finish of Day 31 and July 12 Day 32 La Crosse to Scott City

We dined in the Rooster in La Crosse for dinner where we had the pleasure of meeting Leona who sat down at our table and told us a bit about the town, her family history and inquired after us. Her father had been quite a skilled stone mason and built the library and the barbed wire museum there. La Crosse, in case you didn't know, is the barbed wire capital. (She has a theory that the reason our family's cabin in Franklin has vertical beams has something to do with Moonshine)

We slept in the city park which had a great enclosed picnic area where we gave each other civil rights showers with the available hose. I think it helped release some built up tension from the day. We got a great vibe from the town except that when we came back from eating our food that we had tied up to the rafters of the picnic area had been taken down and the string removed and everything else left perfectly as is.

The next day we got up to the sound of thunder and parts of red sky, with the wind blowing NNE, yay for us! We pretty much were blown the 5 miles down to our breakfast date with Blair and Asta where we dined on a big cooler of fruit some woman had given them and then supplemented it with frozen biscuits from the gas station. It was grand to see them. The only boyless bikers we have seen thus far on the trip. They rock and looked like they were just thrilled to be alive, so after swapping stories we left them to their ride into the wind, while we gleefully set off down route 96, now back on the TransAm, and we didn't go 20 miles before we met 3 other parties of bikers heading east. A gentlemand and his father from Red Bank, NJ (the son was now driving a car because their driver had bailed, and Andy offered a solution to this problem, which dad seemed more excited about than son), then met Greg from Warrenton, VA, and then Mark and John, coming from Prescott, AZ, they both had fabulous pioneer mustaches and looked like they should be outlaws, but I think they are just nice, blooming hipsters (John is moving to NYC). We also saw an addition 4 bikes somewhere by a gas station this day and were thrilled to behold all these fair bikers.

I have to say we were really digging this tailwind and thinking that we had earned it, when all the sudden this cold cold wind from the other direction started whipping us around. Groaning, we pulled into Ness City for a lunch at the Cactus Club where we devoured their buffet salad bar with soft serve ice cream and sprinkles and gummy bears, oh my! Ready to face whatever wind was in front of us we made it another 30 miles to Dighton, as flatness really settled in, and then we decided to push on, just another 25 miles to Scott City where we were told a jacuzzi waited for us at the hostel we were staying at.

Many ishuffle tunes later, we got to Scott City, pulled up to the Athleticlub where they host bikers, got Subway for dinner, and were let in by Emily who had very kindly come back to work to let us in.

Since it was $15 bucks a pop to use everything, we used their pool and jacuzzi to their fullest (Andy can really get some spring off a diving board) and then settled into the lounge area to eat our subs. With us in the lounge was displayed a BikeCentennial certificate (the owner had done the ride with 4000 other people in 1976) as well as some other artifacts that weren't our style exactly (like the picture of Ronald Reagan astride a horse and Republican of the Year certificate) Just as we were about to bite into our sandwiches the man himself, Bill Fry, came in with sunscreen all over his face and told us we weren't supposed to eat in there. After an awkward exchange, where we insisted we would go outside and eat, and he kept saying well you already started so you might as well finish, and accusing us of illiteracy (nicely, and to tell the truth, it was on the sheet we had been given, so apparently we are illiterate), we went out onto their patio and had an interesting, and probably awkward conversation with him before he called his wife to ask her when dinner was ready. Anyway, the man's an interesting fellow, a retired gymnastics coach, an avid Republican, a believer in small towns, he was a good host and definitely a character.

We went back out for some ice cream and fruit for the morrow, and to digest our conversation, which also turned into a surreal experience as the grocery store cashier immediately began hysterically laughing at us as we walked in. We think it's because our arms were crossed, still not sure.

Bed called us back and we fell asleep watching a John Wayne flick on TV.