Day 32 - Into the Land of Cheese!

Today was another challenging yet rewarding day as we made our way over 88 miles from Rochester, MN to LaCrosse, WI, land of cheese and honey.  Here are Drew, Gardner (from Boston), Don and I as we were welcomed into the state of Wisconsin. 

This event happened toward the very end of the day today.  Going backward in time through pictures, here's a recap of the day.

This is no ordinary cemetery.  We found that the well-kept cemeteries along much of the route in MN were adorned with only living planters of real flowers, which were either hanging above the ground on hangers or in planters on pedestals.  No artificial flowers were allowed.

There is a strong Scandinavian influence in Minnesota, and we were lucky enough to find this fabulous little bakery that featured home-baked breads, sweet treats, and sandwiches. Their potato lefse was made on-site, too, and could be used to wrap around a sandwich filling or hot dog as our riders would find out.  Here's a shot of the bakery case.  YUM!

We also found an entertaining photo opportunity outside the store.

Traveling for miles over a wonderful bike path afforded some respite from the now-hot temperatures and higher humidity (some bank temperatures were displaying over 100 degrees).  The path was lined with trees that helped us keep our cool.  Another stop for baked goods and smoothies was at the path's end, and most all of us stopped there, too for some cooling and fuel.  

Why do we need so much fuel?  Besides the mileage of riding basically 300 miles in 3 days, we found ourselves climbing a one-mile hill with grades from 9-10% for the duration.  Runaway truck ramp - a good idea on the downhill here.  Our speeds going UP this hill - not too much to worry about. 

Along the route every day are one to three SAG stops that are staffed by the America by Bicycle personnel. There we are provided snacks like fruit, peanut butter,  trail mix & bars, plus water and ice for our bike's water bottles.  Today, the best SAG stop was located along a rushing river, a nice cooling venue!  Here the four Oregonians on the right are joined by Gardner Gray from the Boston area.  Gardner rode along with us on most days since the second week, and we have enjoyed both his company and riding skills.

The last photo of the day is one of the Mississippi River as we crossed from MN to WI.  It's so wide, clean and beautiful here, we wanted  to share its photo with you.

Tomorrow -journey to Wisconsin Dells.  91 miles and three long tunnels which we need to carry personal lights to traverse.  Will we find the real Batman there?  Stay tuned.....