Our short ride today had a special destination - Tim's hometown of Winona, Minnesota. We road a few miles to get to the trailhead, purchasing a trail pass just prior to the start.
The trail was composed primarily of crushed rock, yet was very comfortable to cruise on. We did have a few obstacles, including this downed tree that we needed to skirt around.
We enjoyed the shade from the canopy, the sounds of the wilderness, the old wooden bridges and absence of cars. The gnats swarms were the only detraction.
This large Sandhills Crane may not look like much in the photo, but it was extremely impressive in person; it must have had a 7+ foot wingspan.
About 20 miles down the trail we got to Tim's Aunt Lois and Gil's home.
We checked out their beautiful garden and did some "catching up" before heading back out on the trail. It was fun to finally reach our final state of out journey; Minnesota.
Tim guided me through his hometown, past his former schools, historical buildings and places of interest.
A must do... if you ever go to Winona, MN is Lakeview, an old fashioned Rootbeer stand, owned by Tim's HS friend. We met Tim's family there for lunch.
We cleaned up at our hotel and met with Tim's brothers and family to see the bleachers that will be dedicated to the memory of Tim's dad (Karl Mueller) on Tuesday.
Then we enjoyed a round of frisbee golf in warm weather by the lake. We hung out before heading to The Fish House in Wisconsin for dinner. It was a very nice day
Last night we got our best night sleep of the trip. We sure needed it. Hotel breakfast was at 7:00, so we got on the road soon after. We started off on a vacated road in the midst of final construction. Even the turtle felt safe crossing this road.
We got the Welcome to Wisconsin sign today - a day late but still meaningful.
We spent about 7 miles getting to the Great River Road, then enjoyed the beautiful river on our left and the shade from the bluffs on the right for the next 60ish miles.
Almost halfway we stopped at a roadside Saturday market and purchased an Amish baked goodie for energy.
The views from the river were wonderful; eagles taking flight overhead, fishermen on the river, barges making their way down the river, and a couple locks and dams.
We needed to stop for water in Genoa and found only two bars open. The one with a couple of bicycles parked outside seemed like the logical choice. We carried all our water bottles inside, noticed most folks were drinking Bloody Marys, so we decided it would be a good idea. These were special... they included dill pickle, marinated asparagus and mushroom, olive and Wisconsin pepper cheese. We enjoyed the drink and the folks within.
The final 18 miles to LaCrosse were a push, but we heard about Riverfest from the cyclist in the bar, and we were focused on our destination....but first Tim needed to get this arms around the world's largest six pack (you can see him in front!).
Riverfest was filled with food, fun, watersports and your other typical festival activities.
We checked out the downtown region of LaCrosse before seeking out our hotel on the outskirts of town. The hotel did have it's benefits; guest laundry facilities, an indoor "waterpark" and it was right on the river.
At 5:00 Tim's family showed up from Minnesota to join us for dinner. They all looked so great and it was really nice to see them.
They returned to MN after dinner (we'll see them tomorrow) while Tim and I enjoyed the perfect temperature and the calming sunset while watching the activities of the river.
Just like most mornings, we watched the forecast on TV. The weatherman was joking about how you could take a plain sheet of paper outside today and it would become a "wet-wipe" in no time. The temperature would reach near highs and with the extremely high humidity it would be "oppressive". With that in mind, we grabbed a quick breakfast at McDonalds and was on the road by 6:30. The first six miles warmed us up on relatively flat terrain....then the climbing started. The vistas were beautiful, but the heavy, humid air almost looked like smog.
We climbed to a ridge and continued the rolling terrain for the next 20+ miles, passing Sherrill, where we admired the “most beautiful scenic overlook of the Mississippi in Iowa.”
The next climb was to Balltown (elevation over 1200'), again we could see fabulous views when we wiped the sweat from our eyes. The next several miles were a well earned descent, followed by a couple miles of gravel road to the Cassville Ferry.
We waited with one other car for about 15 minutes for the ferry to arrive. The total journey across the Mississippi River took about 10 minutes.
Once across the river we were in Wisconsin! Hooray, our 8th state along the Mississippi River. We replenished our water supplies and consumed quantities of Gatorade. Today I did not "glisten", instead I dripped; Tim simply poured! It certainly was oppressive, and any pieces of shade we could ride in was a blessing. Therefore, when the route we planned turned to a shaded gravel road we weren't bummed. Here we stopped under the graffitied "kissing rock".
We had plenty more climbing, stopping for shade breaks and water stops before we finally rolled into Prairie du Chien. We did some exploration in this historic river town, the oldest community on the Upper Mississippi River.
Villa Louis a 19th century Victorian is one of the famous historic sites. A cold tap local beer and some nachos, at a wonderful downtown pub, gave us the needed fuel to get to our hotel. The rest of the afternoon and evening was much less eventful: swim, rest, eat, blog, and I am ready to sleep.
A big breakfast at the B&B gave us more than enough fuel needed for the day. The route designated by Google Map bike had us start on a rather narrow road for the first 8 miles, next to the railroad tracks, then take a side street going west.
