Day 74 - Baraboo, WI to Mt. Horeb, WI - Two Far 2020 - NTF (Not Two Far)

August 12, 2020

Day 74 - Baraboo, WI to Mt. Horeb, WI

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Neither of us was ready to get up at 7 AM this morning, but we finally dragged ourselves out of bed and were on the road by about 9:15. It was a beautiful day for riding with blue skies, light wind and no precipitation in the forecast.

The road south from Baraboo went steadily uphill for six miles and then zoomed down the all the elevation gained in 1.5 miles. It would have been a great downhill ride, but the road and shoulder were grooved for extra traction in snow and ice. The grooves didn't allow us to safely gain much speed going down. Once we got up, then down, we hit a long construction zone which required us to either share the lane with vehicles or ride the rumble strips. We did some of each and none of it was fun!

After those first ten miles, the riding improved. We had good shoulders, smooth pavement and not much climbing. Just before we reached Sauk City, we got on the Great Sauk State Trail. It's a recently built rail-trail still under development. We saw a number of cyclists and walkers on the trail.

The Great Sauk State Trail. The trail is very wooded, but we could get a few glimpses of the Wisconsin River.

For those who said they read all the signs, here are the ones we passed on the trail coming into Sauk City.

In Sauk City, the trail connects to the Sauk City River Trail which winds along the Wisconsin River waterfront.

We found this interesting information on the Sauk City Trail.

We need to look this couple up and learn more about them.

We got off the trail and rode around downtown Sauk City. It is a very attractive town. I spotted the post office and got off the bike to mail a card. Kerry found someone to talk to while I was inside.

Kerry here... Soon after leaving Sauk City, we turned on MN78 and followed what appeared to be an abandoned railroad line. Shortly thereafter, we came across an almost 3 mile long line of covered hoppers, also apparently abandoned. They looked like they had been sitting there for years. We were surprised, however, when we passed a Wisconsin Southern RR truck parked alongside the road and saw a work crew walking along top of the hoppers. Perhaps the cars were not abandoned after all, but I have no idea how they will move them with the track being in the condition it is in.

How long does it take for a tree to grow over a hopper car??

We went through more miles of farms, but I'm limiting myself to one farm picture today.

We saw a sign on the road saying "Historical Marker 1/2 mile" so we had to check it out.

The last town we passed through before we got to Mt. Horeb was Black Earth. It didn't have much that we saw, except this. It claims to be the largest shoe store in the midwest. I'm not sure what King Kong has to do with selling shoes.

You can't really see it in this view, but the rear building is much larger than the front one. It is surely a large store.

And I said was done with farm shots, but I had to post this triple cupola barn.

Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km)
Total: 2,249 miles (3,619 km)

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Mike ObermeyerLove the barns, feels like home.
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3 years ago

Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Mike ObermeyerBarns are good subjects for amateur photographers - it's easy to get good pictures. Where is the home they remind you of? Did you grow up on a farm?
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3 years ago