This Day Was Too Easy . . . And I Deserved It - CHEESY RIDER - CycleBlaze

May 13, 2022

This Day Was Too Easy . . . And I Deserved It

Governor Dodge State Park

Let's see, what should I write about today?  Well, I know one thing I won't be discussing, even though I would like to.  A pledge is a pledge, and I live up to my pledges, no matter how much I regret them later on.

If you're interested enough, I suppose you COULD look for visual clues in my pictures.

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Since it was only about 15 miles to my destination today, I tried my damnedest to find things to do between 6:00 a.m., when I woke up, and 11:00, when I had to get out of my room.  I ate a couple of hard-boiled eggs and a cup of apple juice at the motel's skimpy breakfast.  I watched quite a few episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond" on TV.  I answered a few comments on my journal.  I read and commented on a couple of other Cycleblaze journals.  I looked up a route to the state park on Google.  I neatened up my room so the housekeepers wouldn't think I was a slob.  I took my time packing up my gear.  I sat there, doing nothing at all, trying to hold out until checkout time.

After all that, I still got so restless that I was on the road before 10:00.  And I pedaled as slowly as possible so I wouldn't get to the park too early.  And for the same reason, I also stopped to take pictures of mundane things I wouldn't normally waste my time with.

Like this from a Highway151 overpass.
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Or this one at a Dodgeville city park where I tried, and failed, to take a nap.
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The Iowa County Courthouse was an okay picture, though.
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North of the town of Dodgeville, I took a couple pictures of things that I photograph no matter where I am.  I can't resist anything big, cheesy, quirky or weird.

The Don Q Inn seemed to be a quirky relic from the 1940's. In a fairly desperate attempt to attract new customers, I saw they advertised "Fantasy Suites Available" on the sign at the entrance.
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This big airplane sits in the front yard of the Don Q Inn. Son of Bing Bong is positioned nicely under the wing for this photo.
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I think the reason I was hesitant to get to the state park too early was my experience on last year's bike tour.  The Idaho State Park Rangers were serious hard asses about early check-ins for their campsites.  Conversely, the Wisconsin ranger said, "Yeah, just go down there and set up.  No problem!"

Golly, I'm liking this state more and more every day.

So, I did go down there.  Down and down and down to the shores of Fox Hollow Lake.  I wish the campground had been right there.  That would have been the happy end to my story.

Unfortunately, there is a short, but ridiculously steep hill up to the campground.  I finally met my match.  I had to take two breaks to catch my breath in only 1/5 of a mile.  I'm so glad nobody saw me doing that, and I cannot understand why I'm writing about it on the worldwide web.

It was a short easy day (except for that hill) which was nice.  I don't mean nice in that I rode my bike less.  I mean nice in that I finally got to mix in some Driftless Area hiking and camping with the biking.  The god of my church--The Church of the Great Outdoors--sayeth that walking the earth and sleeping on the ground, under the sky, in a tent, with a foam pad and sleeping bag, is good for the soul.

I set up camp and stripped down to nothing but shorts, consumed a couple Wisconsin-brewed IPAs, and wrote in my notebook.

My campsite. I had the primitive area all to myself, and that was a good thing because I was rocking out to some pretty loud music on my little Bluetooth speaker.
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In the evening, I hiked back down to the lake for a refreshing swim and to watch the sunset.  I was sitting on the small beach, minding my own business, when a couple of girls walked by and parked themselves between me and the sunset.  Then they took out their phones and started taking pictures of each other in rather provocative poses.  I could not believe they were conducting the photo shoot so blatantly only a few yards away.

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Here are the two girls, reviewing the results of their photo session. I suppose they are trying to select the best ones to text to their boyfriends.
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Relatedly, when I first arrived on my bike earlier in the day, I saw a couple of skinny dippers in a different part of Fox Hollow Lake.  WHAT KIND OF PLACE IS THIS?  

How I Cooked Some Wisconsin Bratwursts

Not everybody knows this, but I am one of the most famous grill-masters in my entire neighborhood.  As such, I was looking forward to tonight's dinner.

I picked up some of Wisconsin's own Johnsonville Brats on the way to the state park, with the intent of cooking them on the campsite grill.  I would gather a few dry sticks, set them on fire, put a few bratwursts on the grate where many hundreds of brats have been cooked previously, and listen to them sizzle. 

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I just have one question:  What kind of campground doesn't provide a grate over their fire rings?  That's just wrong!

Good thing there's more than one way to cook a brat.

Brat on a stick
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That worked so well that I rigged up a system to cook two more brats at the same time.
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Today's ride: 16 miles (26 km)
Total: 151 miles (243 km)

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Comment on this entry Comment 7
Adam ZamoraLooks like a great trip so far!

I am waiting with bated breath though for the first wine review. That's why I continue to show up here... :)
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2 years ago
Gregory GarceauTo Adam ZamoraHi Adam, great to hear from you again. I was feeling like the wine reviews had run their course and were no longer appreciated. Thanks to your comment, I will have to reconsider.
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2 years ago
Rachael AndersonGlad you were able to camp and get a swim in!
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2 years ago
Keith KleinHi,
Skinny dippers, bikini clad girls and fantasy suites! What kind of place is this? I wouldn’t mention this to the Feeshko. Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.
Cheers,
Keith
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2 years ago
Bob DistelbergI will add my vote for a wine review. I'm sure many readers want to know about Wisconsin's best wines.
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2 years ago
Gregory GarceauTo Keith KleinThank you for your discretion, but I think the cat is out of the bag: I might be a voyeur. (NOT really true.)
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2 years ago
Gregory GarceauTo Bob DistelbergOh boy, now the pressure is on. Stay tuned.
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2 years ago