Appleton West Between the Lakes

Another Saturday, another longer ride. I did 85 miles today on approximately the route below. I say approximately because I had to make a detour for construction and after riding the route, I made a couple small modifications. Plus, I started riding at my house, where the route in Bikely.com starts from Erb Park.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Appleton-West-Between-the-Lakes

The ride starts off escaping Appleton to the south and east heading through Neenah and then down close to Oshkosh. As I've discussed in my other posts, Prospect Avenue in Appleton is a little beat up, so you have to look out for road hazards. But the route down and through Neenah is either low traffic or with nice bike lanes, so its a pretty easy escape. County Road A to Oshkosh has some traffic, but it seems that a number of cyclists use the route and there is a sufficient shoulder, so it was not a problem to ride on.

My original plan was to go down to Sunnyview Road/County Road Y and then turn right (West). But when I got there, the road was closed for construction. So I headed back north and took Indian Point road over to 76, did a short stint on 76 (lots of traffic) and then back onto County Road Y heading west. And right by the Oshkosh Landfill. There were a lot of swarming birds over head. I am happy to say I didn't experience any bombing runs, but based on that, changed the route in bikely. Use County Road G, and then wind your way down to County Road Y once you get west of Highway 41 and the landfill.

County Y will pass under Highway 45 and then you will turn right on County Road S. One of the interesting places you pass is called M. Schettl. I guess these guys sell this sort of outrageous lawn art. If you have ever needed an extra large bison or bear for your yard, here is where you get it. I couldn't resist a picture.



From here, County S takes you up to Highway 116. Its just a couple miles into Winneconne. I only went into town far enough to stop at the local Kwik Trip to get some hydration and food. But that did provide a laugh. When I get up to pay, the clerk asks me "Any gas with that today?". Why yes, and a couple packs of smokes too.

From here, you backtrack about half a mile and take County M to the north. This eventually puts you onto County II where turning right (east) would shorten the ride and take you back to Appleton, and turning left (northwest) will take you to Fremont. This is really one of the nice parts of the ride. Very quiet, rural roads. You feel a lot more than 25 miles away from Appleton.

I did not actually go into Fremont. At this point, the skies were overcast and it looked like rain could come any time, so no time to waste to go exploring. I rehydrated at the store located at the intersection of Wisconsin 96 and County II, and then its about 1/4 of a mile to the west you can go north on County Road H. This is another great road to ride on. Quiet, rural, a good amount of trees. This eventually dumps you out on County W, where you turn left (north) to head towards New London.

About a mile up the road, you take a right onto Brehmer Road (which is really School Road). Its unmarked, but its the only right turn in the area. At the turn, there is a mill or agricultural storage units or something, so that is a good way to tell too. From here, its pretty much School Road back. I turned right on Manley and went down to Shady Lane just because I like that route back into Appleton.

Overall the route is very flat. There are a few small hills on School Road and a few others scattered throughout, but I never got out of the big ring. As with most rides in Appleton, wind can be a factor as you go through a lot of empty fields. There are stores in Neenah, Butte des Motes, Winneconne and Fremont. After you get out of the Oshkosh-Neenah area, the route is very rural. There is some traffic in the towns of course, but all of the back roads are very quiet. And yes, you do get some views of the lakes.

One good thing about the route is that there are a number of places you can cut miles off if needed. One option would be to head back to Winchester and then Appleton when you get to County Road II. Another option would be to head straight across to Winneconne on County G. Or you could add miles. My original plan was to head through Winneconne onto the west side of the lakes and work my way up to Fremont that way. It just all depends on the amount of time you have