Lakes to Mountains Tour

Biker's Heaven, Biker's Hell

Thurs, May 1: La Crosse WI to Chatfield MN: 79 miles, sunny morning -> overcast -> sprinkles, 65; 8:50-6:10
Another wonderful day of cycling, the day I'd waited for: the Root River Trail. Again, a path along an old rail line, following the river through forests, past farmland, beside limestone bluffs. Once we reached it, we 42 miles of paved, heavenly bike path virtually to ourselves.
From Fountain at trail's end, we hit US52 to Chatfield. I've ridden a LOT of highways in my travels, but his likely ranked as the worst. The shoulder - when it was paved - was usually crumbling and unrideable. Potholes and cracks forced me onto the traffic lane or onto the gravel. The traffic was moderate, but high-speed. Definitely not suited for bike travel. Of course, it sprinkled for a bit when we first entered the highway, making conditions worse with the wet.
When we heard that US52 into Rochester was "three times as bad" (so bad that drivers were searching for alternate routes to avoid the potholes), we knew we had to find another route for our morning ride. We stopped into the barbershop, where Dave started talking about all the rides he had taken in the past. He called a friend, who then came down to the cafe and gave us new directions as we ate dinner. Thanks!

posted by Glen @ 7:48 PM