We got up and did some driving first thing... even before tea and coffee! We find that there are a lot of benefits driving at 6:30am... very little wind, and very few cars on the road. And, then you can get parked up early and enjoy the rest of the day.
But we only made it about 22 miles (35 kms) as far as the town of Hayward when we decided to pull into their library and sit there to have breakfast. It turned out that their library internet didn't work very well, but we still have our cellular internet as a back up.
I was perusing a map of the town and I noticed that they had what looked to be a really nice paved bike trail around the town. Not a long one... it looked like maybe 6 miles (10 kms) or so.
And in our opinion, it was a perfect day for a bike ride. Blue sky with a few clouds, hardly any wind, and a high of about 75F (24C). So, we found a boat launch area to park at near the bike path and got the bikes off.
We both noticed that this boat launch parking would make for a good overnight spot.
On the other side of where we were parked is the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum. Through the fence, you could see this huge fiberglass fish. We actually went in, thinking maybe the museum was free... but they wanted $8.75 USD ($11.75 CAD) per person.
No thanks.
I snuck a photo of the giant northern pike.
Then we hopped on the bikes to do some exploring...
Nature park area.
Pretty lily pad flowers.
The solid yellow ones weren't quite open yet.
This turtle was enjoying the sun.
This one thinks he's swimming!
Looking for swamp life.
All the way from the mountains near Mexico City!
The trail took us into a forested area near the hospital where they have some mountain bike trails. What a lot of fun they were! We had a blast zooming along the curvy trails, and surprisingly there was nobody else around.
We made a point of returning to Sherman through the downtown area.
Different church.
Kind of odd, but on the main street of Hayward most people who were out and about were actually wearing masks... even while outside. So, just to fit in, we put ours on too.
Then, we saw the sign for the Home of the $1.00 Ice Cream Cone. Well, for that price it would be rude not to!
So we get inside and it's fairly busy... and most people are NOT wearing masks, including the two employees doing the serving. I actually was being crowded by one family (none of whom were wearing masks) and had to say something.
We got our ice cream and quickly got out of there.
Ruth, and the $1.00 ice cream.
Hayward is a really pretty little town.
Main Street in Hayward.
Really nice town, and with some great bike routes!
We had done about 14.5 miles (23 kms).
Back at Sherman, we decided to stay the night. It was fairly busy with boaters coming and going into the later afternoon and early evening, but it was quiet as can be overnight.
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Record low deal on this Honda Gas Powered Pressure Washer.
And in Canada...
These small towns are great!
ReplyDeleteYes, they certainly are! :-)
DeleteLived in Wisconsin most of our lives, and have never been to Hayward. Thanks for the tour. We are about 200 miles south of you near Waupaca, Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteWe think you should make a trip up to this part of the state then! They have that fishing museum and hall of fame but they are also well know for a big lumberjack competition that they do every year, except it doesn't look like it will happen this year. Plus they have the river there which is quite popular with the boaters and the kayakers.
DeleteSorry we missed the chance to meet up again.
Glad you found a nice place to explore and get some exercise.
ReplyDeleteToo bad some people still think the rules don't apply to them. Then they'll wonder how they got sick.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
It's not hard finding places to explore, we enjoy stopping at these little towns, they usually have something to offer. :-)
DeleteWe just missed you! I knew you were going into beautiful Wisconsin after beautiful Minnesota, but didn't have cell coverage where we were at by Minong.
ReplyDeleteDouble darn it!!! I didn't see that you were by Minong until we got back home in Minnesota.
Enjoy your time. Wish we could have seen you both.
Oh no, that was a shame! Hopefully our paths will cross again sometime in the future. :-)
DeleteWe're spending our summer on family lake front property just a little east of Hayward. Not a bad place to spend the summer and stay social distanced. We rarely go into town. The large Musky is kind of funny.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it would be a fantastic spot to enjoy your summer and to social distance from people.
DeleteHayward is a nice little town and we enjoyed our bike ride around and our "cheap" ice cream. We also tend to stay out of the downtown areas ourselves but it was nice to quickly check this one out.