Finally, a sunny day! I woke up this morning refreshed and pain-free and ready to hit the trail. I stopped at Wal*Mart on my way to the trailhead to get a new camera battery and some pretzels; then I was on my way.
The Red Cedar State Trail is crushed limestone, but it follows the river downstream, so it's easy going. There are very few intersections with roads, so it's extremely quiet.
I was excited yesterday to learn that the trail has just this year been extended all the way to Durand, but the new portion isn't yet packed hard -- just loose gravel. It was such difficult riding that I abandoned the trail and took a shortcut to Mondovi. There I checked my e-mail and asked about campsites. Come to find out Mondovi has a "Tourist camp" just outside of town, but it sounded too much like the place I stayed last night, so instead I headed on south toward Alma and the Mississippi. This was around 5:30 PM.
I was full of energy all day and really didn't feel like stopping, so I kept right on biking until sunset. I may get to see the Perseids after all! Wow.
Total distance: 57.21 mi