Day 32: Rochester, Minnesota to La
Crosse, Wisconsin
July 22, 2004
Miles: 92 (89 predicted plus 3 for detours and side trips)
Today was a long day but one of the best so far. Getting out of
Rochester was a challenge because two of the streets on the route sheet
were totally torn up. We were able to ride the sidewalk and walk
through the work area to get past the first constuction zone. The
second one was being actively worked with heavy equipment so we worked
out an alternate route (it helped a lot that the streets were logically
numbered). Here are Robert and some of the troups walking by a
missing
bridge:
Once through that, Andrew, Pete and I rode together most of the way to
the first SAG at Bucksnort Park (you can't make these names up).
A very
mellow and well behaved black lab came by the SAG while we were
there. Most dogs would be all over our food table but not this
guy. He did look well fed but I've never known a dog to turn down
extra food.
Then it was over a series of rollers. Just before the second SAG,
there was a scenic overlook that Mike had encouraged us to visit.
Josh and Dr. Steve (who was taking the day off due to a leg injury) had
driven the Red van to the top and yelled to us from the overlook.
Andrew and I had decided beforehand that we would take this detour and
according to Josh we were the first to make the ascent. It was
about as steep as anything we've done--10 percent grade over
three-quarters of a mile. Add to that a gravel surface for the
top half of the climb. We must've spent nearly an hour up there,
looking at the scenery and yelling down to the riders that were behind
us. Liisa, Julie, Gerard, Jessie, Mark, Mike, Senior Paul and
Dianne also made the climb. The view from the top looking back at
our route (look closely for the rider on the road):
The ride down was interesting too. We rode our brakes and crept
down the gravel portion, then blasted down the paved part. By
then Mike was up at the top, waving down to us:
After the overlook, we picked up a very nice bike trail for about ten
miles. Parts of it were out in the open and parts under a canopy
of trees:
The welcome to Wisconsin sign was missing in action due to a
construction project so there is no state line photo. And, due to
the attention that was required going through the construction zone, it
wasn't until after we arrived at the hotel that I realized we had
crossed the Mississippi River. Here is a panorama from the
Wisconsin side.
Return
to Trip Itinerary
