My thirteenth day on the road met with some of the best riding conditions so far. A moderate tailwind off Lake Michigan and temperatures in the mid 60s made quick work of the 90 miles from Milwaukee into Madison. This evening, I met up with my friend Andrew Gisselquist and his family. Andrew will join me for the next four days of riding back to our childhood stomping grounds in Minnesota.
Each day on the road brings fascinating stories from the people I meet on the way. Today, even before leaving the hotel this morning, I became acquainted with two Canadians staying in Milwaukee for business. As we got to talking, this Canadian couple of Japanese descent, in their late 70s, told me the story of Japanese internment in Canada.
Their ancestors had arrived in Canada in the 1900s, but shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, they were taken from their homes in Vancouver and sent to internment camps in much the same way as Japanese Americans. However, internment in Canada continued even after the end of the war in 1945. Their parents' property was confiscated and sold to finance the costs of internment, and, after their release in 1946, they were pressed to leave the country. Some of their compatriots returned to Japan - a country as foreign to any native born American or Canadian. Once the US offered reparations to internment survivors in the 1980s, the Canadian government quickly followed suit. I did not expect to spend an hour this morning chatting at the hotel breakfast, but it's not everyday that you meet with people who experienced history as vividly as this couple.
Distance - 90.0 miles
Cumulative Distance - 1109.4 miles
Vertical Elevation - 2982 feet
Each day on the road brings fascinating stories from the people I meet on the way. Today, even before leaving the hotel this morning, I became acquainted with two Canadians staying in Milwaukee for business. As we got to talking, this Canadian couple of Japanese descent, in their late 70s, told me the story of Japanese internment in Canada.
Their ancestors had arrived in Canada in the 1900s, but shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, they were taken from their homes in Vancouver and sent to internment camps in much the same way as Japanese Americans. However, internment in Canada continued even after the end of the war in 1945. Their parents' property was confiscated and sold to finance the costs of internment, and, after their release in 1946, they were pressed to leave the country. Some of their compatriots returned to Japan - a country as foreign to any native born American or Canadian. Once the US offered reparations to internment survivors in the 1980s, the Canadian government quickly followed suit. I did not expect to spend an hour this morning chatting at the hotel breakfast, but it's not everyday that you meet with people who experienced history as vividly as this couple.
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| Miller Park in the background |
My route out of Milwaukee took me across the west side of the city, past the Miller's Milwaukee Brewery and it's namesake baseball stadium, Miller Park. The stadium looked impressive from afar - the first time I have seen a stadium with a retractable roof. Several paved rails trails facilitated the ride through the outskirts of Milwaukee to Waukesha where I grabbed a coffee at the excellent Steaming Cup. West of Waukesha, the rail trails turned to gravel - a trail runs all the way to Madison, but I decided to hop on the highways to take full advantage of the tailwind.
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| Glacial Drumlin Trail on the road to Madison |
I grabbed a quick lunch in Jefferson, WI at the Bonton Bakery where the kind folks insisted on taking a picture of me with my bike - their shop a stop along a transcontinental bicycle route.
A special thanks to Randy and Yvonne Eide for hosting Andrew, his parents, and I for our stay over in Madison.
Starting Point - Milwaukee, WI
Ending Point - Madison, WIDistance - 90.0 miles
Cumulative Distance - 1109.4 miles
Vertical Elevation - 2982 feet
Counties - Milwaukee, Waukesha, Jefferson, Dane, WI
Wind - moderate tailwind
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