Out spokin' in Wisconsin
CYCLING | In Trempealeau County, two wheels trump four
TREMPEALEAU, Wis. -- My husband, Mark, and I needed a weekend getaway from Chicago. Some place far enough away that it would feel like a different world, but close enough that we could drive there without spending two days in the car. Something active but not expensive. Were we asking the impossible?
The answer came in the hands of our friend Tim, who gave us a brochure for Trempealeau County in western Wisconsin. Peddled as some of the best road cycling in the nation, the county offers 382 miles of paved back roads traversing farmlands, rolling hills, forests, high ridge crests and the Mississippi River. All told, it's a network of 14 cycling loops connecting 11 towns.
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STAYING THERE: Most towns in the county have a handful of small hotels, B&Bs and inns, but rooms go fast, especially during events. In Trempealeau, try the Trempealeau Hotel, 11332 Main St., (608) 534-6898, trempealeauhotel.com. In Arcadia, the Draft Horse Inn offers basic, affordable rooms and a friendly staff; 1475 E. Blaschko Ave., one block off Highway 93, (608) 323-7900. Camping also is an option. Sites are available at Perrot State Park, located among 500-foot bluffs where the Trempealeau and Mississippi rivers meet; (608) 534-6409, www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/perrot. For information on camping throughout the county, call the Trempealeau County's tourism hot line at (715) 538-2311, ext. 205.
For a free visitor's guidebook to the county, contact Trempealeau County Tourism Council at (800) 927-5339 or ruralexperiences.com.
WHEN TO GO: May through October is prime cycling time. Ride on your own or tag along on one of the Tour de Trempealeau events:
* Hip Breaker Spring Tour, this Saturday. Starting and finishing in Trempealeau, there is a 10-mile fun ride and 23- and 43-mile hill rides.The latter includes the infamous hip breaker hill.
* Arcadia Memorial Tour, May 23. Coincides with Arcadia Broiler Dairy Days. Don't miss the 54-acre Memorial Park in Arcadia.
* Trempealeau's Catfish 50 Tour, July 11. Part of Trempealeau Lions Annual Catfish Days Celebration, July 10-12, this ride starts at the Mississippi River and winds through Perrot State Park.
* Whitehall's Top of the World Tour, Aug. 23. Choose from a 15-mile river valley tour, a 23-mile top of the world tour or the 40-60 mile extended world tours.
* Galesville's Apple Affair Bike Tour, Oct. 3. Join these family-oriented tours through two apple orchards. Don't miss a piece of the Famous 10 Foot Apple Pie.
Details at Bike Club Trempealeau County's Web site, ridebctc.com.
With roads seeing an average of three cars an hour, we thought this cycling mecca only a five-hour drive from Chicago sounded too good to be true.
"It's like a bike path that we let cars drive on," joked Ron McKernan, president of the Bicycle Club of Trempealeau County, an informal group of locals who ride together and help organize the annual Tour de Trempealeau, a series of bicycle events running from May to October. "You're more likely to see a deer or turkey in the road."
Mark and I decided to start in the town of Arcadia. We'd cycle south along Loop 4, connect with Loop 2 around Pine Creek and continue south to the river town of Trempealeau before heading back. This would total about 58 miles -- a respectable distance for one day.
Finding a place to stay wasn't easy. Trempealeau was putting on its annual Arts on the River blues concert this August weekend, and that meant all the rooms in the town's few hotels were taken.
When I called motels in Arcadia, I was told they were completely booked for Saturday night.
"We have two weddings in town that day," the desk clerk at the Draft Horse Inn told me, "but I can get you a room for Friday."
Arriving in Arcadia on Friday night, we took advantage of a last-minute cancellation and booked for Saturday night, too.
Saturday morning, we hopped in the saddle in Arcadia and circled through Memorial Park (worth a longer stay than we gave it) before settling into the back roads.
We knew from our detailed map -- which you can order for free off Bike Club Trempealeau County's Web site, ridebctc.com -- that a "hip breaker" hill would be waiting for us at the end of Loop 4. What we didn't realize was that we were starting at the end.
At the top of a hill I thought would never finish, I stopped, took off my helmet and waited for the world to stop spinning. The view of the surrounding pastures and meadows dotted by barns was spectacular.
We continued on, coasting through gold and green farmland and forests. We missed the point where Loop 4 connects with Loop 2, but our map included the surrounding roads, so we got back on track without much hassle.
"If you see a road that looks interesting, there's nothing to say you have to stay on the route," McKernan said.
One of McKernan's favorite rides lies just outside of Whitehall. It's nicknamed the "Top of The World" and includes parts of Loops 7 and 8, traversing what McKernan described as a roller coaster ridge-top road.
"We get these setting sun vistas and rolling hills going toward Minnesota," he said. "It's just unbelievable how serene the view is. At every twist and turn, every hill you come up, it's another vista."
Only one part of our route included a major highway, but it had a wide shoulder bordering a cornfield.
As we pedaled along, I was jolted out of my trance by the sound of gunfire. We turned off the highway and cycled past a shooting range and the prairies that make up the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge. Soon, we were riding along the Mississippi River.
Cycling and the streets of Chicago don't always mesh. But here, it was a different story. Signs in shop windows offered discounts to cyclists. The occasional car we encountered gave us plenty of room as it passed.
Hundreds of residents along the loops have designated themselves as "trail stewards" -- their houses are marked by blue bicycle signs. They offer assistance to cyclists in need, whether you're looking for a phone, extra water or a ride.
The county welcomes the eco-tourism it gets from bikers, McKernan said.
"People know cyclists come to enjoy what we have and what we sometimes take for granted," he said.
We stopped for lunch at the historic Trempealeau Hotel, one of the few buildings to survive Trempealeau's 1888 fire. We sat on the porch overlooking the Mississippi, poring over a menu that offered plenty of options for vegetarians and carnivores. (I can personally recommend the olive burger and veggie saute.)
Cyclists on the trail are happy to stop and share stories of major hills and not-to-be-missed valleys. Toward the end of the afternoon we met a pair who, high on endorphins, told us they had gone 100 miles already and were planning to make it 150 before the day was through. Their bikes were strapped with lights for riding in the dark.
At the end of the day, we arrived back in Arcadia and meandered down the streets, where we saw people mowing their lawns, talking to their neighbors and grilling dinner.
My legs ached and my skin was crusted with the dirt and sweat of a great day on the bike. I felt 10 years old again.
Felicia Schneiderhan is a free-lance writer who recently relocated from Chicago to Duluth, Minn.