La Crosse, WI to Spring Green, WI
Today’s ride was a good precursor to what we can expect to encounter as we proceed through the eastern states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The farm to market roads are quaint, dotted with well kept farm homes and tidy barns. The roads also have more of a tendency to follow the lay of the land when going up and over bluffs, ridges, and hills. While out west, with the significant amount of snow that impedes winter travel, the grade of roads rarely exceeds 8%. East of the Mississippi, however, the road engineers establishing a road centerline basically aimed their theodolites straight up a hill, figuring the closest distance between two points is a straight line. That said, we encountered a few climbs today with grades of 10% to 15%. Of course, they aren’t as long as the western roads going over Rocky Mountain passes, but at a length of 1 mile they certainly get your attention. Personally, I like the lay of the land we will be in for the next few weeks. It reminds me of home in Middle Tennessee.
We rode by a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home, Taliesin, named in honor of the medieval Welsh bard. However, the upright and conservative civic leaders of Spring Green, WI dubbed it the ‘Love Cottage’, as Wright built it as a getaway for assignations with his mistress, Martha ‘Mamah’ Borthwick Cheney, the wife of one of his clients. It was scandalous. So much so that the offended local citizens call upon the high sheriff to arrest Wright for indecency. That did not come to pass. However, tragedy did strike the relationship, for one hot August day, Mamah, along with her two children and 3 of the construction staff were brutally murdered by a deranged cook. To cover the horror of his crime, he set the house on fire, burning it to the ground. Wright was reportedly somewhat distraught, more so about the house. In short order he established a relationship with another woman that had written him letters of condolences. After finally convincing his wife to give him a divorce, he married the woman. A fickle man. Of note, Wright rebuilt Taliesin, however it burned down a 2nd time due to faulty wiring. So, with the 3rd time being the charm, he tried again, and that is the home we see today, preserved for posterity.
Until tomorrow…sleep tight!
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