Get Me to The Grumpy Troll!

On Tuesday we decided that since the forecast called for rain over the next 3 days we'd be better off moving closer to a big city so we could find some indoor entertainment if necessary. We picked Blue Mound State Park which is outside of Madison, Wisconsin, and once we arrived were happy to see the typical large and well-spaced sites we've come to expect from our Wisconsin State Parks. The area behind all the sites is nothing but deep woods since this campground is on the smaller side. Showers were pretty good but the buildings are looking a bit decrepit and insects are a little more comfortable in there than I prefer!

Fall color is definitely past its peak here now, and over half the trees are bare, but it's still very pretty. We took a bike ride around the campground after setting up and discovered Blue Mounds has quite a few bike trails, including access to Military Ridge State Trail.

First thing Wednesday morning we headed out for the State Trail and hoped we'd be back in time to miss the forecasted thunderstorms. We paid our $4 each to use the trail and headed for the nearby town of Mt. Horeb, where we knew from past experiences we could get the best root beer ever at The Grumpy Troll.

Military Ridge Trail itself is mostly level and used to be an old rail bed. When we got to Mt. Horeb we rode around a little bit and looked for trolls. For those uninitiated, Mt. Horeb is famous for its Trollway and sports a collection of trolls around town to seek out.

Those first guys look pretty cheerful, but that other was out in front of the visitor center with a big banner reading "Velkommen". He doesn't look too welcoming to me!

We rode around town awhile and then made our way back to The Grumpy Troll for lunch. Come for the root beer, folks, but stay for the food! They have a great menu, and even have a few vegetarian options. Wayne got the special of the day which was a beef stew with biscuits on the side, and I got black beans on a wheat pita with seasoned waffle fries. Those waffle fries were the best I've ever had!

 

But, all good things must end, and even though we only finished half of our meals we had to move on and leave the leftovers behind because we don't have any way to carry anything. Next on our to-do list!

By the time we got back to the campground our legs were jelly! We figured we rode about 12 miles, and I was so exhausted that I fell asleep for awhile. We missed the rain while biking, but it didn't take long for it to start once we got back. Eventually we forced ourselves out of the camper again and drove into Madison to the West Towne Mall. While in REI we looked into a bike/kayak rack system but still don't know what we're going to do. I think we need to figure out a way to attach them to the camper because it doesn't look like they're going to fit onto the top of the truck. Anybody have any suggestions??  I don't know how long we'll cope with throwing everything inside! We're going over to Camping World tomorrow to see if they have any ideas.