Day 20: Sunday, September 15, 2013
Location: Connecting Route between Chippewa/Taylor County line and Chippewa River Segment, Chippewa County, WI
We woke up this morning to the sound of a boat being launched. They didn’t bother us, we didn’t bother them. It wasn’t actually raining, exactly, but it was still dripping a lot. There could have been raindrops involved. But it also looked like it was going to clear up, so we decided to stay and bike. Theresa’s knee was feeling OK, so we had breakfast and made for the trail. We dropped one vehicle off at the Bait Shop at the intersection of CTH F and CTH H. Technically, this was still in Taylor County according to the highway signs, but in Chippewa County according to the Companion Guide. Since we already had our happy dance the day before, we’re sticking with the Companion Guide.
It’s worth mentioning that there is an error in the Atlas related to CTH H. The Atlas shows it bending west near Brownville, but in truth it just keeps on going due south at that point. The road labeled ‘H’ south of Brownville is actually 360th Street. The online maps have it right – no explanation how the Atlas got it so wrong.
To make a long story short, we biked our way 24.3 miles over the entirety of this connecting route, and found it to be mostly pleasant. There is one place on 350th Street, between 140th and 145th Ave where there is a vicious little farm dog that is to be avoided. He’s a biter, and he can run faster than you can bike. We actually avoided this monster by biking the alternate route of staying on CTH G south until we reached 130th Ave which is actually an unmarked intersection, but it’s the first one that’s paved. We avoided some serious up and down gravel hills on 145th Ave, but more importantly we avoided the beast. The rest of the route was relatively pleasant. It was a cool day, and most of the roads were paved, and not too busy. We reached the end of the connecting route somewhere around 6:30, which left just enough time for some last-minute hiking in Cornell. Running total: 201.1 miles of trail covered; 9.7 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.
Location: Chippewa River Segment, between southern parking area on CTH CC and CTH Z (end of Segment), Chippewa County, WI
We had one vehicle sitting at the end of CTH Z uncomfortably close to the stop sign, but there was no ticket, so we left it there and went to the parking area just north on CTH CC. The parking area was large, but the trail was a little overgrown, and the bridge leading out of the parking area had partially collapsed. We tested it out, and it was apparent that people were still using it, so off we went at a pretty good clip. Theresa’s knee had miraculously healed over the course of the day because of the biking (thank goodness, because it could just as easily have gotten worse), so there was nothing holding us back from completing this approximately 0.6 mile piece of the Segment. As I mentioned, it was a little overgrown, but it was a pleasant enough trail around a small lake, with plenty of pretty views. It was apparent that there had been quite a few trees and branches down along the trail, but someone had put in the hard work to clear it, so the going was easy. I’d call this Class ‘B’ trail. We got to the car in a jiffy, and closed out our day of hiking and biking, only to discover much later than we had taken the ‘closed’ portion of the trail. Apparently there was a temporary reroute further to the north which we missed entirely. It must have crossed the creek further inland and connected somewhere to the trail we hiked, but we were on yellow-blazed trail with good tread, so I’m counting this as complete, even if we didn’t take the new route.
The last thing we did was drive to Brunet Island State Park to assess the camping and the showers for future use. This park is a real gem, and the showers are everything you could ask for, and included with the camping fee. They do state that shower use is limited to registered campers only, but if you include camping, flush toilets and showers in the $16 fee, that’s a pretty good bargain overall. Plus, the park was kept in excellent condition. We will definitely be staying there on our next trip to the area.
Running total: 201.7 miles of trail covered; 9.7 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking. End of Day 20.
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