Day 34, June 23^rd, Union Center, WI to La Crosse, WI.  There was no breakfast at the Garden City Inn so I got coffee at the convenience store across the street.  The sky was cloudy and gray; not what we expected from the weather forecast.  We loaded up and rode back to Elroy on the “400” Trail, named for the Chicago and Northwestern passenger train that went from Chicago to Minneapolis a total of 400 miles in 400 minutes with stops.  This was in the steam era!  We ate at the Family Diner in Elroy and talked with some fellow bicyclists doing a ride across Wisconsin on rail trails.  Wisconsin has a network of state supported rail trails.  The 2 bicyclists were going from La Crosse to Milwaukee almost all on trails.  We headed up the Elroy-Sparta Trail; 32 miles with some climbing (at railroad grade) to 3 tunnels along the route.  The last tunnel was ¾ of a mile long.  All were dark and wet.  We passed through several towns with refurbished railroad stations and some displays.  There were many families out and we talked to many about our trip.  The landscape of this area is different than anything we have seen.   We rode along small streams but the rock outcroppings show that long ago the stream was a large river, probably coming from glacier melt.  Attached is a swirled rock picture for Lauren and AG.   It was an enjoyable ride.  At Sparta, we switched to the La Crosse River trail for 21 miles into La Crosse.  This trail parallels the BNSF/CP railroad line and we saw several trains!!!!!  In the town of West Salem, we took a break but as we got ready to leave a young boy came riding up saying a train was coming.  A CP freight passed through going in excess of 60 mph on a downhill run to the Mississippi River bridge.  In La Crosse, we saw the Mississippi River and we will follow the river to Minneapolis.  We expect to arrive Monday night.  Total miles for the day were 56.11.  Not a long day but tiring.  Trail riding is not as easy as on the roads.