July 17 - On the trails to Sparta

Most of the day was spent cycling on limestone trails to reach our destination. The Great River State Park Trail was shaded for 20 miles. However, the 25 miles on the LaCrosse trail was not. I actually preferred the latter because the first trail was in marsh lands, infested with insects that kept biting me.

Our arrival in Sparta was so much fun after 54 miles of cycling. At the old railroad station we learned about Sparta, the bicycle capital of America, and had fun posing as Ben Bikin. Outside in the park the sculpture of Ben Bikin is a site to behold. He is towering over us. After all, we're only 5 feet and he is 32 feet tall. Sparta is the town where the rails to trails program began and this network of old railroad tracks links cities across the U.S. for cyclists.