Date: August 17, 2005
Route: Prairie du Chien , WI to Dubuque , IA
Distance 71 miles
Ride Time: 6h
Elevation Climbed: 4580
Weather: 60s to 80s fog and sunshine
Log
Green. Everything is so green. Infinite variations of texture and color cover the state of Wisconsin . My bike and helmet blend in beautifully.
I cycled past endless fields of corn and soy with the addition of dairy farms. Curds are sold at the gas stations, ice cream is available in every town. The farms are startling with their bright colored barns and buildings. This is a great place to be a cow or a pig.
I neither found a state welcome sign for Minnesota nor Wisconsin . I kept on the look-out for the Iowa state sign and found this one instead. Boy, was surprised! I didn’t know we would dip into Illinois at all today. I stopped to take a picture when 2 Harleys roared up beside me. It turns out they were in Sturgis for the rally at the same time that Jon and I were there and now they are seeing the Mississippi … going down one side and up the other. It was fun to share stories and admire each other’s bikes.
Knowing a tough climb was literally just around the corner, several of us stopped in Potosi for drinks and a snack. The recumbents naturally gravitated to the handicapped parking. Ten miles farther we took a quick break in Dickeyvlle to visit the Grotto. This is a huge shrine constructed of shells at the local Catholic Church.
This day was the hardest so far, supposedly the hardest of the entire tour. We had short, steep climbs all day long ending with a crossing of the Mississippi on a precarious walkway. It is attached to the side of the bridge like an after-thought. I have no fear of heights, but this was nerve-racking. You could see the water far below on each side of your wheel as you traveled in a mesh enclosure riding on the wrong side of the road. The bridge undulated in the heavy traffic over the wide river. Very disconcerting! There was one final steep, steep climb to the motel. I was glad to find the luggage already unpacked and my room ready.
