This is the trail that caught my attention that first time in the winter. I noticed that there was a trail in Freeport, Illinois that headed north and then I followed it a bit north and saw it joined up with a trail in Wisconsin. So it was the Badger State Trail. Cool. Did a lot of looking at the satellite pictures and reading up on it. There was a tunnel in the middle of the trail and it was a long one, the longest I'd ever been in. You couldn't see the other end because of the curve. So in the pack that I ride with, I always keep a flashlight, just in case.
The morning started out with the ride up to Madison. There would be a southerly wind and I wanted to make sure the wind was helping me. While I can ride for long distances, I am intolerant to slope and wind. My muscles get pretty shot around 20 miles and there just isn't enough umph in them to do much other than pump my legs at a constant rate. There was a Home Depot along the trail, close to what would be called the "beginning" but there wasn't a clear "beginning" of the trail because Madison has a lot of interconnected trails. I figured heading south from there would keep me on the right path.
Pfft! I wasn't on there for half a mile before I took the wrong turn and started heading downhill. It would be a bummer if I took the wrong turn...better check. Nope. Wrong one, back up the hill and take the left trail. Ok, nice and flat, like a rail-trail should be. I passed over the trail I was on previously and up and over a bridge over a major road...and there ya go. A trail closed sign. There was a sign redirecting me to another trail, one that went back where I came from, down the hill and back on the path I originally took. Dang. Wasted energy. I need to go almost 60 miles today and already wasted minutes. The detour signs directed me down the Military Ridge Trail, one that I planned to do later in the summer. So the detour eventually took me down into a parking lot into an industrial park. There weren't a lot of signs from there and I hoped I was on the right way. The road was undergoing resurfacing and was a mess and I was on this side road with dump trucks going by. I did a couple more checks on Google Maps and I did see maybe a way to where I was heading. I needed a right up here with a left a bit later.
The right turn led me straight up another hill. I hit the lower gears and stayed on the sidewalk because this road was narrower and cars lined the road. I'd be more vulnerable to an accident if I stayed on the road. Dang it was tough going, and I was still not sure if this was the right way. The signs weren't clear or even present. Eventually, the sidewalk became nothing but an upward trend with lots of smaller hills to conquer as it hit every driveway. The road had widened and the cars no longer were parked on the street by the time I hit the apex. I still wasn't all that sure of where I was. Then another biker pulled up besides me and she mentioned how much she hated the detour. I told her I was just relieved to see her as now I knew I was on the right way. She told me at the bottom of the hill again, there was a sharp left and then back on the normal route. She was fully decked out in lycra with more of a street bike. I figured that with her setup, the pavement would end and I'd see her again on her way back. My bike has bigger wheels and flat outweighs more so it can handle the more rough path. She was right, and long gone, by the time I got back on the path proper. There was construction on the highway that the path crossed and they were rebuilding the bridge that the path used to cross that road. So away I went.
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Fitchburg was one of the first towns on the line. It wasn't a real town any longer, just a line of houses along the old line. However, they did care about the park there. They put benches out and other things that made bikers feel welcome. It was a nice place to rest after the hills that I had encountered.
The ride continued for a few miles after this. I eventually met the woman I had encountered earlier so I know she hit the end of the paved section and that I needed to be aware of it. I figure I had a few more miles to go. And I did.
There are a few times that I've been surprised on my rides. This was one of them. I think a lot of them are just mental exercises to keep the brain engaged. Some evolutionary questions there, maybe. Anyway, when I hit the end of the path, there was parking and dogs. Lots of dogs. I mean, there are things I try to keep aware of. Dogs are one of them, for obvious reasons. Another is women. I try to keep my distance to not show myself as a threat because I don't want them to not enjoy their own time on the trail. Women with large dogs. This transition had women with large dogs. So I tried to work my way through without getting anyone upset. But that isn't the big thing. The path had deteriorated and became wet. Not only that, but there was a distinct slope down. I get to take it at speed, but it was a wet, dark mess.
Belleville was a pretty little town, with a unique bridge into the town. It wasn't noteworthy other than I wish I had a picture of it but I was in need of water and Tracy would meet me at the path. When I met her, she pointed out where the police had a place to sit to pull people over. I don't know if it was a "speed trap" but it made me nervous, considering all that was going on in the country at the time.
Going south out of Belleville was a bit odd. The path went up and down and along a road or two. It wasn't a big deal, but I was starting to tire. I mean, all during these rides, you get tired. You just keep going.
A few miles later was the object of my ride. I was fully prepared for the tunnel to be closed. It was closed all winter and I hadn't seen any change in status on the trail webpages. I had met a man coming the other way tell me that the tunnel was closed, so it was no surprise to be greeted with the gate and fence.
So I had a choice. I could go a longer, flatter route or a shorter, hilly route. I chose the shorter. And I felt like I was going to die. To make matters worse, there was a younger couple that went on the road with me. They had street bikes so I don't know if they were on the trail or following the Ice Age Trail that kept to the streets more. They annoyed me because not only did they pass me, but they waited at the apex of each hill as if to taunt me as I walked my bike up. I was really feeling my bike's weight by this time.
But at the top of the larger of the hills, I had a good view.
For whatever reason, I lost the couple at the top of the hill. Maybe they were waiting for someone. The rest of the way back to the trail only had a few small hills so it was a better ride. I'll have to do the tunnel at a different time, I guess.
Then next short stop was in Monticello and that is where Tracy met me for lunch. I had felt a slight rise in the trail, and I think by this point, I can feel a .25% grade. The insects became thick and I had to ride a few clouds of them. This was about the first time that insects had even begun to bother me. The trail seemed to be following a slight ridge and the thickness of the trees kept it quite dark.
Shortly after this picture, the slight rise changed into a slight downward slope, and I felt that I raced into Monroe. The park in town was a nice picnic area and off to one side was a bike shop. I was really starting to feel tired at this point. BTW, the sign at the top of this post was also located here. The next few miles were a lot of work. I had to stop about a mile short of the Illinois border to eat some granola bars because I just wasn't keeping up with the calories I was burning.
At the border, the Badger State Trail ended and the Jane Adams began. I stopped and talked with some cows there while I rested. One took a lot of interest in me but I later found that her calf was right under me in the thicket and she didn't appreciate my being there. The picture was taken shortly after she gathered her calf and stormed off to the left of the pic.
I want to add that the Illinois part of the trail was quite depressing. It was darker, a bit wetter, and they seemed to maintain the trail by going through and spraying defoliant everywhere. It was death on either side of the trail. It wasn't attractive. I'm sure it was time-saving, but depressing.
Towards the end of the trail (this portion was a hard 18 miles), I approached Sciota Mills. I found remnants of the old railroad. Ruins! There really wasn't much along the path to this point to let me know this was an old railroad.
There were a few other things off the side of the path too, but I wasn't going to dig around to get to them.
There was also this creepy house.
The windows were new and the garden was tended, so someone had to live there. Until US20, it was swampland, highlighting the creepy.
The last 5 miles are always the hardest. I crossed 20 and forgot about the mileage I had to do to get to Freeport. The path was paved, and nice. I was just tired. Going through Freeport, and before the last turn to get to where Tracy was waiting, was a bike store with this outside.
By this time, this is how I felt. I had traveled at least 58 miles. Tracy had to tolerate my inability to walk or stand well, but I had finished the trail.
