HEAD FOR THE SHADE!!

 On what was probably the warmest Wednesday night we have ever had, we still had sixteen show up for our ride.  With Wayne & Sandy (enjoying every degree), Ron & Helen, Irv, Chuck (not Chuckles) & Dee, and Darrel on trikes, they were joined with Bernell and Kathy on their Spyder.  Showing up on bikes were Chucles, Howard, Marie & her daughter, Al, and Bob.

IT MUST BE WARM--NO JACKET FOR SANDY

BERNELL & KATHY GETTING GAS

CHUCK (NOT CHUCKLES) ALONG WITH DEE (DEMANDING AN ICE CREAM STOP)

NO INDIAN RIDER?!

IT'S REALLY GETTING WARM OUT HERE!

THERE'S THE INDIAN RIDER

THE SPYDER MUST TAKE A LOT OF GAS.  THEY'RE ON THEIR SECOND PUMP!

While waiting and working up a pretty good sweat, I was trying to think of a route to take that offered some shade.  As we departed, the temp on the bank sign read 91 degrees.

Deciding that heading up HWY 76 to Eitzen might offer some shade, we passed into Eitzen and onto Pool Hill road heading east down the pool hill into New Albin.  Just outside of New Albin we turned back south on HWY 26 and followed it along the river into Lansing.  It was a welcome relief to motor through some of the shade offered by the river bluffs.

Passing through Lansing, we continued to follow the river on the Great River Road down into Harpers Ferry where we stopped for a break and to satisfy Dee's ice cream urge at the Mobile convenience store.

WE PARK IN FRONT OF THE HARPERS JAIL

WE'RE NOT AFRAID OF JUDGE ROY BEAN!

MARIE AND HER DAUGHTER WITH A FEW SCRAPES YET

Actually Roy Bean was a saloon keeper and justice of the peace in Texas.  It is rumored that he held court in his saloon!  Apparently he was nobody to mess with.

After cooling off with drinks and ice cream, we continued our journey through Harpers Ferry and headed back north on the Lansing/Harpers Road.  After a short jog we turned back west on Yellow River Forest Road.  A leisurely ride through Yellow River Forest brought us back to HWY 76 where we turned north and followed it to the blacktop leading into Waterville.  The four mile stretch from 76 into Waterville is one of the most scenic drives in Allamakee County.  We did have to stop while I chased some lazy deer across the road.  I still can't believe that anyone who goes deer hunting in Allamakee County can't get one!

We passed on through Waterville and on up to the Elon Road.  I thought because we were headed back west that we might be blinded by the setting sun.  Instead we were treated to an absolutely gorgeous sun set!  We continued into Waukon and stopped at the City Club and bid our Winneshiek riders goodbye.  I had 90 miles on the Wing parked outside of the City Club.  It was a warm ride, but still very pleasant.

YOU WILL NEED A NEW LEADER NEXT WEDNESDAY.  Bob and Jens will be up in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin chasing the elusive and scrappy small mouth bass.

COUPLES TRIP

Our Couples Trip this year is the weekend of September 12th & 13th.  The plan is to visit Marshfield, Wisconsin, and view a couple of attractions there.  If you plan on going on this trip, you need to let Bob know at least by Labor Day, the 7th, so motel reservations can be finalized. This trip has always been a lot of fun and all couples are welcome.  More details will follow after I have everyone's reservation.

Now here's some more Covid humor compliments of Dennis & Marlene.

SEVENTEEN PLUS A "NEWBIE"

 With sunny skies and temps in the low 80's, eighteen riders gathered at Casey's for our Wednesday night foray into back roads in northeast Iowa.  Among our eighteen was a "newbie".  Father Sean from Lansing joined our group.  He is the new priest at Lansing and came to us through Greg C.

Father Sean rides a Spyder as Bernell and Kathy do. Wayne & Sandy, Ron & Helen, Meryle & Mary, Chuck (not Chuckles), Darrel, and Irv brought trikes.  Jim & Cathy, Al, and Bob were on bikes.  Dale & Greg supported us in Dale's convertible.

JIM AND AL SALUTE EACH OTHER

FATHER SEAN SURVEYS THE GROUP

DARREL.......

