Monday, July 26, 2010

PAW Day #2




Rhinelander to Eagle River: 56.00 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 4 hours 12 minutes, average speed: 13.2


We were on the bike pedaling towards Eagle River at 7:15 a.m. today after leaving our luggage with Bubha again. Wow! What beauty—the 10 miles on Highway X were fantastic. We glided through tunnels of trees that make up the Northwoods and it was beautiful. We reached the town of Three Lakes too early to qualify for a rest stop so we continued to bike towards the next suggested stop—the Boat Lift on Dam Road. We wandered around the lift area hoping a boat would need assistance so that we could watch the unusual lifting process of transferring boats to higher waters. No such luck. We continued on to finish in Rhinelander where hotel reservations for the next 4 nights were at Days Inn. Our room was not quite ready so we biked to the Sweetwater Resort for some lunch and refreshments. The Resort was on the water so we enjoyed watching the boating activity while we dined. We still had time to kill before the advertised check-in so we biked downtown Eagle River and found a charming ice cream parlor. By the time we arrived back at Days Inn, other riders began to request check-in so we asked again and were told our room was not ready but we were invited to use the pool area while we waited. We visited with Karen & Warren and Linda & Tim as we relaxed in the pool.
Is it time yet? Yes! We finally got into our room and boy was it worth the wait! We were very surprised to find we had a whirlpool in our room, a king bed and a view from the window. This was quite a step up from our last tour of sleeping in a tent.
Happy hour prior to supper was always a crowd pleaser. Many riders would gather around the luggage van behind the hotel to visit and share stories of their biking journeys and drink a variety of beverages—dehydration was not a problem with this group.
Dinner was another social opportunity. The meals at Riverstone in Eagle River were the best and the dining staff did a great job feeding this hungry group. Our tour directors were always the last to eat, making sure their guests were fed first. As dessert was being served, our resident comic, Dr. J. Pedal, would begin to entertain the group with tips on how to survive the next day’s ride. Bike Safety, taught in elementary fashion, was clearly a message of concern for each rider.

No comments:

Post a Comment