June 30, 2021
Day 24: Dubuque, IA to Mineral Point, WI
Today would be sunnier, dryer and warmer, although only up to the mid-80s…not too bad for cycling
It was a really nice day, mostly rolling through Wisconsin farmland. I first had to navigate the south side of Dubuque and get across the Mississippi. This turned out to be pretty easy as they had a bicycle/pedestrian lane outside of the traffic:
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I passed over a barge, pushing a load downstream, as I rode over the river:
On the other side I had to say goodbye to Dubuque – neat town…I need to visit more often!
All along the river-crossing, these mayflies were swarming me. I’ve heard in some years they can become a problem when they swarm in the millions, block traffic, and make it hard to see.
On the other side I was rewarded with a new state!
Then came some climbing – I was expecting this, but (as in Council Bluffs a few days ago) these rivers are all in valleys that need climbing out of.
Not long thereafter, I changed states again. Now it feels like the home-stretch – back in Wisconsin! Wisconsin is where my first duty station in the Coast Guard was – also where I fell in love and got married. Even after many years in California and Colorado, it still feels like home.
I definitely am in America’s Dairyland! This cow told me so.
The rest was just country roads through Wisconsin farms. I don’t know if Wisconsin is more civilized than Iowa and Nebraska, but I didn’t run into a single dirt road. All paved. Until the Cheese Country Trail, which turned out to be the last five miles of my journey. It was fine-crushed gravel, so not too bad.
Mineral Point is an interesting town. Originally settled by Cornish miners (from Cornwall, England) it has a cool historic downtown, and a lot of rental cottages, B&Bs, cabins, etc…. I had reserved a room in a house built of stone in 1839, and my bedroom had stone walls – really unique. Having climbed 2700 feet today, I will sleep well!
Top track today was “Thick as a Brick – Part I” by Jethro Tull. It’s a 22-minute track, but works very well for cycling through farmland!
Tomorrow I head to Madison, WI – I’m getting close to my goal!
Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 1,212 miles (1,951 km)
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