Quadracycle Riders of the Midwest

Quadracycle Riders of the Midwest Quadracycle enthusiasts share their cycling experiences. They combine exercise on a rail trail with

06/18/2024

Omaha Trail Tunnel
The Omaha Trail runs about 15 miles from Elroy to Camp Douglas in the southwest part of Wisconsin. It ascends to an old train tunnel midway. There is a nice picnic area right at the tunnel which provided a lunch stop for the subs we brought along. The trail is paved, but it appears to have been so decades ago. There is quite a bit of vegetation creeping in and some rough patches, but it still makes for a fairly quick surface. Near the tunnel there is a gate to keep out motor vehicles and we barely squeezed through with the quad. We like the rock walls and the feeling of seclusion along this trail. There wasn’t a lot of wildlife to see, though Lorri did spot a “deer butt” crossing the trail and there were three cranes in a field. The weather did not call for rain until we were on the trail. It was overcast and only a few drops of rain were felt, but the temperature was in the 70s and comfortable. The tunnel is fun to ride through and we came prepared with headlamps. Jenny decided to explore the tunnel while we stopped for lunch and discovered a creepy doll head wedged into the rock wall in the dark depths of the tunnel. We admired the anonymous planning that went into this. There were just a few other bicyclists enjoying the trail today. The little shop in Elroy sells some trail merchandise and trail passes. We stopped early in the ride to repair a bulging tire. We are trying different types and sizes of inner tubes to find the most reliable with our high pressure (100 psi) tires. Changing a tube has become routine and we have it down to about 10 minutes. We traveled 13.75 miles at an average speed of 6.7 mph.

Omaha Trail
06/18/2024

Omaha Trail

Stevens Point -The Green Circle Trail in Stevens Point is a great ride. We started on the far northeast part of town at...
05/26/2024

Stevens Point -
The Green Circle Trail in Stevens Point is a great ride. We started on the far northeast part of town at the Ulga Disk Golf Park. The lot is small and has some pretty deep puddles. We parked at the town hall building right across the street. A worker there assured us it was ok to use the lot. The trail goes through a wooded area and eventually into a marsh. A wide and long boardwalk negotiates the wet areas. It’s quite a lot of fun with twists and turns. The trail was well used today, so we sometimes needed to yield to other bikers. People were very friendly and there were a lot of admirers of the quad. There is a short ride on a quiet road with an overpass at multi-lane Highway 39. The trail resumes in the Schmeeckle Reserve at North Point Drive. There are more short board walks and heavily wooded areas. The welcome center has an open pavilion and an amphitheater. We stopped to eat our sub sandwiches. The trail rejoins North Point Drive where we continued on another bicycle-friendly road west to the Wisconsin River. A short road trip leads to a trail that runs through parks along the river and takes us downtown. We parked the quad and walked to a couple shops on Main Street. We encountered a couple deer right with the reserve. The whole ride is laid back and fun from start to finish. We traveled 13.73 miles at an average speed of 6.5 mph. The weather was sunny and 70 degrees. What a day!

Scandinavia to AmherstWe visit the Tomorrow River State Trail at least once every season. It is about an hour and half ...
05/19/2024

Scandinavia to Amherst
We visit the Tomorrow River State Trail at least once every season. It is about an hour and half away from home. The trail feels very isolated and not many people use it. It was surprisingly warm today - in the 80s and sunny all day. We parked on a city street in Scandinavia. The ride was uneventful. We saw no wildlife other than birds. The journey west takes us to about a mile north of Amherst. A lightly traveled road gets us to downtown Amherst, where we had lunch at Ambrosia Pub & Grill. They have a broad menu and the food is always good. The trail is limestone and well maintained, but it felt like there was a lot of resistance both ways. It's early in the season and our stamina may not be built up, but we also think there may be something to the amount of moisture in the ground. Regardless, it was a good work out at 16.9 miles and an average speed of 5.3 mph.

