Thoroughly baked

July 1, 2025

Stage Six: LaCrosse to Pepin

Yes, we are thoroughly baked. We started early, when it was cool, but it became hot long before we were done.

This was the first day of riding on a busy road, albeit one with generous shoulders of 3 to 6 feet for nearly the entire way. The road section was longer than planned because a key bridge burned to the water line in mid-May. The first person who told us about it said the police hadn’t caught the person responsible, the second cyclist we talked to said they knew who did it but couldn’t prove it! Regardless, the loss of the bridge meant nearly 10 more miles of road riding as well as adding to our overall total for the day.

Anyway, it also was the first day with very little shade to shield us from the heat. And then, to add just a little bit more of a challenge, we rode most of the day into a stiff headwind, which lowered our speed and made an already longish day longer.

Having said that, we got some excellent early miles on the Great River Trail, which is beautiful and shaded, in sight of the Mississippi. Our route took us through Trempealeau National Wildlife Reserve, which featured prairie habitat bursting with flowers. We stopped at a creamery for some ice cream and Wisconsin cheddar. And we ended the ride at the Villa Bellezza winery built up like an Italian villa, just steps from our AirBnB, an excellent little guesthouse overlooking Lake Pepin.