I woke up this morning to ice that had formed in my water bottles and a heavy layer of frost on my tent. I was in no rush to get out of my tent figuring an early start on the bike only meant riding in the cold longer. Why not wait an hour and let the sun rise just a little bit more.
That said I did finally rouse myself and hit the trail. Today’s route was very much the north woods experience. After I had crossed the Flambeau River, I turned off onto a side road and after a bit of riding I came across a truck driving towards me. The passenger side door opens and out jumps a man waving for me to stop. Your senses naturally become alive as you are not certain of the intentions of the other person but what do you know, a fellow long distance bike rider and active randonneur participant. He was out in the woods this day doing what folks were, looking for grouse. We had a nice chat on the trail before parting ways and it left me thinking how small the world can be.
My feet were still plenty cold as I made it to mile 18 with one thing on my mind, some hot food at the Flambeau Inn. I wasn't entirely certain if they'd be open on a Wednesday afternoon but much to my delight, they were open and had their fire going. I enjoyed more food (bacon cheeseburger #6) and drinks (did I really need a bloody mary) but knew that I needed to keep moving so I suited back up and walked back outside. Upon hitting the deck, I was delighted to see the temp had warmed up quite a bit while I had been holed up inside so I set off with the sun on my back.
From here on there were several forest roads and UTV trails. Unlike the sand bogs of some of the previous UTV trails these were rugged and rocky. The type that gives you headaches in a good way. I was dodging big puddles and enjoying great warmth from the sun, but the light was fading quickly behind the tall pines.
It would have been any other day of the week I would have stopped also at the Oxbo Resort, but it was closed for the day.
I pulled into Black Lake Campground just as the sun was setting on the horizon around 530. The light really was dancing on the very calm water. There were only a handful of other campers so I setup camp near the end of the loop. I attempted a feeble fire with some wet wood to no avail and then decided to snuggle into my sleeping bag.
