In 2005 Steve and I decided to ride the 400-mile SAGBRAW (Sprocket’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Wisconsin)—once again riding across Wisconsin. While Wisconsin is a great state through which to ride, we had both ridden it fairly often. However, we wanted to try SAGBRAW, as we had heard good things about it. Also, the Wisconsin rides have the added advantage of being close and therefore not making us use too much time to get to the start. So, we packed our tents, sleeping bags, and clothes and headed for Wisconsin.
While the ride organizers did a great job and the ride went through beautiful countryside, there wasn’t anything terribly special about it, with the typical Wisconsin views of cows (what would a trip across Wisconsin be without cows?).
That is until, on the first day of the ride we met a group of six very nice ladies who called themselves “The International Spokes Models.” We spent the week riding with, having dinner with, and relaxing with a drink after the day’s ride with them. I’m not sure how Steve and I luck out meeting such groups of fun ladies but, hey, we don’t think about it, we just thank our luck.
My six-year-old grandson had sent me a cut-out of “Flat Stanley” that each kid in his kindergarten class had gotten with instructions to get photos of “Stanley” in as many interesting locations as possible. Earlier in the summer I had photographed Stanley in front of the Minnesota State Capitol, the St. Paul Cathedral, and the back of my St. Paul Police squad car, looking out the back window. I carried him along on the ride and got several photos of him in various spots, including several with the very gracious “International Spokes Models.” You’ll have to make do with this photo.
Wisconsin is known for it’s “barn quilts,” paintings on the side of barns that look like quilts. They really are pieces of art and are really fun to see as you are riding toward and past them. We saw many of them in different colors and patterns as we rode through the countryside.
