Day 40: Cassville, WI to Platteville, WI — 35 miles

I had a difficult time making up my mind about today. My original plan was to go from Strawberry Point to Platteville in one day. But early thunderstorms ruined that plan, so I ended up going to Cassville instead, and stopping for the night.

But once I was in Cassville, what do I do? Pick a new destination, or stick with Platteville? I had already arranged a WarmShowers.org host for Platteville, plus I was dealing with hilly terrain and a headwind. On the other hand, 35 miles in a day is an awfully low total for where I am at in my fitness level and place along the route.

Platteville was along my route either way, if I decided to stop there or if I wanted to keep going, so I figured I’d bike to Platteville and make up my mind once I got there. On the way, I passed through Potosi, where I stopped at the Whispering Bluffs Winery, inspired by yesterday’s visit to PromiseLand Winery in Iowa. I had a glass of a grape-cherry wine that was quite good, but wine and bottle are too heavy for me to carry, no matter how good the contents might be.

My glass of wine at the Whispering Bluffs Winery in Potosi. The night before, the winery had been broken into and robbed!

As I was biking along, I made up my mind to stop in Platteville, even though it was a short distance day. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that I came on this trip to meet people across the country, and I have enjoyed all the WarmShowers.org hosts I have had thus far, so even with a low-mileage day, the company would be totally worth it.

So I biked along the Wisconsin roads, with their excellent shoulders and paved county roads, and while there was quite a bit of climbing and a slight headwind, neither bothered me all that much. The rolling hills of county road O (the Wisconsin county roads are given letter names and not numbers, unlike the other states I have been to) were actually kind of nice, even if I did get quite sweaty in the hot noontime sun.

A church and graveyard among the rolling hills on Country Road O.

Because it was a low-mileage day, I got in early and had a chance to explore Platteville a bit before meeting Esther, my WarmShowers.org host. There is a University of Wisconsin campus branch in Platteville, which is the town’s primary employer. I rode past the campus on my way downtown, where I had lunch and browsed the shops along Main Street.

Afterward, I went to meet Esther, who was another gracious host. She took me on a driving tour of some of the highlights of Platteville, which originally grew up around a lead mining operation. That is now closed, but there is a mining museum and a number of landmarks dedicated to the mining days of the town. We also drove out to see the ‘M’, a large painted-stone letter originally put in place by the engineering section of the University in the 1940s and maintained ever since. The ‘M’ can be seen from over a mile away, and Esther said she has biked there a number of times. While it may be along a hilly route, the views of the surrounding countryside are outstanding. On a clear day, she said, you can see well into Iowa, more than 30 miles away.

This paved bike path runs parallel to highway 151 just outside Platteville, which is convenient, because bicycles are prohibited from that road.

We also did some scouting of potential routes for my next day’s bike ride, and it is a good thing we did, too. One of the options I was leaning toward was to go on a trail called the Pecotonica State Trail, but we drove by there and discovered it is really a trail designed for ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) with a rocky surface not meant for a touring bike like mine. So with Esther’s knowledge of the area, we came up with an alternate route, one that is a little longer, but sends me on an actual bike trail further north.

We also had a very nice meal out at a Mexican restaurant, and I showed her all the pictures from my trip. She enjoyed them, and was fascinated by the TrackMyTour application that I am using to allow others to follow my progress in nearly real time. She told me that she learns about all sorts of interesting gadgets and gear from the WarmShowers.org guests she has had, which is usually a handful every year. She wishes there would be more, but it seems this part of Wisconsin is too hilly to attract many bicyclists.

At the end of the day, I’m glad I made the decision to stop when I did. I might regret it later if I get behind schedule, but what is a few days here and there? I’m not on a deadline, except for the friends that are eager to see me on my way across the rest of the country.