Day 9, Green Bay to Marinette

I had a meeting at 12 central, and 55 miles to ride. Sue and I parted ways on our way out of town, and I rode as hard as I could.


Our hotel was right next to Lambeau Field.



Sue stopped to say hi to these guys.



Along Bay Road, there was a boat dock. Annie was absolutely thrilled that there was a boat. And they put it behind a car! She told me all about it when they got to the hotel. Mark is thrilled to do whatever Annie is doing. Unless she's sleeping; then, he thinks pulling her hair is a good idea.



I saw this road -- and that it was a dead end.





I raced as hard as I could, stopping only for fluid management. I wanted to be in the hotel room before 12 central, so I could attend my meeting. As I approached Marinette, I saw a sign for the Super 8 -- 4 miles! That was 3 miles farther than I thought, and at 11:45 I had to look for an alternative. I stopped at a fast food place, found a quiet corner and some food, and attended my meeting. After the meeting I went to the hotel and continued working for the day; the hotel was only 1 mile from the sign! I could have made it easily!

Sue took her time, knowing I had to work, and showed up for dinner. We tried planning the next few days, but it was hard. Kids, phone calls, exhaustion all take their toll, and all we managed to do was agree that we should take a rest day in Escanaba, even if it delays the overall trip one day. We're not sure if we can do an 89 mile day with the kids: our legs are there, and if we just ride we'll be fine. But we're not doing this to torture the kids, or treat them like luggage. It's important that they enjoy things too, which means frequent breaks. I would say every 10 - 15 miles (60 - 120 minutes) a 15 - 30 minute break is necessary, with one longer break during the day. Doing the math, if we have decent wind we can do the trip in 13 hours. If we're on the road before 6am we should be at the hotel by 7pm. If the weather doesn't cooperate, we can't do it. And if we don't do it, then what? Should we skip the second rest day? Return Sunday? Maybe some day we'll be able to talk.

Kids demand so much attention, and dragging them in the cart isn't enough. I am so impressed with how well Sue manages to keep these kids happy during the ride. Not that they're constantly happy -- two siblings trapped in a small space will have some conflict. But the kids have good hearts and love each other, and Sue cares for them like a mom.

The route was simple: J to S to 41, Old Peshtigo Rd, 41. Unfortunately, some of the turns were tricky, and I cut over to 41 early to save time. I would strongly recommend avoiding 41 north of Onconto.

55 miles, 436 total.