blap

I have lots of good pictures and stuf to post, but my computer crashed. I just got back from MN and I think Im going to be leaving for a few days, Im stressed out and tired, and need a break. My dads house sounds like a good get away.

!!!1!!!

Thursday night ride tonight, rain or shine. BE THERE

Tomorrow is critical mass BE THERE!

I don't know wether or not my angst was warented, but yesterday was pretty awful. I found out that my ex was moving to LA. I don't know why that bums me out as much as it does, but for some reason I can't help but be a little pissed about it. I guess it's just the fact that I hate it when people move away. Im a pretty strongly rooted person, so when friends or familey move I can't help but think about how I'm still stuck in the same place. I love this city, but sometimes every opne feels like they need to get out, and it sucks when they take off. i also can't help but feel there is some small part in me that drove her to move. I know that I am not that toxioc of a person that I drive women to move across the country to get away from me, but as unwarented as the feeling is, it's there. Other than that things have been alright. Lots of bikes and hanging out. Still no job, and Im not eager to find one. yesterday thomas finished his new fixed gear so we spent alot of time dicking around, and eventually ended up at the Joynt with Cayla. My bitching payed off and she bought us shots and beer. We sprinted to Stave and hoop to get a 12pack before it closed. You know that you've reached an awkward point in your life when you find yourself sprinting to a liquor store. We went and saw some Kung Fu movie. Cayala took off and we rode to the top of the civic center and talked to a computer programmer for HP who was in town for the week. It kind of put alot of things into perspective. He talked about how every single week he was ain a new town living in hotels. The only time he spent at home was a couple days on the weekend. It made me think alot about travel and how as much as I envy people who travel alot there are only a few reasons people do it. 1. Work 2. friends/familey 3. Sightseeing. outside of those reasons is reason 4. Running away. I guess I can't really talk shit about anyone for running away from stress and problems but i also feel like it's just a cheap way to write off your friends and respoinsibilities. I've just been trying to keep on the bright side and realize that there is alot of summer left, and alot of good things yet to be done right here.

Other shit.

I added Chris z's flikr to the links. Chris is leaving for madison soon so every one come to the Thursday night ride and buy him drinks. Serioously, lets make this an awesome ride. Chris is a really awesome person and he'll be missed around here, lets give him some good memories. The last couple of thursadays have been intense and last week Cayla even got hooked up with a new bike. Good graces are falling like raindrops.

I put 700x28cs on my fixed gear, it rules.

Ghost mice is playing the cities on the 29 and alkaline trio(yes, i like alkaline trio) the 30th so I will be up there thos two days.

it's super nice out so you should be riding your bike right now.

life

Summer is full of shit. Im living in it.

Tour Guide

I know I'm not the most experienced tourer in the world, but I feel like I picked up on a few things while on the road that might be useful to other people. Specifically how to tour on the cheap, and get what you want without paying for it. So here are some lessons I learned.

GEAR

Know your gear! Know your bike! If you buy anything new for your trip make sure you use it a couple times before leaving. Set up your tent by yourself, and take it down. See how long it takes you. Can you fit your gear inside? How warm is your sleeping bag? Do you havea cook stove, what kind? are those band aids your bringing shit? Figure this stuff out before you leave so you have less to worry about. My tour was realy cheap and my gear was ghetto so I made the mistake of not knowing what was liable to rip out on one of my bags. Luckilly I brought a sewing kit to fix stuff up.

Be prepared. Sewing kit, duct tape, lighter, band aids, tools, tubes, patches, sun block, toilet paper, phone charger, bring this shit or you will regret it.

Pack smart. Certain things you will want easy access to while your riding. Namely food, atlas, sun block, rain gear on certain days. Put this stuff in a different bag, or on the top of a bag. I put lots of this in my tent bag which was easy to open and close. Make sure you have enough snaks for your riding, and put the rest away. There is no point in eating all your food in one day. The more stuff you use the more you need to spend on your trip.

