Category Archives: Wisconsin

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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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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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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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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Filed under bike trails, biking, Uncategorized, Wisconsin

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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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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Filed under Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis, LODGING, Michigan, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin

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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