Day 28

Austin, MN to La Crosse, WI

• Miles: 117 mi

• Elevation Gain: 2,897 ft

• State Count: 8 - Wisconsin! 🎉

Today’s Ride
Day 28 was another big one — 117 miles with 2,897 feet of climbing — but what a beautiful day to ride! With almost no wind, we moved past the Minnesota pig farms and into sweeping fields of corn.

At mile 115, we crossed into our 9th state — Wisconsin! Another exciting milestone that reminded us just how far we’ve come.

Highlights & Adventures

• 🌽 A “classic” roadside potty stop in a cornfield, which brought back fond memories of Ragbrai.

• 🚴‍♀️ About 40 miles on a gorgeous bike path, giving us a break from traffic and a chance to just cruise.

• 😅 Midway through the bike path, a sharp turn led to a mud patch surprise. Sara went down, and with barely a moment to react, I somehow bunny-hopped over her and her rear wheel — still not sure how I pulled that off! Karen went down, too, but thankfully everyone was okay with only a few scrapes (and lots of mud). Once we knew all was well, we laughed about it for the rest of the evening — one of those stories we’ll keep retelling.

Tonight we’re staying at the Charmant Hotel, a beautifully restored old chocolate factory. Dinner at their restaurant was absolutely amazing, and our group has decided that the true definition of luxury is staying in a hotel where they make the waffles for you. (Fingers crossed for tomorrow’s breakfast!)

From peaceful bike paths and quirky roadside moments to the joy of crossing into Wisconsin, today had a little bit of everything. At this point in the ride, exhaustion is always present, but so is the gratitude for the experiences, the laughter, and the people I get to share them with.

Exhausted but grateful! One pedal stroke at a time. 😘