The bicycling life (with my dog): Maybe I should call this trip, "Ride a little, get picked up"

I'm probably not being fair to myself, and I'm extremely grateful that I have Tayler, without whom I would probably be an exhausted, emotional mess by now, but this is the second day that I didn't make it to my destination under my own power.

I knew when I left Madison this morning that the winds would be daunting, and they definitely were, not to mention the "rolling hills." I enjoyed myself a great deal more, but after numerous stops and average speeds around 4-6 mph, I realized that I wouldn't make it to Baraboo this evening. Soooo, Tayler came and got me in Lodi, about 17 miles short of my destination. I hope, as weather changes and as I get stronger, that I'll be able to make 60 miles in a day. What I'm learning from these days, though, is that just like singing, every day is different -- in the world, in my body, in my mind.

I had one great bicycle shop experience in Madison, and one not so great. The proprietor at Revolutions Bike Shop on Atwood was extremely helpful. He sold me a pair of padded gloves (I had a pair, and they're most likely in the car someplace, but so far I'd been riding without because I couldn't find them.) and then proceeded to help me with mapping my way out of Madison and up to Baraboo. He and the other guys also discussed the pros and cons of the 102-mile, crushed limestone Elroy-Sparta Trail that goes from Reedsburg to La Crosse. Apparently, it parallels a highway with lots of access points, so it's easy to go back and forth as needed. If I get sick of the limestone, I can switch over to the highway. If I'm uncomfortable with traffic, I can switch back to the trail.

The not so great experience came when, after going through the downtown and back out Johnson St (which was where Tayler and I had been for coffee earlier), I decided I could really use a map of the city of Madison, so I stopped at Old Town Cycles. Fortunately, the man who was working there had a map of the city because, when I tried to elicit route advice or directions he simply said, "I'm not good with directions. You have a map." Okay.

I did get off track, but a very nice gentleman at a liquor store at the County Road M turnoff knew the area well enough to get me to the next street on my directions from the Revolutions Cycle person. I've also discovered that I can map a destination on my phone and click on "walk", and it will usually get me someplace that is comfortably rideable.

I should probably mention that, when I heard the forecast for the day (north winds at 11 mph with gusts up to 17), I knew I was going to have to find a place inside that could enjoy this. And I did (mostly)! Dairy country is beautiful. I said "hello" to all the cows who lifted their heads to look at us: "Hello, my cow friends! I hope you are having a happy, peaceful life!" There was little traffic on the country roads I followed, which was a good thing because the shoulders were non-existent. Remy was still freaking out about big trucks, so if I saw one coming, I'd stop completely, put my arms around him, and talk to him until it had passed. I also made greater use of treats today. But I'm feeling as though his movement is too limited in the basket, so I may have to invest in a cart just for him (and some stuff).

I stopped often because the hills were non-stop, and going through them with headwinds made each one something that required preparation. At one point, I saw one ahead that looked like a vertical wall on top. We stopped at the bottom and had some beef jerky and water, and I had a chocolate/sea salt Rx bar just for extra fortification, while gazing at the incline and trying to decide whether I'd end up having to stop in the middle. I finally decided that it was likely, and it would be difficult to balance everything, so we walked up. If I'd been alone and unladen, I would have given it a shot; but I didn't want to risk crashing with Remy again. He's been pretty understanding about it so far.

This is the view from where we stopped and contemplated it. A side note: while I spent most of the day in the lowest of 3 gears and going between 4-6 mph, on the other side of this hill I reached my top speed of the day -- 29.3 mph -- for about 20 seconds!

The stops were frequent but healthy. I drank lots and lots of water, and Remy did, too. I even had to go to the bathroom a couple of times (TMI?), which I didn't when Sloth and I rode to Muskegon.

Anyway, with the slow pace and all the stops, I realized it would probably take me till about 10 p.m. to get to Baraboo where our hotel reservation was, so I had Tayler pick us up in Lodi. Tomorrow, though, the predicted high temperature is 66, the winds are "light and variable," and the base of the Elroy-Sparta Trail is only about 17 miles away. I'm hoping to accomplish 40 miles and get a good chunk of the trail behind me. The guys in Milwaukee told me that this particular trail is 102 miles long. They can do it in a day. It will take me at least 2 -- I'm being realistic now (finally!).

And here are some previous photos from the trip now that I've figured out how to post them!