July 27, 2021
Day 57: Reedsburg to Dodgeville
Highway 23 is okay!
“We are having watershed moments,” Rachel says at the top of the second of the four climbs today, as we go over the Plain and Honey Watershed. The first climb is over the Narrow Creek and Baraboo watershed and started just out of Reedsburg. The sky to our backs is dark.
The plan to have a second breakfast in Loganville is dashed when Patrick checked the tablet and sees that the café doesn’t open until Thursday. The second climb starts out of Loganville and is a nice grade and we are rewarded with free miles on another downhill. We stop in Plains at a gas station for a break while there is thunder and lightning in the distance. The third climb starts out of town. The sky has interesting clouds and the wind is picking up. The rain briefly catches up with us, but not enough to make us wet. It just raises the humidity when the sun breaks through. We descend through Spring Green and then to the Wisconsin River. There is construction on the bridge that we navigate through and then turn off to the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center. Nearby is the Taliesin Estate where the famous architect lived and worked for a while. He is famous for great design in the Prairie Style, inadequate structural design and shoddy electrical work. Taliesin burned once because of electrical shorts. The storm passed us by as we are in the visitor center.
After mostly riding on Rails to Trails, Highway 23 has been a nice surprise with a decent shoulder. The Wisconsin drivers remain considerate to cyclists. After the three climbs the road flattens a bit with occasional bumps. The fourth climb is tougher as we are climbing up from the Wisconsin River to a ridge and will not have a downhill. We reach Dodgeville and see the trailhead to the Military Ridge State Trail. First, we stop at the Subway for lunch, and then ride to the Pine Ridge Motel that is just off the trail. It is another Indian run budget hotel, probably the nicest we’ve had the last three nights of similar motels. The clouds greatly helped us today by keeping the temperature down. The afternoon is spent in AC bliss. Tomorrow should be another hot day with a change coming in tomorrow night.
Our plan is to ride the Military Ridge State Trail to Fitchburg and connecting with one of the many bike paths through Madison to a warmshowers host. We are ready for another restday.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 2,389 miles (3,845 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 3 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |