May 28, 2024
Spring Green to Mt. Horeb
A few downed trees won’t stop us
Today’s 40 mile ride will be at the top of our list of “Do you remember?” rides, a good enough story that it won’t need much exaggeration. We left the Wisconsin River valley and had ten miles of steep climbing which made me very grateful for my ebike. From there on we were on a rail trail which we knew was unpaved, but we expected it to improve as we rolled eastward. We hadn’t realized that the storm system that had us watching for tornadoes last week also hit this area quite ferociously.
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We rode through bucolic farmland as we climbed out of the valley.
All trails are not created equal. We knew immediately that this track would be more challenging than the paved trails we rode in Minnesota.
But we weren’t expecting an obstacle course.
Help! Hope is being swallowed by a sea of greenery.
But what to do here? Hope and Sharon’s bikes are about 50 lbs., mine about 32 lbs. We quickly decided that we would have to move the lower branches as best we could and send the bikes under the tree on their sides. With some difficulty, we three not-so-young women managed just that. We don’t have a photographic record as we needed all six hands to maneuver the bikes.
Just as we were preparing to ride on, five more members of our group arrived. With that many people, we could lift the bikes over—much quicker and easier, but not as good a story. Shortly past this barricade we were able to leave the trail and ride on roads to our destination.
We were feeling quite proud of ourselves when got to Mt.Horeb, which celebrates its Scandinavian heritage with troll statues throughout the town.
All’s well that ends well. The rain waited until we were safely inside and finished with a flourish.
Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 249 miles (401 km)
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