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| Where the Badger changes to crushed limestone. |
After a good experience on the Military Ridge State Trail, it seemed like the time to venture south of Purcell Road on the neighboring Badger State Trail.
The last time I rode the non-paved portion of the Badger, it was October 10, 2020. The reason I hadn't returned was the poor conditions in sections where the path was more corduroy road than bike trail.
The term 'corduroy road' is from the early days of road construction when trees were laid across mud or wet ground so cars could travel. It worked but was a jarring trip.
Hoping an improved Military Ridge Trail might indicate better care for state trails, I gave the Badger a chance Labor Day morning.
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| Trees line the old RR bed. |
The first ten miles of the Badger, which runs south from Madison to Monroe then on to the Illinois state line, is paved. Most south-bound riders turn around at Purcell Road where the asphalt stops.
South of Purcell Road it feels like a vintage rails to trails project. Just a couple wheel turns south the rail bed is cut through a rolling hill exposing rock and shaded by trees growing along either side of the track.
Trains last used the route in the early 1980s. It was reborn as a state trail in 2007. Five years later, I rode it in 2012 from Madison to Monroe and back.
The trail cuts through farmland and sections of forest where it cuts through hilly areas of Dane and Green County.
There are more crossings between farm fields than rural roads to cross until you get near one of the communities built to take advantage of railroad traffic.
Belleville has a working grain elevator along the bike path but instead of train cars, it loads corn and beans into tractor trailers.
A little further down the line, near a factory, the Belleville Railroad bridge spans the Sugar River. According to historicbridges.org, it was constructed in 1887 by the Union Bridge Company of Athens, Pennsylvania and Buffalo, New York.
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| The Belleville bridge. 9/4/23 |
It's one-span, 150 feet from side to side over the Sugar River, and was part of an order of 50 by the Illinois Central railroad.
This is where I turned around, riding from the trail to get a shot from a modern cement bridge. I want to return when the leaves turn for more pictures.
The local Casey's was open, so I picked up a 12-pack of Keebler 'peanut butter bite-size cracker' sandwiches. After opening the package I popped one in my mouth with the other eleven in the back pocket of the jersey to eat on the ride back.
The cracker packs with peanut butter or cheese are a great protein pick-me-up and one of the least expensive snacks you can find in a convenience store. Most of the time one is less than a dollar.
With that, it was back on the bike to get home before it got hotter; it was in the upper-70s by the end the ride on a day it was expected to reach 95. Tale of the bike computer: 37.5 miles, 16 mph average.
All photos by David Mossner, 9/4/2023.
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