Day 11 - Ending near West Salem, WI - Wisconsin on the Kick-back

August 15, 2018

Day 11 - Ending near West Salem, WI

Rode on Elroy-Sparta State Trail, LaCrosse River State Trail

Last night was my coolest night on this trip, so far, and I slept well. Woke up at 5:17am without the alarm, so as to not disturb the cyclists in hammocks under the nearby shelter. Had the report done and sent to my wife by 9:20am. Packing was done and I was on my way at 11:00am, hoping by evening to be at a campground near West Salem, Wisconsin.

Main Street Market in town had been mentioned last night by the campground attendant as a place to get food, and I was there after a few blocks' ride. The store is not really set up with single-serving items, but inside was interesting. I finally decided on milk and cookies for breakfast, which I took to the trailhead picnic table to eat. Of course, I couldn't eat all those Nutter Butter cookies, so hooked the sack with the rest over my flag pole.

After a quick check of inside the caboose here, I started along at 11:35am. "Tunnel #2" was ahead. I knew I was getting close by the cool damp air I was feeling. My noon alarm went off just as I arrived (2.3 miles). After a few pictures, I walked through, and was on the other side at 12:18pm.

At 12:55pm, I arrived in Norwalk, and decided to eat lunch here, if I could find a place, and I did - Lesa T's Cafe, next to the trail. Breakfast was a new item not yet on the menu, and I ordered that, plus a root beer float. The owner/cook/waitress (Lesa?) filled my Klean Kanteen with ice, after I went back to the bike for it. Her breakfast was very good, as was her conversations about life in small-town Norwalk. One thing she said was some of her decorative outdoor flower pots had been "borrowed". After she said she'd checked the creek, I figured out she meant the pots had been taken. Anyway, she had been greeted this morning with a different flower pot outside, placed by a friend where the old pots had been.

After my lunch break, I was back on the trail at 1:45pm. Another slow climb to another tunnel - 3/4 mile long "Tunnel #3". Before arriving there, I stopped to see the Stone Flume, a canal-looking structure built to help prevent erosion.

At 2:37pm, I was at the tunnel entrance. I'd been told this tunnel is very wet, with water dripping from the ceiling. I found that to be the case shortly after I entered. The challenge was to stay dry by walking left or right as my headlight showed the puddles, indicating where drips were falling. At many places, water was pouring down the walls. The whole length of the tunnel has a loud waterfalls sound.

I was back out in the sunshine at 2:57pm. I hadn't done very well on missing the drips in the tunnel, so stopped to dry off the maps, and to turn the GPS receivers back on. It took a while for the MAP330 to get a lock, and I didn't get moving again until 3:14pm, but this time it was downhill coasting.

Sparta was the next town, and I arrived at the depot building there at 4:11pm. I drank a ginger ale from their machine, then crossed the street to the LaCrosse River State Trail. This trail is reported to be flat, and it was! In-use mainline tracks were to the north, and a highway to the south. Three towns to pass through before the campground: Rockland, Bangor, and West Salem, which I did at 5:11pm, 5:45pm, and 6:26pm, respectively. I took a break at the trailhead in West Salem, leaving there at 6:40pm.

I was at the turnoff to Veteran's Memorial Park at 6:58pm. When I arrived at the campground office, everyone was gathered around an older black Chrysler convertible. Just minutes earlier, the camp host had received a gift from his family: his old car refurbished. It'd been sitting for years unused in their driveway. I watched as the waving driver and occupants took off for their test drive.

The wife of the camp host stayed here and checked me in, for site #239 (with electricity). I ate leftover breakfast cookies while I set up the tent. All done at 8:21pm (with the tent set up; there are still cookies left).

I started work on picture-selection, but was again falling asleep with this phone in my hand. Time to brush my teeth and get in (on) the sleeping bag (at 10:45pm). Good night.

Jeff

Spent: $7.09 (breakfast) + $8.75 plus $3.25 (lunch) + $26.91 (campsite) = $46.

Day 11 - Wilson, WI to West Salem, WI

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+ plus signs indicate pictures added after returning home from the trip +