Trip Log 23: GRABAAWR 2019: Day 5

Day 5: Mauston to Baraboo
2019/06/13

Mauston to Baraboo. A truly perfect day on the bike. Today was a short day with only 73 km (44 miles) of riding. The route was a good combination of hills and flats. I had several plans for activities once I got to Baraboo so I didn’t want to dilly dally along the way. Despite this desire I still ended up making frequent stops to take photos and videos. I couldn’t resist. The first rest stop was Lyndon Station. I decided to pass by without stopping if I was feeling good. I breezed by the rest stop with every intention of stopping at the second rest stop. I got in the zone and didn’t notice the marks for the rest stop. As a result, I pulled into Baraboo shortly after 12 noon.

Perhaps, the highlight of the day was seeing two Sandhill Cranes with two baby cranes in tow. It was the first time for me to see this type of bird. I also spotted what I think were wild turkeys crossing the road. I am not sure because they were so far off in the distance I couldn’t see any details. When I asked some of the local Wisconsin riders they said there were turkeys in Wisconsin. There may have event been fledglings following I though, if not turkeys, perhaps pheasant but now that I consider it some more I might have seen more cranes. In the absence of confirmation I am going with my first guess of wild turkeys.

I saw more cows than any other day but still not as many as I expected. Maybe there are more cows further south.

I feel like I am finally hitting my stride. My knee was hurting on previous days but it has been getting better little by little. Today it just a little uncomfortable. Additionally, I am getting used to the bicycle. While I would not buy this kind of bicycle I am beginning to make it work for me. It certainly has its advantages in some circumstances such as wet pavement, bumpy ro unsaved roads. I can go where the skinny tire gang fear to go. There aren’t too many places like that on this route.

I started out early this morning in order to finish earlier. Despite starting earlier may people passed me up. I don’t mind. It was a good opportunity to take pictures of other riders besides myself. Everyone was so nice as they passed me up. Many people asked me if I was alright even though I though it was obvious that I had just stopped to take a picture. Still, the gesture was appreciated.

Baraboo has a very “Americana” feel to the town. I walked around the downtown area a little bit while looking for a place to eat. All the store front around the square are in that traditional late 1800’s early 1900’s style. Of course, Baraboo is famous for the Ringling Brothers Circus. There is a museum, a theater and, of course, Circus World, a locally running circus. I am in the town square listening to a brass band playing early 20th century marching tunes and eating a bratwurst.

A word about my plans for Baraboo. I had made arrangement weeks in advance to meat an old friend from elementary school. She drove up from Stoughton and we had dinner together. In addition to that, I wanted to interview Rob Layton, the owner/operator of Bike Wisconsin and GRABAAWR for the Pedalshift Project Podcast. Rob is a busy guy but this short day was a good opportunity to talk with him.

My take away from this beautiful day of riding is that no matter what you do, Ride Your Own Ride.