As we turned away from the Wisconsin River to cross under Business 51, I parked the “mama train” (what we call the bike and two trailers connected) and let the kids out of the trailer so they could fully take in this section of trail (plus they need to get exercise too!).  My kids loved the bridges including the two covered bridges on the route. 

Payback time

The most rewarding part of the excursion was that when we all returned to the mama train. My oldest decided to continue on her own. I fully expected that when we approached a bit of standing water across the trail (the trail had recently flooded) that she would jump back in the cart. Nope - she decided to hike through the woods, and even the downed two-foot diameter tree didn’t stop her! She needed to find foot holds since she wasn’t tall enough to step over, but proudly muscled herself up and over the obstacle. We soon found ourselves crossing the Wisconsin River and were back into Rib Mountain. It was only when we arrived at the road and I told her for safety to ride the rest of the way that she reluctantly agreed.

Nature at your fingertips

I look forward in revisiting next month when wildflowers blanket the ground, particularly trilliums. My oldest will enjoy counting the different types of flowers and my younger daughter identifying all the different colors.

Later in the year, I have stopped many times to enjoy raspberries, black caps, blackberries, and even gooseberries along the trail. My kids even remembered today where some of these spots are!

We didn’t see any wildlife today, but I have seen numerous deer, bald eagles, sandhill cranes, turkeys, ducks, geese, and even fox along the trail.  I have also smelled skunk but luckily no sightings.  One winter, there was even a black bear hibernating not far a few hundred meters off the trail!

What you should know