A BEAUTY OF A MEMORIAL DAY!!

We were greeted by beautiful weather for the 150th Memorial Day programs honoring our armed service veterans.  We had some Wednesday Night Riders take part in the memorial parade and program in Waukon.

DALE IN SUPPORT VEHICLE WITH GUEST SPEAKER

CHUCKLES DRIVING THE AMBULANCE AND EATING DONUTS

JULIE PRESENTING QUILTS OF VALOR

After the presentations at the cemetery, we gathered at Casey's for our annual Memorial Day ride and cookout.  By the time we were ready to leave we had ourselves a convoy!  We had 26 of us on 12 bikes, 4 trikes, and 2 convertibles.  I'm pretty sure that was a new Memorial Day record!  On bikes we had 4 members of the Wayne & Diane Hirth family, Paul M, Sandy B, Jim & Cathy, Gary, Nancy, David, Greg, Howard & Dorothy, Bob Z, and Lois.  With support convertibles were Dale & Mike and Dennis & Marlene.  Butts on trikes were Dayton & Joan, Wayne & Sandy, Carl & Joyce, and Bob R & Julie.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS MANY PEOPLE READ OUR BLOG!"

WAYNE "HIGH TAILING IT" BEFORE WE LEAVE

I NEED A WIDE ANGLE LENS TO GET EVERYONE

NANCY DOESN'T HAVE THE ONLY BLACK BIKE
SO SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO RIDE IN THE BACK

At one o'clock and with temps in the high seventies we all departed Casey's heading east on HWY 9 through Churchtown and Lycurgus and into Lansing where we crossed the bridge on HWY 82 and headed north on HWY 35 to DeSoto.  At DeSoto we turned north up the hill on 82 through Red Mound and onto CR N at West Prairie.  We followed N through the scenic Purdy valley and on to HWY 56 east.  After a short jog on 56 we headed north again on CR O through Newton and on to CR Y.  We followed Y east past Runge Hollow Lake and onto HWY 14 south.  14 took us into Viroqua and the Kwik Trip for our first break at around 60 miles.  After the break we continued on 14 through Viroqua and picked up CR SS east just south of town.  We traveled on SS along Pleasant Ridge until we came to HWY 56.  After a short jog on 56 we took CR S south along the Kickapoo River and onto HWY 131 south into Readstown and HWY 14 east.  We followed 14 until we came to CR X and headed south through North Crawford and the intersection of HWY 131 at the North Crawford school.  We headed north on 131 to CR C in Soldiers Grove where we stopped for our second break at the Mobile One Stop.

CARL CAN'T BELIEVE WE HAVEN'T LOST ANYONE YET

LOOKING HAPPY FOR A REST STOP

DENNIS MANEUVERING THE SUPPORT VEHICLE TO A STOP

GARY IS INSIDE LOOKING FOR MORE ICE CREAM

After our second rest stop we headed back west on CR C through Conway valley, past Star Valley Flowers and the Sugar Creek Bible Camp and onto HWY 35 north outside of Ferryville.  We followed 35 to HWY 82 west, across the bridge again, and on into Lansing.  Instead of taking the "pool table top" called HWY 9 back to Waukon, we opted for the Lansing/Harpers and Elon roads for our route back to town.  We arrived back in town at 5:30 and I had 156 miles on the trike when I pulled into the garage.
 After the ride, everyone who could make it gathered at Rotach's where we partook in brats and 14 different kinds of desert!

GARY SAYS GATORADE AND ICE CREAM DON'T MIX

JIM SAMPLES ALL THE DESERTS

THE "OVERFLOW" CROWD

As a very famous rider once said--"Good weather, good food, good roads, good company--IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!"