Rick's Travel Tales: 2012 Fall Wisconsin Bike Ride

Its that time again... time for the annual pilgrimage to the North Woods of Wisconsin to enjoy the amazing Fall colors. I decided to spice this trip up a bit by adding a couple days of mountain biking to enjoy the scenery.

DAY 1-Sunday

After a late friday night high school football game, and an early morning Iowa Hawkeye football game in Iowa City, and pulling out of Waterloo Sunday morning at 6 am required ALOT of strong coffee! By the time I hit Dubuque, the sun was shining on a beautiful clear Fall day in the Midwest. As I passed thru Wausau, the trees were already showing the bright yellows, reds and oranges, contrasted by the evergreens.. just beautiful against the clear blue sky.

I arrived in Minocqua about 1pm. As is usually the case on visits up North, my 1st stop was at the old family cabin on Mann Lake. Although not used in years, its still stands, and provides the same magnificent views it did when I visited as a child. After taking photos of the cabin, and the colors along the shoreline, I headed back toward Minocqua, but not before scoping out some of the route I would take in the morning on my bike. As nice as the day was, I was getting more and more excited about tomorrow.

I checked in at the Americinn-Minocqua, and settled in to catch some Sunday afternoon football, and to double check my route and equipment for Monday. Definitely a bit of nervous apprehension on tackling a 30 mile ride on snowmobile trails and forest roads. But as good as the weather forecast was for monday, I was ready!

DAY 2 - Monday

As I anticipated, it was difficult sleeping, so I was up bright and early. With the short days in October, the sun didn't rise until after 7am. The temperature was in the upper 20's, as I headed out around 7:30. Stocking cap under the helmet and running gloves were in order, to keep me warm until the temps climbed. Leaving from the hotel, I headed north, traveling thru the quiet residential streets. For those of you familiar with Wisconsin, Hiway 51 is the historic main North/South Hiway in the state. As I reached the north side of Woodruff, I came upon "old Hiway 51". Hard to imagine this used to be the route!

My route continued north, finally turning on to Vandercook Rd., the entrance to my Mann Lake trail route. My trail turned onto a snowmobile route which lead me to my 1st lake view - Trilby Lake. Many deer tracks along the shoreline, but none to be found. Continuing down the path, my trail dumped me back out on Hiway 51, which was not what I expected. No worries, however... after a short ride along the hiway, I took a road into a small residential area, on the west side of Vandercook Lake. Other than one man out drinking his coffee on his front porch, I had yet see anyone out this morning.

Taking a shortcut from the residential area thru the woods, I reconnected with Vandercook Rd. on the east side of the lake, back on my planned route.. whew! It was now about 9:30am.. time for a break. This spot where I stopped, I have driven past probably 30 times over the years, on the way to my Uncle's cabin... Never envisioned me being here... alone.. on a bike!

This is a good place to comment on my mountain bike. I purchased a Trek Marlin from Europa Cycle and Ski in Cedar Falls, IA. A GREAT place to do all your biking needs, whether experienced or inexperienced! It is a perfect mountain bike... called a "29er", for the larger (29" diameter) tires than a normal mountain bike, and has front shocks, helping make the ride more sturdy and comfortable. Other than the usual "sore butt" I seem to get after a few hours on a bike, this was a great purchase. Ok, time to move on... The main "off-road" portion of the ride was now upon me.

The map at the left shows the route I took, from the Americinn in Minocqua, around Mann Lake, and back to the hotel. The portion of the ride, from my stop along Vandercook Lake, along the West and North side of Mann Lake, and then back South, along the East side if Mann Lake was all snowmobile trails. These trails were primarily grass and dirt/gravel, making for great riding. By now, the temperature was in the 60's, so I packed away the outerwear and enjoyed the bright sun... Some great views of smaller lakes in the area, not to mention the constant "rain" of leaves falling from the trees. As I approached the southern end of the snowmobile trail, the casual ride in the woods came to an end. The terrain became a series of hills to climb and descend. Not a big deal, except by now I had been riding for 4-1/2 hours and about 20 miles. The thighs were burning, and as much as I hate to admit it, I decided to walk a couple of the hills to give my legs a break. Soon, Vandercook Rd. was once again in my sights (yellow post in the photo below)... I had made it thru the off road portion of the ride!

From here, it was a 9 mile ride back to the hotel. What a great experience! Even though I was feeling the effects of 5+ hours of bike riding on my body, it was a perfect way to truly enjoy the beautiful October day in Northern Wisconsin. After cleaning up at the hotel, and taking my car to scope out Tuesday's ride, I grabbed a Sub sandwich and settled in for a relaxing evening... with a couple beers, and watching the Bears on Monday Night Football!

DAY 3 - Tuesday

After my experience with "the hills" in the latter part of the first day's ride, I decided to scrap the Day 2 ride I had planned, and adjusted the route to be more back roads, and bike trails. The map at the left is the route I took. The 1st portion traveled past some residential acreages, and Mid Lake. From there, the trail followed an abandoned railroad line along Hiway 47, and a powerline trail for a portion of the ride to the Town of Lake Tomahawk. From there, I headed West on County Road D, where I connected with the Bearskin Trail, an abandoned railroad trail, which ended back in downtown Minocqua.

Tuesday morning started out just like Monday, only a bit colder. I think it was 26 degrees at 7:30am when I began the 2nd bike ride.The first sight to greet me was right across the street from my hotel, in Torpy Park. Who wouldn't be motivated to take a ride after seeing this view???

These images below were captured as I crossed over the waterway connecting Mid Lake and Lake Tomahawk. Continuing East I connected with the abandoned railroad right of way running along side Hiway 47.

(Photo Tip - If you are ever looking to take great scenery photos, get up at sunrise, or just before sunset. The contrasts are memorable!)

While on the railroad path, I decided to switch over to the trail following the powerline running adjacent to the railroad path. Despite the trail having several small hills to traverse, the scenery was worth it. The image to the left shows the wetland area I passed, with the frost on the evergreens, and the sun shining down... pretty awesome site!

Passing through the Town of Lake Tomahawk, I hopped on County Road C, and taking this asphalt road West to the Bearskin Trail. This 3-1/2 mile ride was a bit challenging. The vehicle traffic was something I hadn't had to deal with up until now. The traffic, coupled with the shoulders constructed of large gravel, made the ride not alot of fun. However, the colors along the ride gave me a good excuse to stop frequently and grab some great photos. The photo to the left was taken at the entrance to the McNaughton Correctional Center.

County Road C finally brought me to Hiway 51 and the Bearskin Trail. This trail is over 17 miles long, from end to end. However, where I joined the Trail was approximately 6 miles South of Minocqua. I think I was finally learning the extent of my stamina. Like Monday, after about 4-5 hours of riding, what seemed like small hills definitely made me realize how out of shape I was. The good news was the last 6 miles was old railroad right of way, with a fairly flat grade. It was approaching noon, and I was ready to finish the day's ride. The familiar site along the trail coming into Minocqua is the Kewaga Tressel. Of course, another fabulous view of the Fall colors.

Bike ride #2 Two had come to an end. I am convinced here is no better way to enjoy the wooded surroundings and beautiful sights of Wisconsin's North Woods than by bike. Whether you are adventurous, and want to explore the countryside like my two rides, or prefer a more relaxing ride via paved/railroad rightaways, there are plenty of opportunities in the Minocqua-Boulder Junction-Lac du Flambeau area of Wisconsin.

If you are interested in seeing additional photos of my "wanderings", here's links to some online albums:

Another "Rick's Travel Tales" is in the books. Next adventure planned - Las Vegas! Stay tuned!