puttin' on the dog

Today was only 66 miles, but it was a really tough 66 miles. We woke up from our lives of luxury in the dorms and had breakfast at school cafeteria. It was a really humid, foggy day, and by the time we cycled to the cafeteria, two miles away, we were already drenched – though with what it’s hard to say, seeing how it’s well established that women do not, in fact, sweat... we glow :o) We set off after breakfast and it was so foggy that it was hard to see. Condensation collected on our arm hairs and eyelashes, dripping into our eyes occasionally.

At mile 11, we encountered the hill that we’d been warned about. It wasn’t supposed to be on the route, but because a bridge ahead had gone out, we had to go up the hill from Hades. The grade was 11% (11 feet up for each 100 feet forward), and it kept going and going. It was so steep that we had to zig zag up it because it was too difficult to go straight up it. :o/

However, it was worth the climbs as a very kind family, the Myers, set up a special checkpoint for us at their home today. Daria did such a good job describing this that I took this excerpt from her blog.

The rest stop hosted by the Myers family was delightful. It has been a BIG RIDE tradition for over 10 years. Like many great things, it started out small. One of their family members happened to talk to a few riders in 1998. At the time, their grandfather was battling lung cancer, so the cause resonated with them. The family realized that the riders would be back the following year and decided that they should do something for them.

It started with lemonade, but it has grown into a wonderful garden party, complete with all sorts of homemade treats, fresh fruit, iced tea and fruit punch. The setting is ideal, a beautiful garden in full bloom. The family has a guest book complete with photos and bios of riders from previous years, an amazing record of BIG RIDE history.

They interviewed us and took pictures of us. Anyone who was willing to be interviewed was given a handmade bracelet. I was interviewed by Megan. She is 27 years old and works as a personal caregiver. One of the questions that she asked me was which day has been my favorite on the BIG RIDE. I told her that all of the days have been amazing and that I really couldn’t pick one day as my favorite. But there have been moments which have been more special than others.

Without question, the stop at the Myers home will be one of my most special memories of the ride. The Myers family is truly exceptional. I am certain that their kindness and generosity has meant a lot to the riders who have stopped there over the years. The family has documented their story at www.bigridefans.blogspot.com.





Though we’d been warned about the big hill in the morning, I received no such warning about all the hills in the afternoon. It was hilly all afternoon, but there was one particularly long, steep, and brutal hill that again required zig-zagging again as it was too steep to ride directly up. I rode with Kasey for most of the afternoon and she told me a lot about South Korea. She spent the last year teaching English there with her boyfriend, Brandon, who’s also on the ride.

Today’s ride included several big landmarks, including crossing into the state of Wisconsin and crossing the Mississippi River... not to mention the world's largest six pack (bizarre!).






The afternoon's ride took us through the Wisconsin countryside and several Amish and Mennonite communities. I was uncertain of the difference between the two groups, and was able to find some good information about it on this website (excerpt below). In short, it seems that the Amish are more strictly separated from the rest of the world and more conservative.

Mennonites and Amish come from a Protestant tradition known as Anabaptism (meaning to be baptized again) begun in the 16th century. The first Anabaptists separated from the state church because of their belief that a relationship with Christ is an adult choice and baptism must come out of an adult decision to follow Christ in every aspect of life. At that time, infant baptism was the accepted practice. (See "How did the Mennonite church begin?")

Besides their common historical roots, Mennonite and Amish groups all stress that they should live out their beliefs in daily life. While the groups agree on basic Christian doctrine, their differences come in interpreting how those practices should be lived out.

The original difference in opinion came in 1693, when Jacob Ammann, a Swiss Anabaptist leader, felt that the church leaders were not holding to strict separation from the world and that spiritual renewal was needed. Ammann did not believe that the ban, or shunning, was being practiced as it should be. He separated from the Anabaptists over this issue and his followers were nicknamed "Amish."

Ammann enforced more separatist ways upon his followers, and today some practices among the Amish include: untrimmed beards and hooks and eyes in place of buttons on outer garments of the men; horse and buggy transportation; horse-drawn implements for farming; plain and distinctive dress patterns; no electricity in homes.

However, most Mennonites today are not outwardly that different from any person you meet on the street, and in fact live in countries around the world with a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. Mennonites believe in simple living, but express that simplicity in a spirit of stewardship and awareness of the needs of others rather than completely separating from society as the Amish continue to do.

The Amish homes, barns, and siloes were quaint and charming. The Amish children especially were really cute all dressed up in their little outfits and hats. The Wisconsin countryside was really gorgeous.



Oh, and this is my most favorite mailbox I've seen on the trip thusfar. :o)


My parents said that when I was very young and just learning to dress myself, they’d find that I always had a bathing suit on under just clothes. Just in case we happened to encounter a swimming pool, I needed to be prepared! My mom said that it would be in the middle of January and at church and she’d notice a bathing suit strap poking out of my dress. I grew out of it, but in retrospect, I’m really not sure why I ever repealed the policy. There have been so many occasions on this trip where I’ve needed (some say this is debatable, but I’m still classifying it as a need) to jump in water on short notice. Passing by a water park about 20 miles from camp was one such occasion!

At long last, we arrived in Viroqua, Wisconsin and were chatting with some of the locals who told us that today was the “hottest day we’ve had in several years”. The heat index today was 115, and it was absolutely sweltering. We were in a campground, so again, we began to brainstorm about how we could weasel our way into air conditioning. So I put on my sweetest face and went begging. There was a church just across from the camp ground and I asked the fellow inside if we could stay there. He made some calls and the answer came back as a “no” – for liability and insurance reasons, they weren’t comfortable having a group stay at the church. I really am bad at begging and getting free things. When others on the trip tell people what they’re up to, others will buy them meals, make donations, offer to let the rider stay in their homes, etc. When I tell people what I’m up to, people stare at me and tell me I’m crazy. :o/ However, the guy who had to deliver the message that we couldn’t sleep there, a staff member a bit lower down the totem pole, felt badly about it and gave me this little cowboy boot he’d been whittling as a consolation prize. I think it’s my favourite souvenir from the trip thusfar.



Thankfully, one of the more skilled beggars of the group had worked her magic and convinced a different church to open its doors. It felt glorious in there and I even got to play the piano a bit when there weren’t too many people around.

Viroqua was actually a really cute little town and I wished I’d had the chance to explore it more, but it was literally just too hot to move. If you took a single step, you’d already be sweating (again – not an acknowledgment that women sweat ;o)). I did get to stop by a really nice little café in town where they had live music and I was able to get an (obviously iced!) coffee.