Prairie du SacThe Great Sauk State Trail runs from Sauk City along the Wisconsin River at Prairie du Sac and north to wi...
05/12/2024

Prairie du Sac
The Great Sauk State Trail runs from Sauk City along the Wisconsin River at Prairie du Sac and north to within a couple miles of Devil’s Lake. We had done this trail several times, but always started near the north end. We finally got wise to the terrain and started from the south end. The outbound segment was uphill and against the wind. Get the hard stuff done first. The way back was a hoot with frequent sustained speeds of 15 mph or more. The very high hill that separates the north end of the trail from Devil’s Lake had an interesting effect on our perspective. It appeared that we were traveling down hill while approaching, but it turns out there was actually a fairly steep downhill grade in the opposite direction. The trail is paved and in excellent condition. Other than the river views for a few miles, the trail mostly runs through farm fields with some typical vegetation lining the trail. We heard plenty of birds chirping on this sunny 60 degree spring day, but had no other wildlife sightings. The wind was strong, but its biggest impact was to keep us cool at times. We had left a T-Rex statue high on an arch over the trail last year. We placed another statue in the exact same location this year. To our surprise, we found last year’s statue prominently sitting on top of a sign a couple miles down the trail. It was a bit beat up, so we wondered what it had all seen in the past year. There were a few art displays on the northern end of the trail and we stopped to take photos. At one of those stops, a single bicyclist yelled at us to get off the trail and that we weren’t “following the rules". We were admittedly parked on the trail, since there really is no shoulder. However, the trail is 12 feet wide. Apparently she had concerns about navigating the 8 feet she had to work with. Her parting gesture was to flip us off. There were plenty of bicyclists out today. The majority returned our greeting, some ignored us, and one did - well, whatever that was. We wanted to thank her for bringing our family so much closer together as we mused over her “exceptional" behavior. A mostly unmemorable trip became one of lore and legend. Thank you, angry wild woman. You live on in infamy every time we share today’s adventure with friends and family. We traveled 19.23 miles at an average speed of 8.4 mph.

First ride of 2024 - Manitowoc to Two Rivers.The weather finally appeared to be cooperating on the weekend for our first...
05/05/2024

First ride of 2024 - Manitowoc to Two Rivers.
The weather finally appeared to be cooperating on the weekend for our first ride of the season. There was rain forecasted for the afternoon, so we stayed close to home so we could ride early in the day. The Maritime Trail follows the Lake Michigan coastline from Manitowoc to Two Rivers. Most of the trail is directly adjacent to a four lane road, but the traffic wasn't too much of a distraction today. It was sunny and heading toward 60 degrees on the drive to the trail, but suddenly turned to fog and 50 degrees as we reached the lakeshore. The trail is paved and in beautiful condition. The views of the lake are great and there are fantastic flower beds along the way. We assumed that the lakeshore would help maintain a level course, but we learned on the way back that there was a decent uphill grade. Overall, it was an easy ride for the first time out. It was also a first for us. The air was literally at 100% humidity. As we headed back against the wind, we couldn’t keep our glasses dry and we realized that we had essentially been riding in the rain all along. Our canopies were keeping us dry while the wind was at our backs. We had finished the ride by noon. The ride was 12 miles at an average speed of 8 mph.

Address

Greenbush, WI

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Quadracycle Riders of the Midwest posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Videos

Omaha Trail Tunnel The Omaha Trail runs about 15 miles from Elroy to Camp Douglas in the southwest part of Wisconsin. It ascends to an old train tunnel midway. There is a nice picnic area right at the tunnel which provided a lunch stop for the subs we brought along. The trail is paved, but it appears to have been so decades ago. There is quite a bit of vegetation creeping in and some rough patches, but it still makes for a fairly quick surface. Near the tunnel there is a gate to keep out motor vehicles and we barely squeezed through with the quad. We like the rock walls and the feeling of seclusion along this trail. There wasn’t a lot of wildlife to see, though Lorri did spot a “deer butt” crossing the trail and there were three cranes in a field. The weather did not call for rain until we were on the trail. It was overcast and only a few drops of rain were felt, but the temperature was in the 70s and comfortable. The tunnel is fun to ride through and we came prepared with headlamps. Jenny decided to explore the tunnel while we stopped for lunch and discovered a creepy doll head wedged into the rock wall in the dark depths of the tunnel. We admired the anonymous planning that went into this. There were just a few other bicyclists enjoying the trail today. The little shop in Elroy sells some trail merchandise and trail passes. We stopped early in the ride to repair a bulging tire. We are trying different types and sizes of inner tubes to find the most reliable with our high pressure (100 psi) tires. Changing a tube has become routine and we have it down to about 10 minutes. We traveled 13.75 miles at an average speed of 6.7 mph.

Nighttime quadracycling.
Nighttime quadracycling.

Shortcuts

Share

Category

You may also like