Day 30 Viroqua, Wisconsin (66 miles)

66 miles to the Big Riders sounds like an easy day but they shouldn't be fooled by todays ride. Today is a full day. They will ride down the mississipi river valley on the west side of the river while they are still in Minnesota. After crossing the Mississippi they will enter Wisconsin and go through busy LaCrosse. Then they will continue to ride down the river valley on the east side of river. Before too long they will be climbing some very steep hills into Amish Country and some amazing scenery. They will end the day at the Vernon County Fairground in Viroqua.

Something about Viroqua: The town of Viroqua with a population of about 4500, is the county seat of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Viroqua sits in the enchanting unglaciated part of Wisconsin, in the southwest corner of the state. The area is one of the only parts of America consistently missed by advancing glaciers over the millennia, hence the name "Driftless or Unglaciated Region". This has preserved the unique topography of the region. The famous bluffs, coulees and small winding streams are mesmerizing, making the southwest corner of Wisconsin one of the most unique and captivating places on Earth!




Above are a couple of Chuck's pictures of this "Driftless Region"

The old, rich soil has supported decades of farming, and has been particularly suited to organic farming. The surrounding area has become one of the most successful organic farming regions in the entire world. In fact Organic Valley / CROPP organic farming coop, located 20 minutes from Viroqua, has grown into a multi-million dollar international company.



Viroqua was dubbed "The Town That Beat Walmart" by Smithsonian Magazine in 1992 because it fostered businesses that co-exist with the retail giant. The city promots small business development through several state and federal programs. Viroqua is a Wisconsin Main Street City and its downtown is listed on the Wisconsin and National Register of Historic Places.


Downtown Viroqua

The Temple Theatre is an example of the town's resurgence. The $1.6 million restoration of the 1922 classical revival style movie theater was driven by volunteers. The building now serves as an arts and cultural center for the surrounding counties.


Temple Theatre

Todays forecast for Viroqua:
Temperature: 75.6 °F
Dew Point: 72.8 °F
Humidity: 91%
Wind Speed: 1.1mph
Wind Gust: 0.0mph
Wind: SSW
precipitation: 0.02in


Mist coming off the Mississippi River

Chuck said that the morning started out very foggy. He enjoyed watching the mist rise off the lakes and the river all morning long. He enjoyed riding along the Mississippi river and was the first to arrive at the Meyers house for the morning rest stop. As always the Meyers had lots of home baked goodies, fruit, cheese, sausage & crackers. Chuck said that none of the riders left the Meyers until after the last rider arrived because they wanted to get a complete group picture with the Meyers. The Meyers said that this is the first time in their history of feeding the Big Riders that a complete group photo has been taken. Also a first for them was getting BRAA T shirts and caps. They were so pleased and happy.

The Meyers story is that they saw riders going by their house one year and found out the ride was for the American Lung Association. Their grandfather had died of emphysema & lung cancer, so they appreciated the purpose of the ride. The very next year they began inviting all the Big Riders to stop at their house. I don’t know for sure how many years they’ve been doing this. They take pictures of all the riders and have a photo album, they read the blogs and take interviews, and give out hand made bracelets.


Enjoying food and friends at the Meyers


Group picture with the Meyers


Andy interviewing one of the Meyres for his kids

Soon after leaving the Meyers house the big riders crossed over the Mississippi and into LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Chuck had his picture taken, holding up his bike, on the bridge over the Mississippi.


Crossing the Mississippi


Welcome to Wisconsin


Taking a picture of his reflexion in a store front window in La Crosse

Chuck said after the climb out of the Mississippi river valley the sun came out and the temps climbed into the 90’s. He said that the day also became quite humid as the temperature rose. He really enjoyed riding the rolling, hilly, country roads into Viroqua. Of course he stopped at the Food Co-Op.


Viroquas' Food Co-op

After everyone got their showers and had put up their tents, the food eating challenge occurred. The challenge had changed slightly to all dairy products in honor of the state of Wisconsin. They decided to have two, three man relay teams with Todd, Chacko and Sam (the winner from the Kraut eating contest in New Ulm) versus Tim, Andrew, and Jeremy. The challenge consisted of one eating a block of cheese, one drinking a half gallon of chocolate milk, and one eating a quart of ice cream. I guess Chacko, Todd and Sam won... before the second team could even finish the chocolate milk. Tim, Jeremy and Andrew shouldn't have forfeited because there was a reversal when Chacko threw up the chocolate milk just feet away from Chuck's tent.




Above pictures from Deidre's blog

The day ended with a very unfortunate event. A man (with dementia and who had obviously just got out of the hospital because he still had his id band on) in his old red truck ran over Andy’s bike at the fairground and totaled it. Andy is an 8th grade English teacher and coach. He is doing more than just a ride. He has arranged to meet different mayors and people in towns along the way. He then video tapes his interviews for his students. He wants them to know there’s more to America than the town they are growing up in. He puts his videos on youtube. You can see his videos, including one of his wrecked bike, by going to his youtube site link to the right of Chuck's blog.


Andy's bike after being run over