Sparta, Wisconsin -- Bicycling Capital of America

Every town we ride through has their own distinctive niche that the town rallies around.  For example, De Smet, South Dakota was the Laura Ingalls Wilder center of the universe.   Today we rode from Pepin to Sparta, Wisconsin.   There is also a Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in Pepin as she was born in this very small town.  But now that we are 94 long miles away in Sparta we have learned that Sparta has proclaimed itself the "Bicycling Captial of America."   According to one local person I spoke with, it is because they were the first town to convert the railroad lines into bike paths sometimes known as the "Rail to Trails" paths.   They now have the Elroy-Sparta Trail which is connected to three other trails making 101 miles of connected State Trails.    I imagine and hope that we will travel a few miles on one of them tomorrow.

Today's ride was long and hot.  It reminded me of Aesop's fable of the wind and the sun and their argument to see which was stronger.   I (and my co-riders) felt especially targeted by both through out the day.  Oh, it also rained but that was a welcome relief to the wind and sun.  Ten miles from the finish, Martin Price, a good friend I've been riding with on several days declared, "I could kill for an ice cream right now."   But there was nothing around -- and little shade.   Still we pushed on as we do each day and found ourselves at Sparta's High School.  I'm sleeping in the gym as it is blazing hot outside -- actually it has cooled down to about 90 degrees.   To be fair, much of the earlier sections of the ride were rolling hills through small hills and farms -- very scenic and a welcome change from the standard corn and soybean farms through Minnesota and South Dakota.  But by the last 10 miles we faced a rough headwind that mostly destroyed us all. 

After a quick shower I rode into town and visited the Duke Slayton Memorial Space and Bicycle Museum -- strange combination but I also saw a brochure for a train and doll musuem somewhere around here so they must see the value in these kind of combinations.  Still, it was a nice place with tons of old bicycles and flight odds and ends. From my understanding, Duke Slayton was a Mercury astronaut from the Sparta area.    I'm excited about tomorrow -- I believe we are going to Baraboo, Wisconsin, famous for Circus World Museum.  They have a small theme park with old Circus Wagons and even a small one ring circus that I hope we make it in town to attend.  

Reporting from the Sparta Free Public Library.