Day 103, a rude awakening

Maybe I've become lazy; comfortable with stealth camping anywhere. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention to the area.

Regardless, around 1am, my tent was flooded with light and a couple of sheriffs woke me up.

They said while patrolling the area, which includes the park and driving between the baseball fields, they saw a tent.

My tent.

They also said that camping here was prohibited.

I responded with, well, I guess I can get an early start to my day. I think the sheriffs then realized I was only passing through, and I explained my journey.

No longer concerned that their baseball fields are turning into an encampment, they told me, as long as you're out of here around sunrise, you can stay. Get some sleep and ride safe.

Overall, we had a respectful, friendly conversation. But I still couldn't get back to sleep. I had no problem packing up around 5am and moving out.

At least the sunrise was pretty.

I powered into Milwaukee by 9am. The city was dead quiet; I hardly saw a car on the road. Considering Milwaukee has close to 600,000 residents, the silence was a bit spooky.

But it made for a wonderful ride. Milwaukee's streets are not in great condition - I would frequently have to move over an entire lane just to avoid a pothole. Thankfully, there were no cars in the way.

The city is chock full of art, a nice surprise.

I headed straight to the ferry, which was a good decision because they only had a few seats left. I bought a ticket for myself and my bike (the bike only cost $7.50) and headed towards one of the many downtown areas around the city.

A pizza place opened just as I rode by - a perfect lunch. The menu had so many delicious sounding options. And not because I was tired or famished.

Look at the size of that slice. It tasted just as good as it looks. Beer can for scale.

By the time I demolished lunch, the ferry was boarding passengers. Cyclists get to board first, and I met a duo from the Netherlands biking across the country. One was a regular, the other, his first time. Both having the time of their lives.

I ended up sitting with them on the boat and chatting for a while about experiences.

From my seat, I noticed three other guys on the boat with helmets, water bottles and, the giveaway, phones plugged into the boat for power.

I asked if they were touring and they said yes.

Meet Gaurav, Matthew and Shean. All three attend University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This is the first day of their tour!

The several hour ferry ride gave us ample time to discuss touring: wearing cycling shorts or not, cooking equipment, camping spots, etc. Gaurav rode Ragbrai this year, and from his stories, I can't wait to try the week long ride across Iowa in the future!

Once the ferry landed, we exchanged emails and more importantly, Strava information and they headed north.

Muskegon Bay, incredibly picturesque.

The entire boat trip I was debating which direction to go. The wind was the only factor - I rode due east.

The town I ended up in had a sports complex, complete with baseball fields!

I opted to camp in a flat spot in the bushes.

Joe

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