We visited La Crosse, Wisconsin this summer.
La Crosse is a city built on fur, lumber and lots of beer - we didn't enjoy any of those things. But of course, we river watched up on Grand Dad's bluff. The Mississippi and the Black river pass below here. I love my groovy bridge shot.
A fantastic sunset view.
A warm rock with a view.
We saw big birds...
and small ones too.
There were castles.
But the main reason we visited the region was to finally experience the Elroy - Sparta recreational trail. The 32 mile Elroy - Sparta State Trail was the first rail to trail in the United States. No kidding! In its earlier designation - 1836 to be exact - it was the mainline of the Chicago and North Western Railway.
Rural bucolic beauty.
But we weren't there for beauty - we were there for caves! This one, at 3,833 feet, is as long as ten football fields. Unfortunately, it gets so dark in the bowels of the cave, and the limestone floor is so uneven, that you have to walk your bike. When we visited the entrance was flooded. Luckily we were prepared with our boat shoes. Because of all the recent rain, the ceiling dripped and cascaded water as we snaked through. It was spooky as other human forms approached with their bikes, brandishing almost entirely use-less flashlights. Besides the thrills, there's chills; the cave maintains a year round temperature of 50 degrees - through the sultry heat of summer and the wild Wisconsin winds of winter. Sounds fun right?
It was.
click to enlarge.
Do you see the white dot in the middle? That's the other end.
We had to pose "Ventenas" style inside the cave. Ventenas is a beach with amazing sea caves in Costa Rica. Visit Ventenas Caves to see our previous styling and profiling stance.
Nothing beats Costa Rica...period. But the Elroy - Sparta caves were pretty darn cool too.
A Wisconsin must see.
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18 comments:
Beautiful views of Wisconsin, Sharon! Gorgeous photos. And I just loved seeing the caves. What fun that must have been!
Wow! What an adventure you had ~ there are so many wonderful places to visit in the USA ~ beautiful photography and fascinating ~ ^_^
Lovely bridge! I also like the white dot indicating the other end of the cave.
I also love your cool bridge shot, but that tunnel is just... incredible! Thanks for sharing it with me. :-)
There is plenty to see and enjoy in that city.
The scenery is lovely!
wow. That is some bridge Sharon. Lovely scenery and critters and love the last image
They are fantastic pictures. What a great place to visit.
That image with the white dot is amazing
Mollyx
Belle série ;-)
Céline & Philippe
Hello Sharon!:) Beautiful views, and wonderful photography. I especially like the one from the cliff top "warm rock with a view", and the first image overlooking the city of La Crosse. The damp cold tunnel would be a very good reason for me not to enter, but I would love to cycle the trail,...it looks so inviting.
The cave looks awesome!! I would really enjoy exploring it. Thanks for taking us along and sharing your great photos. I have a cousin I haven't seen in a while in Wisconsin. May be time for a visit :-)
Well, that is cool! Literally and in the sense that old ladies like me use the word. Wish I'd known about the cave when we were in the State during our RV Days... we had our bicycles on the back of that RV and used to enjoy finding reasons to ride them. We found a few rails-to-trails and thought that idea was fantastic.
Your bridge shot is great.
You are so lucky to have such gorgeous skies! All the photos look very well captured. Enjoyed them.
Oh wow I have a photo of biking in LaX very much like that. It's been on my mind a lot lately since an old college buddy dug up a photo of the gang down at our watering hole in the 70s (Howies, still there I bet).
Looks and sounds fun, if a little creepy in the chilly, drippy dark.
These are some really wonderful scenes! What a great place to cycle. I like your bridge shot, too!
I don't think I've ever been Wisconsin (as an adult), but your photos are making me think about it. REALLY nice photos!
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