gears. This hadn’t mattered too much on the flat terrain of North Dakota and Minnesota where I had little use for my easy gears. However since we entered Wisconsin the terrain had become obnoxiously undulating and my messed up shifting was becoming more apparent. My bicycle and I were just going to have to limp our way to Hayward. 

In an effort to raise our spirits and energy levels we stopped for a mid-morning coffee shop pick me up. While munching on some delicious lavender scones we began discussing the possibility of taking the ferry across Lake Michigan rather than going over the U.P. as initially planned. We weren’t sure what the exact mileage difference was, but the U.P. seemed dauntingly long and we wanted to make sure we could get back on time while also not having to push long miles. It was the first time I had even considered taking an alternate route, but I have to admit the thought of shorter days was appealing. We decided we needed to gather more information and think on it before we would make any final decisions. 

Eventually we got ourselves back on the bikes and continued for another hour or two before stopping for lunch. 

The route took us on what seemed like the entire alphabet of country roads (the roads out here are named by letters), where we twisted and turned through farm fields and marshy bogs and lakes, up and over countless rolling hills. 

All day the air had the threatening appearance of rain, and the temperature had dropped enough for each of us to wear an additional layer. I was just waiting for the moment that the skies would open. On several occasions throughout the day I thought it would happen, but it held out until we were about an hour from our destination. It was a light, peaceful rain, the kind of rain that you might not even need a raincoat for (if it weren’t for the cold). I enjoyed the sound of the rain pattering on my rain coat and the trickle of water down my legs as they pedaled. The sensations provided a welcome distraction from the repetitive motion of cycling. 

Eventually we made it to the Airbnb, where we could strip out of our wet clothes and into the shower. We finished the day with tacos from a shop right around the corner, then each curled up in our own beds (such a luxury!) for an incredible, well-deserved, nights rest.