ELEVEN TO SUPPORT CAMP COURAGEOUS

 We had 11 Wednesday Night Riders show up at Casey's Sunday morning for our fall trip down to Camp Courageous in Monticello for their fund-raising waffle breakfast. With the damp weather threatening to spoil our plans, we still had Mike & Jim dress up for rides on their bikes.  Dave and Bob planned to take their trikes, while we had two support vehicles with us.  Dennis drove his pickup with Marlene, Julie and Jens & Jane aboard.  Richard & Melodye opted for their Jeep instead of the Slingshot.

DAVE IS READY TO TACKLE THE DAMPNESS

MIKE AND RICHARD ARE DRESSED FOR THE RIDE

JIM CHECKS THE WEATHER FOR RICHARD & MELODYE

DENNIS ARRIVES WITH A TRUCK LOAD

JENS GETS TO RIDE "SHOTGUN"

After checking the radar, we figured if we got to Guttenberg without getting too wet that would be the plan.  So with a slight mist still falling, we opted to take HWY 76 down through Marquette and McGregor and pick up the Great River Road to head into Guttenberg.  The plan was to try to stay east of most of the heavier rain, and except for a few fairly wet spots on the roads, the plan worked fairly well.

After rolling through Guttenberg, we did encounter some wet areas on HWY 52, but once we reached Dyersville, we clear of any rain.  We made an attempt to stop at the new Kwik Star there in Dyersville, but it wasn't quite ready to open yet, so we waited in line again to use the facilities at Casey's.

After our break at Casey's we continued our journey south on HWY 136.  We did notice that some corn chopping had been done, so they must not received the amount of rainfall we did earlier.  When we neared Cascade, we turned onto HWY 151 and sped along this 4 laner until we reached HWY 38 just outside of Monticello.  HWY 38 took us south for a short ways to 190th St. and we motored along it and on into Camp Courageous.  A parking attendant wanted us to turn into one of the lots, but we ignored him and continued to our normal parking spots on the basketball court.  Dennis and Richard were also able to park their vehicles on the grassy area next to the courts.

NOBODY WAS GOING TO KEEP US FROM OUR NORMAL PARKING SPOT

 After parking, we made our way into the huge cafateria building and loaded up our plates on waffles and sausage along with juice and coffee, all delicious.  As always, we were able to sit as a group, and a kind attendant took our photo.

CHOWING DOWN

After a great breakfast, we made our way back to the vehicles. 

GETTING READY TO ROLL BACK HOME

While Dennis and his group decided to take the direct route back home, the bikers and Richard & Melodye chose to take the scenic way back as we have done before.

The "biker"gang, led by Bob left Camp Courageous by the same route, only this time as we passed by Cascade, we stayed on HWY 151 and exited onto Farley Road.  Bob decided to take a little different route over to our gas stop in Epworth.  Farley Road offered up some nice sweeping curves through the farm country and took us into Farley.  There we picked up Old HWY 20 and took the smooth asphalt into Epworth.  This brought back some memories for Bob, since this used to be the route from Manchester, his hometown, to Dubuque.  We even passed under a viaduct on a sharp curve that we nicknamed "dead man curve" back then.  We gassed up at the BP station there like we've done before.

After passing through Epworth, is when the route really becomes scenic, and is one of our favorites.  We catch Gun Club Road just outside of town, and follow this scenic byway up to Bankston and St. Clement Church. Then we turn for a short jog on Bankston Park Road over to Asbury Road and enjoy some more stunning scenery as we make our way to Five Points Road.  And as he has done before, Bob was gawking at the scenery and missed the turn onto Five Points.  Fortunately some thoughtful resident of Graf put a place to turn around, so back we went and up the hill on Five Points.

If you are ever in the area, Five Points Road is one you should never miss.  There are places along this stretch of blacktop where the scenery can only be described as "breathtaking".  Five Points ends at HWY 3, but the never-ending repair work on HWY 3 is still going on, so you cannot turn east and take it over to Eichman's BP as we often do.  This time, Bob hadn't planned to do that anyway, so we crossed HWY 3 onto South Mound Road.  This road is another treat.  It winds its way on newly paved blacktop up and down hills over to Sherrill where we pick up Balltown Road.

The treat continues as we meander along Balltown Road taking in more incredible views and into Balltown we go.  We pass by Breitbach's Country Dining, and one of these days I've got to get back there for one of their oustanding buffets or at least a peice of their delicious pie.

After turning onto CR C63 we take our time drifting along looking at the fabulous views of the valley below.  Our journey continues on C63 (Ridge Road) and then onto CR C9Y (Great River Road), which takes us through North Buena Vista and down the hill onto HWY 52 near Millville.  We take 52 on into Guttenberg, and what's a waffle breakfast without ice cream? So we stop at Joe's Pizza for some treats.

After polishing off the ice cream, we continue our journey on HWY 52 passing through Garnavillo and up to HWY 18.  There we turn westwardly passing through a busy Froelich, and on past Monona.  We turn on into Luana and take Forest Mills Road past the Gelo Ranch where Jim gets off while the rest of us continue on up to HWY 76 and into Waukon.  Bob had a little over 250 miles on his trike for the trip.

The bikes, and probably the "support" vehicles need a good wash, but it was again a great ride for a good cause!

While we were in Dyersville, I was reminded when I saw the sign for the National Farm Toy Museum that I had never been there.  I'm thinking about a trip down there maybe yet this fall for pizza at Happy Joe's and a Farm Toy Museum visit.  Anyone else interested?

NICE RIDE, JUST NINE

On a nearly perfect Wednesday night, 9 riders ventured out for our usual ride. Under partly sunny skies and temps in the high 60's, Bill, Jim & Cathy, and Mike rolled in on bikes.  Three-wheelers were Mark, Richard & Melodye, Dave, and Bob.  With all the road construction taking place and the daylight growing shorter, it's becoming a real challenge to put together a good ride on Wednesday nights.

THE THREE-WHEELERS GET LINED UP

 

BERNELL & KATHY COME TO SEE US OFF

COMPLAINTS ABOUT GAS PRICES?

After some good-natured chit-chat, the group headed out through Waukon and onto HWY 76 north.  We cruised on up 76 to CR A26 (Bear Creek Drive) and followed it to Locust Road, while Bob had to stop dead to let a gobbler and his harem of hens cross in front.

We crossed Locust Road onto what's called 337th St. and breezed along it to CR W34 (North Winn Road).  There we turned south and soon arrived at HWY 52.  So far, pleasant weather and smooth concrete surfaces.

A short jaunt down 52 took us to Madison Road and we turned back west.  With the sun was just the right height now to be directly in our eyes, but it still beats rain!  Madison Road is a rather straight stretch of concrete that passes by the Madison Church and becomes gravel  at the junction of CR W14 so we turn onto it.  The first part of W14 is rather rough, but once it passes through Ridgeway, it becomes smooth asphalt with some 20 mph curves and we meander on into Spillville.

We pass through Spillville and after a short jog on CR B16 (Dvorak Memorial Highway), we find 265th Ave. to our liking and soon arrive at 175th St. and follow it past the South Winn Golf Course and over to HWY 52 just outside of Calmar.  After a short bop into Calmar, we stop for a short break at the Kwik Star there.

After our break, and just about leaving Dave behind, we continue our journey speeding along HWY 52 into Ossian.  Once in Ossian, we find Sand Road.  We use it, because the never ending construction on CR W42 (Becker Avenue) continues.  Sand Road takes us over to Centennial Road and we turn north and arrive at HWY 9.

After waiting for all kinds of traffic to pass by, we turn onto 9 and make our way to Waukon, where all but Richard, Melodye, and Bob headed for home, as darkness was setting in.  

The three-some did stop at Uptown for eats.  Bob had a little over 100 miles on his trike for this ride.  That is probably going to be the absolute maximum for miles on Wednesday nights from now on.  Good roads, good scenery, good ride.

UPCOMING EVENTS

This Sunday, the 27th, is our annual fall ride to Camp Courageous in Monticello for their Pancake (waffle) breakfast fund raiser.  The Wednesday Night Riders have been supporting Camp Courageous for well over 25 years now, and as many of you know, this charitable organization does not depend on government funding, which is the reason why it's so well run!  It depends on contributions from folks like us for their existence, and they are well-worth supporting.  If you can't make the ride, and wish to donate, we will be leaving from Casey's at 9 that morning.  We always have a scenic ride back, and usually try to make an ice cream stop. SO LET'S HAVE A GOOD BUNCH HEAD DOWN THERE SUNDAY!!

The following Sunday, October 4th (Can you believe it's October already!) is our annual ride up to Rockton, WI, for their nearly world famouus barbecued chicken.  That's always a fun and scenic trip.  We call it our "Run, Chicken, Run Run, and the plan is to leave Casey's at 10:30 that morning.  More info on that in the next blogs.

Our mystery rider from the last blog was Captain Kangaroo.  A lot of people thought it was Chuckles, but Lois got it right!  Apparently a lot of different characters played Captain Kangaroo, but Chuckles wasn't one of them.

Who can guess who this guy is?  Clue..It is definitely not Chuckles!

8 on Wednesday & Feel Good Trike Rides

We had two events this week for the Wednesday Night Riders.  First on Wednesday was our regular ride, and then on Thursday, three WNR's gave trike rides to some residents at Eastern Star in Decorah.

On our first event on Wednesday evening, we had 8 riders make their way to Casey's for our regular ride. Trikers were Terry, Mark, Roger, Dave, and Bob.  On two wheels were Lee, Chuckles, and Lois. Some of our regulars were fishing Lake Michigan today and tomorrow.  We wished them good luck.

THE EARLY GROUP

ROGER JOINS THE GANG

LOIS & CHUCKLES ARRIVE

AND DAVE FILLS OUT THE 8 BALL GANG

 With a shorter time span to work with, and a possibility of some rain in the forecast, Bob decided to shorten the route some, but still find some decent roads. We took off rolling down HWY 76 into Marquette.  We then picked up CR B45 (Pleasant Ridge Road).  The first part (uphill portion) wasn't so pleasant, but the rest of the ride into Monona was smooth sailing.

Once in Monona we took CR X26 (Volney Road) into rosey Rossville. From there we took a short jog over onto Cr X32 (Waterville Road).  For me, this is the most scenic way to take into Waterville, and it did not disappoint this night.  After cruising through Waterville, we made our way up to the Elon Road and turned eastward.  

WE WERE EVEN CAPTURED ON FILM BY A RED BULL TRUCK

Upon reaching the Lansing/Harpers Road, we meandered down the hill into Lansing.  From there we took HWY 9 back to Waukon just as the sun was about to duck behind a series of clouds. A relatively short ride (85 miles), with no break.  But that may be the way the Wednesday night rides go from now on, short and sweet.

Today, Thursday, was our time to give trike rides to the residents of Eastern Star Home in Decorah.  Except for the bumpy streets in Decorah (I thought Waukon's were bad!), we had a good time and the residents all said they really enjoyed the rides. All the kids at St. Benedict School were out waving at us as we passed by.  How neat was that!

Here's a few of the photos that Helen took.

Everyone at Eastern Star thanked Ron, Roger, and Bob for giving some of them their first motorcycle ride.  Special thanks also goes to Helen for taking the photos and passing out the "angel" pins.  I know they want us back next year, and we all feel good again!

RTE AND LOTS OF SCENERY

Taking the place of our normal weekend Couples' Trip, the Wednesday Night Riders set aside Saturday for another RTE (Ride To Eat) with a chance to see some great NE Iowa and SE Minnesota scenery.

Gathering at Casey's Saturday morning were Bill, Jim, and Dee on bikes.  On three wheels were Wayne, Richard & Melodye, Dave, ChucK, and Bob.  Dr. David & Suzanne rolled in aboard the "support" convertible.

 

THE GANG GATHERS

FULL TANK, EMPTY BLADDER

LOOK OUT!  DAVE'S BACKING UP!

THE SLINGSHOT GETS PARKED

DEE & ChucK ARRIVE

GOOD TO SEE SUZANNE...

AND DR. DAVID AGAIN

WAYNE & JIM ARRIVE EARLY

AND OTHERS BEGIN TO ROLL IN

Bob's plan for the E (Eats) was the Corner Bar & Grill in Houston, so we started out on his "shortcut" by putzing through Waukon, motoring up HWY 76, and turning onto Bear Creek Drive.

We cruised up Bear Creek Drive noticing how golden the bean fields have turned.  When we arrived at Locust Road, we turned north to HWY 44 just outside of Spring Grove. Turning westwardly, we passed by Mabel as they were getting ready for Steam Engine Days.  Continuing our cruise along 44, we arrived at Canton and took CR 21 north and avoiding rush hour in Henrytown we arrived at CR 12.  This stretch of road does need some repair work, but the drive was a short one over to CR 23, and turning back north again, we arrived at CR 10 and followed it through the metropolis of Highland. Years ago, the store in Highland (now closed) served the best tasting pies I have ever had.  Whenever I took this route, I would stop there for a delicious treat, even a'la mode!

Continuing our journey on CR 10, we arrived at Bratsburg (I have never seen anyone grilling brats in Bratsburg.) at the junction of HWY 43. After a short jog south on 43, we picked up CR 10 again heading eastward.  I don't know if we cross a county line, but CR 10 changes to CR 13 as we go along.  Now coasting along on 13, we would be in for our first views of some incredible scenery. Just before we start the steep, curvy decent, we are treated to an astonishing view of the valley below.

Winding our way down CR 13 can be a challenge, since some of the turns are rated at 10 mph, and it's easy to get attracted to the incredible views.  Once we reach the bottom of the "mountain", we head on into Houston.  But before we get there, we discover that 13 is closed ahead for repair, so we have to take a detour onto a very rough, semi-paved Westgate Drive.  Fortunately it's only about two blocks long before we reach HWY 16 and continue on into Houston.

When we arrive at the Corner Bar to eat, we find out we arrived in time for the  Houston Hoedown event taking place on the street behind the bar. It looked like there was a corn hole tournament and a display of huge pumpkins that won prizes.  We were able to park in a newly resurfaced city parking lot across the street.  We found out later that the winning pumpkin was a large white one that weighed nearly 500 pounds!

NICE, NEW PARKING LOT

DEE CHECKS OUT THE HUGE PUMPKINS

After entering the Corner Bar, we found that due to the Hoedown, they had a limited menu.  Most opted for the chesseburger basket (only $11), and even though the bar was crowded, we were all served quickly, except for Bob, who got his basket last.  The basket was a large cheeseburger and a generous portion of fries.

THE GANG GETS FED

We meandered out of Houston and onto CR 9, not realizing that we would have to be on the watch for bicycles, as there was apparently a bicycle event taking place in the area. We breezed along the smooth, scenic 9 skirting Silver Creek and passing through Looney Valley up to CR 11.  We glided along CR 11 past Hillside Cemetery and onto CR 8, which is another scenic stretch of blacktop that takes us on some downhill, shady curves to the booming city of  New Hartford. There we picked up CR 5 and took a rather rough ride into Nodine where we connected with CR 12 and did the mandatory salute (especially if you are a male) to the tin man as we passed.  CR 12 took us over to CR 1 (Apple Blossom Drive), and our second great series of faboulous views started. Apple Blossom Drive offers up some breathtaking views of the river and valley below.  We soon arrived in LaCrescent where some of us topped off our tanks at the Kwik Trip, while others used the facilities and satisfied their coffee craze.

After pulling out of Kwik Trip, we passed through LaCrescent and onto CR 6 for a short bump onto CR 25.  We climbed the steep hill up to the WXOW tv towers and turned onto Tschumper (aka Thumper) Road. Having ridden this narrow paved path many times, I consider it the most scenic 5 mile road in the tri-state area.  And it did not disappoint us today.  The day turned clear and sunny, and the views on both sides of the road were astonishing.  We passed by the Van Lin Orchards, where the trees were just loaded with apples.  At the bottom of the decline, we turned onto CR 21 and coasted on over to HWY 16.

As we passed through Hokah, the leader decided that a reasonable RTE should be topped off with some ice cream, and he was pretty sure that the coffee hounds along on the trip would be having dt's before getting back home.  So he made the decision to follow HWY 44 south into the Ruptured Rooster Coffee Shop in Caledonia.  There everyone was able to satisfy their ice cream and/or coffee yearnings.  After the Rooster stop, we completed our RTE by breezing down HWY 76 to Waukon.  Bob had 165 scenic miles on his trike when he got home.  I think the 11 of us were treated to some great back roads, some good food, and some of the most stunning scenery one would see anywhere!

ROAD CLOSED--NO PROBLEM!

On another beautiful night for a ride, we had 11 riders show up at Casey's for our Wednesday night ride.

Mike, Dee, Bill, and Jim rolled in on bikes, while the three-wheelers arrived with ChucK, Terry, Richard & Melodye, Wayne, Dave, and Bob.

THE GANG STARTS GATHERING

JIM ROLLS IN

DAVE HAS A DRINK FOR THE ROAD

Under sunny skies and the temps in the upper 70's we depart Waukon with the plan to explore the St. Lucas area.  We take HWY 76 for a short jog over to Forest Mills Road and cruise down to Yellow River Drive.  We roll past the Gelo ranch where Grassanova resides, and wind our way over to HWY 51.  From there we head into Postville.

Once in Postville, we turn westardly onto HWY 18, and make the short run into Clermont.  Just outside of town we find Great River Road and cross the Turkey River about five times before we come to the junction of Juniper Road.  We noticed that Juniper looked like it had just recently been repaved, and there was a "Road Closed" sign sitting next to it.  "What the heck." We were up for an adventure, and to our delight, we were able to take a smooth scenic ride on into West Union!

We passed through West Union on HWY 18 and then turned back north onto HWY 150.  After a short cruise on 150, we found the turn to St. Lucas via Nature Road and Rose Road.  Once we arrived in the metropolis of St. Lucas, we discovered another "Road Closed" sign for the route into Ft. Atkinson. "What the heck!" We lucked out the first time, why not try again.

We lucked out again!  The first stretch of CR W14 into Ft. Atkinson had just been recently resurfaced, but was open.  "We don't need no stinkin' yellow lines!" The last stretch of the route was still he original surface that was rough yet and needed resurfacing, so we bounced our way into Ft. Atkinson for a short break at the Lickity Split Connvenience Store.

LICKITY SPLIT!

During our break, we were informed that ChucK had tangled with an angry owl but escaped unscathed.

We continued our journey by taking HWY 24 into Calmar and then picking up HWY 52 into Ossian.  Once there, we took Sand Road out of town over to Centennial Road and up to HWY 9.  Four of us arrived at Uptown for eats when we arrived in Waukon, while the rest of the tribe split for home.  Bob had 98 miles on his Wing as he arrived at Uptown right at sunset.  Really nice, scenic ride on some adventurous stretches of new asphalt.

SATURDAY'S RTE

So far the weather looks good for our Ride To Eat on Saturday.  A friend and collegue of Bob's passed away this last week, so Bob will be attending his wake on Saturday morning.  So, instead of leaving Casey's at 10 that morning, it will be 10:30.  The food plan and the route up to Houston and down the Thumper will still be on the adgenda.  So, see everyone at 10:30 instead of 10 at Casey's on Saturday morning.

Health Update

On top of all our other health issues, Julie now has a bout with kidney stones that caused her some real pain late last night.  After a trip to the ER here in Waukon, she was transported by ambulance up to Mayo in LaCrosse at 2AM this morning.  She is scheduled to have the stones removed later this afternoon, but will probably remain in the hospital there overnight. So I will be spending most of today (Thursday ) in LaCrosse.  What next?!

Our guest motorcycle celebrity last in last week's blog was Steve McQueen.  He starred in many action movies.  My favorites were "Great Escape", "Bullit", and "The Magnificent 7".  He was nicknamed the "King of Cool".

HOW ABOUT THIS GUY?!

LOTS OF DOUBLE DIPPERS!

As usual, our annual Labor Day "Double Dip Ice Cream Run" turned out a large number of Wednesday night riders at Casey's Monday afternoon.  It was a near perfect day for a ride with temps in the mid 70's and mostly sunny skies.  We started out with 18 riders that included Jim & Cathy, Dee, Lee & Jill, Bill & Beth Ellen, Chuckles, and Lois on bikes.  The three-wheeled gang was made up of ChucK, Mark, Terry, Uncle Wayne & Karrie, Dave, Richard & Melodye, and Bob.

 

THE SLINGSHOT IS BACK IN ACTION

BETH ELLEN PLAYS PEEK-A-BOO

CHUCKES & LOIS GAS UP

LEE & JILL ARRIVE

DEE SHOWS DAVE HOW TO DISMOUNT

UNCLE WAYNE, KARRIE, AND TERRY WATCH THE ARRIVALS

THE USUAL PRERIDE CHATTER TAKES PLACE

As Bob announced at the start, with nobody listening as usual, the stop for our first dip would be The Porch in Prarie du Chien, and be especially careful of the construction and pay close attention to the round-a-bouts in PdC.

Leaving Waukon via Elon Road, we followed it to its end at Lansing/Harpers Road and took L/H for a short jog onto Lafayette Ridge Drive.  This smooth/scenic stretch of concrete took us over to the Great River Road which we followed all the way into Harpers Ferry.  How many times do you get to see the Bigfoot family?  We did!

After arriving in Harpers, we continued on the GRR, skirting along the Mississippi River, on up to HWY 76.  There we turned south on into Marquette where their annual Flea Market was taking place under the bridge.  We crossed the bridge and entered PdC, noting the construction, and maneurvering through the 3 round-a-bouts, arrived at The Porch and parked where available,

MOSTLY ALONG THE STREET

SOME IN THE OTHER LOT

SOME BESIDE THE PORCH

OTHERS FIND A HANDY SPOT

MIKE & JOAN ARRIVE. 

While we were all getting parked at The Porch, Mike & Joan arrived on the new Wing and rounded out our gang to an even 20.  It was 2 PM, and Bob announced, again with no one listening, that we needed to be out of The Porch by 2:45 to continue the ride and be back before WW Dairy in Waukon closes at 5.

We did luck out.  We were the only ones at the ice cream bar, so we were able to make our dip choices right away from the over 20 varieties of ice cream available.

GOOD ICE CREAM!

TERRY & LEE TRY TO CALL EACH OTHER

MORE GOOD ICE CREAM

ABOUT READY TO DEPART

The plan was to take in a scenic drive through Wyalusing Park before returning to Waukon.  So again we proceeded on through the round-a-bouts on HWY 35/18, except before Chuckles got to the turn, a cage driver decided he needed the whole two lanes on the round-a-bout, and scraped the side of Chuckles bike.  So he and the group behind him had to stop.  Fortunately he had minor damage and no one was hurt.  However, as Bob has preached over and over, if the unit behind you drops out, you have to pull over safely and stop also.  If this is not done, Bob leading the group would never know if anyone was having trouble or needed help if he still saw units still following him, and would keep going, leaving the stranded unit(s) behind.  This happened, and there is no excuse for it!  We ride as a group and stay together as a group.  WE LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND!

Not knowing that there was trouble behind, the ride continued without Chuckles, Lois, Jim & Cathy, Mike & Joan, and Richard & Melodye, and they never did catch up.  THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THAT!  LOOK IN YOUR REARVIEW MIRROR!

After some of us rode the scenic route through Wyalusing and Bagley, we took CR P up to HWY 18 again and back through PdC.  We found the round-a-bout that pointed us across the bridge again and into Marquette.  After waiting for quite some time, hoping to see the rest of the group, we continued on 18 to Monona.  From there we took the Volney Road up to HWY 76 and took 76 back into Waukon for our second dip at WW Dairy.  Once there, we were joined by Dennis & Marlene and Julie, which made our total group of 23.  The rest of the gang finally showed up with the story about what happened.

Except for the round-a-bout incident, and leaving part of the group behind (THAT HAD BETTER NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!), it was a really good ride along with some great ice cream.  Bob had 116 miles on his trike as he arrived at WW Dairy.

NEXT WEDNESDAY

The plan will be to head over towards the St. Lucas/Spillville area.

NEXT SATURDAY, THE 12TH

The plan is to have another RTE (Ride To Eat) departing from Casey's at 10 that morning.  I can only promise that we will have lunch somewhere in the Houston (MN, NOT TX) area, and the Thumper (Tschumper) Road will be on the route.  The Iowa/Iowa State game doesn't start until 6:30 that evening, and we will be well back by that time.  See you then, and EVERYONE IS INVITED!