Day 3 : Sparta, WI to Reedsburg, WI
Last night we had an evacuation at around 3 AM due to rains and a possible tornado. There wasn't any tornadoes, thank God! But it was very tiring, and the rains did flood our tents. Today was a short day, too, so it wasn't too bad. It's trails day as well, and we have a few tunnels to go into. At each tunnel, we had to dismount our bikes and walk through. The rest of the trail was dusty.
The Sparta Trail is part of the Rails to Trails program for the US
National Parks. Railroad companies would donate old rails that are not in
use to the parks for use as trails. This is one of the tunnels that we road
through. The sign says "Bikes must be walked thru tunnel. Keep Right.
Single File"
The ride was a beautiful day. I fell in love with Wisconsin's scenery. There were lots of clear lakes and mountains. Camping sites were also plentiful. I recomend any outdoor type person to vacation in Wisconsin. Personally, I would like to end up living there some day. I finished there in time to take a 2 hour swim at the local pool. Gosh, that was so relaxing.
Day 4 : Reedsburg, WI to McFarland, WI
This is it. The mother of all the rides this week. This is the HILLS day. I was doing great the first 10 miles. I was just passing everyone and getting ready for the first big hill. It was incredibly steep. But before I got to that, any experienced rider would ask this question "Gosh, with all that rain on the second day, and the dust on the third day...Did you clean and regrease your chain?" Ummmm, the thought didn't cross my mind. On the first big hill to climb. I placed it on the granny gear, and started to grind my way up hill. And then......SNAP! My chain broke. I had to be picked up and sent to the nearest rest stop. The repair team had a line too, and it took me over an hour and a half to get my bicycle repaired. Then it was back to normal. I felt my strength and endurance just begin to increase this day. The downhills were fast, but we couldn't go fast as there were many intersections that we had to stop in a middle of a downhill. We also had to cross a ferry over a river, and it was a beautiful view.
This photo may not show the steep grade of this hill. On the left
side of the road are many riders who had to dismount and climb uphill. Also
on the left are many riders, who did get past the hill, cheering on the
fellow bicyclist.
That's me in the middle in a maroon and gold cycling uniform. We
were crossing a River on a Ferry.