Our side road was extremely quiet, proceeding past an old and deserted army base.
The road continued past lonely army storage units and other deserted buildings...then became a very rustic dirt road.
We then understood why google maps include the following statement: "Bicycling directions are in beta. Use Caution - This route may contain streets that are not suited for bicycling". We returned back to the narrow road with our additional 9 miles of travel. We peddled cautiously to Hanover, then took a side road to get to Galena, IL. That beautiful, quiet road was a extensive climb to the ski resort.
We felt the hills, but the scenery was well worth the effort.
In addition to the vistas, we also passed some "unique" places.
What a wonderful surprise Galena was. It is a thriving town, whose Main Street seems to just keep going and going. There were so many restaurants and small boutiques all up and down the streets.
We visited only two shops; a adventure store and an authentic old soda fountain. The final push to Dubuque, IA was somewhat hilly and very hot (mid 90's and humid). The bridge over the Mississippi River was long, busy, and the small strip for cyclist could cause vertigo. It was wonderful to arrive safely at our hotel. Looks like Tim truly looks up to the traveling folks of American Gothic, in downtown Dubuque.
The 95+ degree heat prevented us from a great deal of exploration, but we did wander into The Bank for a great dinner.
We are looking forward to a full night sleep without the sound of trains blasting their horns every couple hours. :-)
What a way to start the morning, ride two blocks and jump on a beautiful bike/ped path, knowing it would take us the 65 miles to Savannah.
The air temperature was perfect, the sky clear and the path was close to the river. We took a quick detour from the path to have breakfast at Cup O Joes in Moline. Busy place with the business people coming in all dressed up. Once back on the path, we passed by larger industry, including acres and acres of huge John Deere equipment ready for big farm sales.
The path had a good number of people on it, walking, running, biking, taking their pooch out for a stroll. As we traveled further from the Quad Cities, the path was routed on quiet residential streets. The street here, infront of a small library, was crowded with artwork done by children.
The bike path sometimes popped us our to the busier road, but we were still on a separate path. At one point the path took as a little further sway from the river, but through Native American mounds dating back to 200 AD. Close to a shaded picnic table area the chain on my bike broke. At least we were lucky to have a pleasant place to do bike repair.
We pulled out the tools to repair the chain until a new one could be purchased. After removing the broken link, and almost reconnecting the chain together, our chain tool broke! Amazingly, since we hadn't seen anyone for quite some time, we were so happy that minutes after our tool broke Jim came riding by with the tool we needed! He even wanted to see if he could help us with the repair.
With the bike ready to roll, we searched the closest bike shop in route. We needed to cross the river into Clinton, IA to find this duel car and bike repair shop.
We needed to wait for the bike staff to return from lunch, then he could provide us with my new chain. When returning to Illinois, we could see a wonderful windmill from the bridge. It was a working windmill, sent over from the Netherlands to grind grain when the wind allowed.
The next stop we were looking forward to was Bucks Barn Golf Course. Formerly a farm, this golf course was in great condition.
We enjoyed 12 holes, then caught up to other groups and decided to get back on the saddle. Unfortunately, we had another flat tire waiting for us. The last 8 miles into Savanna were pleasant, except for the swarms of gnats in the wooded areas.
After we got to Granny O'Neils B&B and cleaned up, our stomachs were ready for dinner. Bill and Gigi wanted to drive us to Poopy's and join us for dinner. This popular biker bar and restaurant attracts thousands of bikers on the weekends. Our hosts also wanted us to see the lake from a special lookout high on the forested bluffs. The drive up there was a steep one, with lightening bugs sparkling the wooded areas. The evening ended with a nice chat as we enjoyed the tasty mint chip ice cream that Bill dished out for us.
It was so great getting on clean, freshly lubbed bikes this morning.
On top of that, the morning weather was wonderful and the forecast for the day was perfect. The route today was wonderful; along country roads, on some designated bike paths and alongside the mighty Mississippi River.
It was such a comfortable day of riding, temps in the 70's and gentle breezes. We road 56 miles to Muscatine, IA which in 1914 became the Pearl Button Capital of the World, with more than 50 companies making buttons from the mussels that were pulled from the river.
We spent some time roaming the historic downtown and visiting the Muscatine Button Museum.
Muscatine also had a wonderful riverside park and bike path. Many people were outside enjoying this beautiful day.
The next 30+ miles to Davenport Il, were mostly scenic roads with thoughtful autos.
We rolled into the QuadCities and did some exploring around town; seeing the bridge to no-where, old architecture, and checking out a great brewery.
As we were touring around town, Tim discovered his front tire had a slow leak. We fixed it and decided that we should pick up a few items from a bike shop. We seeked out a bike shop after crossing the river to Rock Island IL. After getting to the shop, in a very round-a-bout way, we got some supplies and made our way to the hotel. Almost unbelievably, todays total milage was 100.2 miles!
A stroll along the riverfront of Rock Island allowed us stretch our legs, explore the area, and find a good place for dinner.
The quote beneath this mural: We must continue throughout our lives to do what we conceive to be good. Black Hawk
