Before I headed off on the bike on Saturday (9/2) for the 38-mile ride to Oulu, WI (pop. 529), a small hamlet near Brule, WI (pop. 673), Trudi and I had breakfast at our hotel, the Cobblestone Hotel in Ashland, where she bumped into Andrea, a harpist she knows from the Twin Cities. Small world, but perhaps not too surprising since we are only about a four-hour drive from Minneapolis/St. Paul. Andrea and her husband Rob joined us for breakfast, and it was fun to get to know them better. The two of them are on a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan driving an electric vehicle, and were curious, and a bit nervous, about the accessibility of charging stations as they drive into some of the more remote areas of the U.P. They were enjoying their time in Ashland, and Andrea commented on the murals on buildings that you can see around town. She recommended we try to see some of them, which sounds like good advice. In some quick internet research, I learned that Ashland since 2005 has been known as the “Historic Mural Capital of Wisconsin,” with more than 20 large murals by northern Wisconsin artists, making the city a year-round public art destination.

Here is a photo I took of Andrea and Rob.

While we unfortunately had no time to spare for murals on this trip, my ride west toward Iron River and Brule gave me several opportunities to see more of Lake Superior. Here are a few photos I took from a park in Ashland.

I was intrigued by the historical account depicted below of two French traders, Pierre Radisson and Medart Groseilliers, who landed at Chequamegon Bay in 1659 on the site of what is now Ashland. When the traders refused to share the proceeds of their profitable trading activity with the French Governor of Canada, their licenses and furs were confiscated. Following that, they successfully reestablished themselves under the jurisdiction of the British Crown, which soon issued a royal charter to the Hudson Bay Trading Company. The marker indicates that this was a significant contributor to the “long conflict between England and France for control of the continent.”

It was warm on today’s ride, with temps in the high 80s this afternoon. Fortunately, there are ways to stay cool. We stopped for lunch at an A&W with traditional car hop service (though we didn’t use it) in Iron River around 2:30 p.m., where I had a large root beer float and got to meet Rooty the Great Root Bear, A&W’s official mascot and ambassador of fun. Rooty continues to wear his traditional beret and shirt, but I understand now will also wear pants. I apparently encountered an older version of Rooty who continues to be pant-less.

Trudi and I had dinner at the Crafty Rooster in Brule. Our waitress, Teresa, enjoyed hearing about my bike trip. She says she rides a bike sometimes, and told us about an accident she had where she went over the handlebars.

Here is Rooster, who owns and operates the Crafty Rooster with his wife. Their menu includes typical bar food, but also various kinds of egg rolls. Rooster’s wife wanted to make sure I knew that last year, they served 18,000 egg rolls to customers.

It has been a real joy to be able to hang out with Trudi for a few days this weekend. Here she is, shortly after we polished off a 14″ BBQ chicken pizza at the Crafty Rooster.

Trudi and I spent both Saturday and Sunday at a charming Airbnb known as “Bees Balm” in Oulu owned by artists who also live there and operate the Oulu Glass Gallery next door. We learned that Oulu, founded by Finns, is named for the fifth largest city in Finland, and according to the 2000 census, 40% of the population still claims Finnish as their primary ancestry.

Bees Balm is aptly named. There is a large well-tended garden on the property with lots of blooming flowers and…bees. It is an idyllic setting where we enjoyed hanging out for the weekend. I took the day off from biking on Sunday.

You can see a bee at work in this Echinacea plant.

Trudi enjoying the gardens.

Trudi enjoying her favorite pastime on the back porch.

Tomorrow (Monday, 9/4) is Labor Day and may be a holiday, but I have miles to go before I sleep, and will be bidding Wisconsin goodbye as I head across the border to Minnesota.