LA Crosse to New Lisbon photos

Argh!  I captioned all these and it ate it again!  Also, I know less is more with pictures, but it's hard. I try to keep them under 15 a day, but this is only a fraction of the ones I've taken.

The La Crosse River Trail

Ed seeing me out.

STORM COWS later in the day.

Typcal tunnel wall in #3 and #1 (#2 was mostly brick)


Tunnel #3

Later in the day in Wisconin's hilly backroads!

It was fun watching this blow in

Tunnel #1, crazy rock ledges

This is typical of the 50 miles of trail I rode.  Very nice.

Ed and Matt at breakfast.

This was along the side of the trail.  A giant conveyor unloading and stacking sand from trains. Unfortunately no action heroes were fighting on it at the time.
 Wisconsin's got rocks!

Looking back trail from tunnel #1
 Tunnel #2 (1/4 mile long)

Tunnel #1 (1/4 mile long)

Looking back through Tunnel #3 (3/4 mile long)

There was also this stuff along the trail
 

and the trail passed through towns every 4-6 miles or so.

Inside tunnel #3.  I'm about 2/3 of the way through the 3/4 mile tunnel, and look how small the light is at the end still!  Sometimes they get so foggy you can't see either end from the inside.

Wisc views.

These old depots serve a visitor centers

Those giant doors on each tunnel were opened and closed to prevent freeze/thaw from degrading the tunnels.  They had to be opened and closed for trains up to 50 times a day.  Two workers with tunnel #3, but only one did #2 and one did #3. This meant they had to go through the tunnels.  These cutouts existed incase they got caught in the tunnel by a train.

Storms!

I think this is tunnel #3?

Hmmmm.. Riendly... #biketour

La Crosse to New Lisbon: How does this keep happening to me?

One of the "looks" that I commonly shared with Ariel on our 2007 bike tour is the "how the hell did we get here" look, refering to the strange experiences and situations we kept finding ourselves in, day after day. I'm still not sure how this kind of road magic works, but it's why I keep doing this.  Today started in tunnels, and ended in me getting personal tours of handbuilt log cabins!

It's already midnight and I'm in the middle of the country in a house so old it doesn't seem to have power outlets, so I am fighting time and battery life. Let's make this quick.

The day started great but late.  Dave, Matt, and I had breakfast at a diner and then Dave rode with me about 6 miles to the start of the La Crosse river trail which then connected to the Sparta/Elsoy river trail which is the first rails to trails concersion in the nation.

The trails were great! They are about 10-12 feet wide, are crushed limestone, and pass through woods, prarie, and a few towns.  The latter portion had three old train tunnels, the longest being 3/4 of a mile and the shortest 1/4 mile.  They were crazy amazing and seem like natural caves from the inside. Very wet and drippy and beautiful.

I did about 55 miles on the trails to (town) and took a breather there. Riding on crushed limestone is better than many things, but not great. It really saps your energy and I was pooped.  I had wanted a 100+ mile day today to get me into Steven's Point early tomorrow but with the slower trail and late start that wasn't going to happen. I waited out a big thunderwhompie storm that blew through, chatted with an employee of the depot there, and then decided to head to New Lisbon about 25 miles away.

The roads there were just amazing, and no-longer flat (the railroad bike trail stays under a 3% grade).  I had a great time, and watched another storm blow in and enjoyed the off-kilter tailwind that came with it. The rain started to hit just before New Lisbon but I was ready for it and stopped to put on my rain gear.

That's when I met Doug!  Doug had passed me before and then did a u-turn to come talk.  He offered me a place to stay but lived about miles back the other way so I initially I said no thanks.  Then we talked a bit more and my brain started saying NEVER SAY NO TO ADVENTURE! I listened, which is why I'm winning today.

We threw my bike and gear in his truck and then Doug bought me dinner and took me to look at the beautiful log cabins that he hand builds on his land.  He had amazing stories about moving a 100+ year old log cabin log-by-log from Minnesota.  His work and artestry was inspiring, and it was nice to be around someone who cares so much about his work.

Doug also shared stories of his 24 year old son, who has walked across Sweden, Canoed down the entire Mississippi, and is currently serving in the Peace Corps in Kurgistan.  He worries about his son, and that was a big reason behind him picking me up.  He would want the same for his son.

Doug and I talked for hours in various locations (my favorite being one of his cabins) and I think he might be one of the wisest people I've ever met. His understanding of people, work ethic, time (now is all you have), motivation, karma, mental discipline (optimism takes work), art, inspiration, and other similar things was just... I don't know how to describe it. 

I kept wanting to record the things he was saying or write everything down.  He's going to be someone who I remember and who shapes my personal philosophies for a long time.  Honestly he reminds me a lot of my Dad, and I'm not suprised that he raised a son who is having the adventures that he is having.  Although it might be a suprise to Doug. :)

I'd love to write more, but sleep calls. Enough blogging about adventures, it's time to recharge so I can have more. Tomorrow I see the Wellings!!! (speaking of inspiring people)

ILYI

Guttenberg to La Crosse photos

I just spent 15 minutes captioning these stupid things and then it lost it! Lets try again!

Looking back at Marquette from the bridge to Parie due Chien

These storefronts in McGregor remind me of New Orleans, or at least the Disneyland fake version since I've never been there.

At an overlookin Minnesota.  This is where Ed met me.

The highlands out of Guttenberg.  The Mississippi Bike Route!

Limestone near the IA/MN border

Dam?

Pike's Peak

Hey boat!! You forgot your river! (just north or Prarie du Chien)
 Pike's Peak




Right near the IA/MN border.  That area to the right is all river marsh.

Looking west at the Iowa River right before the Miss eats it!

Near IA/MN border

Out of order Pike's Peak

Heading into La Crosse with Ed


Climbing out of Guttenberg (I think)

Matt, Ed, and I overlooking La Crosse after dinner.
 Dam.

Part of the 3-mile long bridge/island/bridge/island etc river crossing in to Lansing, IA.  The bridge seems to go straight up here to get over the main channel.

Why I left Wisc. What kind of shoulder is this?!? Ed did say it got better afterI left...

Guttenberg to La Crosse: Oops I did 96 miles again

Today was beautiful! Although I did ride 10 miles farther than I planned yet hit the same town ('cause I fussed with the route), and did 7 hours on the bike.  Whatever. I've ridden almost 2,600 miles, what's 96? Psshha!

The first 18 miles out of Guttenberg had two big bluff climbs and was mostly away from the river in beautiful ridgeline Iowa cornfields.  Right before descending into McGregor to cross the river into Wisc I hit Pike's Peak, a popular destination in Iowa.  The view is crazy good.  I have fond memories of this area from camping and traveling through here with my Aunt Bonnie, Shawn, and with Iris on our first camping / hiking adventure.

At Guttenberg I crossed into Pairie du Chien to go up the Miss on the Wisconsin side since the Iowa side leaves the river for a bit.  That wasn't so great - yes it was pretty, but the shoulder was half sloped concrete concrete / half destroyed blacktop / all pile of poopies. There was also a headwind and lots of trucks.  I talked up some locals after about 20 miles of that and was told that I should cross back in to Iowa at Lansing at around my mile 55.  There I would find that the route had rejoined the river, had good scenery, far fewer cars, shade, and protection from the wind. Also, I would get to go into Minnesota and add an extra state to my trip!

This turned out to be a good call, although it added 10 miles to my day.  Turns out each crossing of the Miss is about 3 miles long and shoots between islands and bridges several times, with one big bridge over the main channel. This river is friggin' crazy.

I'm staying in La Crosse tonight, pop 51,000 - which means that park camping isn't going to work. Towns that big have too many people that care about rules, so unless I find where all the junkies are I'm going to have trouble finding a free spot. Warm Showers to the rescue! 

This morning I shot out e-mails to three potential WarmShowers hosts and Ed got back to me and was more than willing to host on short notice.  Since I was coming in late (arrived at 7pm because I kept getting distracted by pretty river things) he rode out and did the last 20 miles into town with me on his recumbent.  While doing that he snagged another bagger (touring cyclist) who was in front of me and is hosting him as well.

Matt, the other bagger, is riding from Illinoise to Seattle on the Northern Tier route and is brand new to touring and only on day 14.  Ed took us both out to dinner and we talked touring and had a great time.  We'll also be going out for breakfast and then I'll be hauling east on the historic rails to trails routes.  Ed gave me several Wisc bike maps and route advice as well.  Ed is awesomesauce with a side of greatness.

Tomorrow I get to ride through several trails tunnels, some up to 3/4 of a mile long!

ILYI

Crossed back over to the Iowa side of the river for shade and less wind and cars, and I end up in Minnesota! Birthplace of the intrepid Iris! Throw one more state on the #biketour