Trip Report - Minneaplis to Milwaukee - June 14-15, 2008

Trip Report
Minneapolis to Milwaukee
June 14 – 15, 2008

This report starts with the birth of our fourth grandchild, Elliott
Christopher Berrier, on June 8 in Minneapolis to our daughter, Monica,
and her husband Seth. Mother and child went home on Thursday, the
12th, so Mary Ann and I drove up the 11th to participate in it all. I
stayed around through Friday night, and Mary Ann wanted to stay (with
the car) a couple extra days to do what grandmothers do, so I seized
the opportunity to ride my bike back to Milwaukee that Saturday and
Sunday.

Saturday, June 14, 2008 – Day 1

We were staying at a motel west of the airport, which created a
problem at the outset. I wanted to go southeast, but to the east the
airport was in the way, and to the south was a river valley, the only
roads over which (for quite a few miles) were freeways that didn’t
allow bikes. So I worked out a route that would go north for some
three miles, and then southeast, picking up Rte. 55, which seemed to
be a good route around the airport and over the Minnesota River. With
a lot of miles to cover, but mid-June daylight to assist the task, I
left at first light at 4:45 a.m., with cloudy skies and temperatures
in the upper 50s.

Soon after I got on route 55, the first problem developed – there was
a sign prohibiting bicycles. But having no idea what else to do
[maybe Ed Dolan the great could have told me where to go], and having
already made a good faith effort to comply with those rules, I opted
to stay on 55, which worked out; I was not stopped.

Winds were generally light; there were a few sprinkles of rain, but
not enough to get wet. I rode 31 miles to Hastings, intending to
cross the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers into Wisconsin at that
point, and take US 10 past Osseo, eventually picking up US12, which
parallels I-94 for many miles. That plan was frustrated when the
bridge was closed for the weekend for repairs. It meant I would have
to travel southeast on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River for
many miles, with three crossings apparently available in areas that
would limit increased distance to a dozen or so miles.

After 25 more miles of riding (56 for the day), I stopped at Red Wing
at 8:45 to eat and study my route options in greater detail. I
decided to cross the river at Winona, the southernmost of the 3
options I had (passing up bridges in Red Wing and Wabasha), because of
the road configurations on either side.

When I left, the sun was out and the temperature warming, so I put on
sun screen and sunglasses. Winds remain light. Going south from Red
Wind, the topography switched from mostly flat to intermittent hills,
as the road (Rte. 61) passes along the edges of hills that went almost
up to the river.

I made a beverage stop in Kellogg, at 11:50, with 94 miles for the
day, and reached Winona (122 miles out) around 2:10. An unpleasant
surprise awaited me there. For reasons unclear to me, bicycles,
pedestrians and trucks with trailers were temporarily not allowed on
the bridge, with a State Patrolman there to enforce it. At this
point, alternative crossings would have added many miles to the trip,
so I hitch-hiked across the bridge, getting a ride in a pick-up truck
after about 10 minutes. Ben, the driver, is himself a bicycle rider,
who immediately understood my problem when he saw me there. A gold
star for him!

I resumed biking as soon as we were across the main bridge, biking
over a smaller bridge that was open to all traffic. At a rest stop
nearby, I encountered a Twin City rider, Scott, who is going from Red
Wing, MN to La Crosse. He had crossed the river at Red Wing, where I
should have crossed in retrospect. He also told me there was a bike
path over the bridge coming out of Minneapolis that I crossed
illegally this morning, but that you have to know about it – you’ll
never stumble into it. He had also encountered along the river route
a young lady named Lisa who was on a biking/camping trip from Boulder,
Colorado. The temperature is up to 85F, and I’m bothered by leg
cramps, perhaps a reaction to my “attacking” too many of the hills in
MN. In any event I had to take a break and lie down and stretch a
bit, after which I was OK, provided I didn’t work too hard. My route
in WI was State Hwy. 35, all the way from opposite Winona to Onalaska,
where I was directed to Wis. 16, which will be my route all the way to
central WI. I stopped in Holmen for a late (4:35 p.m.) lunch, at mile
148 for the day. The route is more easterly, and the SW winds give me
a bit of a tailwind.

Rte.35 had been fairly flat, but Rte.16 had 4 sizable climbs, three of
them between Onalaska and West Salem, and the 4th between Sparta and
Tomah. (By my reckoning, a “sizable” hill is one that I coast down at
over 30 mph.)

