ANOTHER LOUSY SUNDAY--MAYBE NEXT SUNDAY

It has now been four straight Sundays (spring and fall for two years) that we have been unable to ride bikes or take convertibles to Camp Courageous.  Just to spite the weather witch (bitch), five Wednesday night riders did manage to take cages down to Monticello on Sunday for the pancake/sausage breakfast to support the camp.  Gary K, Dennis & Marlene, and Bob & Julie drove down in the cool mist and fog and were treated to a hardy helping of sausage and pancakes.  We arrived at about 11:30 (They only serve until noon) and it looked like they had a good crowd again, so we were happy to see that again.  As the old Cub fans used to say, "Maybe next year!"

NEXT SUNDAY

Next Sunday, Oct. 6th, is our last regularly scheduled RTE.  It's our "Run, Chicken, Run" Run up to Rockton, WI,  for their "nearly world famous" barbecue chicken.  We plan to leave Casey's at 10 AM on that Sunday, and if you plan to go and want chicken, you either need to let Bob R know by Friday or call the Rockton Bar yourself (608-626-4395) and make reservations.  Tell them you are with the Waukon Wednesday night group.  We usually take a scenic ride up to Rockton and stop at the orchards in Gays Mills on the way back to sample the apple donuts.  We are overdue for a warm, dry Sunday!!

I THINK THEY GOT CARS ON THEIR RADAR--ALSO SUNDAY

The weatherman promised bright sunny skies for Wednesday evening, but it was anything but that.  However, six WNR still gathered at Casey's for our Wednesday night cruise.  Darrel & Irv were on trikes with Al, Chuckles, Lois, and Bob R on bikes.

NOT MUCH SUNSHINE

Temps were in the upper 60's when we left the Casey's parking lot under the direction of one of the street construction workers.  We took HWY 76 to Forest Mills Road and then onto Cherry Valley Road.  We followed CVR into Postville where we had to wait an awfully long time due to road construction on the west end of town.  The traffic seemed to never stop coming from the west.  I don't think Postville has that much traffic come through in a week, but they were there tonight!  After about a 15 minute wait, we hopped onto HWY 52 and passed through Castalia, Ossian, and Calmar.  In Calmar we took HWY 150 north through Decorah and onto HWY 9 into Waukon and Gus & Tony's.

SUNDOWN AT GUS & TONY'S

There the conversation turned to city moles being smarter than country moles.  I had 70 miles on the Wing when I got home.  No sun, but a refreshing ride.

SUNDAY

It's time for the Camp Courageous pancake run again.  We plan to leave Casey's at 9:15 that morning.  If the weather is crappy, Bob & Julie will take a cage down to Monticello.  So if you can't bike or trike, you can ride down with them.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Respect your elders.  They graduated from school without the internet.

GWRRA RALLY REPORT--CAMP COURAGEOUS IS SUNDAY

This last weekend (Friday and Saturday) the Gold Wing Road Riders Association had their Iowa rally in Oelwein.  I ventured over on the bike Friday morning to go on a ride that was scheduled to leave Oelwein at 8:30.  I rode through fog almost all the way over to Oelwein and when I got there, it started to rain.  We all put on rain gear and headed out with a car leading the way. We passed through Fayette, Wadena, Elgin, and stopped in Postville for a break.  I rode with GWRRA members from Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois.  Actually it was kind of nice being "part" of the pack for a change.

OUR REST STOP IN POSTVILLE

WE HAD 15 BIKES/TRIKES ON THIS RIDE

The rain finally stopped when we reached Postville and it got to be hot and humid.  We continued on taking back roads into Waukon where we were treated to brats, chips, and drinks at Waukon Power Sports.  We continued on through Elon, Lansing, Harpers, and onto Pikes Peak in McGregor where we stopped for another break.

We then continued on through Garnavillo, Clayton Center, Elkader, Volga (our little convenience store in Volga is now closed and for sale), back to HWY 3 and into Oelwein.  The ride was 179 miles and we got back to Oelwein around 4 PM.

I thought you might be interested in this guy and his bike.  He is a GWRRA member from Maryland.  Our Iowa rally was the last one he needed to get to and now has been to all the lower 48 states' rallies.  He was headed for California after the Iowa rally.

THIS IS AN 08 WITH 220,000 MILES ON IT!

About 5:30 I returned back home to Waukon.

On Saturday, Julie & I took the trike over to ride on the short ride in the morning again.  But this time we took the pickup and towed the trike to Oelwein.  It rained on us all the way over in the morning, but by the time we were ready to ride, it had stopped.  We elected to take the short ride, since it looked like rain was coming again.  Our leader took us back through Fayette, West Union, Ossian, and on into Decorah for a break at Kwik Star.

OUR GROUP IN DECORAH

We were being led by a couple from Fredricksburg, so we took off by back roads for a restaurant they recommended in New Hampton.  There were only 5 bikes/trikes/spyders on this ride.  We passed through Spillville and Protivin and then took county roads on into New Hampton where we had lunch at Klunder's Kafe.  If you are ever in the New Hampton area and want to eat at a good restaurant and get plenty of food, this is the place!  After lunch we took back roads again passing through Maynard and back to Oelwein and the Knights of Columbus Hall where the event took place.  They had a bike show and a buffet supper waiting for us.  We never did get wet, but the folks who took the longer ride to Dubuque ran into rain.  Our ride was about 135 miles.

Although most of the rides were Gold Wings and a number of Spyders, there was one trike that caught everyone's eye.

A 2018 INDIAN TRIKE

I'm really glad we decided to take the pickup and trailer the trike, because after the supper, not only was it dark, there was lightning in the air.  On the way back near West Union we ran into very heavy rain.  It would not have been a pleasant journey back on a motorcycle!  Overall we had a good time and met a lot of fun people.

SUNDAY IS CAMP COURAGEOUS

This Sunday, the 29th, is our semi-annual trip to support Camp Courageous in Monticello by attending their pancake breakfast fundraiser.  This has always been a very scenic ride to Monticello and back, and it's all for a good cause.  Camp Courageous is not funded by any government money and serves over 2,500 special needs people each year.  We will depart Casey's at 9:15 on Sunday morning.  Hopefully a lot of WNR can come and the Weather Witch holds off peeing on us!

LUCKY OR GOOD!

The old saying "I'd rather be lucky than good." may have described our ride on Wednesday night.  We traveled 85 miles through northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota and never got a drop of rain on us!  
With some sprinkles in the air in Waukon around 5 o'clock, I had my doubts if anyone would be riding tonight.  By the way, the "hippy. dippy" weather forecast said no rain until late Wednesday night.  I guess 5 PM must be late at night!
When I arrived as Casey's I found Chuck (not Chuckles) with his Harley trike, and Darrel with his Gold Wing trike ready to ride.        

Checking the skies, going north looked like the best bet, so we passed through Waukon on the newly paved streets and took HWY 76 north to Bear Creek Drive and turned west.  BCD took us over to Locust Road where we turned north again to HWY 44.  We followed 44 through Spring Grove where we picked up CR 27, a newly paved county road that took us back to 76 at Eitzen.  We passed through Eitzen and onto Pool Hill Road and cruised down the hill into New Albin and HWY 26.  A short jog on 26 and we were on Iowa River Drive heading west and then onto Lycurgus Road to HWY 9.  Almost all of the roads we took had signs of water on them, but nothing fell from the sky on us.  In fact, as we traveled along Lycurgus Road and HWY 9, we were treated to a spectacular sun set.  When we arrived in Waukon, the streets were wet, and Lisa, the waitress in Gus & Tony's, told us we just missed a pretty good shower.

NOTICE THE WET STREET AND THE SKY TO THE WEST

LUCKY OR GOOD?!

This Friday and Saturday is the Iowa Gold Wing Road Riders Association rally to be held in Oelwein this year.  Depending on the weather, I plan to go over and participate in a couple of the planned rides.  The ride on Friday passes through Waukon for lunch at Waukon Power Sports (special thanks to them).  I may be able to post some photos of the rally here on the WNR web page.                  
  For those of you who said it was getting dry and we could use some rain, be careful what you wish for!!  

Wet Wednesday but Dry Weekend

While Bob & Jens were up north dealing with the wrath of the "Weather Witch", apparently she was also wreaking havoc on our Wednesday night ride.  Here's a report and some photos from Lois.

After one last minute check of the weather showing no rain in our area until 10 pm, Chuck & I threw our gear in what turned out to be the support vehicle as the skies opened up in a deluge before we even got to pick up the bikes.  Already at Casey's were Jim & Cathy on 2 wheels and Wayne & Sandy and Chuck on trikes safely tucked under the gas pump overhang.  We waited out the downpour for about 30 minutes debating whether to just go ahead and order a pizza from Casey's or not.

The skies cleared a bit but didn't look very promising, so we headed up to Gus & Tony's for a bite to eat.  I'm guessing there were about 20 miles on the odometers.  Looking forward to better weather for the weekend!

Yes, things did look a little damp!

However, the Witch gave us a break for the Couples' Trip this weekend.  We were able to travel to the Amana Colonies and to the National Motorcycle Museum with no rain.  When the rains came to Cedar Rapids, we were all tucked away in the motel.  Here's a few shots from our journey.

WILD HOGS AT WILD HOGS!!

JIM'S "SMALL" ORDER OF NACHOS

HOGGING IT UP AT WILD HOGS

MERYLE & MARY SHOWED UP LATER--BUT NOT IN THIS

ONE OF MANY ATTRACTIONS IN AMANA

AT THE WOOLEN MILL

SNACKS AND LIES AT THE MOTEL

IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN THERE YET--YOU NEED TO GO!!

OUR STOP FOR LUNCH IN STONE CITY

AS YOU CAN TELL--WE DARN NEAR STARVED TO DEATH ON THIS TRIP!!

350 miles round trip Saturday and Sunday.  Video soon to be released.

WHAT A PRETTY WEDNESDAY EVENING!

After an overcast day, the skies cleared for 10 Wednesday Night Riders to enjoy a late summer ride.  We had Howard, Jim & Cathy, Lois, Chuckles, and Bob R on bikes with Wayne, Ron & Helen, and Darrel on trikes.  

