Ride 28 - Up and Down

On the trail east of Mt Horeb. 9/26/25 dwm

One appeal of the rails to trails movement was creating bike paths on abandoned railroad beds with gradual climbs that would make long rides possible for more cyclists.

Case in point is the Military Ridge State Trail from Madison to Dodgeville; which has a steady climb over three miles to Mount Horeb and the highest point in southern half of the state, Blue Mound (1,719 feet). I wouldn't be surprised if the actual climb lasts more than four miles.

The good news is that what (you on your bike) goes up, goes down on the way home. 

Most of the Military Ridge trail is crushed limestone; a slower track than cement or asphalt. In my experience it's good for reducing an average pace by 1 mile an hour.

An hour after sunrise, the air was crisp and sun shining as I set out. Just a few miles into the ride I saw a Great Egret reigning over a wide spot in a small stream. I stopped quickly then grabbed my camera to see if it would allow me to get some shots.

A Great Egret. 9/26/2025 dwm

It wasn't bothered, or didn't notice me. I removed my bright yellow-green bike helmet so I wouldn't get it's attention and stood behind wild grasses, bushes, and trees while I took a dozen shots.

I've seen a number of egrets around Madison, so it was a surprise to read the species is considered threatened due to loss of habitat, pollution, and their nesting colonies being disturbed. 

A short time later I saw a kingfisher in flight, the first one I've seen this year, and just after that, a pair of sand hill cranes flew across the bike path. 

The Military Ridge Trail was the first one I rode when we moved to Madison. It's just over 40-miles from Madison to Dodgeville. Instead of an 80-mile trip, my wife would meet at the west trail head.

It was a frequent ride until there were some issues with the path west of Barneveld. The worst of it for me was sand used on the trail to fill divots or potholes. 

Unless you have a bike equipped with big tires for beach riding, sand can at the least, slow the bike's progress, and in the worst case scenario, cause a fall.

Construction is almost finished. 9/26/25 dwm

 Part of the trail has been getting work done around Verona where U.S. highway 151 was adding traffic lanes which meant the two cyclist-pedestrian tunnels had to be extended. They re-opened two weeks ago.

 In recent years, I found patches of sand on the trail between Verona and Mt Horeb. There seemed to be less sand this year but I noticed that a number of the bridge crossings are teeth-rattling if you cross at more than 10 miles an hour.

 I turned around 25 miles into the ride, so put another 50 miles on the bike and the total leaves me just 13 miles from 1,500.

Great Egret. 9/26/2025 dwm