The regional themes for this part of Wisconsin are cranberries, birds, and bicycles. You can learn everything you could possibly want to know about cranberries at the Cranberry Expo Ltd. on county road E a few miles east of the town of Warrens. (Open 10-4 daily, May through October; 608-378-4878.) Get there by leaving I-94 at exit 135 a few miles north of Tomah and going east on E.
County O goes north from County E just east of Warrens. Follow it for a couple of miles to the New Homestead Inn (608-378-4767), where you can get a buffaloburger for $2.75 (with fries) or a plate of buffalo ribs for $7.95. According to “Why Eat Bison?,” a brochure I picked up at the restaurant, bison meat has less fat and cholesterol than turkey or chicken, so a plate of ribs will give you a chance to make up for the big dish of craisin ice cream you ate at the Expo.
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In much of Wisconsin, the tourist business mainly serves fishermen in the summer, hunters in fall, and snowmobilers in winter. It’s working-class tourism: steaks, fried fish, and half-pound burgers. There are good salad bars, but no puree of parsnip, no duck breast, and the only sprouts are Brussels.
Elroy is at one end of a 33-mile bicycle trail that follows an old railroad bed west to Sparta. The state of Wisconsin has been buying up old railroad rights-of-way for bike trails for almost 30 years. This one, opened in 1964, was the first in the state and it now draws about 60,000 cyclists every year. I rode it in 1973 and can recommend it enthusiastically. You go through three tunnels, cross numerous trestle bridges over highways and streams, and ride through the hills without having to pedal. Since the route was built for trains, the steepest grade is 3 percent.
In downtown Elroy, where the old train depot used to stand, there will be a farmers’ market this summer. You might also make a visit to Mr. Ed’s (608-462-5299), which the governor’s brother used to own (before he opened the Teepee in Tomah). Mr. Ed’s gets somewhat raucous on Saturday nights when they have live rock and roll bands. They make a good hamburger, have a Friday-night fish fry, and, sometimes, Saturday-night pig roasts.
