Day 34. Wisconsin Dells to Fond Du Lac.

Wisconsin Dells best Western is a place to be avoided at all costs.  Our room backed on to the pool area and there did not appear to be any kind of curfew in place.  We got to sleep eventually but were woken about 3am by some kind of domestic dispute in progress which carried on in the room directly above ours.  Suffice it to say that the offenders may have had an early morning alarm call that they had not requested!!!!!
After a quick breakfast, we set off through the very pleasant Wisconsin countryside and I spotted this rather oddly named road which reminded me of my previous occupation!!!.

I then passed this heavily guarded house and had to go full speed ahead in case the dog jumped the fence and chased me!!!!!

I got to the SAG  which was rather picturesque.

I then discovered that the local American Legion had an interesting way of dealing with kids who misbehave!

I wasn't feeling particularly peckish so just carried on and discovered  how Mike fills in his spare time between photographing cyclists.

Nice swing!!!

I could quite fancy doing this trip again with the aid of the internal combustion engine and wondered what it would be like to drive one of these?

After a fairly early arrival (by my standards), I headed to the laundromat which just happened to be attached to a bar and found that several of my cycling colleagues had beaten me to it!

Out of consideration for the welfare of the other persons in the bar, I decided not to try this !!!

(If you are not from the North-East of England, you won't get that joke!!!)

Today was an excellent day's cycling which had a 15 mile run at the end where I averaged about 18 mph which was a major bonus.  57 miles tomorrow so a small lie in due after a testing few days.

Today's Stats.

Mileage - 83

Climbing - 1400 Feet

Time In saddle - 6hrs, 26 mins.

Average Speed - 12.9 mph

Day 33. La Crosse to Wisconsin Dells.

Today was nicely broken up into 3 separate segments.
Leg 1 was the standard tarmac roads for 27 miles.  I passed by the local Dentist of choice for those people who need an extraction. The camera didn't focus very well but I am sure you get the idea.

We got to the trailhead of the Elroy Sparta Trail and collected our tickets at the SAG stop, venturing in to the store there.

 

Now that would make a nice outfit!  My cycle computer had gone completely blank and I suspected that the cause had been yesterday's torrential rain so I took the battery out and left the back off, hoping that the air would dry it out and it would function again.  It was just as well that we were on the trail for 34 miles as I would have been bound to get lost otherwise.

We then travelled 10 miles up what had been the original railway line to our first of three tunnels.  This tunnnel was quite long and had taken the railroad workers three years to complete.  We were not allowed to cycle through as it was pitch black and had to walk.

 

I am afraid that my poor little camera was not up to the job on this occasion.

We briefly passed through the town of Wilton before rejoining the trail and I was intrigued by the choice of local building materials!

I then crossed over this river but could not find one to kick.  To be honest, with sandals on, I probably wouldn't have bothered anyway.

When I got to the second SAG, I was delighted to find after putting the battery back in, that my computer was working again so I was hopful of finding my way to the destination without going the wrong way.  I was amused by a couple of mailboxes on the way.

Unfortunately, neither appeared to be the musical versions.

I also liked this family's method of displaying their name.

Although I have no idea how to pronounce it.

Wisconsin Dells is a holiday resort so it would have been nice to spend a bit of time here but we have another 83 miles to do tomorrow.

Today's Stats.

Mileage - 90

Climbing - 1200 feet (felt like more)

Time in Saddle - No idea but I started just after 7 and got to hotel about 4:45 so maybe close to 9 hours.

Average Speed - Who Cares!

Day 32. Rochester to La Crosse (Wisconsin)

The weather forecast wa spot on and it was persisting down when we woke to the alarm at 06:00.  Breakfast was a somewhat subdued affair but we loaded on time and set off.  The rain got heavier and while my waterproof jacket and shoe covers did their job in keeping it out, I still got soaked from the heat I was generating inside the jacket.  This continued for about 2 hours and was complemented by strong headwinds.  Oh joy.
The first SAG was at the following picturesque destination.

I lost my way a bit and asked this farmer for directions but he wasn't very helpful.

After leaving the SAG I ws faced with a steep uphill climb followed by a downhill and another uphill after which there were miles of big rollers.  I felt a decided lack of energy so 16 miles later in the town of Rushford, I joined Tom and Skeeter for a bite to eat.  Two chicken wraps later I felt much better though it may have been the flat terrain on the bike path  to Houston that did it! Skeeter rides a recumbent bike.  I asked him what it was  like and how it compared to a normal bike and he said it was very comfortable but harder on hills, at which point I dropped my interest!!!

We made good time to the second SAG on the path, enjoying the smooth surface. As I left, I think I encountered the biggest field, either side of the road that I think I have ever seen.

You guessed it, corn in both fields!

A few miles later we had the climb of the day which was a full mile long and a bit steep!!

This was just the start, the steep bit was further up.

Here is a picture from part way up of one of the lushest places we have cycled through.

When I got to the top, Karen said to me and I quote "Piece of cake Ian"? To which I replied, "Yes Please, that would be nice". After that we cycled on a fairly flat road and stopped to discover what this farmer was storing.

Surprise, surprise, corn!!!

We were flying along by now and soon got to the 90 mile mark and our sixth State, Wisconsin.

Not long after, we crossed the Mississippi and I tried to take a photo of Katie taking a photo of the sign but she turned round just a bit too early!

I got to the hotel at 4.40 pm having left at just after 7am so it was a pretty long day which started off badly and finished superbly which is a lot better than the other way round. We have another 90 miles tomorrow which should prove to be interesting as we will encounter the Elroy Sparta Trail which involves cycling through unlit tunnels.  This avoids cycling over hills so I am very much in favour of it and have my flashlight at the ready!!!

Today's Stats. 

Mileage - 91

Climbing - 2850

Time In Saddle - 8hrs 25 mins

Average Speed - 10.75 mph

Day 31 Mankato to Rochester.

Another century day today with breakfast at 6 and loading at 6.30.  We had a lot more climbing to contend with today so I could have used an earlier start. We had a stinker of a climb right out of the front door of the hotel which lasted just under 1000 yards but had some 14% gradient in it.  After climbing that very slowly indeed, I came upon the first take away homes business I had ever seen!

Bring your own trailer!!!

Once again we were surrounded by fields of corn although because we were traversing rolling hills, the scenery was more interesting.  The first SAG was at 32 miles opposite a big lake in the town of Waseca.

I met some curious horses with a foal

I had teamed up with Gerrard(from Arkansas) who was having a slow day and we forced our way over the rollers and were glad to get to the second SAG at 69 miles for a breather.  Just prior to that we had stopped in the town of Medford which seemed to be meticulously maintained by the residents and met some really friendly people at the local store who were very interested in what we were doing. 

The road conditions had been hellish all day and this was the best one I found.

Car back!!!

We then passed a car that appeared to have been used in a Demolition Derby.

After another coupleof steep climbs, we finally got to our destination and a friendly face gave me the heads up that it was happy hour and there were Horses Doofers in the bar.  The perfect end to my ride!!

91 miles tomorrow with weather forecast dreadful and headwinds.

Today's Stats

Mileage - 101

Climbing - 2400 feet

Time in saddle - 8hrs 30 mins

Average speed - 11.8 mph

Day 30. Worthington to Mankato

Firstly, I posted a video of Sioux Falls yesterday but it seems to have vanished into the ether so here we go again.

We had an early start today with van loading at 05:45 when it was still rather dark and I kept my fingers crossed that there were no Traffic Wardens about when I parked my bike.

We loaded then cycled the short distance to a restaurant for breakfast. I was looking forward to an early start but the waitress must have made a mess of our table's order as it was a full half hour before breakfast actually appeared.

Although today's ride was over 100 miles, we all loved the route profile for obvious reasons!

In actual fact, there was 1000 feet of climbing even though we finished at a lower point than the one we started at.

It remained nicely cool due to a lot of cloud cover and picture opportunities were few and far between because we were surrounded by pig farms and corn fields, rather like yesterday.

We did pass through the 'town' of Grogan, where the Lopez family appear to have moved on!

 

And then the town of Madelia where I nearly stopped to buy a Pepsi from one eccentric resident.

As we continued, some of the roads were a little bumpy to say the least but I was touched that the powers that be saw fit to plant vegetation in the cracks to make the ride more interesting!

The indentations you can see is what passes for a rumble strip over here and is downright dangerous as it both reduces the cycling area and means vehicles are much closer to danger than they would be if, like in the UK, the rumble strip was part of the white line.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to partake of the local squash. 

Due to the flat ride, I still arrived early and was showered and ready for a stroll out by 2.30.

Another century tomorrow with a bit more climbing involved unfortunately.

Today's Stats.

Mileage - 103

Climbing - 1000 feet

Time in Saddle - 7 hrs 5 mins

Average Speed - 14.6 mph

Day 29. Sioux Falls to Worthington

We breakfasted first then loaded the truck at 7am.  The sky was full of foreboding and we were told that there was a 30% chance of rain.  The rain arrived within a few minutes of setting off and I was glad I had put on my rear crud catcher. The rain continued for the best part of two hours and caused some accidents.  Three riders went down while crossing some railroad tracks which cut across the road at an angle and had become very slippery.  Fortunately, no-one was hurt seriously.  After about 10 miles, we were able to stop at the falls after which Sioux Falls is named.

I had become used to some interestingly named Counties but this one was the best yet!

The terrain was not nearly as bad as it appeared to be on the profile but we did have a SouthEasterly wind to contend with which became stronger as the day went on.  This slowed me down a bit but also had an excellent cooling effect.  My cycle computer began to show temperatures in the 80's but it felt nothing like that. At 25 miles we crossed into Minnesota, our 5th State so far.

We passed through the town of Luverne which seems to be in a wealthy part of the State, judging by some of the properties in the area.

The staples here appear to be corn and pigs.  I was unable to recreate the smell of the pig farms we passed today (well, on the blog anyway!!!!!) but corn was in evidence as far as the eye could see.

As we neared Worthington (not the beer), I passed the local baronial hall, complete with suit of armour and modesty flag!!  Maybe that is the final resting place of the Holy Grail.

I found today to be hugely enjoyable.  Not too long and not too hilly and the early morning rain reminded me of home.  I didn't bother with a jacket and by the time I was at our destination I was completely dry.

Today's Stats.

Mileage - 71

Climbing - 1300 feet

Time in saddle - 6 hrs

Average Speed - 11.8 mph