Vacation week. Last week was spent mostly relaxing around the house, a "staycation" if you will. We got out on our bikes several times and that was nice, but it's fun to get out of town and ride some of the great state trails, many of which are only a short drive from Milwaukee or Madison. The choice this time was to do the Sugar River Trail, it's pretty with wildflowers this time of year and is fairly flat, so we could get in a nice long ride. This whole area is very bike friendly, and while Honey and I love the rail-trails, there is plenty of smooth quiet road to be followed as well.
Brodhead was the starting point this time, because we really wanted to stay at the wonderful hotel right at the trail head. Earth Rider Cycling is a lovely little hotel upstairs, and a real bike shop downstairs. The decor is all about le Tour de France, and each room pays homage to a different rider of that race. Bike friendly and comfortable, we really enjoyed our stay and look forward to returning.
The ride itself was interesting, after a big small-town breakfast at the restaurant a couple of doors down from Earth Rider, we headed out on a trail that was wet from a heavy storm the night before. We made about 7 miles, clearing limbs where they fell across the trail, when we were caught by a fairly heavy shower. Honey was convinced that the rain would not last, and as we continued it did clear up. At about 11 miles we were stopped by a small tree that had fallen, so we turned around and beat it back to the hotel, then we could get in a shower before going home. Though not as long as expected, it was still a nice ride.