Day 63 - Hayward, WI to Rice Lake, WI - Two Far 2020 - NTF (Not Two Far) - CycleBlaze

August 1, 2020

Day 63 - Hayward, WI to Rice Lake, WI

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We climbed several hills today.  None of them were very long, but there were  two that registered 10% on the Garmin.  However, we don't think they were really that steep.  We didn't need four on the floor, so either we're stronger than we think, or Garmin is incorrect.  Draw your own conclusions.

The route was one of the more scenic we've had recently.  The first several miles were on this road.  We had it nearly to ourselves.  There were a few homes here and there.

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The turn off that road put us on another just as nice.

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We took a short break in the little town of Stone Lake at an excellent local market.  There were so many things we wanted to buy, but lack of carrying capacity saved us hundreds - maybe thousands - of calories.  Kerry got some Louie's Finer Meats beef jerky.  Our friend Cecil recommended Louie's to us a few years ago and now we look for it when we're up here.  (Honest opinion - not as good as Russ Kendall's)

ATV trails are very popular in this area.  Any mountain bikers out there like to ride this one?

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We started getting back into farm country today.

A large wheat field
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Kerry said it looked as if someone had planted a field of Queen Anne's lace.
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Small pond along the road
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Attractive hay field
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The corn is getting tall. These stalks produced two ears each.
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A farm view
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Old barn and grain bin
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The middle part of our route went along the western shore of Long Lake.  The road was heavily wooded and we got only occasional glimpses of the lake through the trees.  Near the south end of the lake, the road took us along the lake shore for a short way.

Long Lake
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South of Long Lake, we rode past a few miles of some Amish farms.  We didn't see any buggies on the road, but we did see one farmer cutting hay.

No buggies were on the road with us today.
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This man was cutting hay.
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An Amish farm
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This house was just barely visible from the road.  I assumed it was abandoned.  When I zoomed in on this photo tonight, I saw that it seems to have electric service connection and is not decrepit.  Perhaps it's occupied by someone who really likes privacy!

This house appeared to be almost completely overgrown.
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A barn with twin cupolas.
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As were rode into Rice Lake, we saw that the roads were laid out in a grid with streets going one way and avenues the other.  We've seen that in many towns.  But, we have never seen fractional numbers in road names.  Between 21st and 22nd Streets were 21 1/4 St, 21 1/2 St and 21 3/4 St.!

A road naming pattern we've never seen
Heart 2 Comment 3
Rich McKayYou'll also find that many of the county roads there have a letter designation rather than a number (like in "civilized" states). This is County Trunk Highway "C" that also shares the fractional name.
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3 years ago
Mike ObermeyerI have seen a lot of street names, but not that. Good find
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3 years ago
And this is Rice Lake, the lake, at Rice Lake, the town.
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Today's ride: 51 miles (82 km)
Total: 1,900 miles (3,058 km)

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Comment on this entry Comment 3
Scott AndersonHey, we’ve been to Rice Lake! Going the other way, north to Duluth. Saw Amish buggies running down the road, got totally soaked. A great day. https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/duluth17/to-rice-lake/
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3 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Scott AndersonI just read that journal - you had a wet week. We did a two week northern Wisconsin tour in 2014 on single bikes. That was the tour that convinced me that I really liked bike touring and was ready to try it for much longer trips. We loved Bayfield and the trip to Madeline Island.
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3 years ago
DAVID FAULKNERBeautiful country
Rice City & RiceLake views were very nice
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3 years ago