Aug 4th - Larry & Jeff - Devil's State Trail - Manitowoc - Two Rivers - Point Beach State Forest

We rode this route a while back and wanted to share it with our friends Gail & Jeff. Larry & Jeff are going to ride the bikes and Gail and I will travel by car.

We set the guys off at the head of the Devil's Creek State Trail and will link up with them in Manitowoc.

Gail and I drove to Maintowoc to view the "West of the Lake" gardens. There were a lot of ladies doing SAGBRAW cycle event that were also touring the gardens.

We were only part way through viewing the gardens when Larry & Jeff joined us. We decided to go down the Mariner's trail a little and find a spot with beach access so we could set up our picnic lunch.

After a delicious lunch the guys continued cycling and Gail & I enjoyed viewing the flower beds that community groups maintain along the trail.

We met the guys again in Two Rivers and toured the Museum and had ice cream there. Two Rivers is the birth place of the ice cream sundae. The Jeff & Larry biked on the Ralston Point Trail and we ladies drove to the Point Beach State Forest to meet up with them.

We saw the light house and enjoyed wading in the lake. It was so pleasant standing in the water visiting we lost track of time and Larry & Jeff beat us to the meeting place at the beach and general store. The guys rode almost 30 miles.

Larry & Deb took a quick dip in the lake and then we headed back to Appleton, taking a break at the Hickory Grove Nursery near Maribel.

July 21 - Trestle - Friendship - Wiouwash Trails to Oshkosh

It is such a gorgeous day we thought we should get out and take a ride. The plan is to cycle to Oshkosh via trails, have lunch and then come back on County Road A through Neenah and Menasha.

We rode from our house to Menasha to pick up the Trestle Trail.

These ducks were enjoying the morning on Little Lake Butte Des Morts as we connected with the Trestle Trail.

From the Trestle Trail we connect with the Friendship Trail that runs alongside Hwy 10.

We have always admired the new addition to the Miron Construction building. The trail runs beside the building and employees often use it for running and walking.

Before the Friendship Trail ends we turn south on the Wiouwash Trail to head to Oshkosh.

The summer wildflowers were abundant as we neared Oshkosh.

A different family of ducks on Lake Butte Des Morts near Oshkosh. There was a good breeze so the ducks were bobbing all over.

As we cross Hwy 41 on the bicycle path we got a bird's eye view of the new highway construction.

The Wiouwash Trail leads to Fratellos on the Fox River - our lunch destination. It was warm out so we decided to eat in doors and enjoy the air conditioning.

We followed the Wiouwash Trail along the river as it wound through the UW Oshkosh campus and then made our way downtown and Menomonie Park on Lake Winnebago.

We brought our swimsuits and hoped that the water was okay. It was actually very clean and we enjoyed a break to swim and cool off. Quite a few people were enjoying the beach and the lake.

As we cycled on and left the park we rode by part of the zoo.

This guy was cooling off in the water too.

Menomonie Park is very picturesquely located and provides great public access to Lake Winnebago.

We took a break out of Oshkosh to have some trail mix at this spot where we could see the lake, but the biting flies caused us to cut our stop short.

We followed County Road A into Neenah and made good time. Stopped in to see Jake & Amber in Menasha and then rode the last 5 miles or so to get home before the light faded.

It was a 56 miles loop.

July 7 - Devil's Creek State Trail - Manitowoc - Two Rivers loop

Larry has been busy creating bike routes and came across a state trail called Devil's Creek. It is only about 8 miles long and begins a little south east of Maribel. He has plotted a circuit that will be about 40 miles beginning with the trail and then riding on road. Before the trail ended we road by a community called Frances Creek and then by this fertilizer plant on Rockwood Rd.

We rode county roads into Manitowoc and stopped in at "West of the Lake" gardens, right on the shores of Lake Michigan. It is a beautiful place to visit and open to the public at no cost. We both really enjoyed the various garden settings.

From here we rode the Mariner's Trail along the lake shore to Two Rivers. It was a perfect day to cycle and the slight cool breeze from the lake was wonderful.

We stopped for lunch at a diner in Two Rivers and then picked up the Ralston Point Trail that leads through the forest of the Point Beach State Forest. It is a fun ride with small hills and curves. The biting flies and mosquitoes were abundant but only a problem if we stopped cycling in the forest.

We did not swim but cut out from the park onto the county road and cycled over to Mishicot for ice cream . Disappointment reigned when wee learned the ice cream shoppe had closed and we had to settle for a gas station packaged ice cream. I so look forward to a good ice cream to reward me for my cycling efforts :-)

On our way back to the head of the Devil's Creek trail we cycled a couple of substantial hills and saw this game farm - I think they are elk?

The shadows were getting long as we made it back to the car - but it was a good cycling circuit - 42 miles in all.

July 2nd - Nugget Lake County Park - Crystal Cave circuit

Today's ride began at a place called "Exile". We had a hard time locating it as it was not a community but actually a bar and an overgrown baseball diamond at the intersection of County Road X and Country Road S.

We began riding through farm lands with some hills. A few dogs, but they did not chase us much. These horses were fun to visit on our ride to Sprig valley.

We have not ridden many hills before but got some experience today.

Just outside of Spring Valley we went to visit Crystal Cave. It was a beautiful warm day in the 80's.

Larry said he has wanted to visit the Crystal Caves since he was a kid.

We took our jackets as we knew it would be considerably cooler underground - and we were glad we had them with us.

Stylish cave dwellers - huh? The cave tour lasted about an hour and was very informative. We would recommend visiting the caves if you are in the area.

After the cave tour we rode the short distance into the town of Spring Valley. It was pretty quiet but we found some locals and asked where was a good place to get lunch. So here we are at the Red Sky cafe.

After lunch we biked out to the Eau Galle Reservoir. That was quite an effort - a lot of steep hills and it was hot, so we were really looking forward to a dip in the lake - it was a popular spot today. We didn't stay long as we calculated we still had a ways to go. We weren't looking forward to going back up the steep hills, but it wasn't too bad. Going downhill after the steep climb is always fun and we got up to 32mph+ on some of these hills.

Leaving Spring Valley we cycled beside the Eau Galle River - it was very pretty. Very nice scenery as we rode through valleys and farmlands onto Elmwood where it was time for an ice cream stop. The town was pretty much deserted but we did find a little cafe and got cones - but they were very basic.

This historic log house was on our route as we left Elmwood. There was another very large hill as we left the town.

We cycled a section of 4 or 5 miles that was gravel road. It seemed to go on for ever as we were getting weary by now. It got very pretty as we entered the valley but then we had a giant hill to go up. I was not able to pedal to the top and coaxed Larry into walking with me so we could enjoy the view. The woods was beautiful and it was a very long hill that curved, so you thought you were near the top, only to have more hill around the curve.

At the crest of the hill the gravel road became sealed - hallelujah! After that we could see Exile and the truck waiting for us. Larry said we deserve a beer when we get back to camp. I replied, "not back to camp - let's go into the Exile Tavern and have a beer now". There was one car out front so I figured it was open.

We had a nice chat with the lady who ran the bar and her guest and the beer was cold and enjoyable.

43.5 mile ride today

p.s. I want to share that back at the campground we had a celebrity visitor - Smokey the Bear came to visit with all the campers. How cool is that!