Lock up. I never had to worry much about theft, but be smart. When you go to a store bring your bike in the entry way, or have someone watch it. You dont want your stuff getting stole. You will grow a bond with your bike anyway that will keep you watching it like a hawk wheever you go. It's kind of funny, but as you go you will find yourself getting closer and closer to your bike and watching it more and more. When you are stopped for the day put as much of your stuff in your tent as possible and lock up. If you are crashing on someones floor and they have guests over make sure you are sleeping next to your stuff. Don't be afraid to be blunt about the fact that you want to keep an eye on your stuff. Just tell them Your life is on your bike, people seem to understand that.

The hardest thing is balancing what you think you need and what you do. If you have questions over wether to bring something, usually dont. There are alot of guides on this sort of thing, but just make sure you pack smart.

FOOD

Bring your own! Yes, bags of trail mix can add up in weight, but it uis alot easier, and cheaper to bring your own food, than buy it on the road. Dried soups, banana chips, trail mix, and granola bars will keep you going for a long time. Plus the weight of the food only goes down as you ride.

I'm not an expert on what to eat while touring, but the best advice is "eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty." Keep your water full, this is easy enough at gas stations, or just knock on peoples doors out in the country. Use your own discretion on the houses you pick to ask though... Heres sometyhign I randomlly pulled of the web. "Eat Well. It can be a challenge to eat healthy when you're on the road, but when you're touring is when you most need to do so. Emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans as much as you can. Meat and dairy slow you down and increase your recovery time. (I'm not kidding, and this isn't just unsubstantiated opinion.) I tend to eat fruits for breakfast. To make sure I'm getting enough vegetables there are always frozen vegetables -- very easy to prepare, and if you buy them in the morning they'll thaw nicely for lunch or dinner. Canned beans are cheap and can be really satisfying. Oats cook easily and make you happy. Look for whole-grain cereals like Cheerios and Grape Nuts." You will feel it if your not getting what you need. If this is the case take some time to go to a gas station or store and buy what you think your missing.

Kwik Trip is saviour. Extremely cheap bread, and banananas. Bring a jar of peanut butter along and you will be set. Alot of days I went to kwik trip in the morning for my days food, spent $1.80 and I was set all day.

Dumpster dive. Dumpsters are always full of goodies. Check out bakeries, aldis, moveis theatres, and gas statations. Some smaller grocery stores may have dumpsters still, but most have made the transition to compactors. Note however that sometimes after riding bike all day the last thing you want to do is crawl around in a dumpster and not find anything. When I go to water parks and stuff we would watch the familes eating pizzas, and when they set the box on the garbage go grab it, lots of time there is up to half a pizza left. Take only what you need, and don't make a mess of everything. There is no point in taking 3 heads of lettuce with you. Leave some for whoever else may be stopping at athat dumpster.

Super 8 motels across the country all offer continental breakfast. If you are near one take full advantage of it. I didn't need to do this usually, but as long as you look like you belong there no one will ask you any questions. look for other hotels offering continental breakfast.

Just ask. This is the best part. Note however it is probobly alot easier to do on your own than with a group. Find local restraunts with empoty parking lots and just ask if they can help you with some food. I would usually ride by the target once to try to catch attention, then turn around, lock up outside the window, go in, and say "Hey, I'm David. Im just passing through on my bike on my way to____ I'm kind of broke and was wondering if there was any way I could wash dishes or help out in exchange for a meal." The initial reaction of people is usually one of shock, don't let that intimidate you. Make sure you arn't just asking some waitress, look for a manager or cook, someone wearing different clothes than everyone else. They can only say 2 things yes or no. If they say yes you are set, if they say no you havnt lost anything. If they seem hesitant to answer ask if the owner is in. Owners seem to be pretty sympathetic, managers not so much. if they say yes take advantage of the food while you can. Get a fair amount and take your time eating. make small talk to make sure they know your not some worthless grifter. be courtious and say thanks. Don't leave a bad taste in their mouths in case another biker ever comes through there again. This all works suprisingly well as long as you are nice to the people, and dont come off as a dirty grifter. One time I was denied, but the person standing next to me gave me $10 for food anyway. Another time the barista said they counted everything, but she would buy me food anyway. This is a good way to get free food, and get to know the town. While in Marshfield they even invited me back for breakfast the next day. Always say thank you.

