Today, I started from our Baymont Inn in Onalaska, WI. I wasn't really sure how to get to the trail, but I figured if I headed north and west, I'd come to it eventually; and that's sort of what happened. In the meantime, I cruised through some nice suburban neighborhoods, a stretch of secondary highway, and ended up at a wonderful nature center, whose name I don't remember, and I can't find the business card that the wonderful volunteer -- named Carol P (she wrote her full name down, but since I can't find the business card, ...) -- gave me. Carol was a breathy of fresh air in my day. She knew exactly where I needed to go and gave me excellent directions to get there. She also admired Remy, talked about a wonderful Bill Bryson book for me to check out at a later date, and talked about Grandma Gatewood's Walk with me. She gave me maps of Wisconsin and Minnesota, as well as some smaller ones of the immediate area; and she recommended that we not miss Perrot State Park. I relayed the information to Tayler. She went to Perrot, and when Remy and I came riding along we went into the park and found her on a grassy bank overlooking the Mississippi.
The temperature and wind this morning were ideal. I found myself with more energy and eager anticipation than I've had since riding with Sloth that first day. The trail (Great River Trail) that I was following was packed earth, not paved, but it didn't slow us down much. We traveled between 9 and 11 mph most of the day. As the day wore on, it got hotter and hotter, until I realized that it was 90 degrees out. Once we reached the end of the Great River Trail, we had to get onto Hwy 35 (Great River Road) in order to progress further north. I probably sat back from the corner at that intersection for close to 45 minutes trying to figure out if there was another way to go, and listening to the whoosh whoosh of passing traffic. I wasn't sure how Remy would do with it, even though the shoulders were more than adequate.
After a consultation with Sloth which revealed that I could take another way, but it would take me far away from the river and, therefore, off track, I decided to see how Remy would fare; and if he tried to jump out of the carrier, I would find a shady spot and call Tayler. We made it 8.5 miles before I just needed to take my shoes off and sit down. When I stopped, I thought it was temporary and we would keep going; but once I got a look at how sunburned my legs were, I decided it was time to break for the day. We were just short of Fountain City, population 781.
It took a while for Tayler to get to us, so we consumed what was left of our water, walked around a little, and sat looking at the phone for possible lodging up ahead. We found a place with small, attached units right on Hwy 35, just past Alma, overlooking the river: Riedt Cabins. A lot of places were full. I guess the fine weather made lots of people think about getting away for the weekend. Once settled, we drove into beautiful downtown Alma to the Red Ram Saloon. My hamburger was quite tasty. I hope it sits okay.
From this place of utter exhaustion, let me say that, in spite of the temperature and the wind picking up later in the day, I had a wonderful ride. It was great to be able to see the Mississippi during the end of it. Tayler and I have agreed that, to keep this trip from lasting the entire summer, we will set approximately 60-mile goals each day (more or less, depending on the upcoming communities), and I will ride what I can of the 60 miles each day, calling on her to pick us up if/when I become too tired. I hope that my stamina will increase and that I will be able to ride most of it, but I just can't do it at 30+ miles per day.
Because we have already had several shorter days, tomorrow we will aim for Stillwater, the place where my Adventure Cycling maps begin. It is 76 miles from here, and we all know I will not ride that far, but I'll get on the bike in the morning and set out to go as far as I can. Scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast, and I'm still thinking about how best to handle that. It could mean I won't see any rain all day; but it could mean that Remy and I will get caught in a downpour with thunder and lightning. I will elicit advice from my bicycling FB friends.
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