July 25, 2018 Sparta to Baraboo WI

This morning was the best breakfast of the entire tour.  We were having breakfast at Ginny’s Cupboard.  It started with fresh orange juice, still warm quiche, a French toast bar with the French toast coming straight off the grill and on to your plate, a huge assortment of fresh fruit, and all of the trimmings.  After waddling out of Ginny’s last night where we had this chicken baked in cream and fresh sweet corn as well as ice cream which was a premium ice cream made just for her with 40% fat, I didn’t think I would be able to eat for a few days.  However when I smelled the French toast I knew I could eat at least four huge slices.  I don’t think these back to back meals will be topped.

After breakfast Auzzie Bob and I rolled down to the start of the Elroy-Sparta Bicycle trail and headed east.  The trail is a compacted limestone base with the odd soft spot so one had to pay attention.  It is up hill out of Sparta to the first tunnel which is 1.1 miles in length.  You cannot ride the tunnel as it is too dark and the center of the tunnel is quite arched and with drainage ditches on either side.  In 2010 and in 2014 it was quite dry in the tunnel but today it was very drippy, almost to the point of rain.  We had flash lights so we walked around the big puddles, but you still got lots of big drips of ice cold water down your back. It was lots of fun barking in the tunnel as you could hear the bark going down the tunnel and echoing off the walls. 

After the first tunnel there was more uphill pathway to the second tunnel which is not as long as the first tunnel and it was quite dry inside. The third tunnel is the shortest but is still long enough that you cannot ride it.  It was also the driest.  It looked to me like the third tunnel had been constructed by boring two parallel holes in a lower and softer layer of rock and then expanding the tunnel by blowing the roof out of the parallel holes.   Bob and I were amazed had how much temperature difference there was between the tunnel and the rest of the trail.

After the third tunnel I notice that the cassette retainer nut on had come loose on my bike and when I used the smallest gear on rear cassette the chain would rub on the frame. I stopped and threaded to nut back on and hand tightened it.

It was 42.1 miles to picnic on the trail.  We arrived at about 11:00 am.  I got the mechanics to put a wrench on the rear cassette nut.  It fixed the chain rub.  Shuli had made tomato aspect soup which was so good. It was filled with great crunchy vegetables.  She also had a huge spread of fresh fruit.

After picnic Ed joined Auzzie Bob and myself.   We had another 16 miles down the trail to the ¾ water stop.  I was kind of glad to get off the trail because at this point we had ridden 58.4 miles down the unpaved trail. 

From last water stop Ed jumped on his pedals and dropped Auzzie Bob and myself.   I think he did that as he didn’t want to hear any guff about riding three sides of a square.  Although I have no proof of this it seemed like a lot of lefts and rights, riding east, south, and north.  Then at the very end a really steep climb.  We would have given him grief on that one for sure.

Although it was only a 75.4 mile day with 1740 feet of climb the unpaved path tired me out and I was glad to be in.  

Looks like a thunder storm is in the offing for this evening.

Terry hot biker