Just because your touring doesn't mean you can't look for deals. Shop around the grocery store. Graze over the fruits eating grapes and veggies. Take a basket put a bushel of grapes and some cherry tomatoes in it, walk around picking at them bring them back, buy a loaf of bread and leave.

SHELTER

I only slept in my tent 3 times on the road. Its pretty easy to find people to help you out. When you get into a town ask if there are any bike shops, cool cafes, records stores, co-ops, etc. Whatever you are intrested in. Go in talk to people, and simply ask if they know anyone that might let them pitch a tent in their yard, or crash on their floor. 3 answers yes, no, or I dont know. If no, ask if they know any good places outside of town to pitch a tent. Then you at least uyou have a backup. If they dont know, then ask them if there might be another place in town to go to ask. About 50% of the time people told me they didnt know. I would hang out and talk to them for a while, give them my phone number, and get a call a little later from someone. Or else they would give me a number to call which would somehow end up with me getting a place. Staying indoors is nice because then you get to meet the locals, stay dry and warm, and lots of times people will make you food, or give you food/advice for the road. Take advantage of their tv to check the weather if possible. I also find it helps to reassure people that you will be gone by 9 or 10 the next morning. Leave a thank you note before you go.

Tent under trees. It gives you shade and shelter from rain.

When you are coming into a town keep your eyes peeled for places to set up camp if need be.

Hotels. Hotels are expensive, but lots of times will work with you to find a fair price. make sure you tell them your story, and keep trying to talk them down. make sure you bring up the fact that you are on a tight budget. I would only stay at a hotel if you had and absolutly shit day, or the weather for that night was looking really nasty. The only hotel I stayed in was the one I got for free. Look for locally owned places, they are more flexible. Be courteous, but also be persistant in exausting all possibilities. offer your help around the place. Always say thank you.

Get contacts from friends. This is another reason it is a good idea to bring your phone along with you.

DIRECTIONS

Get a good atlas of wherever you are going. Keep it easily accesible. You will use it every day.

Dont be afraid to double check directions. It is better to stop and double check stuff before you end up 10 mile sout of the way riding back into a headwind, it sucks.

Ask people. Dont be afraid to ask locals for directions. Be careful though. Make sure you say your on a bike so they don't try to direct you down some freeway. Locals often have different names for streets, so make sure to ask if something is synonynous with something else. Make sure you ask for distances in miles or blocks. 10 minites in a car means nothing to me on a bike. If you have question, just don't be afraid to ask.

Write directions on your hand. This is especially usefull for getting out of a town, and getting on your main roads for the rest of the day.

Pace yourself. There are two types of tours, point to point, and mileage. Any tour is usually a mixture of the two. Mine was almost exclusivly point to point after a while because I learned that my initial plans were above my skill level, and just wasn't what i wanted to be doing. Dont be afraid to be flexible in your plans, and be prepare dto make changes. It will happen.

Weather

Be prepared. No, there is no way to look cool with a poncho, or putting sunscreen on along the side of the road, but it's bette rthan burning and freezing. Be prepared for both heat and cold. I brought a thermal to throw on over my t-shirt in the morning and tkae off in the afternoon, and hat kept me nice and warm.

Rain sucks. I rode in rainy days because they way I looked at is was stay put and get wet and be bored. or ride and be wet. The choice is yours, but just make sure you put on your rain gear and try to keep everything as dry as possible. Take the time to dry stuff out the next day when the sun is out.



I guess thats really all the advice I can think of right now. I feel like there are hundreds of other small things, but Im tired of typing.

