BIB GANG FOR MEMORIAL RIDE & BRATS

For a good number of years now, the Wednesday Night Riders have planned a ride and a brat feed after the ride on Memorial Day.  We always wait until after the Memorial Day presentations are completed at the cemetery.

Here's some photos of some Wednesday Night Riders who attended and /or participated in the presentation at Oakland Cemetery this year.

LOIS OBSERVES THE PARADE FROM THE SHADE

BOB Z ARRIVES WITH THE VETS

KEN K BRINGS THE GRAND MARSHAL

CHUCKLES REPRESENTS THE KC's

WAYNE'S GRANDDAUGHTER CARRIES A FLAG

SUZANNE BRINGS THE WREATH LAYERS

ONE OF "BUGSY'S" SONS BUILT THIS WWII REPLICA

RICHARD & MELODYE'S GRANDDAUGHTER DELIVERS THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

WAYNE OBSERVES THE CEREMONIES

BOB Z WITH THE RIFLE SQUAD

JIM DOWNING'S GRANDDAUGHTER DELIVERS HER ESSAY

Our ride planned to leave Casey's at 1 PM well after we paid our respects to our fallen service men and women.

Arriving on bikes for the ride were Dee, Jim & Cathy, Mike, Chuckles, Lois, and Bill.  Aboard three-wheeled vehicles were Dave M, ChucK, Richard & Melodye, Mark, Uncle Wayne & Karrie, Terry, and Bob.  Dr. David & Suzanne drove in with their Mustang convertible.

DAVE M ARRIVES

ChucK & DEE DISCUSS COMMUNICATIONS

THE GANG GROWS

LOTS OF PRERIDE VISITING

UNCLE WAYNE & KARRIE ARRIVE

BILL PULLS IN FROM LANSING

BOB & CHUCKLES OBSERVING THE BIG GANG

The plan was to take Bob's "shortcut" up to Rushford and include three of his favorite pathways to get there.  The gang rolled out of Casey's under high 70's temps, but with a strong south wind.  Thanks to the "support" convertible blocking traffic, we were all able to get out of the Casey's lot still together.

Our journey started by passing through the only stop light in Allamakee County and continuing through Waukon until we reached HWY 76 and turned north.  We cruised along 76 with wind blasts until we arrived at the Dorchester turn and took CR A16 up the hill into Spring Grove.  We passed through Spring Grove on HWY 44 and made our way through Mabel, where we picked up Roger, adding to the three-wheeled gang.  Continuing on 44, we arrived in Canton, and there took CR 21, one of Bob's favorites, north all the way to HWY 16 just outside of Lanesboro. CR 21 is a smooth stretch of pavement that offers up some spectacular scenery  We slipped into town for a break at the BP store there.

AFTER PICKING ROGER UP IN MABEL

LOIS CHECKS TO SEE WHERE WE ARE

THE GANG STARTS TO RETURN FROM THE RESTROOM

THAT'S NOT A BUDWEISER!

After our break, we pick up HWY 250, another of Bob's favorites, and start weaving our way north.  250 offers some neat curves, but is probably best know for its "roller coaster" hills.  At its junction with HWY 30, we turn eastward on 30, and wind our way on into Rushford.  Once there, we pass through town and find our way to CR 27 and follow it part way along the Root River.  This stretch of road is pretty well tucked into tree lines, so the wind wasn't as bothersome. Bob likes this route because of the variety of hills and curves along with some great views. Near the end of CR 27 is Money Creek Haven, a campground with a huge swimming pool.  Per chance, a bathing beauty was spotted on the diving board as we passed by (very slowly!).

We then arrived at HWY 76 and cruised south on into Houston, where we stopped at the River Valley Convenience Store for a break.

WITH TEMPS NOW IN THE 80'S JACKETS COME OFF

SOME FIND A LITTLE SHADE

BUT SOME FIND LOTS OF SHADE

AND SOME LIKE TO BE DISTANT

After our second break on the trip, we continued our journey on HWY 76 out of Houston until we reached CR 10, another fun road.  After avoiding the "rush hour" in Sheldon, 10 led us back to HWY 76 just outside of Caledonia.  We passed through Caledonia staying on HWY 76, cruised past Eitzen and Dorchester and back to Waukon.  Bob had about 140 wind blown but fun miles on the trike when he arrived home.

Julie and Dennis & Marlene joined the 14 riders who stopped by for the  cookout, so we had 17 folks chowing down on brats and other goodies for a great climax to another Memorial Day.

We had a good ride, good food, and good fellowship today, but there is always something we should never, ever forget, especially on Memorial Day...

ELEVEN INVADE PATCH GROVE

 Again this Wednesday evening proved to be not the warmest, but we still had 11 riders show up at Casey's.

The bikers were Lissa, Bill, Chuckles, and Lois.  The three wheel gang had the majority of the rides with Terry, Mark, Dave, Richard & Melodye, Wayne, and Bob.  Our two "iron butts" weren't with us tonight.  Mike was off building a rail fence and Jim was spraying crops.

GOOD TO SEE LISSA  AGAIN

THE TRIKES ARRIVE EARLY

ADMIRING DAVE'S NEW RIDE

BILL ROLLS IN

CHUCKLES & LOIS ARRIVE

LOIS DIRECTS WAYNE TO PARKING

The plan was to take Bob's "shortcut" to the Wyalusing/Bagley area in Wisconsin, so we left a crowded Casey's and headed out east on the Elon Road( CR A52)  Once we reached the Elon Road, we turned back north for a short jog on Lansing/Harpers Road (CR X42) before taking Lafayette Ridge Road back east to Great River Road (CR X52)  We followed GRR past the Wexford Church and spotted the "Big Foot" family just before we entered Harpers Ferry.

The Great River Road took us all the way back south to HWY 76.  We then cruised south on 76 into Marquette where we picked up HWY 18 and crossed the Mississippi River bridge into Prairie du Chien.  Hwy 18 bypass (S Main St.) took us around PdC and we reconnected with HWY 18 near Culver's.

After negotiating all the stop lights in PdC, we continued on 18, crossed the Wisconsin River bridge and made our way to CR C.  After making sure everyone was caught up we continued our adventure on CR C and through a small portion of Wyalusing Park.  Once we reached CR X, we turned southward on it to its end at CR P.  All of these backroads are a treat to ride since they are pretty well maintained and offer up some great scenery.  I call CR P the "roller coaster" road because of all the great ups and downs on the hills that lead us over to HWY 18 again.  I decided to pass up the rest of Wyalusing Park for a warmer day.

Once we reached HWY 18 again, we did a short backtrack to HWY 35 and after a brief trip, we arrived for a break at the 1835 Crossroads Convenience Store near Patch Grove.

UNLOADING AT CROSSROADS

THREE WHEEL ONLY PARKING?

SNUG UP THEM HELMETS

After our break, we continued our foray by going back to HWY 18 again and taking it back through PdC and continuing on 18 all the way to Monona.  However some riders thought it would be better to take HWY 76 back to Waukon, so our group was cut in half.  Continuing the original plan, some of reached Monona and passed through taking the Volney Road to Rossville and then HWY 76 back to Waukon.  The rest of the wanderers were waiting at Uptown for eats.  Another cool, but fun ride.  I had a little over 100 miles on the trike when I parked her at home.

UPCOMING EVENT

Our annual Memorial Day ride and cookout (picnic) is going to take place on this coming Monday (Memorial Day).  After paying tribute to the "fallen" who gave their lives for our freedom, a ride from Casey's at 1 PM is planned.  Right now the plan is to venture north towards Rushford.  After the ride, there will be a cookout (picnic) at Rotach's.  Grilled brats will be furnished, but if you come, bring along a dish to pass, like a salad or a desert.  IF YOU CAN'T MAKE THE RIDE, YOU ARE STILL INVITED TO THE COOKOUT!  That should start around 4:30 to 5.  AGAIN, EVERYONE IS INVITED TO BOTH THE RIDE AND THE COOKOUT!

How about this guy!

FULL PLATES AT N A FIRE DEPT. PANCAKE BRUNCH

 Counting Mike & Joan (who worked there), we had a total of 13 WNR present at the New Albin Fire Department Pancake Fundraiser on Sunday.  Chuck & Dee, Dennis & Marlene, Wayne, Richard & Melodye, Bob & Julie, and Jim & Cathy were in attendance.  

Jim & Cathy left earlier than the rest of the group, since Jim was afraid they were going to run out of coffee.  The rest of the group departed Casey's at 10:15 in cages, since it was raining then.

As advertised, the semi-world famous pancake flipper was in action.  Notice the wrist action!

Along with pancakes, eggs (anyway you wanted them), sausage, milk, and coffee were served.  Everyone was well-fed and served very quickly.  Seconds on pancakes were offered, but we were already stuffed with the good food.

FULL PLATES FOR EVERYONE!

Obviously because of the rain, we were not going to continue our Ride To Eat, so everyone departed on their own to various destinations. However, on the way back, Bob & Julie passed through Lansing to get a view of the new  Lansing Bridge construction.

Here's a photo of the progress on the bridge.  Let's hope the two ends end up matching exactly with each other!

If the weather is decent Wednesday, we will try a trip to Wyalusing/Bagley.

UPCOMING EVENT

Next Monday, May 25th, is Memorial Day.  As has been our custom for a good number of years now, we will go on a ride starting from Casey's at 1 PM.  After the ride we will get-together for a cook out at Rotach's.  Grilled brats will be furnished, but you are responsible for bringing a dish to pass (salad, desert, ect.) and maybe a chair.

LOTS OF SMILES

One of the Wednesday Night Riders "good to do" events took place this last Thursday and Friday.  We gave our trike rides to the residents of Good Sam and North Gate Care Center in Waukon.  Needless to say the residents were thrilled to see us come again, and you can tell by the smiles that they really enjoyed the rides.

On Thursday, with sunny skies and temps in the mid 70's, Ron, Chuck, and Bob treated the residents of Good Sam to trike rides in Waukon.  We ended up with about 20 riders including a couple who wanted to go around again.  The weather was great, but we had to change our planned route at the last minute.  For some reason, the IDOT decided that the smoothest section of highway 9 coming into Waukon needed tar snakes!  Trying to find smooth streets for riding in Waukon was a real challenge, but we did come up with a new route that was about the same distance as the original route.

Here's a few photos featuring the trike drivers and their happy riders at Good Sam.

CHUCK WITH PASSENGER

RON READY TO ROLL

BOB WITH RIDER

Special thanks to Julie for taking photos and passing out souvenier pins.

The next day, Friday, turned out to be even warmer for our rides at North Gate.  However, our "friendly" tar stripers were still in town, so we had to find an alternate route today also. It did work out and we gave 8 rides.  Here's a couple of photos from North Gate.

RON WITH PASSENGER

 

BOB AND PASSENGER

Since there were only 8 riders at North Gate, only two of us, Ron and Bob gave the rides, but Chuck was good enough to come over with his dog, Rocket, and take photos and pass out the souvenier pins.

Both days were "feel good" times for our Wednesday Night Riders!

Our next rides are scheduled for June 23rd at Wellington Place in Decorah.

SUNDAY'S RIDE TO EAT

The weather forecast for tomorrow, Sunday, is still loaded with rain and possible thunderstorms. The plan is to still go to New Albin for the Pancake Brunch fundraiser for the New Albin Fire Department.  If you want to go with the group, bring your ride (car, truck, or motorcycle) to Casey's at 10:15 Sunday morning, and maybe we can car-pool up to New Albin.

ELEVEN TO WAUZEKA

We  had 11 riders show up Wednesday night for a scheduled trip to Wauzeka.  Trike riders were Mark (newbie), Wayne, Dave (a brand new one), and Bob.  Mounting bikes were Chuckles, Lois, Mike, Jim, and Bill.  Richard & Melodye arrived in their Slingshot.

CHUCKLES GREETS MARK, OUR NEWBIE

MORE EARLY ARRIVALS

PRE-RIDE CHATTER

BILL SNEAKS UP FROM BEHIND

We depart a crowded Casey's under mostly sunny skies and temps in the mid 60's with the everpresent wind.  Making our way south onto HWY 76, we soon turned onto Forest Mills Rd. (CR X16) and followed it past the Gelo plantation and avoiding "rush hour" in Hardin, we arrived in Luana.  Motoring through Luana took us to HWY 18 east and we cruised on past Monona, Froelich, Giard, Marquette, and into Prarie du Chien.

Once in PdC, we took N Main (CR K) north and onto HWY 35 north. After a short stint on 35, we arrived at CR N, and meandered along on one of the most scenic drives in the area until arriving in Wauzeka and our break at the BP convenience store there.

WAYNE & BILL DISMOUNT AT BP

JIM LOOKS PUZZLED WHILE LOIS JUST LOOKS

CHUCKLES & RICHARD TRY CALLING EACH OTHER

DAVE DISPLAYS HIS NEW RIDE

After our break, we made our way back to Prairie du Chien via HWY 60 & 18.  We then crossed the Mississippi River bridge again into Marquette.  But for some reason, we lost a rider in PdC.  Probably due to an empty coffee mug!  Dave also split for home on his new rig.  The rest of us continued the ride northward on HWY 76 and into Waukon, where most of us feasted at Uptown.  Arriving home, Bob had right at 100 miles on his trike.  A PLEASANT SPRING RIDE!

Welcome to Mark!  We look forward to seeing you again.

Today, Thursday, Ron, Chuck, and Bob will be giving trike rides to the residents of Good Sam in Waukon at 1 o'clock.  Julie will be taking photos and handing out our souvenier pins.  There looks to be about 25 riders.

Tomorrow, Friday, Ron and Bob will be giving trike rides to the residents of North Gate Manor in Waukon at a little after 1 o'clock.  Since Julie has another appointment, we are looking for someone to take photos and hand out pins for this ride.  There looks to be only 8 to 10 riders, so it shouldn't be very long timewise. So, if you can help out with this contact Bob.

Right now, the weather looks real "iffy" for the ride on Sunday to New Albin for the Fire Department Brunch.  It looks like those who want to go, will be doing it in cages (cars).  So, if you plan on going, bring your car to Casey's at 10:15 Sunday morning, and maybe we can car pool.  Stay tune for an update on the blog as the day gets closer.

Everybody should know this guy!