Fifty Plus (50+) - Wisconsin is closed!

I got a call from our vacation tour guide last night. He said that Wisconsin is closed. The storms and flooding have closed many roads and bridges and debris is blocking the entrances to the tunnels on the Elroy-Sparta bike trail. The worst affected is exactly where we had been planning to ride. He said that he had toyed with the idea of revising the the trip to a series of loop rides and trucking the bikes from town to town but he didn't think that would be a very enjoyable vacation. I think that he made the right decision.

Not the news that I wanted to hear but that's the reality that we have to live with. Now we need to come up with a plan B vacation starting on Saturday.

That's a real bummer. I love riding in SW Wisconsin. Shame that your vacation is ruined.

Yes, that is a bummer.
I hope someone will post if and when that trail opens again. Reedsburg, Elroy, Sparta, Onalaska, Trempealeau is the nicest trail we know and we have made many bike vacations on that trail and were planning one this month.
Do they have an up to date trail condition Web Site?

Arkansas is open for business. Lots of pretty riding. Hilly or flat as you choose.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1281/946645916_4d3daa600f.jpg?v=0
http://www.thewideawakecafe.com/wp-content/uploads/godsglasshouse
http://freeengineer.org/Fall2002BikeTrip/16_WelcomeToArkansas.jpg

http://www.bikearkansas.com/

That's too bad, Retro.

I've been watching the news and it makes me sad to see the damage left behind by the storms. There seems to be a bad year for severe storms and flooding.

There are great trails in SW Ohio. I also like the trail system around Indianapolis.

Try a little farther north 'twixt Menomonie and Eau Claire.

http://www.trailsfromrails.com/chippewa_river_trail.htm

Not all of the Badger State is closed. The Horribly Hilly Hundreds will be going on at Blue Mounds on Saturday!

As Saturday draws near, we have some good news to share. Although recent storms have created a vast amount of problems in central Wisconsin, the routes for the Horribly Hilly Hundreds are still in good shape.

Thank goodness today's storms, the ones that hit Iowa yesterday, weren't as bad as they could have been. It rained hard for several minutes, but cleared up much more quickly than anticipated. Haven't heard how bad it was up in the Elroy-Sparta area. I posted pictures from that area in my other thread on this topic.

Around here there are some flooded fields and the rivers and wetlands are way up, but otherwise, life is normal. No roads are closed, all of the bike trails are open.

Arkansas is open for business. Lots of pretty riding. Hilly or flat as you choose.
http://www.bikearkansas.com/

Actually, I think that's a wonderful idea. We're having dinner tonight to discuss a "Plan B" with at least one other couple who were planning the Wisconsin tour. Maybe we can put together a 2 or 3 day trip on short notice.

Is there another website or a telephone number that I could call? I can't get the one that you listed to open.

Spoke too soon. Within 5 minutes of posting my last post, the skies opened and we are in another downpour.

Shame that your vacation is ruined.

Nope. Our vacation might be changed but it won't be ruined. It's just like a bike ride - it's the imperfections that make the ride and provide the best stories for later shareing.

Keep your plans and come on up to Wisconsin. We could use some help sandbagging the towns.

Nope. Our vacation might be changed but it won't be ruined. It's just like a bike ride - it's the imperfections that make the ride and provide the best stories for later shareing.

Good for you; perfect attitude! :thumb:

Keep your plans and come on up to Wisconsin. We could use some help sandbagging the towns.

I did some of that when we had our big floods down here in 1993. I found out that I was a little old and out of shape for that kind of work even back then. I'm 15 years older now and I'm weaker and more out of shape. I'd need the services of a real good masseuse (not masseur, masseuse) afterward.

Nasty storms swirling around tonight. There were tornado warnings all around the area at the time of my drive home. I took a look at the radar maps, saw two storm fronts, then timed my departure to hit the gap between them. As I was walking to my car in a heavy thunderstorm, the warning sirens were going off all over Madison. I got to within 6-7 miles of the swirling clouds at my closest point. Got home to find my wife and children taking up residence in our basement.

I didn't head to no stinkin' basement, I consider this a form of cheap entertainment.

They had a segment on the original Candid Camera where signs were placed at the state line announcing Delaware was closed. Drivers accepted it without question! :lol:

From this list of closed highways and interstates, Wisconsin indeed does appear to be closed.

"It's an old saying about living in rural parts of Wisconsin, but unfortunately "you can't get there from here" rings true today, as torrential rains and severe storms have crippled the state's highway network.

The closings range from narrow town roads to multi-lane interstate highways and everything in between.

With the summer vacation season ramping up to warp speed as school districts end their school years, road closings are the last thing motorists want to hear about when heading "up north," but it's a fact of life for this upcoming weekend and probably for days and weeks to come.

Where can't you drive? This list of closed highways is long but by no means all-encompassing.

If you are heading to a specific destination in Wisconsin or other parts of the Midwest affected by flooding in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana or other states, it would be wise to call ahead and find out if your destination is in fact reachable from where you begin.

The biggest headaches are on the interstate system.

As of 8:30 a.m. Friday, interstate closings include I-90/94 eastbound at Wisconsin 82 near the city of Mauston in Juneau County, I-39 southbound at Wisconsin 82 about 20 miles north of Portage in Marquette County, and I-39 northbound at the big split with I-39/90/94 and Wisconsin 78 in Columbia County.

Entrance ramps to eastbound I-90/94 are closed from the Wisconsin 82 entrance near Mauston in Juneau County to the Wisconsin 33 entrance one highway before the I-39/90/94 and Wisconsin 78 interchange.

Entrance ramps to southbound I-39 are closed from the Wisconsin 82 entrance north of Portage to the Wisconsin 33 entrance, which also is one highway before the I-39/90/94 and Wisconsin 78 interchange.

All westbound lanes of I-94 over the Crawfish River in Jefferson County have been closed at mile marker 267 west of Johnson Creek, with traffic being detoured south on Wisconsin 26 to County B to County V to Wisconsin 89 at Lake Mills, then back to I-94.

Other U.S. and state highway road closings include U.S. 41 northbound between Oshkosh in Winnebago County and Fond du Lac in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin 22 in Montello at the Montello River Dam, Wisconsin 44 near Elo Road in Winnebago County, Wisconsin 73 just north of Wisconsin 33 in Columbia County, Wisconsin 11 at Wisconsin 89 in Walworth County, Wisconsin 73 south of Wisconsin 23 in Green Lake County and Wisconsin 44 in Markesan in Green Lake County.

Also: Wisconsin 81 between Platteville and Lancaster in Grant County, Wisconsin 133 in Potosi in Grant County, Wisconsin 133 along the Wisconsin River between Wisconsin 80 and 130 in Iowa County, Wisconsin 130 between Wisconsin 133 and 23 in Iowa County, and Wisconsin 80 between U.S. 18 and the Iowa County/Lafayette County line.

Emergency road information is available by phone at 608-242-3059 with the message line updated every two hours or as necessary.

Road closings are also available online at http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov"