I biked 45 miles today from Antigo to Rhinelander, WI. There were a few farms north of Antigo but after that, I traveled through miles of wooded areas with little development. There were a few scattered towns, like Upham, Summit Lake, and Elcho, but I never seemed to land anywhere with an open restaurant, and finally had a standing lunch around 2 p.m. at a Shell Station convenience store in Elcho. The temp only got to 70 degrees and was in the 50s this evening. I also experienced a fairly strong headwind for much of the day. I am of course persevering in my quest to travel cross-country the “wrong way” (against the prevailing winds) but wonder if I will come to regret that decision in the coming days.

Some of the scenery I saw from the bike was quite beautiful, and I thought I would share a few photos with you.

I suppose this barn needs a little work, but I like the way it looks in its present condition.

I saw a lot of these flowers along the road all day. I’m not sure what they are and suppose they are considered a weed of some sort, but I like them.

It appears this road named Bogus, in Upham, is not actually bogus after all.

Ruby May’s Cafe (the “Jewel of the North”) is just one of the restaurants I passed (near Summit Lake and Elcho) that was closed (they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays). I talked to Jeanine, one of the husband-and-wife owners who happened to be out in front of the restaurant when I stopped there. She said they’ve operated the restaurant for 10 years and manage to keep it open year-round, even though business slows down a lot in December. The restaurant is named after their two daughters, Ruby and May. She said that activity has picked up following the pandemic but is still not quite to the level it was at pre-pandemic. Jeanine said their family has grown to be quite passionate about pickleball (they play in a league in Antigo), and in this photo you can see a net which they use to play pickleball in the restaurant’s parking lot.

Tomorrow I will head from Rhinelander to Boulder Junction, WI.

Our friends in Florida are much on my mind today as they face the onslaught of Hurricane Idalia, and I wish them all the best in dealing with this ferocious storm.