Day 30 Milaca to Osceola, WI

2 Sep 09 Milaca, MN-Osceola, WI via Cambridge and the Outer Edge Bike Shop 83 miles

Cold ground fog as we leave at 7:00 AM. Us in our double layers and ear warmers. The kids waiting for the bus in their t-shirts. School just started.

The sun is just beginning to warm the farm land and there is no wind. The wind comes about 10:00 AM when things warm up. 25 miles into a rough road Len hears tick, tick, tick. Jim hears tick, tick, tick. Several stops and Len can’t find the source of the tick, tick, tick. Jim thinks the tick, tick, tick is from his bottom bracket.

Up a hill Len finds the source of his tick, tick, tick. It is a roofing nail in his rear tire. Stop in the driveway of a run down farm. “No trespassing” sign on the posts to the driveway. Hope there is no dog here. We have been chased by several dogs; sometimes 3 at a time. One dog was so big he appeared to be a pony from a distance.

Tick, tick, tick the rusty windmill turned in the wind. Len repairs the flat by changing to a spare tire and new tube. Under the tick, tick, tick, Jim pulls out his computer and updates the way points on the GPS from his computer. Len is thinking here we have an old tech windmill and a nail in the tire while Jim is up dating the GPS (he calls it a “field update.” We both laugh - have to find humor somewhere. Wonder if the computer can transport us to a bike shop?

Jim looks at the map and sees a bike shop in Cambridge so we take a detour. The Blackberry finds Larson Cycles. Larson Cycles is motorcycles. The Blackberry directs us to Outer Edge Bike and Board Sports. Len gets a new tire, Jim gets his left crank tightened, we put air in the tires and go to Caribou Coffee (a local favorite and check rated by Consumer Reports) and get ready for the last 40+ miles to cross the St. Croix River into Wisconsin.

Usual duties laundry, bike maintenance. Jim goes to town for parts for his kick stand. Gets another flat in town. We heard that our friends Daphne and Kathleen rode across the US with no rain and no flats. We are not riding in that bubble. In fact, Jim has decided that we are being haunted by the flat tire gremlin - misery.

We walk across the parking lot of our motel and discover that the restaurant is being remodeled. Back on the bikes to town, about a mile away. We decide on the Happy Panda since we’ve had no Chinese food on the trip, not daring to try those places who signs advertise “Chinese American.” The Happy Panda is a very happy choice indeed. Hot and sour soup, kung po chicken and broccoli in brown sauce with steamed rice to round out a great meal. We return to reattach the kickstand and patch Jim’s tire. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.