Old Abe State Trail - Chippewa Falls to Cobban Bridge (WI)

Mom and Bambi 

The state of Wisconsin defrays much of the expense for maintaining their trails by charging usage fees.  The fees are $5 per person per day or $25 per year.  I have mixed feelings about this system but it puts the costs on the users like us which I understand.  This allows some monies to come in from out-of-staters rather than putting all the burden on the Wisconsin state tax payers and donors.  This is similar to turnpike fees.

At the beginning of our ride starting at Chippewa Falls, we have a hedge full of white flowers of which I'm not sure the proper name.  Someone will know.

After a short ride from the parking lot, we arrive at the beginning of the "Old Abe State Trail."  The trail was actually named after a pet bald eagle.  In the 1860's a local Indian had captured a bald eagle  and made it his pet. Later he sold the eagle to a tavern owner at Jim Falls, which is located on this trail.  From there the tavern owner sold the eagle to volunteer Wisconsin troops fighting in the Civil War.  The troops used the eagle as a mascot.  Since Wisconsin is in the north, the name "Old Abe" seemed reasonable.

A couple of miles down the trail we arrive at a unique trail bridge that spans the Wissota Lake.

Debbie notices that we aren't wearing our helmets which is always a good idea.  I convince her that today we'll be okay - and we can proceed forward.  I'm not sure she was fully convinced.

Jumping off of this bridge is against the rules, (see the sign).  I have a feeling there have been a few rule breakers in times past.  Not me though.  It looked to be about 30 feet up and a several hundred yard swim to shore.





The doe and fawn allowed Debbie to get this shot and the captioned shot introducing the blog before they decided to retreat.  She was approximately 25 feet from the pair while taking this picture.  Occasionally, the trails grant such moments of nature.

Much of the trail goes right beside the Chippewa River.

Wildflowers are always something to stop and enjoy while on our rides.




The nearby water helps these plants thrive.







We like to see mile markers along the way.  We ride about 10 miles per hour unless we take a lot a pictures.  This allows us to plan ahead.







Notice the bird sticking its head out to check us out.  In the bird houses were mostly swallows but we did see a large variety of other bird types on the trail.  Yellow finches, Baltimore orioles, red-winged blackbirds, and bluebirds to name a few.





Wisconsin is known for its dairies.  The trail goes through dairy country.  There was a cheese store nearby but we didn't realize it until after the ride.  Maybe next time.

Some of the fields were just starting to grow the corn.  Some dairies grow corn just to feed the dairy cattle.

We passed a unique cemetery along the way.  Someone put a lot of time in grooming this one.








The trail surface is a big part of whether we enjoy the ride or not.  The Old Abe trail is all paved with asphalt and is extremely smooth.  As a result we rode 29 miles rather than the initially planned 17 miles.

The weather was ideal.  Temps were in the 60's and 70's and the trail had plenty of shade.

We passed AMPI (American Milk Producers Inc.) at Jim Falls.  We also got a snack at the local gas station. 

Birds weren't the only wildlife checking us out.  This turtle also wanted to see what we were up to.

The scenery was truly something to remember.

This small bridge overlooks a larger bridge on the left.  The large bridge was our turnaround point.





This is the Cobban Bridge.  It is 14.5 miles away from our car.  Time to head back.

Lunchtime was about 1:30 pm in Chippawa Falls.

We chose Lucy's Deli downtown.  If you get a chance, try their Morning Glory muffin.

Tomorrow we head towards the upper peninsula of Michigan.  Thanks, Chippewa Falls for the good memories.