Friday, September 27, 2013
Because we were not able to leave home until 12:30pm, we didn’t arrive in Green Bay until 5pm—too late to bike the Friday Ice Cream Ride. Many team members did bike and they reported that they had a great ride. Dennis and I enjoyed sitting on the deck of the Fajita Republic restaurant watching the teams roll in. This also gave us time to pick up our registration packet from hosts Barb and Steve Derenne and gather information about our upcoming weekend in Green Bay.
We chose Mackinaws for supper which was in walking distance from our hotel. We shared our plans with others and by evening, we had 10 teams joining us. Mackinaws did a super job taking care of our last-minute, large group. One delightful gentleman offered to take a photo of our group. We later found out he was the owner of Mackinaws. Not only were they friendly here but the food was awesome!
Saturday, September 28, 2013
COWs Fall Rally Day #2: 40.66 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 3 hours 14 minutes, average speed 12.5
28 tandem teams gathered in the parking lot of the Country Inn & Suites to chat before the 9:00am mass start onto the roads east of Green Bay. The sky was blue and the temperature rose into the 80’s by ride’s end. The planned route was fabulous and included not only road riding but also put us on a bike path along the shores of Green Bay with its fabulous views.
We continued pedaling along this beautiful route until we came to the town of Dykesville. In this town was a wonderful resting spot where we stopped for a mid-morning treat. As we sat in the outdoor seating section of Sweet Seasons, we could watch and wave to all the tandem teams passing by. Many stopped to join us and soon the complete outside deck of the restaurant was full of red and white jerseys.
Well-fed and rested, we pedaled back towards Green Bay. We encountered one very steep hill near route’s end. The treat we had at Sweet Seasons gave us the energy we needed to keep the pedals moving. We reached the top, gathered our breath and continued on towards our end point. After washing up and packing our bike away for the day, we, along with 4 other teams decided to return to Mackinaws for an early supper. Because it was so tasty on Friday night, I ordered the same meal of pan fried walleye—YUM!
Our rally hosts were planning an evening social and we finished at Mackinaws in time to attend. After visiting with many COWs members, we settled in to play a serious game of Spinner Dominoes—a great way to end this busy day.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
COWs Fall Rally Day #3: 31.10 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 2 hours 18 minutes, average speed 12.9
On the last day of the COWs Fall rally we usually bike a few miles to breakfast returning to the hotel in time for the required check out. This year we were on route by 8am and chose to bike the ice cream route which we missed on Friday. We had breakfast at our hotel and then joined a few teams that wanted to repeat this route with us.
What made this route so special, other than the company joining us, was the chance to bike the Fox River Trail, named because of its beautiful views of the Fox River. In the past this has been a well-traveled route: First by Native Americans, then French explorers and traders and later the Milwaukee and Northern Railway. The Fox River State Recreational Trail stretches 20 miles from downtown Green Bay to the Brown/Calumet County line.
Back at the hotel, we packed everything up and said good-bye to many we wouldn’t see again until spring. We really enjoyed this biking adventure in and around Green Bay, a part of the USA we haven’t yet biked. We are grateful to have such dedicated club members volunteer to organize events that allow the club to come together.
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