OldNorthwest2014

Day 5

Wednesday, 11 Jun 2014
Madison, WI to Brookfield, WI
69.2 miles, 6h13m, 11.1 mph
Elapsed Time: 7h13m, Max speed: 31.3mph
Total Climbing: 2213ft, Max elevation: 1040ft
Total mileage: 371.6

If there was one day I didn't want it to rain it was today. Forty miles on a gravel bike path. Not good when wet. Oh well.

Linda drove me back to where she picked me up on Tuesday. It was 7 miles to the start of the Glacial Drumlin Trail.

Wisconsin highways tend to not have those annoying rumble strips--the roads themselves are bad enough to keep the drivers awake.

What is a drumlin? In 8th grade I learned that they are long, tear-shaped hills that formed when the continental glacier
smeared over a big blob of clay or something. Anyway, there's a bunch of them here. But don't expect any pictures. They are very shy.

Initially I was pleased with the quality of the trail--considering it rained all night.

It rained a little at the beginning, then stopped for a while, then it started again and rained the rest of the day.
Then the trail got muddy. And it was windy.
The dude on the right was holding on for dear life while he fished.

Nature moment! Turtle picks a bad place to lay eggs.

Why don't I have a rear fender? So that this can happen.

The trail was paved for the last 14 miles. And I wasn't the only nut-job out riding in the rain.

Nature moment! The gander really gave me a hard time with the hissing and the threats. But eventually I got by.
Next time this happened I just rode by--and almost got a severe pecking. I'd hate to have to pepper spray a goose.

By the time I reached the hotel, I was too wet and tired to run off and do anything.

So far I've managed to keep on schedule by riding no matter how crappy the conditions. Tomorrow should be a real touring day--where I actually stop and look at stuff on the road. I'll ride into downtown Milwaukee and turn south through Racine and Kenosha. Last full day in Wisconsin.

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