The weather has been awesome recently and I've been really lazy. Still no job, thank god. I will finally start updating this thing again. Tonight is the freakshow at the stones throw which should be fun. I'm going to go ride my BMX and sit by the train tracks all day.

3

Green Bay is a nightmare. The city is incredibly unfriendly to bikes, and a haven for yuppies. That said, I made the most of it. The ride in and out requires time on a busy 4 lane highway. I got into town and stopped in at a cafe recomended to me and a really nice barissta bought me an awesome sandwhich, and a phone number for a place to stay. I headed out and called the number and got a place to crash. When I started heading for it I ran into a guy with a backpack full of food, which he shared with me. We sat on a park bench trading food and stories. He mistankingly thought I was going to be in Green Bay for some time, and filled me in on he local shelter and how to get food stamps easy. It was an awkward comeradery that I came across alot on my trip. People generally like helping other people and get really excited when someone asks them about things that they can answer. I know thats a bold statement, but it's the same rush you get from giving people directions, or pick up a turtle and move it across the street. You are putting things in there place, and it feels good. If it didn't I never would have been able to do this trip the way I did it. I got to the place I was staying, which was a 30 something year old, raw foodists house. We sat and talked for a while and I headed out to go see Green Bay. Downtown Green Bay was a bore, not a whole lot, I layed down in a park and fell asleep untill a bunch of kids showed up and woke me up. I rode to Lambeau Field and walked around it aimlessly and unimpressed. Heading back downtown the first signs of trouble emerged. My right pedal began to unthread, I wasn't paying attention and ovaled out the crank arm a bit. I found an auto parts store, bought some thread locker, and fixed everything the best I could. I parked my bike and walked around downtown again. By then a very dissapointing farmers market had started so I wandered around looking at the boothes, and talking to people. GB's farmers market has nothing on ECs. I saw this really awesome bike that had originally been a girls frame, but was cut apart and re-welded with angle iron to make it standard. The seat tube and angle were subsequently raised a ton. It was probobly the best bike I saw in Green Bay. I headed back to the house and there was raw-food spaghetti there waiting for me. It was good, but I could only think about how much better it would taste heated, or even with bread. But food is food, and I'm not above eating it cold. We stayed up talking about travel, and food, and spirituality. I couldn't help but feel accused by her. Not by her words, but the life she lived. When someone choses to make their own life seem like something that is grandeous down to the food that they eat, it alienates those around them. The moment you judge someone solely because of what they do or do not put into their body I lose alot of respect for you.

I went to sleep and woke up to rain. The plan was to put on a ton of miles and make it to Wausau on this bike trail I was told was really nice. I rode out on a freeway, got lost in some small town, and eventually found the trail. It was nice hard packed gravel for a long time. The fog all around me made me feel like I wasnt acctually going anywhere, and if it wern't for mile markes, and the ocasional street crossing I probobly would have gone nuts. About 20 miles out trouble started again. The pedal began to unthread again and again. I was pulling over eevry few miles to tighten it up, and make sure it wasn't cross threading.

