One great day off is better than a mediocre week of leisure. This was one of our semi-random three day weekends, and of course we went on a nice ride. The Ozaukee Interurban trail hadn't felt our rubber since April, so we gave her a go. It was a little cloudy and not too warm as we made good time, heading from the fish cleaning station in Port Washington and on toward Belgium and Cedar Grove. Our appetites preceded us to the turn-around point and we were looking forward to a sandwich at a local coffee shop. As we rolled into the middle of town we were distracted by some old sounding music, played on an old PA system. My plane of reference was beginning to tilt, but was quickly grounded again by the scent of grilled food, why, it must be a festival! It turned out to be Cedar Grove's Hollandfest, and we arrived just as it had opened. Looking around the park while we ate some brats, we passed a small pavillion where they were selling something called Oliebollen, which were being kept warm in a dozen or so nesscos (roaster ovens). The oliebollen turned out to be small round fried cake doughnuts, did I mention that they were homade? They had raisins, or not, and were rolled in sugar. Warm and fresh, they were very tasty. Honey asked if we had died and gone to heaven, I wasn't sure...
We lingered a bit, and turned to the way back. It was a bit windy but the doughnuts were great fuel for the remaining 15 miles.

Vacation week. Last week was spent mostly relaxing around the house, a "staycation" if you will. We got out on our bikes several times and that was nice, but it's fun to get out of town and ride some of the great state trails, many of which are only a short drive from Milwaukee or Madison. The choice this time was to do the Sugar River Trail, it's pretty with wildflowers this time of year and is fairly flat, so we could get in a nice long ride. This whole area is very bike friendly, and while Honey and I love the rail-trails, there is plenty of smooth quiet road to be followed as well.
Brodhead was the starting point this time, because we really wanted to stay at the wonderful hotel right at the trail head. Earth Rider Cycling is a lovely little hotel upstairs, and a real bike shop downstairs. The decor is all about le Tour de France, and each room pays homage to a different rider of that race. Bike friendly and comfortable, we really enjoyed our stay and look forward to returning.
The ride itself was interesting, after a big small-town breakfast at the restaurant a couple of doors down from Earth Rider, we headed out on a trail that was wet from a heavy storm the night before. We made about 7 miles, clearing limbs where they fell across the trail, when we were caught by a fairly heavy shower. Honey was convinced that the rain would not last, and as we continued it did clear up. At about 11 miles we were stopped by a small tree that had fallen, so we turned around and beat it back to the hotel, then we could get in a shower before going home. Though not as long as expected, it was still a nice ride.