Day 33 – Damocles II and the Light at the End of the Tunnel

July 20, 2018

Day 33 – La Crosse to Mauston, WI – 75 miles, 2,570 feet vertical

It was Day 33 out of 50 with 2,458 miles covered on our way to a total of 3,700 or almost exactly two-thirds of the way to our final destination.  (I just wanted to throw in a little math to get us started.) 

Once again, morning skies were dark and threatening with heavy rain in the forecast.  And so, once again, we set out with dry roads, but we had a feeling that this time, the Sword of Damocles would eventually fall.  (If you missed yesterday’s post, please read that for an explanation and do watch the Three Stooges clip that explains Damocles in a way that even a seven-year old can understand.)

And it did fall.  Big time.  We got soaked. 

Today’s ride feature was the Elroy-Sparta rails-to-trails bike path that included three massive rock tunnels that cut through their respective mountains.  Cars can drive up and over, but trains need a steady grade.  The first tunnel was almost one mile long and it was absolutely pitch black once inside.  Audrey (being a teacher) educated us that when it’s pitch black, you can’t be sure if your eyes are open or closed.  So, our headlights (and for me, a bright LED flashlight) came in handy.  

We were also advised to bring flip flops or other footwear that would give us better purchase than our cycling shoes with their unwieldy cleats.  The ground was uneven with lots of gravel and wet with puddles from groundwater dripping from the ceiling.  So we did … and walked a mile in a pitch black tunnel with our rear lights flashing and water dripping all over the place.  It was eerie.  It was different.  It was fun.

It was also muddy on the trail, especially with the constant on and off drizzle and several folks had some spills (luckily, nothing major.)  Unfortunately, the Damocles Sword fell around the 50-mile mark and Tom and I rode the last 25 miles in on-again/off-again pouring rain.  (Um, … mostly on-again.)  The saving grace was that it was relatively warm (one town’s bank displayed 68 degrees) and so, at least we weren’t freezing.  

Still, it wasn’t pleasant.  I thought back to my daughter Samantha’s soccer games when she was in high school.  The girls would play in the rain and didn’t seem to care one bit.  We parents, of course, were miserable on the sidelines.  And so, I spent most of the last 20 miles thinking about the hot tub that awaited us at our destination.  Tom spent most of the time either zoning out or thinking “big thoughts” – or so he says. 

Please enjoy these photos from today’s wet and muddy ride and check out our progress map at Where’s Jeff at jeffblye.com

Thanks for following. 

…Jeff