Then the trail turned into shit. It was no longer a bike and hiking trail, but it was also open to ATVs and horses. The gravel was soft from the rain, and there were puddles, and long stretches of road that had turned to mud. The fog and humidity got worse. The threadlocker failed. My pedal fell off. Despite my best efforts to keep it together for the rest of the ride home the crank had cross threaded and I was fucked. I tried to fiogure things out for about 45 minutes while misquitoes bit at me and it began to drizzle. I gave in and called my dad to meet me outside of Wausau and pick me up.
Thus the end. A couple hours in a car and Im done. I went to my dads house and the next day I rode into EC along the trail. It's funny how quickly and easily a car can do what takes so much effort on a bike or foot. I guess it's good and bad. Good for the obvious reasons, but on my bike I would have met people in all those town that you don't even see from the freeway. The freeway detatches you from everythign around you. All that is important is the road in front of you, not all of the towns your blowing through and all the people you will never meet. You can see the tree line, and the sky, but you can't smell the air or feel the breeze. You are a chunk of steel, nothing more. So then that leaves the big question. What am I doing back already, and why did I turn around? 60 miles from Michigan, and I would at least be able to say I did that and I turn around? I guess the answer is simple, I was done. The appeal of Canada and Michigan was that I would have alot more time to get away from the things going around me and have a chance to do some "soul searching". When I was in Kewaunee at the hotel I pulled out my atlas to look over all the possible roads I could take to all of the places I could go. I realized that I had calmed down so much and grown alot in just a week. It's empowering to do a big ride by yourself. To realize that sometimes you can survive with just whats on your bike, and you don't need any of the crap that they try to sell you on tv. You don't even need an expensive bike and equipment. It's awesome to see what you can do on something you made yourself from junk, and hand me down equipment. I realized that the miles weren't really that relevent and the destinations were equally irrelevant at that point. Riding to Michigan would not have been for me, it would have been done simply to say I did it. All of the things I would see along the way would have been so much better with company that wasn't there. I missed home, and thought about all of the things I had seen people doing on the road that I wanted to happen in Eau Claire now. Green Bay was kind of the straw that broke the camels back. Green Bay is a city bigger than Eau Claire, with much more tourism, and money in it. Yet it didn't have so many of the things that I see in EC or even some of the small towns I passed through. Sooner or later we all leave places we love. It might be temproary or permanent, but it happens. The important thing is that where ever we are we try to make it somewhere worth being. Riding into Eau Claire never felt so good. Knowing that that was my home, and how many new ideas and things I wanted to try made me realized that I had gone just far enough to do what I needed.

Anyway, in the next few days I'll be writing up a bunch of tips I learned for touring on the cheap. I'm proud that I made it on such a low budget and I want to share the things I learned.

Last night was a really long really good ride. Hit Eau Claire at like 1 in the morning and headed to the joynt for a night cap. Tomorrow is the outdoor festivle of the arts at pheonix park. It should be really fun. Dan and I are going to be down there all day with a bunch of bikes so come check it out.

Pt.2

That night I headed back to my tent in the backyard of a guy who owned a suprisingly good used cd store in Waupaca. It's really cool to see kids in small towns in Wisconsin getting there hands on good music. That whole city was really one suprise after another though, and it left a really good taste in my mouth. A very short lived good tast though. The next days ride went pretty smoothly other than the tape holding up my rear rack tearing out. Yes, I realize that duck taping a bike together isn't a good idea, but like I've said before this tour was never about comfort. REPAIR!That day was pretty long and hot. The ride to Appelton was full of Jesus and Pro-life billboards, broken down trucks in field, and old barns. I couldnt help but pray that everything went smoothly because if I had to ask for help at one of those houses chances were I wouldnt be coming out alive. I finally got into Appelton and had to ride in along a busy 4 lane, which nearly made me shit myself. My hatred for cars only increased on the road. It becomes alot more tangible that when you are riding alone you feel complelty at peace with whats going on around you. Then when you go through a town and are immediatly honked at, drove by, harassed, and your life is on the line resentment begins to grow.

