Category Archives: THE MIDWEST

July 12, 2011 · 11:43 pm

Sparta-Elroy/Elroy-Sparta Trail in Wisconsin

Turned out to be my dream trail! We rode the trail on a sunny Saturday in July from Kendall to Sparta, about 31 miles when you add various excursions to explore little towns and shops along the trail.  The trail itself was hard-packed dirt, a fine surface for riding, and we were under a canopy of trees almost all the time which provided perfect shade and the feel of a sun-dappled lane. I was a little nervous about the three famous railroad tunnels en route – and they were, as promised, very dark and one was almost a mile long with literally no light at the end of the tunnel for some time. I was very glad that we brought flashlights. I noticed that some of the parents with young kids kept up a steady patter as they walked through the tunnel and I found that chatting with D. helped keep my mind off of the fact that we were practically entombed in this dark chamber in the earth. Some kids wore lights strapped around their foreheads like junior coal miners. This is as close to mining as I’d ever want to get.

The scenery otherwise was bucolic Wisconsin dairy land, tidy farms with red barns, blue silos, white wood frame farmhouses, grazing cattle and perfect green cornfields. Really lovely.  There were some fun places along the trail to stop – near Wilton, the Dorset Valley School Restaurant & Bakery, a former school house which now has a restaurant, an Amish furniture shop (where I bought a great little bent hickory and tile table – and picked up later in the car), a coffee/fresh smoothie shop and my personal favorite, a barber. One rider got his hair cut mid ride!  A b&b is next door.

There was also a popular trailside ice cream shop that was doing a banner biz with families with little kids. The famous pie shop is no more in Wilton replaced by another cafe that looked fun. We opted instead to picnic in the pretty town park, near the busy public pool.  The trail was busy but not too – and there were fewer hard core speedsters than we’re used to on Iowa’s trails – and no riders with boom boxes either. Amen!

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July 12, 2011 · 3:50 am

A tale of two beds – in western Wisconsin

Just back from a great trip to southwestern/west-central Wisconsin where the difference in the two places that we stayed may best be described as a tale of two beds. The first bed appeared to be as old as the historic hotel it was in – which dates to the 1880s. Sagging and soft from the start, it sat atop bouncy springs that creaked and moaned at our slightest move. Not good. The room itself was small but had considerable old world character, kind of like a place Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid would have stayed at after a robbery. We shared a bathroom with several other rooms – the bathroom down the hall. It was surprisingly available. We only saw one other lodger – a bearded biker who greeted us from his room by waving a bottle and asking “Want some Cherry bomb?” Um, no thank you. But hey, the room at the historic Trempealeau Hotel in Trempealeau, Wi. along the banks of the Mississippi River was $43.20.

The second bed was maybe the best bed I’ve ever slept in – king-sized (which the owner of our b&b said means it’s as wide as a queen bed is long…) with a special remote control that you can use to adjust the firmness ON EACH SIDE. I went with 45 (who knew) and Dirck went with 40. And we were both very happy at the lovely Justin Trails B&B Resort outside Sparta, Wi.  We stayed in the “Garden Suite” – on the side of a sunny yellow farmhouse on a former dairy farm with a big red barn, two newly built cabins,  lovely grounds, two lamas (Dusty and Rusty). We had a large room, with a glassed in porch overlooking a beautiful garden and beyond that a cornfield, a white barn and blue silo in the distance, and a green bluff rising beyond that. Classic gorgeous Wisconsin dairyland.  We never saw any other guest although apparently there were some. And that’s what you get for $135 (or so) a night. More tomorrow.

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July 8, 2011 · 9:09 pm

trempealeau hotel

Well I booked the last room this old hotel has for the evening – $40 and sharing a bathroom – but figured worth a try and more interesting certainly than our other dirt cheap options for one night (i.e. the howard Johnson’s in La Crosse which sounds grim.) This hotel at least has character, is right on the Mississippi and isn’t that far from where we need to be the next day (about 40 minutes from Sparta.) It’s “Catfish Days” in the tiny town of Trempealeau so going to be lively, we’re told. We pick up the key at the bar!

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July 7, 2011 · 10:44 pm

Off to bike/canoe in southwest Wisconsin!

We’re finally leaving tomorrow for three days in southwest Wisconsin around La Crosse, spending one day riding the famous Sparta-Elroy trail and the next maybe canoeing on the Kickapoo River or driving north on the Mississippi to re-visit towns like Trempealeau and Pepin that we went to some 20 years ago. In Sparta, we’re staying for two nights at Justin Trails B&B Inn which comes well-recommended by a friend here. (We were tempted to stay one night at the old Trempealeau Hotel – for much less than the Inn but figure it’s best to stay put.  Not sure where we’ll stay tomorrow night en route or, i hope, in La Crosse.Planning to bring picnic stuff since restaurant options are reportedly limited.

