50-Mile Ride and a Curious Yellow Bike

Yesterday was the nicest day we've had in a week so I had to take advantage of it and do a long ride. My goal for the first week of May is to do a 50-mile ride. We started out by riding to Iras & Charlie's and then continuing on to the Farmstead Creamery & Cafe, part of North Star Homestead Farms, for lunch. If you haven't checked this place out, you should definitely do so if you ever visit Hayward. Support your local farmer!

Chippewa River, looking north.

After lunch, Mike returned home while the rest of us continued our ride in an easterly direction, toward the Chippewa River. The river level was quite high from all the runoff.

Chippewa River, looking south toward rapids with standing waves.

After crossing the river, we rode on in search of a small "grotto" or shrine along Moose Lake Road that Iras had spotted on a previous ride. Before long, we came upon it.

The structures in the foreground appear to be made of cement,
in contrast to the stone structure in the background.

Iras points to what looks like a castle turret.

Next to this "shrine" of sorts, was an old building that looked in disrepair but was  architecturally interesting.

And across the road from the shrine I spotted a curious yellow bicycle, decked out with a large red reflector attached to the handlebars and a chainsaw woven through the spokes of the rear wheel.

The frame and the rims looked like they had been spray-painted yellow.

Most curious of all, was the sign that was tie-wrapped to the top tube of the bicycle.

The sign reads: "Hayward Lite Unit #1. For official emergency use only. Authorized uses: Responding to fire calls. Forestry field use when gas exceeds $3.10/gallon." Curious indeed. I don't think this bike could be ridden very far, judging from the condition of the rims and tires.

By the time I returned home, I had ridden nearly 56 miles.