While most folks in Illinois drive to Wisconsin for the Memorial Day weekend, I thought that I might as well ride. I had always wanted to ride to Wisconsin from Chicago and had never done a ride over 100 miles. Well, I accomplished both today. Temperatures were around around 90 degrees F away from the lake, so I knew it would be a scorching hot ride.  I took it relatively easy and took my time to stop to eat and hydrate along the way.

As soon as I got across the Wisconsin state line, I realized that I was near Pleasant Prairie. I knew I could get water and something to eat at their Rec Plex. Sure enough, they had a brat stand outside. Sweet! Nothing tastes better than a brat fresh off the grill in the summer heat.

While I was eating, I heard a loud hissing sound from my rear wheel. Good timing. I knew I had a flat, but it turned out that my tire had a huge gash from either a broken bottle or piece of metal. No problem. I used a Clif Bar wrapper for a tire boot and headed home.

Normally, I curse SE winds off the lake. Just one month ago, they would have kept temperatures in the low 50s. Now, they kept temperatures in the mid-70ss. Oh, it felt so good riding the last 20 miles along the lake.

A very cool ride. I didn’t push the pace much and just happy to get the distance in. Plus, that brat really hit the spot.