Day 63: Decorah Tour and Crossing the Mississippi

The morning started out great with Jim preparing tasty eggs and bacon, along with a spread of OJ, tea, toast, cantaloupe, and blueberries. This is the kind of breakfast that prepares one for a ride! After filling up I took a look at my wheel and realized that I can't fix the rear spokes without taking off the cassette which requires a chainwhip (basically a large wrench with a length of bike chain attached, ie too heavy to carry) so what good has it been carrying extra spokes? We took the wheel down to the Decorah Bike Shop where I discovered there were actually two broken spokes. The repair was quick and inexpensive, and I got a new set of handlebar tape since mine has seen the wear of the road, especially after trying to add the gel inserts. The new tape is really comfortable but once I wrapped the bars it kinda looks leopard spot-ish. Not my ideal color/pattern but damn they're comfy so they're staying.
Jim took me all over town, making for an excellent tour guide. We saw Palisades Park, the new bike trail, the local bald eagle's nest, and Dunnings Springs Park which was absolutely gorgeous. The whole area is part of the Driftless Region where the glaciers in the last ice age stopped drifting, leaving the land more mountainous than similar Midwest areas. At Dunnings there is a rather large spring flowing straight from the limestone cliffs that make for a beautiful scene. We also saw Luther College where Jim and my dad went and were fraternity brothers, and had lunch in the cafe.

We returned to their house, I got ready, and thanked them immensely for their fantastic hospitality. But before leaving Decorah I had to get a flight of beers at the local Toppling Goliath Brewing Co, all of which were delicious. I eventually left town around 3pm and headed for Wisconsin. I was a little disappointed Effigy Mounds National Monument was closed by the time I got there but I did get to see the mock-up eagles nest they have on display which Jim had recommended.
I continued on to McGregor where I tried out Old Man River Brewpub. I guess every once in awhile you get a bad apple and this was it. The food was too fancy and expensive, they only had three of their brews on tap, and when I opted for the soup and salad bar they were out of soup for awhile. The root beer was good but overall the place was a disappointment. I finally left, pulled on my jorts, and biked over the Mississippi River. It was a pretty incredible feeling as I made my way across the mighty river, and to think I got here on a BICYCLE! I stopped on the WI side for a state sign picture and to enjoy the riverside park in Prairie Du Chien at dusk which was a beautiful sight. I made my way to Walmart to resupply some food and finally fuel, and by the time I left it was getting dark with around 8 miles to go.

I crossed the Wisconsin River and immediately had to put my sunglasses on and change to clear lenses because there were so many bugs I could barely see without them getting in my eyes. I had another 5 miles and it included a couple hundred feet of climbing, not a fun activity in the dark. The positive side was that there were a ton of fireflies, which I started to see in Sioux Falls. At first I thought it was a flashlight out of the corner of my eye but soon realized what they were. I got to Wyalusing State Park and set up my tent on a crushed limestone site that was too hard to adequately drive stakes in, which worries me a little with the chance of rain in the morning. But at this point I was too tired and drained. I try to not ride or set up in the dark but sometimes I keep pushing myself to get farther until I find myself in just this kind of situation. It's frustrating and I'm not a fan of it since it still takes me a bit to wind down before sleeping, but at least I made it across the Mississippi and I'm safely at camp!