(photos: Myers family; photo of ladder and flower in Myers' garden; Janet at the Welcome sign; view of a farm; another farm view - laundry on the line; sign for the Amish bakery; old theater sign in Viroqua)
Leisurely rising this morning: only 66 miles to go. My trip to the library yesterday afternoon turned out to have an extra benefit - I was able to show a string a Riders behind me, a shortcut out of town. We then rode for several miles near the Mississippi river, on Hwy 61; but the experience was sullied by the lanes of traffic between us (on the far shoulder) and the zooming, morning commuters. Janet and I were riding together - and ended up doing so for the entire day - with the hope that she could share some of her bird wisdom with me. This segment, near the river, was so noisy with traffic, we wouldn't have heard a bird if it had been perched on our shoulders. Finally got to exit the roar around mile 17, and wound through the pretty town of Dakota. We had been told that the Myers family had once again, set up a fabulous spread for us. They had done this favor for Big Riders for several consecutive years now. Home-baked treats, punch, coffee, and other delights - including tours of their extensive, lovingly-cared-for garden. Thank you to the Myers family for making this section of the ride so special!
Rode out of Dakota, and eventually onto a long-forgotten bike path. Though littered with twigs and rocks, it provided some birding opportunities. Saw a Cedar Waxwing. Soon after the path ended, we cruised through La Crescent (on the MN side) and over to La Crosse. The bridge into town was littered with what looked like leaf debris. Turns out that there had been a recent onslaught of mayflies! The daily paper had a photo on the front page of a car dealer sweeping the dead bugs off of the windshields of cars on his lot.
Out of La Crosse, we gravitated over to Hwy 35, adjacent to the mighty River. Much of the area had been designated as a wildlife refuge and was beautiful to view under sunny skies. Stopped in the small town of Stoddard for the lunch check point, and also found a cafe open that served decent french dip sandwiches. With this fortification, we pedaled on up into a scenic valley, and farther up to some rolling hills surrounded by farmland. Some of the farms are owned by Amish families and we saw a couple of buggies moving down the road, confirming that cue sheet note. I noticed a sign for a Country Bakery and couldn't resist. Janet and I slowly maneuvered our bikes down the gravel driveway which ended at the home of an Amish family. One of the daughters escorted us to an out-building that had shelves filled with baked goods, confections, jams, and greeting cards. Crafts hung on the walls. What a find! We made some purchases and quietly got onto our bikes, respectively riding back to the main road. I was so glad that we had stopped - even if I didn't end up buying typical bakery fare.
Eventually rode down from the ridge into the town of Viroqua. Another pleasant surprise: facing the main street into town was a modern Food Cooperative. We had to slip inside to see what they had on hand - even before getting to camp. It was as though a Puget Consumer Co-op store had been plunked down, right in the middle of rural Wisconsin! We picked up yogurt, milk, produce and other items that we had forgotten existed. Had ourselves a fine snacking moment outside the store. Then went to the Fairgrounds (a.k.a. the town's designated camping spot) to settle in. After showering, I walked back through town to the library to post some notes.
Dinner in camp. Doug's birthday. Wound down for the night.
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