I may be older and slower, but I'm still getting out there for great adventures!
I may be older and slower, but I'm still getting out there for great adventures!
MADBIRD: Madison Bike Ride, a 333-mile bike trip for Boy Scout Troop 72 from Chippewa Falls to Madison, by way of the Mississippi River (Wabasha, Winona, La Crosse), the Sparta-Elroy Trail, and Devil’s Lake State Park. June 7-13, 2025.
(Sat, 6/14/25; 0 miles) We may be done with the biking, but this might be my favorite night of the trip: Camping out in the backyard of Eric & Brittany Pedersen in Madison. We camped there on SWISBIRD in 2023,…
(Fri, 6/13/25; 60 miles, 2105 feet of climb) Today was the exciting finish of MADBIRD: Madison, our state’s capital city! The weather forecast looked awful a few days ago, but it shaped up quite nicely. We had been secretly discussing…
(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…
(Wed, 6/11/25; 51 miles, 1463 feet of climb) We rode FAST today. Now that we no longer have the young boys with us, the older boys really let loose. And we made it to the famous Sparta-Elroy Trail, and got…
(Tuesday, 6/10/25; 49 miles, 697 feet of climb) What a difference a day makes! Today we enjoyed amazing weather and scenic river towns, including Winona, Trempeleau, and La Crosse. Much of our riding was on bike trails through woods. We…
(Mon, 6/9:25; 41 miles, 569 feet of climb) Today was a downer day. It wasn’t supposed to rain much, but it came down off and on all morning and early afternoon. It was cold and wet most of the day,…
Another great day for biking! Today was a shorter day, but very hilly. It got windy, but the temperatures were overall pretty pleasant. When SPL (Senior Patrol Leader) Micah woke us up at 6:30 am, I was in a dead…
MADBIRD’25, Day 1: Chippewa Falls to Durand, WI (46 miles) Great day for biking! Spirits were high in our first day of the Madison Bike Ride, fueled by a great pancake breakfast at Arneberg Acres. I was hoping to sleep…
This is a new blog for MADBIRD: Madison Bike Ride for Boy Scout Troop 72. Our route leads us through Durand to Wabasha, Minnesota, on the might Mississippi River. Then we follow the river down to Winona and La Crosse,…