Madison, WI to North Freedom, WI - 50mi

A much shorter day than I had originally planned but nonetheless eventful! Rebecca made lovely breakfast and then I was rolled out of town with a posse of four fantastic females: Marti, Ann-o, Mary-Bennet, and Kaylene (forgive me for any misspellings, ladies!). They are an awesome troupe - super supportive, really sweet, tough women. It's admittedly a little sad to say goodbye to Madison and its great vibe. But my focus was quickly rerouted as I kicked my law-abiding self aside to climb under the orange "Road Closed, DO NOT ENTER" fence keeping me from the road towards the Merrimac Ferry. Alas, the maneuver did me little good as Wisconsin likes to do construction on as many roads as possible during the prime biking months.... luckily frustration turned friendship in the form of Johnathon and his little car:) Headed in the same direction, we smushed all my gear into the trunk and backseat and I made it just in time to see the Ferry pull up.

It was a social day: on the other side of the lake, in the itty bitty town of Merrimac, five women wanted to hear about my journey... and then wanted to know what I had for protection... and then decided that they would "sleep SO MUCH BETTER at night" if I would take their pepper spray with me. I insisted that it was not necessary, I could buy my own. No avail. So, Papa (and all other concerned family/friends): I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY AND A BIG KNIFE! BE WARNED ALL YE SCARY PEOPLE!

Biking with random people is great as a change from headphones. I fell in with a few different groups on the way towards Devil's Lake State Park. Received some good advice about previously mentioned spray: It takes a VERY long time for dog's to clear it from their eyes, so use it as a last resort on them. The state park is gorgeous. Wisconsin is gorgeous. It was a great afternoon ride. When I pulled in to North Freedom I thought I was just going to grab a quick bite to eat and continue on but fate stepped in in a barrage of coincidences. I met Kim and Will, who grew up in the same towns as my parents; their house-mate Tone who has family in the town near me. So we got to chatting and they offered me a shower, a bed, and live music at the local fundraiser event downtown. Sold;) Thank you Kim, Will, Tone, and Hannah - it was a fabulous stay!