I reached the motel in Tomah where I had a reservation (advisable on a
Sat. night) at about 8:10, with 194 miles for the day. Although I’ve
biked over 6000 miles this year to date, 92 miles was my longest day,
and my body was in a state of mild rebellion after this days ride.
First of all, I had to practically force myself to eat – a most
unusual problem for me. Second, after turning on the air conditioner
and downing a couple cold glasses of orange juice, I was suddenly
chilled, and had to climb under the covers for a while to recover.
Third, my rear end needed a dose of hydrocortisone cream. And fourth,
I had intermittent leg and ankle cramps during the night; fortunately,
none after 2:00 a.m.


Sunday, June 15, 2008 – Day 2

Wanting to get to Wisconsin Dells in time for 8:00 Mass at St.
Cecelia’s Church there, I left the motel at first light at 4:40 a.m.,
and made the 47 mile trip in time, helped along by fairly flat roads.
Winds were negligible. Temperatures started out at 55, and were over
70 by the time I got to the Dells; they peaked out later in the low
80s. The forecast was ominous, with widespread thunderstorms
throughout the morning. But when I checked the radar, it showed big
storms to the south, but nothing where I was or to the west of there.

After Mass, I continued on to Portage, stopping at 10:25 to eat, with
66 miles for the day. Portage is so-named because, for the early fur
traders, it was the easiest place to portage from the Great Lakes to
Mississippi River water routes. Traffic on Wis. 16 had become very
heavy after Wis. Dells, and as I approached Portage, I found out why:
at the I-39 intersection, I learned the I-39 was closed due to high
water from this month’s monster storms that have bedeviled IA,
southern WI and other areas. (I later learned the I-90/94 was also
closed by high water.). But 4 miles beyond Portage, the detoured
freeway traffic went south on 51 toward Madison and 16 became peaceful
again. Meanwhile, the skies had cleared, and I had put on sunscreen
and sunglasses.

After Wyocena (about 10 miles past Portage), the topography changed as
I entered drumlin country – glacial hills that dominate Dodge,
Columbia and Jefferson Counties in south central Wisconsin. The rest
of my ride will be up and down!

I reached Columbus, with 94 miles for the day, at around 1:15, and
found the Rte. 16 bridge closed. The official detour was on US 151, a
freeway that bars bicycles. Fortunately, a local lad gave me a “short-
cut” detour route that was seconded by a gas station owner, and added
only a couple hilly miles to my trip. Before leaving Columbus, I
called Mary Ann, who hadn’t left Minneapolis yet and warned her of the
traffic troubles she would have.

I got back on Rte. 16 after a few miles, and found it very lightly
traveled due to the closed bridge in Columbus, and transferred to Wis.
60, when those roads divided. At Hustisford (119 miles for day), I
had to detour around another bridge that was closed by high water,
again a detour that added only a few miles, but quite a bit of work as
town roads lack the cuts and fills that ameliorate some of the hills.

I made a final stop for a late “lunch” at 5:15 in Slinger, with 138
miles for the day, then rode the final 15 miles to my home in
Germantown on Rte. 175, Pioneer Rd., 145, and then Pilgrim Road to
local streets. I reached home at 6:45. Mary Ann drove in about 10:00
p.m., after about 3 hours of delays due to closed roads and detours.

Notwithstanding the problems noted, the trip also had its “blessings”:

- I didn’t get wet

- Temperatures were pleasant

- Winds were more helpful than not

- No flats or mechanical problems

My final mileage: 153 for the day, 347 for the trip.

Nice trip. Us Twin Cities locals could have gotten you out of town more
gracefully, but you got the job done. We also could have told you about
the multiple bridge problems, which of course have been front page news
here. Unfortunately you managed to hit two of the four closed major
bridges in Minnesota all on one ride!

Had you crossed the river in Red Wing, you'd have found an initially
much hillier route than on the Minnesota side, although it's pretty much
dead flat on the Wisconsin side from Stockholm to La Crosse. Either is
a good option, although the Minnesota side is IMHO more scenic.

"Ron Wallenfang" wrote in message
...
Trip Report
Minneapolis to Milwaukee
June 14 – 15, 2008

This report starts with the birth of our fourth grandchild, Elliott
Christopher Berrier, on June 8 in Minneapolis to our daughter, Monica,
and her husband Seth. Mother and child went home on Thursday, the
12th, so Mary Ann and I drove up the 11th to participate in it all. I
stayed around through Friday night, and Mary Ann wanted to stay (with
the car) a couple extra days to do what grandmothers do, so I seized
the opportunity to ride my bike back to Milwaukee that Saturday and
Sunday.

