Woke to the sound of rain which is always a bad thing. Big decision . . . wait it out or start packing. After about ten minutes I decided to get everything packed into the panniers while INSDE the tent, put on the rain covers and transport it all to the covered park shelter. Then pull the pins on the tent and carry the whole thing over to the shelter where it can drain and dry . . . a little.

This was the other camping option . . . Bakers Field. Ying=it was FREE, Yang=it was under water!

The DNR does a nice job on the trails here. Lots of viewing stations and info for the nature curious.

The 400 trail connects to the Sparta Elroy trail, one of the first Rails to Trails projects in the country. This one is unique to Wisconsin in that it has three tunnels. (Elroy is also the home to one of our more famous Governors, Tommy G. Thompson.

At this intersection it’s either left to stay on the Sparta Elroy or right to head out on the Omaha Trail (not sure where the name came from).

Surprised the whole trail,and state, has not been renamed to Tommyland!!!!!

Nice scenery to roll by . . .

Many of the merchants have “hitchin posts” for the horses, and shovels, brooms and special waste containers available for the “spent fuel”.

It’s Saturday and shopping day in Kendall for all the locals, including the large Amish community who come to town in their buggies. Buggy and buggy parking lot.

Largest round about, around, Kendall,s claim to fame!

With dining options like this, who would want to cook in camp along the way!

The Amish do not used motorized vehicles but they do use stationary gas powered motors to run their equipment. When they need gas, they do like anyone else who has a lawnmower, etc. drive their “rig” to town and fill up the gas cans.

Lots of travel choices!

The first tunnel on the Sparta Elroy trail.

The obligatory “looking from the inside out” tunnel shot.

Second tunnel. Always a lot of condensation from the temp and humidity changes at the tunnel entrances.

The third tunnel, and the longest. One definitely needed a “torch”. With all the rain overnight the tunnel had REAL ceiling seepage issues and I should have had on my raincoat . . . plus it was only about 50 degrees in the tunnel!

The clouds and humidity were building all day and the forecast was for more heavy rain tonight, so I sought out indoor shelter for the night to keep me dry and dry out my gear. Most bikers don’t like spending 80-100 dollars a night just for a “roof” and look for the 40-50 dollar range. Yes, there are still some of those out their, especially in smaller towns. But like a lot of things in life . . . you get what you pay for. Many of the motels in that price range have become “resident hotels”, inhabited by an interesting slice of Americana.

Inside and dry . . . there was a typhoon that hit during the night that would certainly have swamped my tent. Ended up being over three inches of rain in most parts of the county.