Fifty Plus (50+) - First Bike trip of the year...

My friend Jen and I are going on a crazy adventure tomorrow morning. I'd put a map up, but we're not really sure where we're going. We know we want to hit the Elroy-Sparta trail, but beyond that we're in search of the scariest, weirdest places Wisconsin has to offer.

Hope to be able to post photos of trolls, which are promised at one site. You may also get photos of 20-foot high metal birds, underwater ancient pyramids, Ed Gein's house, a tunnel that winds for 3/4 of a mile and rains on you the entire way, creepy creepy clowns, house on the rock and rock on the house, and a road where the screams of hanged witches still reverberates.


Moooooooohahaha!!!!!!!

Watch this space.

Have a blast! Good to see you out and about again. :D

My friend Jen and I are going on a crazy adventure tomorrow morning. I'd put a map up, but we're not really sure where we're going. We know we want to hit the Elroy-Sparta trail, but beyond that we're in search of the scariest, weirdest places Wisconsin has to offer.

Hope to be able to post photos of trolls, which are promised at one site. You may also get photos of 20-foot high metal birds, underwater ancient pyramids, Ed Gein's house, a tunnel that winds for 3/4 of a mile and rains on you the entire way, creepy creepy clowns, house on the rock and rock on the house, and a road where the screams of hanged witches still reverberates.


Moooooooohahaha!!!!!!!

Watch this space.

I'm confused..........will you be riding somewhere of posting here on BF?

Ride the Elroy-Sparta trail ... then ride all the roads that criss-cross the trail for some great hills. You can get maps in most of the depot towns.

Sounds like a lot of fun! Enjoy the ride:thumb:

I'm confused..........will you be riding somewhere of posting here on BF?

I will be doing both. My laptop gets the internet via my cell phone.

Wow! Do I ever wish I was going on that ride :D

Here are some of our first creeps. We drove backroads to House on the Rock, and we're getting on the bikes tomorrow morning unless it's pouring.

our loaded car: http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0001.jpg

creepy things we saw at House on the Rock:

http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0008.jpg
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And Maddmaxx was kind enough to meet us there...

http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0042.jpg

Been to House on the Rock twice now. The first time we were unprepared
in that we were pressed for time. The second time we had two very bored
teenagers with us. We are scheduled to deliver one of those two to M.S.O.E.
(Milwaukee School of Engineering) in late August, and I've started dropping
hints to my wise Bride that it would be nice to take a detour on the way home.
I would like to go back to Spring Green and spend a looong time at the
House on the Rock, and being fans of Frank Lloyd Wright we would definately
have to swing by Taliesin. You are touring a very interseting part of the
Country. Enjoy and keep the reports and pictures coming. Thanks.

Happy Trails

We just did Camp Douglas-Elroy-Sparta-Onalaska-Trempealeau. Twice in the last month and will do so again in a week. This trail is a treasure.
Hotel and Restaurant Trempealeau are a worthwhile goal with good food and wine. It offers a great view of the Mississippi North of Lake Onalaska. The Perot State Park is near by and another attraction.

Our bike ride this morning really sucked. Even though we looked at the map on the internet, from the official rail trails site, we could not find parking where the map said there was parking. We drove around for about over an hour, getting to the area and then trying to find the trailhead. We never did find a place for the bike path parking, but we found a campsite parking lot. By then it was 10, and 78 degrees with...honest to god, a "real feel of 92". There was 70% humidity and the dewpoint was at 68.

I have done very little riding since my kansas bite incident, and am still not 100%, so I literally thought I was going to pass out. It was a decent bike trail, typical urban type with a few lovely spots.

Got back to the car at about 12, turned the AC down to 60 and went to Mt. Horeb for an art festival. I drank a great* dark beer there that tasted like coffee and chocolate. We went to the Mustard Museum.

Then we went to Little Norway, but were too tired to take the tour.

http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0001a.jpg
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http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0011a.jpg

Hee hee, when you said you'ld post pictures of Trolls I thought they'ld
be walking, talking real live Trolls. :D

Try not to overdo things and enjoy the rest of your trip. Scout out a
bunch of good places to come back to in the Autumn for biking when the
weather is much more co-operative.

UPDATE: So.....

The spookiest part of the trip so far is that my GPS has become haunted. Seriously haunted. It's trying to kill us. We went to a movie last night and it gave us directions which were incorrect, which isn't unusual because it's 10 years old. It has been doing that quite a lot in Madison, and we keep ending up at the same road, which I think is called McMooney but Jen thinks is called McFee. Anyway, we were going to a movie 1 mile north from the hotel, and it kept telling us to go south. So we ignored it and went to the theater on our own, and it kept telling us to turn around. When we pulled into the parking lot, it told us we had arrived, so it wasn't like we typed in the wrong thing.

So, coming home, Jen took a wrong turn and we ended up going back to this McMooney road, and we were laughing. So I turned on the GPS, because it's good for knowing how to get out of a mistake, and it told us to take a U turn on a road coming up. We were unsure about this, because we were on the main Madison Loop freeway! So we watched the GPS, and it said "make a U turn in .5 miles....make a U turn in .2 miles..... make a U turn in 300 feet...." and THERE WAS NO BREAK IN THE FREEWAY. It wanted us to just drive into the meridian! There was no cross road anywhere near us!

Anyway....
We are altering our trip.

I was online, trying to figure out how we could alter our trip for cooler biking. We're basically screwed up at this point, we really want to see the weird sculpture garden in Baraboo and ride through the long tunnel. But to bike in the morning would require driving halfway home and coming back towards madison, and then the timing of the day wouldn't be right.

As I was researching the weather, I saw that it was 55 degrees up at my cabin. So we're bailing on Wisconsin and basically going home this morning with a stop at the sculpture garden. We'll pick my dogs up, and then head straight up north and ride the lake or rail trail this evening and the state park in the morning and spend the rest of the time in the lake.

It's just unbelievably hot in Wisconsin, and we it's just too hard to have as much fun as we want. So, my first real bike trip ANYWHERE, EVER kinda flopped.

Y'know, I don't think I've ever read on this forum about bike trips which fizzled. Let's hear some other stories about that. What makes a bike adventure bad?

And Maddmaxx was kind enough to meet us there...

http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0042.jpg

You never know what sort of strange people you will meet when your GPS is "drifting". Stick to the pills that mother gives you.



Nice pictures!

I was really nervous about the clowns part, but thank goodness, none to be found. That beer you had sounds like it was terrific.

We drove all day to the lake with a stop at Dr. Evermore's sculpture garden.

Now, this was supposed to be a creepy vacation, and the things we had planned to see...well, they weren't so creepy. But it was, on the whole, very creepy. Besides the GPS being possessed and trying to kill us, when we were at the sculture garden I was playing one of the musical instruments and something fell out of it and stung me like a bee. Now, I'm just getting over being sick for over 2 months from an insect bite, so we really tried to find out what it was. It had some good size to it, and it didn't fly. So it swelled up, and everything tingled, and then my tongue started to swell! So I took some Benedryl and that took care of it. You can't even see the bite/sting this evening. But that was very* creepy. This big thing just fell from the inside of a bell and bites!

So it was a scare-filled trip anyway, and kind of in a legitimate way in that it was real and not forced.

Now we're at my cabin after driving all day and we got in too late for a bike ride, but we're leaving at dawn tomorrow morning.

http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0031b.jpg
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We drove all day to the lake with a stop at Dr. Evermore's sculpture garden.

Now, this was supposed to be a creepy vacation, and the things we had planned to see...well, they weren't so creepy. But it was, on the whole, very creepy. Besides the GPS being possessed and trying to kill us, when we were at the sculture garden I was playing one of the musical instruments and something fell out of it and stung me like a bee. Now, I'm just getting over being sick for over 2 months from an insect bite, so we really tried to find out what it was. It had some good size to it, and it didn't fly. So it swelled up, and everything tingled, and then my tongue started to swell! So I took some Benedryl and that took care of it. You can't even see the bite/sting this evening. But that was very* creepy. This big thing just fell from the inside of a bell and bites!

So it was a scare-filled trip anyway, and kind of in a legitimate way in that it was real and not forced.

Now we're at my cabin after driving all day and we got in too late for a bike ride, but we're leaving at dawn tomorrow morning.



Wow, what an adventure! Maybe not the one you wanted to have, but still a real adventure!

Road Fan

I thought California had some interesting attractions and strange people, but next to the Frozen Dead Man Festival in Nederland, Co (seems like the last vestige of real hippies) your trip in Wisconsin has to be filled with more unusual experiences than I would have expected from Wisconsin.

Neat pictures Solveg! Hope you are having a great time!

So, the trip is carrying on its theme, even though we're back in MN. We got up early to ride through the forest. Almost immediately Jen's Deraileur got totally screwed up, but I fixed it!!! Yay! Then we rode until a big hill slowed us down and we were attacked by hundreds of deer flies. Hundreds. I had so many swarming around my head I felt like The Candyman with his swarm of bees encompassing his head. We race back to the car, covered in welts, and a mother bear and 3 babies walked in front of us! Of course, I wasn't ready to take a picture, and couldn't get the camera out in time, because we were so terrorized by the deer flys.

We stopped for breakfast on the way back, and the take out tray was black, which was very suiting for our trip!

This afternoon we're going to look for albino deer which live in the other state park up here. There's a bunch of them, but they're hard to find. I hope I get a photo for you.

http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0060.jpg

Me fixing Jen's Bike.
http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0066.jpg

The Black Take-Out Box
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The wine we drank last night
http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0071.jpg

solveg, in the first picture, what is that thing between the saddle and seatpost of your friend's bike?

solveg, in the first picture, what is that thing between the saddle and seatpost of your friend's bike?

A pogo stick. Here is a better version.

Do you own one? If so, how good is it for long bike rides and handling the common road bumps?

Chick bike mechanics. What's next?

Cool trip.

Do you own one? If so, how good is it for long bike rides and handling the common road bumps?

Have it on the stokers saddle on the tandem and it does work. It is called a Cane Creek Thudbuster and the elastomers vary for weight of the rider. Bit on the pricey side but when the Pilot forgets to call a bump on the trail- I hardly feel it.

Long bike rides are not a problem (14 hours long enough?) but the saddle stills hurts after about 8 hours. This is the long travel version and there is a road version that is short travel. The Long travel is overkill on the road.

Very popular on Tandems so perhaps other tandem teams can confirm the usefullness. I have used it on night rides on the MTB as the post fits both bikes and it does work. Only problem is that you start to rely on it and it can put extra strain on the rear tyre. I use one heavy stoker and we are always getting pinch flats on the offroad downhills because he sits in the saddle instead of taking the weight on the legs. Hit a rock at 50 mph and we are stopping to repair a puncture within 200 yards.

Well, we didn't find any albino deer. Sorry.

But I do have some entertaining pictures that will give you an idea of the general tone of our trip. Oh, and by the way, we went biking again today and got lost for about 1/2 hour trying to find the trailhead again. Every road turned into a campsite.

These are two signs which Jen got confused, and we almost set off alarms:
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http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0011.jpg

Here is Jen trying to drink water and wondering why it isn't working. Look down by her foot:
http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0075.jpg

Her seatpost thingie. I thought all comfort bikes had them...
http://homepage.mac.com/sbacig/.Pictures/weird%20Wi/DSCF0078.jpg

Trip is now done. You may all resume regular programming.

HEY! That's not the same seatpost or the same rack. Is that the same bicycle, or has someone and their bike been abducted. Do you need help? Shall I call 911?


OR, is this the twilight zone?

HEY! That's not the same seatpost or the same rack. Is that the same bicycle, or has someone and their bike been abducted. Do you need help? Shall I call 911?


OR, is this the twilight zone?

Whoa...we're 'sposed to look at the bike? I was still looking at her foot?!?!? :D

Sounds like you had a very interesting trip, thanks for sharing.

Well, it was really a bit of a flop. OK...it was really a flop compared to what I imagined. We still had fun, because flops can be really funny and we're old friends. But, you know, when I imagined the bike trips you guys went on I imagined something totally different. The weather always seems perfect, you stop at the coolest places to eat, you all bicycle at the same pace, and none of your bikes break down.

Are you guys just better planners? And how did you start out when you can't bike more than 3-4 hours in a day? When you're not on the bike from morning til night, it gets a little hard to fit everything in and not stink to high heavens when you go do some non-cycling event. What's the trick?

And I could also use advice on car packing. And how to launder your bike clothes and get them to dry over night.

...And how to launder your bike clothes and get them to dry over night.

Ummm...Errrrr....Aaaahhhheeemmmmm.....Weeeellllllll...

Ummm...Errrrr....Aaaahhhheeemmmmm.....Weeeellllllll...

http://www.smileyworld.com/dictionary/images/smileys/Personality_Traits/Stinky.gif

Sorry the trip did not meet your hopes and expectations, but it sure sounds like it was an adventure to be remembered!

My bike clothes dry rather quickly overnight, even when hung to try in the late evening. They are all non-cotton fabrics.

My bike clothes dry rather quickly overnight, even when hung to try in the late evening. They are all non-cotton fabrics.

Even the padding? My biking bottoms are all double layer things...skorts and mtn. bike shorts. The shirts dry OK, but the bottoms are always dry on the top and wet on the bottom when they hang to dry.

Edit: Oh, wait! You use the padded undies. That would be a good solution, actually.

Hang them inside out directly in front of and as close as possible to the AC vent. Guaranteed to be dry by morning, or your money back.

And how to launder your bike clothes and get them to dry over night.

Isn't that what motels are for?

