Dousman sits on the rolling edge of the Kettle Moraine, in the lake country west of Milwaukee, and it is a quiet place that has seen a lot of people pass through. The village grew along the railway in the nineteenth century, serving the farms around it, and it is still a farming community in spirit, with grain elevators, old brick storefronts and a main street that is not in a hurry. Today it is also a commuter village, with new houses on the edges, but the centre has kept its character.
The countryside here is made of the same glacial material as the rest of the moraine, but with more water. Small lakes sit in the hollows between the hills, among oak, maple and hickory woods and farm fields, and the Oconomowoc and Bark rivers wander through it. Nearby, at Lapham Peak in Delafield, an old tower stands on the highest point in Waukesha County, and from the top you can see across the forests and lakes to the skyline of Milwaukee on a clear day. The region is full of birds, with sandhill cranes calling in the marshes in spring and autumn, and the trees are at their best in October.
The riding is pleasant and varied. The roads rise and fall over low hills, with easy bends and good surfaces, and they link the lakes and villages in a series of short, enjoyable runs. Traffic is moderate during the week and heavier on summer weekends, when the lakes draw boaters and visitors from Milwaukee and Chicago. Farm vehicles are the main hazard, and the usual deer at dawn and dusk. In spring, frost heave can leave the roads rough, and by late May they are fully recovered.
Dousman has fuel, a few places to eat and a bakery or two, and Delafield, eight kilometres away, is bigger and has a pretty main street, a lake and a wider choice of restaurants. For a longer day, the villages around Wales and Oconomowoc add more food and shops. Dousman is a good place to start or finish a loop through the moraine, and a comfortable place to stop for a coffee and a look at the map. The best months are May to October, with September and early October the best of all.