Except for an occasional freak warm day or two, San Francisco is usually pretty chilly in the summer months. In the morning, in many neighborhoods we wake up to the marine layer, otherwise known as fog. Sometime around lunch it can push back out to the ocean for a few hours, only to return in the early evening. Rarely do you get a glorious sunset. Various more inland and protected neighborhoods, like The Mission and Potrero Hill can go for days without ever seeing this fog. So around July I like to get out of town and travel to warmer climes.
The Goin’ to Madtown 300
In 2024 I once again did the bicycle ride from Minneapolis to Madison, Wisconsin an activity now called “bike packing.” I have chronicled this trip before.
This was my fourth year doing the ride. One of the main differences in 2024 was the fact that the Mississippi River and other rivers were running very high. Entire campgrounds were flooded which made for some fun improvisatory sleeping arrangements. Thanks to Sarah and Dan at the Humble Moon in Stockholm for their hospitality. Indeed, in the hinterlands of the country it takes people consciously committing to community no matter the histories or differences to build community. People and music over Packer games.
The Trempealeau Hotel is still awesome with delicious food, great beers and friendly people. Come to think of it – no televisions in that place too. I had a few nights when it rained but my Nemo Hornet OSMO Ultralight 2P Tent worked great. Big shout out to La Mexicana restaurant in Sauk City that had some delicious lemonade and tacos that made me feel like I was still in San Francisco. The ride from Sauk City to Madison is actually pretty nice. I like to go through Marxville. One of the roads was closed and being resurfaced but that did not stop this bicycle.
Madison to Columbus Amtrak by Bike
This year I took a little different route to the Amtrak Station in Columbus Wisconsin. It is about a 40 mile ride and you can get out of Madison on mostly trails. Also, the best way into Columbus is weave your way on the farm roads like Marshall Road – a really sweet ride. As always before you get on the train cool off with a swim at the Columbus Aquatic Center. The Empire Builder heading west leaves Columbus Wisconsin at 5:55PM daily.
East Glacier to West Glacier
Riding a bike from East Glacier to West Glacier is very fun. Sure there are some climbs but the open spaces and amazing views make it all worthwhile. Last year I documented the ride.
I reunited with some friends that I met last year and made some new ones. At one point, at a campground I ran into Ernest and Jack from Switzerland. They were riding across the entire United States at a pace of about 80 miles per day. They were pretty hard core about it all, wearing red, white and blue jerseys emblazoned with a flag of the United States and some lettering “America Tour 2024” in hopes of being received congenially during their ride. I suspect they are either spies on a mission of discovery or players in an upcoming Netflix series. Later on my ride in Glacier I camped with an interesting Czech fellow who has biked in over ninety countries. I shared my dinner of pasta primavera – all the food I had left. Below is the recipe. It was delicious after a day of riding the Going to The Sun road.
Glacier Zucchini Delight
1 zucchini
12 cloves of garlic – entire garlic bulb
1/2 bag of elbow macaroni
olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper
Directions
Cook up macaroni al dente and set aside
Chop up zucchini, garlic and basil and sauté in olive oil
Combine ingredients
Add more olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
The Empire Builder is Amtrak’s northern train through the west. It is good to reserve space for your bike ($20) beforehand however many agents at Amtrak are not very knowledgeable about bikes on trains.
If you are going through Portland on the Empire Builder you have to ride to Whitefish (you cannot get your bike on in East Glacier) and put your bike in a box (Amtrak provided for $10). It is possible to to get your bike on the train in East Glacier but you have to go through Seattle. This year I rode an extra thirty miles to Whitefish where I put my bike in a box. Whitefish was nice with very good lake swimming, breweries and a farmers market. There are probably more interesting bike routes than the one I took as I was advised to ride Highway 2 and I improvised some of the side roads to get away from the cars and trucks.
The Amtrak trains in the summer of 2024 are being delayed because of the heat and speed restrictions but I made my connection in Portland on the Coast Starlight. Amtrak comes through again!