Hang them inside out directly in front of and as close as possible to the AC vent. Guaranteed to be dry by morning, or your money back.

This usually works on my basement drying rack. Mrs Road Fan's skorts; usually the skirt part dries pretty quick, and the short part needs to be inside out to get max airflow. In a motel I'd use the back of the desk chair as the drying rack, in front of the A/C.

I pack the car with the biggest things in first, with smaller especially soft items packed around them. Idea is not to leave cavities in the trunk or whatever. It lets you pack more and it's more stable. You can put things that shouldn't fall over between other things, that will hold them in place as you drive.

Really, it sounds like a great trip. Aren't you glad you took that mechanic's class, Solveg?

Road Fan

Aren't you glad you took that mechanic's class, Solveg?

Road Fan

I really was! To be honest, I wasn't real sure of what I was doing. She had a triple, and I had never worked with one before...but it worked. I need to go read about it to see if I did it right. My friend was so impressed. She was amazed actually, and she's since signed up to take her own mechanics class. I gave her an extra multi-tool I got with a bike.

There's nothing like having your derailleur screw up in the middle of a forest and then spotting bear to convince you that you should know how to get your bike back on the road.

It's funny... we used to work together and had our own "team", and it made her the easiest person I've ever traveled with because we already knew how to read each other and what was important to the other person. I've never let another person drive my car on a trip, but I knew it was really important to her that we shared all the "work" equally, so I relented. And I liked it! Because she's so much younger and fitter than I was, I got to take naps!

Found it.

You really were in my neck of the woods. Mt. Horeb is about 14 miles from my house. It sits along one of my favorite bike trails, the Military Ridge Trail. Especially the section of that trail that runs from Verona to Mt. Horeb. Going west from Mt. Horeb is a little more boring.

I've been a Mustard Museum customer since it first opened several years ago. And I know the guy who carved all of the trolls lining the streets in Mt. Horeb. I have a small troll made by him.

This coming Saturday is the National Mustard Festival in Mt. Horeb.
http://www.mustardweb.com/mustard-day.htm
Last year I had some mustard swirl ice cream at the festival.

Too bad I wasn't around to assist you in finding the trailheads. I know many of them.

Well after our nice cool break, which began immediately after you departed, things are heating up again. Temps predicted to be 87-89 for the next few days, then rising to 93 on Sat, 92 on Sun, before cooling off again next week to 79-80.

We do have places to go for cooler temps. There are locations along Lake Michigan which are usually several degrees cooler. One such town is "Two Rivers," just north of Manitowoc and midway between Milwaukee and Door County. The land juts out a bit into Lake Michigan and picks up those cool breezes. While we are predicted to hit 93 on Sat, they expect it to be just 84. Next week their highs dip down to 72-73.

When you were here on 7/19-7/21, their highs were 72, 83, and 72. I was once driving past Two Rivers on the interstate and it was 90 degrees. Drove the 4-5 miles into town and the temp was 75. Right along the lake it dipped to 70.

I'm not looking forward to this weekend. 93 is going to significantly cut into my biking plans.

Did you ride any of the Military Ridge Trail out of Mt. Horeb? It's just a half-block from the Grumpy Troll Brewpub, very pretty trail depot.

A couple of my friends went on a 12-day "bike trails" tour last year. Rode the Katy Trail in MO for 2 days, a trail in Illinois, the Badger State, Military Ridge, "400" and Elroy-Sparta trails in WI, the Root River and another trail in Minnesota. They camped out every night but the two they spent at my house.

After they finished, they ranked the trails and both listed Military Ridge as their favorite. Of course this might have been influenced by the fine company they kept when on that trail! :)

No, we saw it though, I think. We had had such a miserable ride that morning that for the rest of the day, whenever we saw a bike trail, one of us would laugh--and point and say--"Hah! There's another bike trail! You want to find the trail head and ride?"

like, really sarcastically.

because we spent a lot* of time driving around madision, lost.

Were you trying to find trail heads within the city of Madison? There aren't a lot of designated trail heads within the city. But there are three in Verona, one in Riley, you were right at the trail head in Mt. Horeb when you were at the Grumpy Troll. There are others in New Glarus, Monticello, Belleville, Monroe, Albany, and Brodhead. Those are just the ones which are south and west of Madison. There are several more over on the Glacial Drumlin Trail on the east side.

Stapfam's pie shop is in Monticello, not far from that trail head. Just a few miles south of New Glarus. That's where they give you a button if you ride your bike to the cafe and order pie. About 4-5 miles north of there, on the Badger State Trail, there is a 1000' train tunnel, which is wonderfully cool & refreshing even on 90 degree days.