Saturday, June 14, 2008 – Day 1

Portion snipped.
Another great report Ron, thanks for your encouraging comment on my
virtually or vicariously ride to Florida; that I would ride more attitude
gain that the actually ride along the east coast. Indeed I place the route
on a topo map and the gain was much less. I vicariously rode the miles that
placed me in Savannah GA from Philadelphia PA. Margaret had bilateral knee
replacement on June 16. I will be grounded for a few weeks as I help her
recover.
I like the idea of returning home each night after each ride. I have a clock
like list of ride that I did for my birthday ride and plan to add "minutes"
to this clock. the clock is at the bottom of this page;
http://www.billcotton.com/my_training.htm
The birthday ride is here.
http://www.billcotton.com/my_76th_birthday_rides.htm

Ron Wallenfang wrote:

Although I’ve
biked over 6000 miles this year to date, 92 miles was my longest
day,
and my body was in a state of mild rebellion after this days ride
[near 200 miles].
First of all, I had to practically force myself to eat – a most
unusual problem for me. Second, after turning on the air
conditioner
and downing a couple cold glasses of orange juice, I was suddenly
chilled, and had to climb under the covers for a while to recover.
Third, my rear end needed a dose of hydrocortisone cream. And
fourth,
I had intermittent leg and ankle cramps during the night;
fortunately,
none after 2:00 a.m.

Sounds familiar; I've had similar symptoms on tour (after, say, back
to back centuries. I don't do the miles you do, so it would be
natural for me to get these symptoms sooner).

So, the next day you did

153 for the day

The last time I had these symptoms I did over 80 the next day and
felt good -- I could have done more miles, but I was home. I was
surprised at the time because after feeling so bad the previous
night I half-expected to have to bag it.

Your experience was similar. Doesn't it seem odd to have a decent
amount of strength the next day after being so unusually tired the
previous night?

--
Mike Kruger

"viewed in retrospect, it is clear that it has been quite
predictable."
(David Runciman) "I'd only call it "predictable" if you actually
predict it ahead of time" (Andrew Gelman)

Ron Wallenfang wrote:
Trip Report
Minneapolis to Milwaukee
June 14 – 15, 2008

...
Soon after I got on route 55, the first problem developed – there was
a sign prohibiting bicycles. But having no idea what else to do
[maybe Ed Dolan the great could have told me where to go],

Mr. Ed Dolan the Grate has told me where to go quite a few times.

...
Notwithstanding the problems noted, the trip also had its “blessings”:

- I didn’t get wet
...

Yeah, the previous weekend we had over 18-cm of rain, not to mention the
high winds and lightning.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

On Jul 3, 9:09*am, "Bill Cotton" wrote:

"....................., thanks for your encouraging comment on my
virtually or vicariously ride to Florida; that I would ride more attitude
gain that the actually ride along the east coast. Indeed I place the route
on a topo map and the gain was much less. I vicariously rode the miles that
placed me in Savannah GA from Philadelphia PA. Margaret had bilateral knee
replacement on June 16. I will be grounded for a few weeks as I help her
recover.
I like the idea of returning home each night after each ride. I have a clock
like list of ride that I did for my birthday ride and plan to add "minutes"
to this clock. the clock is at the bottom of this page;http://www.billcotton.com/my_training.htm
The birthday ride is here.http://www.billcotton.com/my_76th_birthday_rides.htm

Bill -

Thanks for sharing your statistics, and the whole "virtual ride" idea
and implementation. I'm sorry that family health issues have limited
your ability to do extensive absence trips. You have certainly made
the best of the situation. And it's good to have a sympathetic and
supportive ear at home, as I do "on balance", though on less cheerful
days, the bike is derided, perhaps justly, as my "iron mistress." But
thus are the mechanics of family life!

Ron

On Jul 3, 6:34*pm, "ZBicyclist" wrote:
.
*Doesn't it seem odd to have a decent
amount of strength the next day after being so unusually tired the
previous night?

--
Mike Kruger


That is my experience, though within limits. I have always had strong
first days out on my long trips, even on frequent short rest. And I
can't remember a really bad second day either. But I can think of at
least two long trips where I've "hit the wall", especially mentally,
on the third day out.

Was there some special reason for you to compress the ride into just two
days?

Pat? wrote:
Was there some special reason for you to compress the ride into just two
days?

Ron is just getting warmed up at 100 miles.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"People who had no mercy will find none." - Anon.

On Jul 10, 8:32*pm, "Pat" wrote:
Was there some special reason for you to compress the ride into just two
days?

Work and family considerations are in there. Also that it was a
personal goal to achieve.