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June 20, 2011 · 7:45 pm

More on “cool” Omaha

This time it’s the NYTimes travel section adding it’s voice to the “Omaha is cool” chorus. In last Sundays “surfacing” feature, the paper recommended The Slowdown (the indie rock club, much-lauded of late), The Ruth Sokolof Theater (an art film house), Birdhouse Collectible (1111 N. 13th street) a showroom/gallery, Blue Line Coffee 749 N. 14th Street.; Goodnights Pizza Bar and Piano. (1302 Mike Fahey Street. All are in the “north downtown/NoDo” neighborhood” which I do believe is en route to the airport.

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April 24, 2011 · 8:16 pm

The scoop on shuttle service for the Elroy-Sparta trail in Wisconsin

Word has it that there is shuttle service – so you can ride the 32-mile trail one way by being dropped off at one spotted and then having your car delivered to the other.  One guidebook I read suggested it’s best to ride north from Elroy to Sparta. So maybe that’s what we’ll do in July.

The Ambassadors at the Sparta Chamber of Commerce shuttle people from Sparta to Elroy or any town on the trail and return your car
to the Depot in Sparta.  Call 608-269-4123 to get a specific phone number and make a reservation for the shuttle.
Also Speeds Bike Shop offers shuttle service 608-269-2315.
There’s also shuttle service available at the Kendall Depot, which will drop you off in Sparta and return your vehicle to Kendall (so you’re riding south – and to the absolute end of the trail.). The cost is $22 and a reservation is recommended.

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April 22, 2011 · 11:33 pm

Where to stay in southwest Wisconsin.

I probably shouldn’t be sharing this since it may mean there’s no room at the inn for us. But anyway, my friend Denise highly recommends this lodging when we go biking this summer in southwest Wisconsin.

It’s Justin Trails  http://justintrails.com. They stayed in the Garden Suite on the 1st floor of the main house, which has a separate entrance and porch, which was nice.  She’d rather stay in any of the cabins – they’re really cool! The other 2 suites are upstairs in the main house.  There is great hiking on the property & it’s close to bike trails, but I think you’d have to drive to a trailhead.  

 

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April 13, 2011 · 2:10 pm

Midwestern hotels to check out

Also from a recent issue of Midwest Living:

– Chicago – Elysian, Ritz-Carlton, Hotel Palomar (rat pack-esque doormen!)

– Columbus, Indiana, Inn at Irwin Gardens

– Novi, MI, Baronette Renaissance

– Shell Knob, Missouri, (wherever that is), Stonewater Cove

– Dubuque, Hotel Julien

– Kohler, Wisc., The American Club

– Custer, S.D., Custer State Park Reunion Cabin

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April 12, 2011 · 4:22 pm

restaurants to check out all over the Midwest

Found a copy of the  Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Midwest Living on the library’s sale rack – so scooped it up since there’s always good recommendations on things to do in this neck of the woods. Here’s some restaurant recommendations:

– In Indianapolis, Recess (soup!)

– In Chicago, Gilt Bar and Restaurant on Magnificent Mile.

–  Woodbury, Minnesota (where we have friends!), Apertif (rotisserie chicken) and in neighboring St. Paul, Heartland (clever meat and potatoes) and Clearwater, Minn., Nelson Bros. Restaurant (yes, at a restaurant on I-94; fritter french toast w/wild rice sausage)

– Omaha, Hiro 88 (sushi and more in the Old Market district)

– Madison, Wisc. L’Etoile (longstanding haute green cuisine in new location)

– Kansas City, Glace Artisan Ice Cream (peanut butter ice cream with swirl of strawberry jam…) and Succotash

–  Traverse City, MI, Soul Hole (southern food in Old Town)

– Iowa City, Blue Bird Diner (Sunday brunch)

 

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March 1, 2011 · 11:56 pm

Bike adventures near Iowa

It’s March first and even though it’s foolish to believe this suddenly warm Spring-like weather will last, it has got me daydreaming about spring – and even summer. With that in mind, here’s a few bike rides I hope to do when the weather warms – and maybe you will too:

– In Wisconsin: The Great River State Trail, the La Cross River State Trail,  the “400” State Trail and the most famous of them all, the Elroy-Sparta Trail (which reportedly includes long railroad tunnels that require travelers to use flashlights.)

– In Missouri: The 225-mile Katy Trail (good for inn-to-inn biking, which reminds me of my trips as a kid with my family with Vermont Bicycle Touring). It goes past bluffs and tourist-friendly towns (according to the DM Register) along the Missouri River between Clinton and St. Charles (near St. Louis.)

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