When I finally got a chance to stop in Appelton I called Bones to see if he knew anyone in town to hook me up with a place. I got a few numvbers called them and ended up staying at the BFG with Ryan Amos and Hart from Wartorn and Tenement. I dropped off my gear and rode around for a while. I eneded up falling asleep in a park for a while, realizing just hopw fucking tired I was. When I got back to the house Hart and Ryan had made some pasta and hooked me up big time. After that we just kind of hung out and hart and sam showed me around town. It's really cool to see a place that has got it's shit together so well. Its the kind of thing that makes you want to do alot more than you are doing. It also makes me more bummed that so many good people leave this town so often, and wonder what we could do if everyone stayed. Unfortunetly in a town like this thats not usually an option. Its awesome to see alot of people willing to help eachother out, and try to do something productive. It makes me want to drop my lease and rent a house, start a garden, and throw shows. But sometimes you're just stuck doing what you can. The next day I woke up early and hit the road getting all turned around on my way out, but eventually making it out. The ride to Manitowac was pretty miserable. Windy and overcast with the clouds threatening to pour down on me. I saw this glove laying along side the road in the middle of nowhere. It's good to see I'm not the only one riding these roads.
Manitiowac seemed to taunt me and the closer I got the more shit seemed to go wrong. My chain falling off, dropping water bottles, gear coming lose, and lots of cars. Climbing the last hill into town my chain fell off one last time, 100ft. from the lake. I threw it on as fast as I could, hammered it and there it was. I had finally made it to the lake.
I rode out to the pier and stared at the lake for almost an hour before I pulle dout my camera took pictures, and ate some lunch. I rode to the nearest sand and waded in the freezing water while a ship sailed out. It was a really good feeling to see somethig so big and realize that you got there complelty on your own. All of these tourists around you drove there SUVs to see a wonders of nature which they are destroying, and you did it with nothing but your legs. I finally headed downtown, and my illusions were shattered. I realized very quickly that manitowac is a tourist town and lots of the people didn't take kindly to a stranger looking for food, and a place to stay. I eventually found my way to a cool little art store and the women running the store tried to help me out, recomended some places to scope out, and took my number saying she would try to help out. I rode and the sky started getting darker, and the temperature dropped so I decided I better set up camp. I went to a park in town and found a nicve secluded place in the woods to set up camp next to the zoo. I cooked a small cup of soup and prepared for the storm when I got a call from a stranger offering a roof over my head and a couch for the night.

This guy told me stories about his time in WWII for almost an hour. The best was him telling me about riding bikes through paris with absolutly nothing on the streets around him.


Tags on the lighttower in Manitowac.
I made my way to the house and was met by a bunch of people, a beer and lots of talking. We hung out and had a really good time, comparing the places we live and talking about how wierd of a town Manitowac was. As the night went on people came and left. A couple of us walked out to the light house at night and I geeked out to see a light house actually doing it's job, not just being a ceramic figurine at a thrift store. It was cool to see how people lived out on the lake, and the stories of what it's like growing up next to it. It was also really wierd to see how different peoples lifestlyes are even when they only live 20 miles apart. just outside of manitowac are farms and cows and field, but when you get into the city it's totally focused on the commerce from the lake, and farming is hardly an afterthought. We hung out at the light house for a while and got a call that some food was ready. Got back to the apartment and ate a bunch of spaghetti watched some tv and I crashed.

The next day was miserable. Rain was falling when I woke up. I said my goodbyes to me new friends and hit the road. Things just got worse. The wind picked up outside of town, and rain kept coming and going. The high temperature for the day was 48degrees, and I kept taking layers on and off to adjust. The ride was only 30 miles but took me around 4 and a half hours due to the 30mph headwinds. I've never spent so much time in first gear in my entire life. I ended up needing to take detour because I ran into a nuclear power plant. and they closed off a bunch of raods to the public after 9/11 due to the "terror threat" lame.

I finally made it into keawaunee tired, hungry, and wet. I got a cup of coffee from a local cafe, but the town was really dead, which made me realize the dire of my situation. I finally gave in and decided to look for a hotel room for the night. The first place I went were complete pricks and refused to budge on their price of $80 a night. When I left I saw this old Inn on the lake and decided it was worth a shot. When I walked in I notice that they were obviously re-decorating and doing alot of work on the place, this is a good sign. I went to the desk and asked if there was any chance at getting a cheap room in exchange for working for a while. I got lucky. The owner explaind that he had just moved there from Chicago, where he grew up racing track bikes, and touring. We talked for a while and then I went to work doing laundry for about three hours. After a while the owner came by and told me to forget about paying him, because I had worked it off. Then he sent me downtown to go to a restraunt which he also owned and get whatever I wanted from the menu. When I got back I did a little more work, wanderd around the place and wnet to my room. As luck would have it I got the cowboy themed room complete with horse shoes on the wall, cowboy boots, a cow skull, and a guitar. But the most important part was the two queen sized beds. Heaven.

