My day today (Thursday) began with a short visit to the Coontail Adventures Bike Shop in Boulder Junction when they opened at 9 a.m. to get some minor service on my bike. I had an email exchange with the bike shop’s General Manager, Stephen Coon yesterday, who said that their bike mechanic Anna would be able to help me. It turned out that what the bike really needed was some lubrication. Anna spent 15-20 minutes checking things out, and it ran like a charm after that. Here is the sign for the bike shop, which was conveniently located right across the street from my motel:

This is a photo of Anna (on the left) and her colleague after Anna finished working on my bike (you can see the rear tire of my bike on the left side of the photo). The two of them were already busy renting e-bikes to a group when I arrived at the shop when it was supposed to open at 9 a.m., and I was impressed by their dedication. We talked about the surging popularity of e-bikes over the past few years. Anna says her grandpa thinks he may be too old to keep up with her on a bike anymore, but he is considering getting an e-bike so they can continue to bike together. How cool is that?

The first 15 miles of today’s 50-mile ride from Boulder Junction, WI to Hurley, WI, were on the Manitowish Waters Bike Trail, a very pleasant journey through a heavily wooded area on exceptionally well-maintained trails. Following are a few photos showing what a beautiful trail this is.

This was taken just as I was heading west out of Boulder Junction.

This was a few miles further out on the trail, near the town of Manitowish Waters.

Here are a couple other photos I took right off the trail.

This sign on the trail shows the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) site established during the Great Depression in 1933. The Manitowish Waters Historical Society has installed an interpretive map system with 22 signs showing some of the work of the CCC in the area. I didn’t have time to explore any of these, but someday, it would be fun to return to the trail to check them out.

This trail system, like some of the others I’ve seen on this trip, also offers much-appreciated seating with memorial tributes to friends and family. Here is one that caught my eye.

It’s not every day that you come across a sign like this one that leads you someplace special that’s exactly where you want to go, no matter which direction you choose.

Since my encounter with the hodag in Rhinelander yesterday, I’ve now come across more giant statues honoring a town mascot. In Boulder Junction, which claims to be the “Musky Capital of the World,” I saw Marty the Musky, an 18-foot-long fiberglass fish (curled upward with a smile), which I understand was installed just a couple years ago. I don’t have a photo of Marty, but I did take one today of Claire d’Loon in Mercer, WI (again, with my bike in front of her to provide some perspective on her size).

I was intrigued by the rather homely large stone cylinder monument off Hwy 51 in Hurley, WI that you see in the photo below. Any idea what it might be? Here is a clue–Hurley is located in Iron County, WI, directly across the border from Ironwood, MI (not to be confused with Iron Mountain, MI, which is further south). It is a drill core, which can be used to sample what is below ground to help geologists ascertain whether an area might be valuable for mining. The sign on this core informs us that it came from a depth of 2,400 feet below the surface during the period 1942-1944. It also indicates the shaft was later enlarged and used to transport, men, supplies, and iron ore.

Tomorrow I will ride from Hurley to Ashland, WI, where Trudi will meet up with me for a few days as I continue my way west.