(Thurs, 6/12/25; 60 miles, 1588 feet of climb)
Wow, what a great day! We were bracing for awful weather, but it turned out splendid. And the six of us are now biking like a well-oiled machine.
It had just started drizzling when Micah woke us up at 5:40 am. But we had a pavilion to stay dry under while we packed up our bikes and wet tents in the Wilton campground. We were rolling at 6:40.
The rain was steady but very light for the first hour or so. We rode 14 miles to a little restaurant in Elroy, Birthplace of Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. The “Elroy Eatery” earned perfect scores from each of us — one boy said it was the best restaurant he’d ever eaten in. Pancakes, omelettes, hashbowns, eggs benedict, and coffee fueled us for a long time.
We left the Sparta -Elroy Trail but immediately picked up the “Old 400 Trail,” another converted railroad track originally built in 1870 to connect Madison to Winona. That led us to Reedsburg, where the boys found a Culver’s where we could eat lunch and charge our phones.
These converted railroad tracks can be deceiving — because the inclines are so gradual for those 1870 steam engines, you don’t even notice it with your eyes. But you can definitely feel it. For some reason, teenage boys think they should always go the same speed.
But when they let me lead for the first section out of Wilton, it was a long climb of 1-2%, according to my bike computer. They were a little perturbed that I was going only 9-10 mph, but that’s the speed I needed to go to keep my heart rate at 120 bpm (beats per minute).
After going through our last tunnel, the trail then DESCENDED at 1-2%. I told them that I would go whatever speed that would keep my heart rate at the same 120 bpm. That speed turned out to be around 18 mph. And they couldn’t keep up with me! Then I realized part of the reason I am slower uphill and faster downhill is simply because I am hauling more weight.
After leaving Culver’s in Reedsburg, we finally hit PAVEMENT! That is always exciting after three days of crushed limestone trails. We are now moving along very well together…except for those uphills. Today, we climbed TWO different monster hills over 10% grade! I had to walk my bike for the first time this trip.
We stocked up at a Kwik Trip in Baraboo, then hauled our dinner to our campground at Devil’s Lake State Park. We cooked cans over the fire, and ate right from the cans. We are becoming savages.
The boys explored the park after dinner. We realized that this is our last campground of the trip, and tomorrow is our last day of biking, as we head into Madison.
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TRANSLATIONS/BACKGROUND: “MADBIRD” = Madison Bike Ride, my own nickname for a bike ride from our home in Chippewa Falls, WI, down the Chippewa River to Pepin, then down the Mississippi River to La Crosse, then over the Sparta-Elroy Trail to Devil’s Lake and Madison, WI. Nine Scouts and three adult leaders from Boy Scout Troop 72 started out the trip (http://www.troop72.com).
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LINKS:
Old-fashioned BLOG if you have friends who don’t use Facebook:
“Old Scouter” Facebook page if you want to follow big adventures with more pictures and video clips (but not unrelated personal posts):
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066334039590
“Old Scouter” YouTube page (when I get time to edit after the trip):