Spring Fling 2026 — Day 3: Galena to Lancaster

Day three started beautifully. Galena has one of those genuinely lovely exits — out through the old residential neighborhoods, quiet streets, a Saturday morning that makes you feel like maybe you’ve got this whole thing figured out. We had descended from our hotel back down into the downtown area, then climbed back out the other side and were rewarded with some great views over the town. A little meandering, a little leg-warming, and before long we’d crossed back into Wisconsin.

Oh — and we passed the churro shop. Closed. On a Saturday morning! :sad trombone:

50+ miles on the day, with about the same elevation as yesterday — so on paper, a totally reasonable Saturday.

And then the wind found us.

It was more or less dead-on headwind all day — or a crosswind if we were lucky. Any time we got up onto the higher ground, out of the valleys and into the exposed parts of the Driftless Region, it just hammered us. Relentlessly. We pushed through the middle section of the day near Dickeyville with a lot of company from UTV traffic (its own special kind of fun). We stopped at a gas station to refuel on snacks and reminded ourselves that we were, in fact, choosing to do this.

The descent to the Mississippi was a genuine relief. The valley walls cut the wind, the temperature came up a few degrees, and suddenly the world was beautiful again. We wound along the river for a bit and made our way to the water’s edge at the Grant River Recreation Area. A campground for another trip, a different timeline. We were greeted by strong winds and whitecaps. So much for the warm valley reprieve. Still pretty though — second only to the Galena exit.

Then came the hill. Or maybe that came before the Mississippi. Either way….

Just before Potosi there’s a climb — 12 to 15%, probably the steepest thing we’ve hit on this whole trip — that absolutely does not care about your feelings. Seven full minutes of all-out climbing. Heart rate pinned, legs on fire, the whole deal. At that gradient, we had to go fast because we were out of gears. Honestly, more of a test than a climb.

We both made it to the top gassed but intact, took in the view, and pointed ourselves back downhill toward Potosi Brewing Company for a well-earned lunch.

Potosi was a good stop. We sat at the bar, chatted up and got chatted up. I had a portobello mushroom melt that wasn’t technically on the menu — there wasn’t much vegetarian to speak of, and even less vegan — so they were kind enough to put something together for me. Fries. A non-alcoholic beer, which I’m told counts. Harald had a real beer and a plate of fries, since the vegan pickings were slim. I’ll be honest: I bend the rules a bit on these trips. When you need calories, you need calories.

After lunch we climbed out through a really pretty valley — easy gradient, slight tailwind, the kind of climb you don’t mind — and then turned left at the top and got absolutely walloped again. Ten miles of open, rolling, completely exposed terrain all the way to Lancaster. I think it took us an hour and a half. We didn’t say much. We just put our heads down and rode.

Lancaster was a welcome sight. Hot tub in the hotel. Long shower. And then — because apparently 50+ miles wasn’t enough — we got back on the bikes and rode for groceries; saddled up again and pedaled into town for dinner supplies. I grabbed bean curd with vegetables from a Chinese place, plus a few odds and ends from the grocery store. Harald finished the other half of his burrito from yesterday and topped up his own kit from assorted vendors (eg Kwik Trip, Piggly Wiggly). We ate. We sat. We didn’t move much after that.