GATHERING ON A NICE NIGHT

CHUCKLES & LOIS WEAVE THEIR WAY TO CASEY'S

It looked like the toughest part of the ride was going to be getting out of Waukon with all the road construction going on.  Heading south out of Casey's was not a good option, so we decided to head north and catch Main Street heading west.  Thanks to a traffic director in front of Casey's, we were motioned out as a group and were on our way.  We turned west on Main and kept going west onto the Stage Road and then turned south on CR W60 crossing HWY 9 and on past Fishville.  Continuing south on W60 we came to Yellow River Drive, turned west and followed it to HWY 51.  After a short jog and a short wait for a stop light on a bridge repair, we turned west again on the Frankville Road.  Passing through Frankville we arrived back on HWY 9.  After a short jog west on 9, we turned back south again on Centennial Road.  After a short ride south we found CR W42 and W46 into Ossian.  Turning west again in Ossian onto HWY 52 we followed it to the edge of town and then stayed straight ahead onto CR B52 and in 6 more miles we were in Festina.  A turn south on HWY 150 took us to the Great River Road just outside of Eldorado.  The GRR took us on a scenic journey east over to HWY 18 just outside of Cleremont.  After a short jog on 18 we stopped at the newly remodeled Casey's store there.  In spite of the cooler temps, a few of us chose to partake in the soft serve ice cream there.

After our break and dodging a wild golf cart, we continued on the newly paved portion of HWY 18 east on into Postville and onto HWY 51 north.  On our northbound journey on 51, we came to the same stop light at the bridge we had passed before.  This time we hit the light perfectly and cruised on up to HWY 9 again.  We followed 9 east to 9th St. SW and on into Waukon where we circled for a landing at Gus & Tony's where Bugsy and Father Ed were waiting to greet us.  As we settled in the party room, Father Ed came back and was requested to bless us.  He said he only had an hour to spare, so the blessing was out!  He did give us a lesson on leaving tips however.  I had 90 miles on the Wing when I pulled into the shed at home.  Actually we were blessed with a beautiful scenic late summer ride!

NEXT WEDNESDAY AND COUPLES' TRIP

You will need a new leader next Wednesday,  because Bob R and Jens will be up in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, hammering small mouth bass.  However, next Wednesday either Chuckles or Jim will be passing out the itinerary sheets to those going on the Couples Trip on the 14th.  If you are one of those couples going on the trip, be sure to pick up your sheets from Jim or Chuckles.  Otherwise you will have to wait and get one from Bob R before we leave from Casey's at 9 AM on Saturday morning.  Right now we have 6 couples going.  If you still want to go, you need to let Bob R know by Saturday, the 7th.

SEVENTEEN SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM

Seventeen ice cream lovers gathered at Casey's on Sunday for the annual Wednesday Night Riders "Double Dip Ice Cream Run".  Lois, Gary K, Al, and Jim & Cathy rode bikes.  While Wayne & Sandy, Carl & Joyce, Gary & Gloria, and Bob & Julie mounted trikes.  Dennis & Marlene and Jens & Jane (newbies) followed in support convertibles.  

CARL & JOYCE ROLL IN

AS DO JIM & CATHY

WAYNE & SANDY GET READY

TWO SUPPORT CONVERTIBLES
WELCOME TO JENS & JANE

A WORLD FAMOUS ICE CREAM EATER MAKES HIS APPEARANCE

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY GELOS

The original plan was to go to Happy Joe's in Lancaster, but with the possibility of rain in the forecast, we decided to take the "short cut" to DeSoto.  We took the Elon Road out of town and then Lansing/Harpers Road, Lafayette Ridge Road, and the Great River Road into Lansing.  After crossing the Mississippi River bridge, we turned south on HWY 35 and then took CR B east up to HWY 27.  By this time the skies had cleared and the temperature warmed up considerably.  HWY 27 took us north to HWY 82 and we headed back east until went through West Prairie and into Red Mound and onto CR UU.  UU proved to be smooth and scenic ride back down to HWY 35 where we turned back south and arrived at the Pronto Store in DeSoto for our first ice cream dips.

JANE, WITH NEW KNEES, EXITS THE CONVERTIBLE

PARKING AT PRONTO

ENJOYING ICE CREAM ON A WARM LATE SUMMER DAY

There was only one employee at Pronto, but she handled seventeen ice cream orders very well.  The ice cream portions were huge, but we were able to polish them off.  Leaving DeSoto, we continued on HWY 35 south and onto HWY 82 back across the bridge into Lansing.  In Lansing we turned north on HWY 26 and followed it to just outside New Albin and then turned west onto CR A26 (Iowa River Drive) and followed it over to HWY 76 south and into Waukon and WW Dairy for our second scoop.  It was there that along with ice cream, Jim & Cathy replenished their supply of cheese curds.  I had 115 miles on the trike at the Dairy.

COUPLES TRIP
Cathy has now given permission for she and Jim to attend the couples trip, so they have been added to the roster.  For those of you going on the trip, you may want to check out this website for an idea of some of the attractions you may want to see in the Amana Colonies.

https://amanacolonies.com/things-to-do/