Day 14, Saturday, July 27,2013
75 and ½ km in 5=hrs. from Prairie du Sac to Wisconsin Dells
I was awake at 5 am but it was too dark so I relaxed until 5:30. It was COLD this morning-I had on leg warmers and rain pants , arm warmers and my rain coat. I was now following Hwy 78 which curves all over but is less busy than 12 and follows the winding of the river. There was a strong wind from the north and west. It turned out to be hilly and I did not see any of the river until Merrimac. It was farming country and at one point, I photographed some interesting furry brown cows. Also a photo of a building that said “Have a little faith” . Nature’s flower beds by the highway are always pretty and in one field in the hilly part the farmer had made a smile face. My map showed 78 going under the major highway and joining 16 but that was not the case and I was in a dilemna
as to what to do. Michelle , in the gas station store remembered taking a county road when the weather was bad on the freeway. I would have to be on thee freeway for about a mile and then take County U. It was very scary as the traffic was crazy and there was lots of dirt on the edges and |I had to cross 2 busy feeder lanes. Finally, I found the first turnoff but it didn’t say U and with the help of a local farmer driving by, I headed I finally went in the right direction and made it to Portage where with the help of my GPS, I shortcutted through the town and to highway 16 headed north to Wisconsin Dells. I had a chocolate milk and a couple of pastries and continued on. Well Highway 16 is the worst road so far on the trip. Although it started fairly flat, It had cracks all over and the edge was rotten and the traffic was heavy and the wind was in my face. I needed to stop twice to stretch ,especially my neck and take a breather from the concentration level required. FINALLY , I made it to Wisconsin Dells-the waterpark capitol of the country. The little motels that I had picked out on the internet were full with student and worker housing. I tried another and it was full. This was not the best day to arrive. She suggested one owned by her friend and I was able to get a room although I had to take a double bed room to be on the ground floor to fit Silver in. I unpacked, showered, picked up brochures and asked about a TV control at the Spring Hill Motel. Then I headed on my bike to the post office , bank and grocery store. The post office closed 3 minutes before I got there. The bank was closed . I decided o walk down main street a little and there were a million people milling about because it was too cool for the outdoor parks. I needed to lock the bicycle at the store but there was no good place and I didn’t trust it out of my sight so I returned to the motel room and then walked down. I decided that I had time to do one thing-a river cruise down the Upper Dells on the Wisconsin River. It was very good although more expensive than the one I did in LaCrosse. . The pilot was Cory and the tour guide was Danah and they did a great job. We stopped twice and went into Witches Gultch and Stand Rock--very amazing places and fantastic shapes of the limestone rocks. I really enjoyed it and finished about7 pm, did my groceries and went back to the motel in the spitting rain. I typed up 2 journals and then headed for bed. I call Caroline every day and let her know where I am.
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