Trip to New Glarus, Wisconsin

Last summer after our Cycling Group trip to Starved Rock, group member Jason suggested we plan an outing to the New Glarus area of Wisconsin.  Ken and Pat also have talked fondly of riding in Wisconsin and thought that would be fun to do.  Attractions included the Swiss-German town of New Glarus itself, the New Glarus brewery, the quarter-mile long Stewart Tunnel, and the beautiful Wisconsin countryside.  We didn't manage to get the trip planned for last summer, but we thought it would be a great warm-up prior to our return to Starved Rock later this summer.  Unfortunately, neither Jason nor Ken nor Pat were available this time, but we did manage to gather four adventurous souls (Melissa, Tim, Larry, and Eric L) to make the trip this past Saturday.

Given the 104 degree heat during last year's Starved Rock trip, we wondered what kind of weather we might encounter on this year's first big trip.  As it turned out, we determined pretty early in the day that heat stroke was not going to be a concern.  Pouring rain during the car trip was our first good clue.  Actually, our first good clue should have been the forecast from our resident meteorologist the day before.  To quote: "I do think we will end up getting wet, but I'm hoping it won't be a washout."

What does that even mean??

Upon arriving in Monticello, our intended starting point, the first task was to track down the $4 state trail passes.  If you get caught riding without a trail pass, Wisconsin DNR will charge you a $5 fine and then $4 for the pass itself.  You can round that up to an even $10 if the DNR officer is especially polite.

Apparently the Citgo gas station was the only place in Monticello we could buy the pass, but Citgo was sold out.  The very friendly and helpful Citgo cashier apologized ("Sorry bout dat but feel free ta yoosar bubbler!") and suggested we try Gempeler's Supermarket,  home of the award-winning Alpine Boy Sausage.  So we drove over to Gempeler's.  It turned out Gempeler's maybe might have sold the passes at one time, but didn't anymore.  The very friendly and helpful Gempler's cashier apologized and suggested we try the Citgo gas station.  So our initial impression of Wisconsin was that their state trail passes are a considerable nuisance, but their cashiers are very friendly and helpful.

We decided to drive over to the Monticello trailhead, thinking surely you could self-register for passes there, considering both the Sugar River Trail and the Badger State Trail run right past that spot.  Alas, no.  So being a law-abiding group (mostly due to the participation of a Plainfield Park District commissioner), and considering the fact that it was still raining, we elected to drive up to New Glarus and look for passes there.

At New Glarus we were pleased to learn that you could in fact self-register at the Sugar River trailhead.  Doing some quick math, we determined that starting our trip in New Glarus, riding through the Stewart Tunnel over to Belleville, and then heading back to New Glarus for lunch, would give us about the same pre-lunch distance as if we started in Monticello.  And as a bonus, we would have a vehicle in which to stash any purchases made in New Glarus.

Taking advantage of a brief break in the rain, we headed southeast out of New Glarus along the Sugar River Trail toward Exeter Crossing Road, via which we planned to cross over to the Badger State Trail and continue northeast through the Stewart Tunnel and into Belleville.  We quickly concluded that proceeds from state trail pass sales must be used primarily to pay DNR officers to enforce compliance with state trail pass regulations...because we saw no evidence that these funds were used to maintain the trails.  Then again, we saw no DNR officers, either.

Larry ponders the abyss.

The first part of the ride was pretty slow along the soft, sandy/muddy path, but before long we were at Exeter Crossing Road and making our way over to the Badger State Trail.  Then soon after getting on the Badger State Trail we reached the Stewart Tunnel which was exactly as promised:  huge, dark, and scary.  After just a few moments of hesitation we pulled out our flashlights and headed into the abyss.  The neat thing about this tunnel is that it curves, so for most of the trip through it there is no proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel."  Without a flashlight it is mostly pitch black, with just the faintest hint of a glow from far up ahead.  Tim and Eric discovered this by riding without flashlights on the way back through..."steering toward the glow and hoping not to hit the sides."  (This being a church cycling group, there's our spiritual metaphor.)

We made it through!

Puddles between Belleville and the Stewart Tunnel.

After the tunnel we continued into Belleville, getting there just as the rain started up again.  After a brief snack and a quick purchase of camera batteries, we headed back toward the tunnel.  The rain was falling pretty steadily by that point, and then we heard a noise that prompted some of us to ask, "What's that sound?"  Apparently some of us had forgotten what it is like to be in the woods about to get absolutely dumped on.  The sound a cloudburst makes in the tree canopy before reaching ground level is something to behold.  For the next 20 minutes we enjoyed the convenience of drinking the rain straight off our dripping bike helmets, saving us the trouble of reaching for our water bottles.

Returning along Exeter Crossing Road, enjoying the beautiful countryside after the rain.

We managed to make it back through the tunnel, back along Exeter Crossing Road, and back into New Glarus.  After a brief walk around to explore the unique town, and assuming that most fine-dining establishments would prefer not to deal with our muddy, dripping selves, we settled on Ticino Pizzeria which according to our waitress features "traditional Swiss sausage poppers invented by our chef."  The food and fresh New Glarus beer turned out to be delicious, and hopefully the butt-shaped water marks we left on their wooden booths didn't stay around for too long.

Swiss United Church of Christ. New Glarus, WI.

After lunch at Ticino's we headed across the street to the Maple Leaf Cheese and Chocolate Haus where we gained a special appreciation for the Wisconsin dairy industry (on many levels) but managed to leave with only 3/4 of a pound of fudge.  We were grateful to have a vehicle in which to stash our purchase.

Running just a wee two hours behind schedule, still wanting to get in a ride of 40 miles, encouraged by the improving weather, and already fortified with New Glarus beer, we elected to skip the brewery visit and head straight back to the trail.  We took off toward Monticello, staying on the Sugar River trail most of the way until it crossed with the Badger State Trail.  We then followed that trail until we determined we had gone far enough to make 40 miles by the time we got back to New Glarus.

A small obstacle along the Badger State Trail.

The late afternoon turned out to be beautiful, but admittedly the long day of riding in the mud and rain was beginning to take its toll.  The best way to understand the feeling is to imagine riding on a beach for 40 miles.  The trails weren't quite as soft as sand, but pavement or packed limestone would have been a whole lot easier on the legs.  In the end, we achieved our goals of enjoying the beautiful Wisconsin countryside, visiting the unique town of New Glarus, sampling the tasty New Glarus beer, and getting in a good warm-up ride before the longer Starved Rock trip.  Fun, fitness, and fellowship!  And since the most fun part of the trip was riding in the pouring rain, we now know the meteorologist meant: "It's gonna rain, but let's go anyway!"

We hope Melissa enjoyed her first major ride with the group.

And here's the trip log: