Joe Green's Bike Adventure

  • Cruising Northwest on the Manitowish Waters Bike Trail 8-31-23

    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…

  • I Confront the Hodag 8-30-23

    I was urged by a couple sources not to leave Rhinelander, WI (pop. 8,308) without checking out the town’s claim to fame as the origin of the hodag, a strange creature with features that have been compared to those of frogs, elephants, and dinosaurs. Do you know about the hodag? Stories about the creature first…

  • Into the North Woods 8-29-23

    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…

  • Getting Lost in Wisconsin 8-28-23

    I biked 57 miles today, from Shawano to Antigo, WI. The weather was mostly sunny and in the 70s. It was a great day to be on a bike, and I maximized the opportunity by getting lost a couple of times, which stretched out the day to 6:30 p.m. Much of today’s route was within…

  • A Day on the Bike and Two Days Off in Shawano, WI 8-25 to 8-27-23

    I biked from Pulaski to Shawano, WI (pop. 9,244) on Friday, 8/25, about 35 miles. It was a relatively short ride, but this was how far I needed to go to get to an Airbnb where I met up for the weekend with our son Joe, daughter-in-law Kelsey, Kelsey’s parents Ray and Tracie, and our…

  • People You Meet in Freedom 8-24-23

    Today’s biking, 53.5 miles, took me through the town of Freedom, WI (pop. 6,200), where I stopped for about 20 minutes to have a lemonade at a BP gas station/convenience store. If you ever find yourself stuck in a rut and want to meet some interesting people, I suggest you spend some time hanging out…

  • Long and Hot 8-23-23

    It may seem odd, given the record-breaking hot weather nationwide this summer, but I’ve had very little heat on this journey so far. That changed today, Wednesday, 8/23, when the temperature hit 97 degrees. In addition, I needed to ride 65 miles to get from Port Washington to Chilton, WI, where I finally arrived just…

  • Across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin 8-22-23

    Today, Tuesday, 8/22, I biked less than five miles to the ferry landing in Muskegon, where I boarded the Lake Express Ferry at about 10 a.m. for the 2 1/2-hour trip across Lake Michigan to downtown Milwaukee. I was instructed to lean my bike up against a tree while waiting for the departure and was…

  • Last Days in Michigan 8-20 and 8-21-23

    Sunday, 8/20, I rested in Grand Rapids, MI, where I visited with my sister Donna and brother-in-law Mark, who drove down from their home in Traverse City that morning. Today, Monday, 8/21, my last full day in Michigan, I biked from Grand Rapids to Muskegon, MI, where I am staying at a motel that is…

  • You Never Know What or Who You Might See on a Bike Trail 8-19-23

    Today’s ride was the opposite of yesterday’s–I covered about 60 miles and had some peaceful long stretches of trail riding early in the day, and then about 20 miles on a busy highway as I headed into Grand Rapids, MI at the end of the day. In St. Johns, MI, where I stayed last night,…