A cool, misty 55 degrees at the starting point of Elroy. Hopped on the ‘400’ trail for 22 miles to the town of Reedsburg. The ‘400’ state trail is named after the former Chicago-to-Minneapolis passenger train that ran this rail line, boasting a 400 mile trip in 400 minutes, at times hiting 100 mph. Today, it’s a 90 minute flight. The 400 marked the last leg of the ‘Wisconsin 101’ – 4 interconnected trails running 101 miles from Marshland to Reedsburg. Whew! Some wildlife spotted on the State Trails included: Bunnies, Birds, Butterflies, Bald Eagles, Brown Deer, Black Squirrels (maybe more greyish, but fits the ‘B’ theme), Bugs, and a Badger. Plus chipmunks. All alive! (as opposed to roadkill animals found on vehicle roads). Stopped briefly at a homemade water stop, courtesy of what long-distance trail riders like to call a ‘Trail Angel’.

The 400 trail had a few spur trails, including this one to Hillsboro. I thought about stopping in at Beezers, but it was a bit too early for a cocktail. These state trails would also be beautiful in winter for snowmobiling, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing.

Having run out of trails, I had to hop on some county farm roads to make my way southward towards Madison. Wisconsin county roads are lettered rather than numbered… at least in these parts:

Very little traffic on these winding, windy and surprisingly hilly farm roads. And a bit of humor:

A brief rain storm in Sauk City. Thankfully I sheltered at a nice park alongside the Wisconsin River, when along came another trail angel – Jackie delivering lunch! Just the ticket for the remaining 30 miles into a headwind. Back on the trail towards the town of Springfield, when a nice looking bench offered a brief respite:

Then into the sprawling town of Madison, and some popular tails along Lake Mendota. A pleasant 72 degrees on arrival, just a bit windy is all. We’ve got a beautiful view right outside the window as I write this.

Tomorrow will be the final leg of this year’s tour. Seems like we just started!

A chilly 50 degree start had me donning a jacket this morning as I headed out of Trempealeau on the Great River Trail. Caught a pic of a huge catfish on the way out of town, looks like we’ll have to come back in July for the festival.

20 miles down river, then an eastward turn on the Lacrosse River Trail for another 20 miles or so towards where I met up with Jackie, who parked in Sparta and cycled out to meet me, then back. Great to bike with my favorite cyclist on a trail built for two.

Sparta Wisconsin is the self-proclaimed ‘Bicycling Capital of America’, and they have a large statue of ‘Ben Bikin’ to help substantiate that lofty claim. Sparta is the trailhead of the Sparta-Elroy trail, the nations first ‘Rails-to-Trails’ recreational conversion project – completed in 1967 and serving as a model for hundreds of other similar projects around the country. Sparta-Elroy is a legendary 32 mile trail through rolling hills and featuring 3 tunnels.

The first tunnel is the longest, measuring over 3,800 feet or 3/4 of a mile. This one was cold and literally dripping wet. A headlight is essential, and the trail is too dark and slippery to ride – so walking your bike thru is a smart option.

Tunnel #2 is the shortest, but still headlight and hike worthy. I met a group of Wisconsin cyclists here and we traded stories and photos.

And after one more tunnel, a downhill cruise to the trail terminus of Elroy for tonight’s stay. 74 miles total, mostly 60s and low 70s (quite a bit cooler in those tunnels!) made for a very pleasant and enjoyable ride across three of Wisconsin’s finest state trails. A few more trails tomorrow on a roll into Madison. Adios for now.

A brisk 55 degrees at departure time today, with a cool breeze out of the Northwest. Received some helpful directions from a local rider who happened to be riding around town – “if you can keep up with an old lady, I’ll show you the best way to the state bridge” – well, I could keep up with her speed wise, but she lapped me several times when it came to talking. After hearing about all the nearby trails, why she lives in Red Wing (closer to grandkids), and how her husband sleeps in while she rides in the morning – I made it to the bridge with one parting piece of advice: “Minnesota drivers will slow down for you, Wisconsin drivers won’t”. I’d put her adage to the test after crossing over the Mississippi and into Wisconsin.

Cruising down Wisconsin’s Great River Road, the morning scenery was stunning. William Cullen Bryant boasted the area “ought to be visited in the summer by every poet and painter in the land”. Hard to argue with that. An early stop at the small town of Maiden Rock introduced us to a wide berth of the Mississippi called Lake Pepin, formed by the Chippewa River dumping sediment into the river and forming a natural dam.

Jackie took the opportunity to break out the paddle board and ride the Great River.

Winds picked up as the day wore on, about 15mph NW, which equated to a fabulous tail wind into the picturesque riverside town of Trempealeau and the quaint Little Bluff Inn – our stay for the evening.

80 miles total today, averaging a swift 17.4 mph. Oh, and as forewarned, Wisconsin drivers on the road today did not slow down much – but with a nice wide shoulder, smooth roads, few cars, and a glorious tailwind, I was having too much fun to really notice.

Tomorrow will be a totally car-free ride on State Trails for about 72 miles to the tiny hamlet of Elroy. Bye for now.