Labor Day: 2022

The Elroy-Sparta State Trail is the first rails-to-trail bike path in the country. It’s not my favorite bike trail since that honor belongs to the Red Cedar Trail in Menomonie, Wisconsin. However, I may change my tune when I finally complete the section between Norwalk and Elroy. There are three rock tunnels along the 32.5-mile trail (65 miles round trip), and we have only explored one. But it is a doozy. You need to push your bike along an uneven, slushy floor, and if you don’t have a flashlight, you’ll enter near-complete blackness. That’s because the cavern is almost a mile long. It is a very spooky experience, with disembodied bikers approaching unseen but usually heard. Kids love to howl amidst the high rock ceilings, the sound reverberating within like the devil’s echo chamber. Waterfalls sluice down the walls along the way, as the dim light at the end grows larger. No biking is allowed for safety reasons. It is a fun inconvenience!

Natural delights at bucolic Cain’s Orchard. We picked blueberries and grapes, but Cain’s has plenty of apples too. Do you see the bird’s nest in the patch?

Our Labor Day stay away.

Thanks for visiting!

Share this post
sharonwagnerstudios
sharonwagnerstudios

Sharon Wagner is a supernatural writer, inexhaustible travel blogger, and illustrator of children’s books, including Maya Monkey. A creative from birth, she never stops dreaming of magical worlds to unravel with words. Her debut novel, The Levitation Game, launches this summer. When she’s not traveling the jungles of Central America, Sharon lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two cats.

Articles: 110

9 Comments

  1. It appears that both of you had a grand time Labor Day weekend. No wonder they don’t allow bike riding there. Cains Orchard sounds like a place to go. Nothing like having blueberries in the freezer to enjoy during the winter months. Have a great weekend.

  2. Wow, I would have loved that trail back in the day. Have you done the C&O trail in DC out to West Virginia? I did tiny parts when I visited there. I wanted to do the entire trail. Happy biking!

  3. Hello,
    Looks like a great outing and bike ride. The tunnel would be spooky without have a flashlight or some kind of light. Beautiful photos! Take care, enjoy your day!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *