Trempealeau

To Trempealeau, Wisconsin -- 59.3 miles, 13.2 mph, 700 ft

In an attempt to get further down the road this morning, we skipped a formal breakfast and headed out onto the trail.  We’ve never had a problem riding on the roads with cars, but it’s been really nice the last two days to just forget about them completely. With the unseasonably cool and cloudy weather, there was almost no one on the trail giving us the luxury of wandering from side to side or riding next to each other (just not both at the same time!). Actually, there was a slight mishap on the trail today. Attempting to maneuver around a fallen tree, Dex and Meg tipped. They were fine except for a bruised thigh (and maybe a bruised ego).

Despite the low traffic level, we did meet a couple of women riding the trail. Bonnie and Teresa were out for a fun ride after completing a marathon the weekend before.  Turns out they are avid runners with Teresa having completed more than 200 marathons just since turning forty! As usual, it was fun to share some of our travel stories and learn a little about their lives. And, as a fringe benefit, the intervening ten miles breezed by.

Like yesterday, the entire day was on the hiking/biking trail, except for a quick lunch detour into Sparta, which, apparently, is the Bike Capital of America (who knew). The riding trail has been nice, but we failed to realize that permits are actually required. A policeman standing next to his cruiser stopped us as we were passing through Onalaska. He was very nice and, after taking down Meg’s and my details, told us where we could get permits just up the road (the kids were off the hook apparently). Unfortunately, the fancy new tourist office was closed, so we’d have to continue our lawless ways for at least an extra day.  Before the final push to Trempealeau, we headed to Dairy Queen for refueling. I’m still amazed at how often I'm hungry. After the first set of chicken strips, French fries and Blizzards, we went back for more. I'm really hoping our exertion level is helping to counterbalance all the junk food we’ve been eating.  

The final stretch today gave us our first chance to ride along the mighty Mississippi.  It was a pleasant smooth trail and the weather was good. On both sides of the trail were beautiful flooded forests made all the more beautiful by the rare appearance of the sun filtering through the leaves. The only downside were the swarms of small bugs that pelted us as we rode. They apparently bothered Meg a good bit more than me, so Kylie and I were literally left in the dust.

 

We arrived at the Little Bluff Inn in Trempealeau at 5:30.  Dex and Kylie couldn't have been happier when they found a little red wagon and a fire pit. They took turns riding the wagon down the nearby grassy slopes and then spent an hour coaxing leaves, twigs, and branches to burn in the light rain. Meg’s and my priority tends to be showering and changing clothes while the kids want nothing more than to run around and play.  Fortunately, there’s no conflict with this.  For dinner we walked the few blocks down Main Street and the Mississippi.