PIZZA! PIZZA!

Nine WNR lined up at Casey's on Sunday for our "You Gotta Love Summer" Pizza Run.  Our mission was to sample the renowned tasty pizzas at the Village Square Restaurant in Fountain, Minnesota.  With a near perfect summer day on tap, Roger, Al, and Jim & Cathy mounted bikes while Darrel, Meryle, Carl & Joyce, and Bob R pulled up on trikes.

WHAT WE ARE AFTER

CARL IS ABOUT TO ASK BOB FOR HIS CREDIT CARD!

JIM TRIES TO TALK ROGER & DARREL INTO CALLING IN THEIR PIZZA ORDERS

We departed Casey's at 11AM and headed north on HWY 76 through Hanover and Eitzen and then turned onto CR 17 heading to Spring Grove.  We passed through Spring Grove on HWY 44 and after going past Mabel, we turned onto CR 21 in Canton.  21 took us all the way to Lanesboro where we stopped for a short break and waited for Roger to circle the gas pumps.

CARL SHOWS MERYLE HOW TO TURN ON HIS RADIO

CATHY LOOKS FAMISHED!

County road 21 offered us some fantastic views and as we picked up CR 8 outside of Lanesboro, it didn't disappoint either.  It was a great day for viewing the green, green valleys below.  CR 8 took us into Fountain, and we arrived at the Village Square for our pizza.

WE'RE HERE!

After parking the rides, we went inside and placed our orders.  Of course Jim & Cathy and Al ordered ahead so they got theirs first, but the rest of us were surprised in how quick we got ours.

WE CAME AT A GOOD TIME--NOT TOO BUSY

MERYLE'S PIZZA

While eating, the conversation turned to how much Carl & Joyce were going to have to pay for air conditioning after hosting the folks from Tennessee last week.  The Village Square also is known for it's great homemade pies, but we were all too full of the delicious pizza to try some.  Maybe we should schedule a "pie run" sometime in the future and return here.

After eating, Darrel and Roger took a different route back in an attempt to find Roger's gloves that he lost on the way.  The rest of us took HWY 52 back south through Preston and then turned onto HWY 16 heading east.  IMHO, HWY 16 is the most scenic state highway in southern Minnesota.  The views on either side of the road are great!  16 took us back through Lanesboro, past Whalen and Peterson, and into Rushford where we picked up CR 27/26.  This is another county road where the views are terrific as it passes through Money Creek and onto HWY 76 south.  76 took us into Houston where we stopped for a bit to see if anyone needed a break.  No one did, so we continued on our journey by taking CR 9 over to CR 21 and then turned again onto CR 25 and back over to HWY 16.  Apparently this area had received a lot of heavy rain also, since there was water standing in the fields and CR 21 was still closed and 25 had been just recently opened.  HWY 16 took us through Hokah where we picked up HWY 44 and headed into Caledonia for a stop at the Dairy Queen and Kwik Trip.  Cathy had been stung by a bee that was still in her jacket.  Jim felt so sorry for her that he went across to Kwik Trip to buy himself some iced coffee!

CARL & JOYCE GAS UP WHILE JIM GRABS HIS COFFEE

After Cathy and Bob R finish their ice cream (What's pizza without ice cream?!), we head back south on 76 passing again through Eitzen and back into Waukon.  We racked up about 180 miles with great weather, good food, and very special scenery!

RIDE TO HELL (and maybe back)
Right now making the trip starting next Monday morning are Bob Z, David, Chuckles, Clair, Darron, Jim, and Bob R.  We plan to leave Monday morning and make it to South Bend, IN, the first day.  The second day is our ride to Hell followed by an overnight stay in Gaylord, MI.  On day three our journey takes us through the "tunnel of trees" along Lake Michigan and then into St. Ignace where a ferry ride to Mackinac Island is in order.  After returning from Mackinac Island we will continue on into Ste St. Marie for our overnight.  Day four takes us along the northern shore of Lake Superior stopping for views of the lake along the way.  Nipigon is our overnight stay.  On day five we will continue along the north shore with stops at Kakabeka Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse scheduled.  We will end up in Sturgeon Lake, MN, for the night.  Day six will be our return journey back to Waukon.
WE DO HAVE ROOM FOR ONE MORE GUY if this sounds interesting.  Just let Bob R know!