The Bridge is Out Bike Ride

by Joseph King

The idea for this ride came from the title of a short newspaper article that read "Historic bridge to be replaced." I clipped the article and resolved to check it out. Several weeks passed and then suddenly I found myself with an entire Tuesday afternoon to myself. I took out the clipping and a map and headed south from Madison toward Union, Wisconsin.

Union is in the northwest corner of Rock county which is mostly south but a tad east of Madison. I would travel on quiet roads most of the way heading out of Madison's far west side. From my workplace I choose a familiar and fairly direct route south toward Paoli. The ride would take me through about 65 miles of Wisconsin farm country.

It was a hot day. Temperature was in the 90's and humidity was in the 80's. The sky was mostly clear and the air was heavy as I passed a bike commuter on Fitchrona Road. The air was also thick with sulfur butterflies. The little yellow butterflies were having a feeding frenzy on the Clover, Queen Anne's Lace, and Chicory that flowered on the roadsides.

I was still on Fitchrona Road when I came upon a sad sight. Near the top of a short hill was a small black kitten apparently killed by a collision with a car. And then about 200 feet further down the road another black kitten lay dead on the side of the road. It was strange and sad at the same time.

The bridge I'm looking for is on Leedle Mill road and crosses Badfish Creek. I chose a route that would be direct yet traffic-free. Unfortunately lunch was approaching and the route to the bridge wouldn't take me through any towns. I would pass near Oregon but I decided to press on instead of detouring for lunch. On the way back I'd pedal over to Stoughton to satisfy a big hunger and thirst.

It was definitely lunch time when I approached the Oregon area. Well, at least it was for the large red-tailed hawk that was sitting atop a telephone pole ripping apart a field mouse. The hawk did not even blink as I passed beneath it. Grabbing the mouse between its beak and claw it ripped the mouse apart, entails flying as its head whipped back. With that sight went my last thoughts of lunch for several hours.

The entire length of Leedle Mill road is about a mile. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been closed since 1991. I wasn't sure what shape the road would be in. Up until now I've had great roads, smooth with very few cars. But I figured that even if it was gravel, it couldn't be that bad because it is so short. I was surprised to find a smooth road in good shape. Once more, because it is so lightly traveled, it was a play ground for all sorts of wild life. The swallows were so thick on the the phone lines, newcomers found it difficult to land. I could see several small rodents scamper across the road as I approached the bridge.

The bridge was of the metal span variety. A one lane bridge that was easily crossed on foot. The mostly iron bridge was paved and traffic was blocked from crossing it with large mounds of dirt piled high on both sides. Tall weeds grew out of these piles and I was careful not to get a tire punctured by thorn by walking my bike across.

Although the bridge was not much to look at, it created a quiet place to be. Badfish creek sang a quiet song underneath and the birds joined in from above. I could see having a picnic with some wine, cheese, and bread right there in the middle of the road. But after munching a few fig bars, I was ready to find some real lunch.

I ended up getting a bit confused and took a less direct route to Stoughton than I planned. This caused me to run out of water about six miles from town. The heat was starting to take its toll by the time I arrived so I headed straight for the first place I saw, which was the A&W.

After refueling I headed out of Stoughton on State Highway 138. Like too many state highways it is unsuitable for cyclists. This two lane highway was concrete with asphalt shoulders added on. There was a good three inch drop in some places between the shoulder and the road with plenty of bad places in the shoulder to make you want to ride in the road. Which, after trying the shoulder, is exactly what I did.

Passing Island Lake on Rutland-Dunn Road, I noticed a couple canes standing in shallow water. When I noticed a third down the road a few feet, I stopped to get a better look. This made the third cane nervous and it took off. It lifted slowly as its huge wings seemed to be pressing hard on the thick humid air.

Heading back toward Madison I find myself reflecting back on the ride. The route itself gently rolls through Wisconsin farm fields. As you head east the farms get larger and fallow fields are more common. It would seem that the fallow fields attract Swallowtail and Monark butterflies because as I headed east these became more abundant. I concluded that it was the wildlife that made this ride so special and as if to confirm my thought, three cranes fly low over head just as I make my turn onto Sandhill Road.

Cue Sheet.

Here is the cue sheet for the ride. All mileage estimates are approximate. In other words, don't trust them. Because I started out from work and returned to my house, the ride does not begin and end in the same place-- my apologies.