We’ve biked about 470 miles in the last 5 days. While
the weather has been good, I think we are feeling a
bit of the wear and tear.
Yesterday we traveled about 92 miles from La Crosse,
WI to the Wisconsin Dells. It was one of the more
unusual riding days. I mentioned earlier that we would
be travelling on a rail trail. Over 30 of our miles
were on the Elroy-Sparta Trail. It is one of the
better known rail trails, if only for the fact that it
goes through 3 old rail tunnels.
http://www.elroy-sparta-trail.com/
The tunnels were completed in 1872. The first one we
went through was the longest at about 3/4 mile. You
have to walk the bikes through the tunnels. There are
no lights so many of us brought a flashlight. When
they built the tunnel they hit an underground stream
so there is alway water dripping though the rock. The
irony is that there was more rain in the tunnel than
we have had on the rest of the trip.
The rail trail was not paved but was in very good
condition. It was smooth riding on packed limestone,
mostly through forests. It was a nice change from the
roads.
We arrived at the Wisconsin Dells which remains a
tourist trap. While they have tried to spruce the
place up a bit it is still somewhat tacky, just as I
remember it from over 40 years ago.
Today we rode about 84 miles to Fond Du Lac,
Wisconsin. The weather was perfect for biking, cool
and gorgeous. We didn’t even care about the variable
winds that weren’t always in our favor. It was mostly
a journey through rolling farmland. When we got to
Fond Du Lac many of us went to the bike shop to get
some parts and accessory items. What a great shop! One
of the employees gave us a card with his telephone
number and said that if we needed anything after hours
to give him a call and he would open up the shop and
help us out. They were personable, knowledgeable and
well supplied. It made us love Fond Du Lac right
from the start.
Tomorrow should be a fairly easy day of about 57 miles
to Manitowoc, WI. We can sleep in a bit tomorrow. Then
we can look forward to our ferry ride the next day
across Lake Michigan. We need the rest. Then we can
start thinking about our push into the East with the
Promised Land in our sights.
Do you think that some day there will be a “Text Message” museum?