I'm really tired of sitting here writing when I could be outside. I will finish this tomorrow. or the day after.

That

Two wheels Pt.1

I'm back. O boy o boy. I know I'm back alot earlier than expected, but that is a good thing isn't it? The trip was absolutly amazing, and I can't wait to do another one. I ended up going to lake michigan and back on only 9$ so heres my story.

The first couple days have already been covered, but theres a couple pictures from Niellsville. Marshfield was awesome, Craig hooked me up big time with lots of food, beer and company. It was a really good time all around. The ride to Stevens Point started out really foggy. I guess this was a precursor to the wierd weather that I experienced the whole trip. Hot foggy days, or cold rainy ones. The roads were still wet, and covered in worms trying to escape the rain puring through their homes the previous night. As a result by the time I stopped the bottom frame of my bike was coated with dead worms. It was a pain to be riding then look down at my shoe and see that my tire kicked up a dead worm into it. Then the shaking and kicking that foollowerd terying to get the thing out without acctually touching it.

There is monsters in the fog.Rough road was an understatement.
The reaction of the amish while I rode through the countryside was priceless. One kid stopped his horses in the field turned around drop jawed and stared as I rode by. I waved and moments later recieved a stunned wave back. I can't imagine how hard it would be to try to explain that to his familey and friends later in the day. About 10 miles outside of Marshfield in Chili I rode by a house that had thousands of bikes laying in the yard. I jumped off my bike and knocked on the door of the house nearby. No one answered so I walked around the yard and checked out all of the bikes. There must have been at least one of each type of bike ever made laying in that yard. I walked down rows of bikes fell in love with them, turned the corner and hundreds more were laying there, it was incredible. As incredible as it was it was also kind of depressing to see so many of them neglected completly. The picture above was a sprocket rusted so badly that when I flicked it it fell apart completly. More than a few of the bikes were complete rust from the rimes to the bars. It reminded me alot of all of the old cruisers sitting along roads and in yards around the country used as decorations. Every one of those bikes has a story, and years of history. The rows of kids bikes were hundreds of kids first bikes, and hopefully will be someone elses. People loved them and hated them and now they are left laying in a field unapreciated, and will probobly just lay there for years to come. When I finally left I ran into the wife of the man that owns them all taking pictures of my bike. I asked about certain bikes, and she was pretty oblivious to any of it. Stating simply "I don't know much but the good stuff is in all of those trailers." Refering to 4 or 5 trailers sitting full to the ceiling with bikes among the field. I found out later that these people really have no idea what they have, and spend most of there time fixing huffys and taking them to yard sales. The rest of the trip to Stevens Point was smooth despite some pretty gross hills. When I got into town I asked around if there was anything interesting to see or do. The answer I always get to this question at every town I go to is a laugh followed by a no. I eventually got the information that there was a coop in town so I headed for it and asked around for a place to pitch a tent or crash. Everyone was really cool and I got hooked up pretty easily, the only stipluation being that I would have to wait untill later that night. I rode over to a bike shop and talked for a while and a couple of the guys were nice enough to give me a few bucks for lunch, so I headed over to noodles and filled up. After that I rode to a park to give my bike a once over and realized that one of my welds had cracked. Fuck. I rode back to the bike shop to see if they could recomend a welder to me, and they gave me a couple numbers to call. I eventually got ahold of a kid named Jerry. "Hey my bike broke and I was told you could weld, could you help me out?

"Yea, of course, I'm actually a brazer but what do you need?"

"Well, actually it's a tall bike, I don't know if you've ever seen one before."

"Hell yea, I've built one before, I can help out no problem. Want to meet me down at the bike coop?"

