Day 4 - Kendall to Trempealeau

Please visit: https://www.crowdrise.com/rideforbryce

Route

Kendall to Trempealeau - 67 miles

For details of the route, click here.

Weather

Sky condition:  Overcast to partly cloudy
Temperature:  60 to 78
Visibility:  Mostly unlimited (see Today's Ride)
Precipitation:  Mostly none (see Today's Ride)
Wind:  Fairly constant headwind up to 10 knots

Significant Events

Unfortunately, there were three huge hills on today's route that made yesterday's hills look like child's play...

Fortunately, someone built tunnels through them so we didn't have to climb!

Today's Song

"Against the Wind" by Bob Seger

"Angel From Montgomery" by John Prine (more familiarly performed by Bonnie Raitt)

Wildlife Observed

Several deer
Rabbits
Mole
Porcupines
Turtles
Frogs (possibly leopard frogs)
Numerous birds
2 - 3 for long garter snake (boa)
10,000+ gnats

Today's Ride

We got an earlier start today, about 7am. The Elroy-Sparta Trail started a long slow climb into the hills where we ran into the first of three tunnels. The first two (westbound) are approximately 1/4 mile long, and the third is 3/4 mile long.  They are pretty cool tunnels. When we saw the first one from a distance, it looked like the doors were shut. As we got closer, we realized it was actually the tunnel was full of FOG!

The foggy entrance

We rode through the first two tunnels fairly easily. You can see the other end as soon as you enter. The longer tunnel, however, you can't see the other end until you are well into the tunnel. Maybe 500 yards in!  The temperature-dewpoint spread in the long tunnel was definitely zero degrees, since the entire tunnel was full of fog. We should have worn rain gear in there because there was so much water dropping from the ceiling it may as well have been rain. There were also sounds of rivers, waterfalls, etc. 

None of this could be seen however, because our was pitch black in there. All we could really see was what was in our headlight beams. That was probably a good thing because the tunnels are full of BATS! In pretty sure Ileana would not like to see them...

In Trempealeau, we stayed at the historic Trempealeau Hotel. There we had a delicious dinner followed by live music. All in all, a very good day!

Los Dos Centavos de Ileana

"Ignorance is bliss" is a saying in English that I choose to use more often than not.  I look at situation and I decide if I need to understand it or not, and move on. This trip is the perfect example of it.  Nolan does an amazing job every time and I choose not to think too much about our cycling trips. However, this morning I thought maybe I need to pay more attention to how we go about this thing.

Today, we went through 3 tunnels!  First, comment from Nolan this morning "it should be pretty much flat all the way." Not truth!  It was up hill for the first few miles and we went through the first tunnel!  Here is where ignorance is a good policy! Because the tunnel had BATS!!  Not only had bats but the tunnels floor was like a hump! If you did not "steady" stay n the middle, you could technically end up joining the bat colony! And that was just the first and second ones (a 1/4 mile). The last one was 3/4 of mile!! 

It was cold, damp, freezing and horrifying!!!  But at the same time it was beautiful to see how nature and humans  created such amazing experience!  So, choosing ignorance of certain things is still a good policy in my book!