South of Prairie Du Chien to north of town - Sunday, September 7, 2014: (45 Miles)

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, a little crisp, but warming up by the time Cal started riding.  He had more hills to climb and cruise down.  There continued to be motorcycle and other recreational traffic.  The campgrounds along the Mississippi looked full.  In fact some said, “No vacancy”! There was a moderate amount of boat traffic on the river by afternoon.  Autumn is here and warm days on the river are limited.  

Along the Mississippi River it depends on how close the bluffs are to the river as to where the road is located. The railroad tracks are always at river level, graded high enough in case there is flooding, but there is not always space for a road, so therefore the road climbs around the bluff.  There are little towns along the river that were vibrant “in their day”, but now they are in pretty sad shape.

It has been interesting to see cemeteries (currently used ones) in the middle of cornfields.  We somewhat do that in southeast Iowa too, but some of these are bare of trees.

Rural Cemetery in the Corn Field

Contour Farming

Goldenrod

Wild Sun Flowers

I continue to enjoy the contour of the farming.  The farmers are cutting the final crop of hay for this growing season and they are beginning to cut corn for silage to feed their dairy or feeder cattle (cattle to be fatten for beef processing) this winter.     

Along the river I saw this crane in a backwater lagoon.  I have not seen any 4-legged wildlife but I have seen some birdlife.  The main flower that is blooming along the roadsides is goldenrod with a few miniature sunflowers.

Railroad Along the River



Railroad and Highway

Fishing on the Mississippi River

Blue Herring

Cal rode 45 miles today.  Part of his ride today was a 2 1/2 mile out of the Mississippi river flood plain.  He rode north of Prairie du Chien, but we had to return to Prairie due Chien for a motel. There is not much in the way of towns with services between these two cities. Even cell phones do not work well.  We hope to get to LaCrosse, WI tomorrow. The paved shoulder along the road is not in good condition, but Cal had to use it due to the amount of traffic today.  If all goes well we may go a little farther north of Lacrosse, returning to LaCrosse for the night.  We just hope there are not too many hills tomorrow!!