Thursday, July 06, 2000

Today we rode from New Richmond WI to Eau Claire WI, a distance of 80 miles. We started the ride under very cloudy skies. Minneapolis MN was fogged in and the fog was moving east. After riding for an hour we came into clear skies and bright sunshine that remained with us the rest of the day. We spent the first 35 miles going up and down one hill after another. The last 45 miles were almost flat.

We traveled from New Richmond to Menomonie WI, a distance of 43 miles, our original stopping place, and arrived before 1:00 PM. As I said above, the route was mostly up and down one hill after another. As we were going down one hill a deer ran across the road in front of our bicycle. When we reached the little town of Knapp the road led south out of town up a hill so steep that we had to get off the bike and walk. We came to a place where the hill was no longer so steep and decided to start riding again. I got on the bicycle and just as Mary Kay sat down, the front bicycle tire when “BANG” and was instantly flat. We replaced the tire and continued on our way. As we came into Menomonie, we came upon the Red Cedar Bike Trail starting point. We ate our lunch at a Deli above a bicycle shop located next door and I was able to buy a new rear tire tube.

We talked to the lady who was in charge of the Red Cedar Bike Trail and Mary Kay found out that the trail did not have any hills. Since it was now only 2:00 PM we decided to ride the bicycle trails from Menomonie to Eau Claire, a distance of 37 miles. The entire distance is on the old Milwaukee Road railroad right-of-way. The first 14 miles followed the Red Cedar River. The only people we saw were other bicycle riders or hikers. In many places the bicycle trail was like riding through a tunnel made by the trees and bushes along side the trail. We crossed several creeks as well as the Red Cedar River on old railroad bridges. The railroad rails were replaced with a wooden plank floor. The trail itself was fine, hard packed gravel. At the end of the first 14 miles we crossed the Chippewa River on another railroad bridge. We then changed direction from south to east. Now we were on the Chippewa River State Bicycle trail and it was paved instead of hard packed gravel. Again, it was like being in another world where automobiles did not exist. About half way to Eau Claire, I looked across the Chippewa River and saw 3 deer drinking water from the river. We stopped and I tried to get a picture, but they became scared and bounded off. Finally we came to Eau Claire, found a way off the bicycle trail and back to civilization where we found a motel and a Mexican restaurant.