Covid Cross Day #19 Monona, IA to La Crosse, WI

Covid Cross Day #19

June 20, 2020

Monona, IA to La Crosse, WI 77 Miles

Start 7:11 AM Finish 2:46 PM

Ride Time 6:58

Ascent 1634 Feet

Descent 2165 Feet

Tour Total 1710 Miles

Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200620-0711-58108

I slept alright last night in my tent on top of a concrete slab underneath a canopy at Gateway Park in Monona. Last night after MJ's, I cycled back to the park, located at the edge of town. It was familiar because I had stayed there last year while it was being reconstructed. This year everything was in fine order. I set up my tent in exactly the same spot as last year. The restroom was now open with a sink and toilet, and I knew not to be startled by the life-like military statues

There was a massive rain storm last night, and I set up my tent in the perfect place. I woke up around 6 AM and slowly packed. My socks were still wet from yesterday and it was supposed to rain again today so I put them back on. The road was wet from the rain. It was cool, and I was wearing my short sleeve jersey and cycling shorts. I figured that the cycling would soon warm me up. There was a 40% chance of morning showers. The heavy precipitation had come through last night. It started to drizzle, and I pulled over and put on my rain jacket.

I was futzing around on Instagram and realized there was a large black puppy running right besides me. He was now a good distance from his house and I yelled at him to go home. I didn’t want any of these dogs to get hit by a car. After eleven miles I came to a downhill sign where I would be cruising down into the Mississippi River valley. It was overcast with gray clouds hanging low in the sky. There was a light sprinkle and the pavement was wet. I passed a bunch of bunnies.

In Marquette I stopped at the Marquette Bar & Cafe where I ordered two blueberry pancakes, an egg sandwich with bacon and cheese, a coffee, and an orange juice. No one was wearing masks and there were no signs. There was, however, a bottle of hand sanitizer sitting on the bar. The cook had been generous with the blueberries and the pancakes were amazing. I should have only ordered one pancake because I couldn’t finish the pancakes or the egg sandwich. I packed up my rain jacket when I left.

I was now headed north on State Highway 76 along the Mississippi river with a railroad track in between. I was riding on a cracked and damaged two foot wide shoulder with a sharp three foot drop-off into the ditch. There were rock cuts on the other side of the road. The route would take me away from the river several times where I would do some big climbing. The first hill was 623 feet, and I remembered it well from last year.

I rode by a sign for a historical marker that I recalled from last year. I had been told a story about a cyclist who had stealth camped and forgot their wallet and a bunch of weed. A local guy mailed back the wallet. There was just enough cash inside to pay for postage. I waved to all the locals in their trailers as I rode by. I passed at the Effigy Mounds National Monument Visitor Center but it wasn’t yet open, so I didn’t stop.

It was a long harrowing uphill with fast moving traffic in both directions. The F-ing Iowa Department of Transportation put the rumble strips right in the middle of the shoulder so I had to ride left of the white line while steering as straight as possible going up the steep hill. I finally finished the climb and reached the plains, where the sky was still gray with low-hanging clouds.

At the County Road X52 fork, that would take me back down to the Mississippi River valley, there was a flashing sign saying that the Lansing Bridge was closed. Last year I rode up the western side of the river, but ACA had changed the route and I was game for something new. If I couldn't get across the bridge I would follow last year's route.

I began noticing MRT bicycle route signs, which I’d be following. One of the signs had a faded round sticker in the middle of the icon's front bicycle wheel. Soon I found myself screaming downhill on a smooth wide shoulder. MRT stood for Mississippi River Trail. It was nice to be on a signed bike route because the road conditions were generally better, and the motorists were made aware of bicycle traffic.

Back down in the river valley I was riding north alongside the Mississippi River with a train track in between me and the river. To the left were large bluffs. This was a beautiful part of Iowa. I noticed numerous trailers alongside the river propped up on ten foot cinderblock columns. I didn’t know if these structures were fishing cabins or people's homes. I remembered how flooded this area had been last year.

After Harpers Ferry I had a pair of climbs back up out of the valley. The first hill was 440 feet and the second was 417. I was on the Driftless Area Scenic Byway. I spotted a wild turkey hen bobbing into the woods. I got hot and sweaty on the climb. My jersey and socks were still damp. The downhill was fast and chilly. I rode to the small hamlet of Wexford, where I noticed a beautiful small church and cemetery. I then started climbing the second hill.

My gear shifting levers were noticeably stiff today, probably because of all the rain. I recalled my Trans Am tour when I realized that my Brooklyn bike shop had installed galvanized steel cables which had corroded after just a few weeks from condensation. I've stuck with stainless steel ever since. I climbed up to Lafayette Ridge and then it was all downhill.

When I reached the Mississippi Valley I was met with a ginormous coal-fired power plant. There was a tall smokestack and mountains of black coal. As I rode into Lansing I could see the steel truss bridge ahead. There were plenty of restaurant and food options, but I wasn't hungry. A freight train came through blasting its horn as I rode up onto the bridge approach. There was a Road Closed sign on the bridge but I continued across. Open steel grates always freak me out and I worried that my tires were going to puncture.

On the other side of the span I found myself on an island in the middle of the Mississippi. The upper Mississippi had numerous meandering channels and islands. There was a wildlife preserve where I saw swamps and lakes with blooming lotus flowers. I saw more road construction signs ahead and I came to a barricade across the road. At worst I would have to turn around and take last year's route. I continued a few miles and saw vehicles in the distance. I was concerned that workers wouldn't let me across the second span. As I approached, I realized the vehicles were empty. I was able to ride into Wisconsin, the tour's tenth state.

I now found myself on Wisconsin State Highway 35 which had a nice wide shoulder. The motor traffic wasn’t too bad. I passed numerous historical markers related to Native American Indian conflicts including the Blackhawk tribe who were forced into the river at gunpoint. They were shot and drowned.

Today was the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. With the late evening sun I could easily do a ninety or hundred mile day, but I thought it would be a good idea to pace myself and stay at last year’s pace. The first town I came to in Wisconsin was De Soto, and the second was Victory. The sun came out at 12:30 PM and I put on my sunglasses. The pavement was starting to dry, and the bugs got bad. I'd get eaten alive whenever I stopped.

I came to the Dairyland Power Cooperative Genoa station number three. It had originally been a nuclear plant but was later converted to coal. It was a massive plant surrounded by mountains of black coal. Another mile up river I arrived at the US Army Corps of Engineers Lock and Dam number eight at Genoa. Highway 35 was closed in Genoa and I took the detour into town. I could see cranes ahead which meant trouble. There was another detour that wanted me to take Highway 56 up the hill and out of the valley. I chose to test my luck and get back on Highway 35. The highway was empty and I could see that culverts were being replaced. There was considerable risk in my going forward, because I would hate to now backtrack. I had the road and the river completely to myself.

I came to a road section where a bridge was being rebuilt, and only one lane of the original span was open. I proceeded across, fingers crossed that this would be it. A freight train hauling containers trudged south besides me. Then I came to a sign saying Road Closed Ahead. This time I was worried that I might be out of luck. There were enormous cranes ahead and it was obvious that there was no bridge across the stream. I figured that I would take a look. They had built a temporary bridge for the cranes to cross so I walked my bike through the mud and over the low temporary bridge. Soon I was back on the highway. So far, I’d been very lucky with these construction detours.

In Stoddard, just when I thought I had made it through all of the construction, there was another Road Closed sign. I had brown mud all over my shoes. I rode through the gravel. After having pedaled the Carretera Austral it was easy peasy. After the construction in Stoddard, I hoped that it was all behind me. I had eleven more miles to La Crosse, my final destination for the day. Dozens of motorcyclists passed me going the other way, and it started to sprinkle again.

I enjoyed the Wisconsin side. Highway 35 was a nice flat road and the motor traffic was light, although perhaps that was because of the construction. I’d relished a nice wide shoulder today. A day cyclist turned onto Highway 35 right ahead of me. I was eight miles out of La Crosse. It was the first cyclist I had seen in days. Soon after, another day cyclist passed me going the other direction.

The city of La Crosse had a population of 51,320 and was home to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse campus. I had stayed here last year. I first found myself on an awful overpass with ridiculous scary motor traffic, and then I realized that I wasn't on my route. I circled back around and rode through the suburbs. I saw three bunnies hopping together through someone’s yard.

It was interesting coming into La Crosse from the south. I was able to appreciate the tall steep hills and bluffs that surround it. This was a really deep valley. Last year I had crossed the bridge from the Minnesota side and only recognized the city's relationship with the river. La Crosse was a bicycle friendly town. There were numerous bike lanes and markers. In the center of town I crossed paths with a group of four people riding Segways, which I thought were the dumbest things ever.

I booked a room at the Holiday Inn, which was nice. The clerk was wearing a mask. but the pool and fitness area were open. I dried out my gear, showered and shaved, and did laundry. I ordered a pulled-pork sandwich and several Leinenkugel's from Burger Fusion, which was connected to the hotel. I sat at the desk in my room to edit my reports and take advantage of the WiFi.