Day 4 of the Wisconsin bike adventure: Stunning Eagle Tower and sunsets in Door County

TIL Door County loves its cherries.

This is one of the coolest elevated boardwalks you will ever see. And I mean elevated.

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Biking in Wisconsin Day 5: Rain and the 1-pound prime rib

Back to Sturgeon Bay (and the supper club!) along the Lake Michigan side of Door County.

It’s time to turn south. Only 2 days left of our 6-day bike adventure from Milwaukee to and around Door County.

So we head to the Lake Michigan side of Door County to make our way back to Sturgeon Bay. It’s quieter (no gorgeous sunsets over the water, remember?) and we pass more old log cabins that have been preserved, sometimes as part of something larger.

But for the first time, the weather forecast warns of rain during the day.

After our mid-morning coffee break in Baileys Harbor, we check the radar. Rain in about 30 minutes, and it looks bad. But short. How far can we bike and, more importantly, will there be a place to take shelter? Or do we just stay put?

Thankfully the coffee shop is willing to host our bikes on its big porch, so we stay. And right on cue the storm hits. No way would we want to be biking in this heavy rain!

But as soon as it stops, we go. More rain isn’t that far off, and we don’t want to outstay our welcome.

Good call on not risking it earlier. The one possibility on the map didn’t look as good in person. Five miles later, as we reach Jacksonport, population sub-1,000, the rain starts again. I keep my eyes peeled for shelter.

The bike gods are with us. A kayak and e-bike rental business has its garage bay open … and they welcome us just minutes before another deluge.

It turns out that this area is a great spot for kayaking; Cave Point County Park and Whitefish Dunes State Park are just to the south.

But that’s something for another trip. We stop in the state park for a look but otherwise we hug the shoreline road as much as possible until we are forced to turn right on a paved road along the Sturgeon Bay Canal. Under one bridge, over another and soon we are at our night’s retro motel.

The food report

I confess, the Day 3 supper club‘s prime rib special on Thursday nights had me angling for a return visit. I arm-twisted everyone into agreement. So back we went.

A one-pound, slow-cooked, oh-so-tender prime rib resting in its juice and a touch of horseradish to slather on top for $35? And that includes soup (crab and asparagus for me this time), the side dish and the bread? Sign me up. I can skip lunch in exchange for this.

Another confession: I, unlike the others, ate the whole thing.

Even if it meant I waddled out of the restaurant.

Did you miss the earlier trip reports? Here’s day 1, day 2, day 3 and day 4.

I’m introduced to supper clubs on day 3 of my Wisconsin bike adventure

Michicot to Sturgeon Bay by bicycle via Kewaunee

New Jersey has 24-hour diners. Wisconsin has supper clubs.

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Day 2 biking in Wisconsin: 50+ miles from Sheboygan to Mishicot

Ships, shipwrecks, submarines and ice cream on day 2 of this Wisconsin bicycle adventure.

Now we’re starting to see small-town Wisconsin.

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Another 8 important lessons learned when biking in Europe

More lessons, from food and water to a couple of things I had never thought to bring.

Do I have enough food for when grocery stores are closed or there is none?

I recently compiled a list of 9 important lessons I learned from recent bicycle trips in Europe.

Now I’ve got eight more, some sparked by comments from readers.

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I went troll-hunting in Rhode Island and found 3 on my bicycle

I bicycled to 3 of the Thomas Dambo trolls in Rhode Island.

Have you discovered Thomas Dambo and his amazing giant troll sculptures?

I

I broke a spoke bicycling on the Pine Creek Rail Trail — and there was no cellphone service

A photo-filled adventure on the Pine Creek Rail Trail in Pennsylvania.

I was riding a beast of a bike — one billed as hardy enough to handle Alaska’s unpaved terrain.

Suddenly I heard a pop.

One of the 32 spokes on my rear wheel had snapped.

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9 important lessons I’ve learned about biking in Europe

Everything from the big stuff (bringing a bike from the U.S. and finding a route) to the little stuff (laundry sheets!).

I love our bicycle adventures in Europe. All DIY, all different.

And we’ve learned from each one.

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Day 5: We make it to London! Avenue Verte completed!

After more than 220 miles, we reach the London Eye and the end of the our bike ride from Paris to London.

After riding more than 220 miles on our bicycles from Paris, we are at the London Eye.

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Day 4 on the Avenue Verte: What it’s like from Newhaven to Crawley

This was a tough day: 61 miles and nearly 3,000 feet of climbing.

We’ve made it to England! London no longer feels so far away.

But if I thought Day 2 of our adventure along the Avenue Verte was challenging, Day 4 had it beat.

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