The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Bike Wisconsin - Find the Spotted Cow

June 9th to June 21st

Ride Director: Michael Meyers
Ride Co-Director: Marnie Rawles
Report by: Ramsey Doran

Madison glowed as our group cycled out on Monday morning.  We had dined Sunday night at Sardines, where old friends became reacquainted and new riders were welcomed into the fold. Mike Meyers's cue sheets helped all navigate out of Madison and head to Baraboo.  Heavy headwinds added an additional challenge to the 55 mile day. Happy Hour was celebratory, with reports of spotted cows, cranes, and whitecaps on the water in Devil's Lake State Park.  We learned Wisconsin is the Dairy State and that June is Dairy Month. 

Daily, Marnie Rawles and Wisconsin native Linda Kimball told us about Wisconsin. Linda informed us that Joni Mitchell's Hejira Album cover was taken in the winter on Lake Mendota in Madison.  We learned that Baraboo, "Circus City", is home to the Ringling Brothers Circus Museum, including a fleet of circus wagons.

We left Baraboo under dark skies but made it the 66 miles to Tomah dry!  Cows were spotted and construction made for workarounds along the way.  The gravel-path option was reportedly water-soaked, so most riders opted for asphalt and hills.  Tomah's Cranberry Lodge was home for the next two nights; Wisconsin is the nation's #1 cranberry producer. Wednesday's rain deterred all from riding the scheduled 40-mile loop.  Instead, trips were made to the Cranberry Museum and the movie theatre.

Sparta was next with those riding part of the famous Elroy to Sparta Bicycle Trail enjoying a speedy, flat ride. On the off-day, some riders visited the Space & Bike Museum and were delighted with the array of bicycles, the world of chain sprocket design, and Astronaut Deke Slayton's exhibit. Others opted for photos with 32' Ben Biking.

Viroqua was next, the heart of organic farming and the Driftless Area-- so named because glaciers flattening much of Wisconsin did not make it to the Southwest part of the state, resulting in a compressed landscape with no lakes, lots of sharp ridges, steep hills, and waterways that feed rivers. Flooding caused road damage causing some riders to drift off course.  At one detour, lycra-bound heroes (alas, no capes) Felix and Frank helped many cross the tricky portage.

A downhill took us into Prairie du Chien the next day, 346 years after Marquette and Joliet arrived there. They traveled down the Wisconsin River, while we cycled along a plateau with stunning valleys and farms, replete with spotted cows. Some riders seized the opportunity to ride over the bridge to Iowa. Platteville, named after the Platte River, was next. From 1830-50, Cornish miners in the area left a lasting impression when they burrowed into the hills for their original dwellings; exiting their dens with dirty faces, they resembled badgers. Ergo, Wisconsin became the Badger State.

Frank Lloyd Wright's (FLW) influence was obvious as we cycled into Spring Green, from expansive landscaping to dramatic buildings. One will not find a spotted cow, or any white beast on FLW grounds; he perceived their coloring interfered with his "natural vision" of his creations. On the off day, riders visited Taliesin and the quirky House on the Rock.

We spent our last night in New Glarus, an original Swiss settlement. Folks went searching for the 16 painted cows from Switzerland or seeking a frosty Spotted Cow Beer at the New Glarus Brewing Company (one of 120 breweries in the state). We were serenaded by an accordian as we celebrated our journey and feasted on a vast array of grilled meat, vegetables, and desserts.  Our 30-mile ride back to Madison left us with lasting images of spotted cows on quiet back roads and trails...and hills.