A shorter and rainy ride today took Andrew (his first day touring) and myself from Madison, WI west northwest to Richland Center, WI through rolling farmlands along the Wisconsin River. While the steady rain put a bit of a damper on the ride, the tailwind kept us moving along at a quick clip. Along a 15 mile straight section of US-14, we were cruising at better than 22 mph. Traffic on US-14 was on the heavier side but segments on county roads provided great riding conditions.
As our hosts informed us last night, this region of Wisconsin is known as the home of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The segment of US-14 we rode on today was called the Frank Lloyd Wright Highway and leads towards Taliesin - the summer home of the architect. He used features of the surrounding landscape and local materials as he experimented with new ideas.
The region also features a local tourist trap that I recall visiting in my childhood - House on the Rock. Thought to be one of the biggest tourist draws in Wisconsin, the mansion features endless rooms of collectors items - more homage to Hoarders than carefully tended museum. A vague sense of dread clouds the memory of my visit there. Needless to say, it was not a stop on our journey today.
Just outside Taliesin and House of the Rock is the small town of Spring Green, WI where we stopped for lunch. On the quaint main street, we dropped into the Freddy Valentine's Public House. The restaurant, only a couple years old, is inside a refurbished bank building complete with a safe separating dining rooms and the imposing facade of old style bank buildings. Skip House on the Rocks and head here instead.
Distance - 62.0 miles
Cumulative Distance - 1171.4 miles
Vertical Elevation - 1419 feet
As our hosts informed us last night, this region of Wisconsin is known as the home of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The segment of US-14 we rode on today was called the Frank Lloyd Wright Highway and leads towards Taliesin - the summer home of the architect. He used features of the surrounding landscape and local materials as he experimented with new ideas.
The region also features a local tourist trap that I recall visiting in my childhood - House on the Rock. Thought to be one of the biggest tourist draws in Wisconsin, the mansion features endless rooms of collectors items - more homage to Hoarders than carefully tended museum. A vague sense of dread clouds the memory of my visit there. Needless to say, it was not a stop on our journey today.
Just outside Taliesin and House of the Rock is the small town of Spring Green, WI where we stopped for lunch. On the quaint main street, we dropped into the Freddy Valentine's Public House. The restaurant, only a couple years old, is inside a refurbished bank building complete with a safe separating dining rooms and the imposing facade of old style bank buildings. Skip House on the Rocks and head here instead.
Starting Point - Madison, WI
Ending Point - Richland Center, WIDistance - 62.0 miles
Cumulative Distance - 1171.4 miles
Vertical Elevation - 1419 feet
Counties - Dane, Iowa, Sauk, Richland, WI
Wind - moderate tailwind
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