Bike coop? really? here? Fucking awesome!

We met up and I rode over to The Stanley Project. A big wareshouse space on the outside of town that was like heaven to me. This was what I've wanted to do ever since I got to Eau Claire and here is an awesome model for it in Stevens Point of all places. Aparently these guys fix up bikes, and give them away, or sell some of them to help buy tools and stuff. They have given away over 1300 bikes in just a few years and no plans to stop. It was so cool, there were dozens of bikes sitting around waiting to get tuned up and given away. Fixed gear frames getting painted, and worked on. Really cool people woprking on stuff, and none of it was about making a buck. It's reaally inspirational to see people who have their shit together so well, and it makes me super jelous. Eau Claire has so much potential, but it seems like projects like this never seem to get their foot in the door here. Why is that? Anyway, while my bike was getting worked on I walked around and checked out all of the bikes, and parts.

FIXED! Afterwards Jerry and I hung out and talked for a long time about his plans to move down to Madison and start building frames. He showed me some of his work, and it really blew me away how good it was. Once again it made me want to learn and do so much work with frame building and modification. Someone ordered a pizza and I got fed, which ruled. Everyone eventaully took off, and I rode around town some more killing time untill I my place for the night opened up. I was told to check out a bar called The Elbow Room, so I did. As I was riding a guy waved me in so I got down and followed him in. I brought my bike in and could barely get through the crowd of people looking at it gawking and asking questions. I got some fee beer out of it though and went to then end of the bar to talk to my new friends. We sat and talked for a while about our towns and all of the things about them that we hate and we love, and how we wish we could just leave sometimes, and how sometimes you never want to. We talked about bikes and Stevens Points alleycats and how much fun it is to ride your bike aoround with friends and dink around on it for hours. Eventually we parted ways and I rode to the river and layed down looking at the water untill I got a phone call and headed over to the girl I was staying withs house. When I got there we made afort out of a vacuum some sticks, and a blanket. Fort building skills have lessned since I was younger, and it's now another thing I have to hone in on again.

The ride out of Stevens Point the next day was really pretty and I spent alot of it sitting up eating pretzels while I rode in awe at how wide open the sky looked.

Miles and miles of smooth blacktop under my wheels, and a fresh sunburn. It was a really good ride. i eventually ended in Waupaca, which seemed like a good enough place to stay despite its tiny population. I went to this cafe the locals call the "chez" and tried to get some food. I ended up getting an awesome sandwhich, and after a while the owner brought out a bagged lunch for the next day. People who give total strangers food are really really good people.
That was the best tomato I've ever eaten in my life.

I hung out at the cafe for a long time and they helped me find a place to pitch my tent for the night. I rode to the yard of a stranger and set up camp for the night and fell asleep for a while. When I woke up I decedied to ride around for a while and check out the town. It was pretty intersting for just being a sleepy little town in Wiscosnsin. But there are towns like this all over the place full of small cafes that will give you free food, and some help, which is a really cool thought. I ran into some local kids and hung out with them for a while. It reminded me alot of how much changes in just a few years, and how the people we used to be are not the people we are now, and how much can change so quickly. They gave me coversation,free veggie pizza, and invited me to a party which I declined due to the fact that I had to leave early the next day to head to Appelton. I guess thats probobly the best things you can get from total strangers. Once again I was told which bar to go to for good company so I went to it. There was a pretty strange run in with a really gross really drunk girl, but I was saved by some of the people I met earlier coming in. The bartender bought me a few drinks and we all sat around talking for a while. It's funny how similar the coversations in the owns I visited were, but each person has there own little reasons for being where they are for better or for worse.
Well thats all for today. My stomach is making tons of noise and I need food because people in the computer lab are starting to look at me. I'll hopefully post the rest of the trip tomorrow. In other news the Outdoor Festivle of the Arts is Saterday and I'll be there with a bunch of bikes and stuff, you should be too.