Wisconsin---"Really quick! Speaking of Consuelo, Lillian and I took Spanish together in school. And so, I would just like to say to you and to everyone here, "Gracias para vivar en la casa, en la escuelas, en...en la azul...markada. Tienes con bibir en las Fortuashla? And gracias!"

Doug had the coffee brewing and we ate a quick breakfast of yogurt, fruit, and granola before heading out to ride. He led the way to a rails-to-trails path called the Military Ridge Trail. Madison seems very bike friendly and Doug said the path is full of people on the weekends. It was well maintained, at least on the eastern end and runs from Madison to Dodgeville. It was supposed to be in the 90's again today in Madison, uncharacteristically hot, so we rolled along at a pretty good clip.








Once in Dodgeville, we rode west on Highway 18 towards Prairie du Chien. Traffic was tolerable, but seemed to consist of as many trucks as cars. We watched in awe as dark clouds formed to the south of us, creating wave-like patterns and hopefully generating some rain for the farmers. The corn here in Wisconsin looks green and lush, but Doug and Kathy had told us the southern part of the state was suffering for lack of rain.















We had a nice tailwind going into Prairie du Chien, so we actually finished the day's riding around 2 p.m. I ended the day with 100.9 miles, an average of 14.6 and an elevation gain of 1510'. There is a nice memorial for the men and women who have served in the military in the middle of town.







I was at McDonald's updating the blog while Karen looked for a place to get a haircut. She found Ken. They talked about cycling a bit and then he showed her his bike, a Huffy with a wicker basket on front so that he can carry his coffee. I didn't get to meet him, but I'm probably not overstepping my bounds by saying that he doesn't have identity issues. :)








We drove over the bridge and into Iowa, and headed for Clearlake State Park. We decided to eat along the way and stopped at Applebee's in Mason City. Pasta was on my mind, and I filled up on it. When we got to the park, it was packed and we weren't on the reservation list. Uh-oh. We talked to the park host and it dawned on me that maybe...maybe I had made reservations at the state park across the lake...McIntosh Woods. The campground host called over to McIntosh Woods and...sure enough...our reservation was 7 miles away. Phew...sometimes, I am lucky to remember my name.



maybe you can't...because you won't...