AND MERYLE GAS UP THEIR TRIKES

With a loop through Volga as a planned route tonight, we headed south on HWY 76, onto Forest Mills Road, past the Gelo ranch and then turned west on Cherry Valley Road.  CVR took us through Postville and onto HWY 18 west for a short jog to the Gunder Road.  The aptly named road took us to the eastern suburbs of Gunder where we took Agate Road south into Elgin.  Passing through the main street in Elgin and arriving on the outskirts, we found Cedar Road and took it south into Wadena.  Just south of Wadena is Bush Road heading southeast into Volga.  Bush Road offers some real nice scenic views of northeast Iowa.  

When we arrived in Volga, the plan was to take Domino Road east into Elkader.  However a "Road Closed Ahead" changed our plans and we took Canoe Road back east to HWY 13 north.  Actually Canoe Road proved to provide some nice scenery also. We followed HWY 13 into Elkader where we stopped for a break at Fast Trak convenience store.

ARRIVING AT FAST TRAK

"I WONDER IF WE CAN GET THAT DONKEY IN THE BACK SEAT!"

APPARENTLY PARKING CAN BE A REAL "HEAD SCRATCHER".

Some of us had ice cream, some had drinks, and some even bought wine before we departed Fast Trak.  We then continued on HWY 13 north to CR B65 and turned west into St. Olaf.  From St. Olaf we took the expressway (Fawn Hollow Road) back north into Farmersburg and onto Golden Avenue still heading north.  The county had ground down some of the frost heaves on Golden, so the ride was somewhat smoother than the last time.  Golden took us back to HWY 18 just east of Monona.  We turned onto Falcon Avenue and passed through Monona onto the Volney Road and followed it back north to HWY 76.  The plan was to turn south on 76 and catch the Waterville Road back to the Elon Road and into Waukon.  However, the sun seemed to be dropping pretty fast, so taking 76 north into Waukon became our option.  How the state can take an already terrible highway and make it worse for motorcycles is amazing!

Our Winneshiek contingent and Postville riders continued past the turn into Waukon to get home before it got too dark, and probably to sample the wild pineapple wine.  Five of us arrived at the City Club for our post-ride meal.  The conversation there centered around the pretense that the State of Iowa, Allamakee County, and the city of Waukon must have got one heck of a deal on chip seal!  I had 106 miles on the Wing parked at the City Club.

Special welcome to Father Sean!  Hopefully he enjoyed our company and will be able to join us again.  Greg told him we were a "good bunch".  Greg will need to go to confession now(LOL).

On a more serious note, our other "newbie", Marie, had an accident with her bike.  Apparently as she writes on Facebook, she ended up off the road and into the ditch on a ride alone this week.  She ended up in the ER with scrapes and bruises but no broken bones.  Hopefully she will be able to get back on her Harley and join us again soon.

Mystery Ride Takes Us to Home Agin's

 Our mystery ride on Saturday attracted 15 Wednesday Night Riders.  Roger and Al were the only ones on bikes, while Darrel,Meryle & Mary, Wayne & Sandy, Gary & Gloria, and Bob & Julie put butts on trikes.  We also had David & Suzanne and Ken & Gloria supply the support convertibles.

THE WINNESHIEK CONTINGENT

YES, KEN, IT DOES TAKE GAS

DAVID SAYS "THE ONLY MYSTERY SO FAR IS WATCHING KENNY GET GAS!"

AND THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR GELO'S

Departing Casey's under sunny skies and temps in the 70's, we headed out on the Elon Road with Bob being the only one who knew the mystery.  The Elon Road took us to the Lansing/Harpers Road and down into Harpers Ferry.  From there we took the River Road south to HWY 76 where apparently the state got a good deal on "chip seal".  76 took us down to Marquette where we had a short wait for the light to turn green so we could cross the bridge being repaired. Now at least the rest of the crew knew at least the mystery was in Wisconsin.

We passed through Prairie du Chien on HWY 18 and followed it to CR C after passing over the Wisconsin River bridge.  Turning east on C, we skirted along the river on a scenic journey to HWY 133 and headed back south.  Now everyone knew the mystery was not in PDC.

HWY 133 took us south to HWY 18/35 and then a short jog to CR J and into Mt. Hope where our mystery was solved.  We would be having our eats at a friendly spot called Home Agin's.

WE DOUBLE THE POPULATION OF MT HOPE

PLENTY OF CONVERTIBLE PARKING IN THE BIG CITY

When we entered Home Agin's we found out that the Saturday night special was all the homemade pizza you can eat for $4.  While not everyone ordered the pizza, I can only tell you that it was the best $4 homemade pizza I have ever tasted!  Home Agin's also provided great service.

THE HOMEMADE PIZZA TAKES A HIT

TABLE #2 AGREES

After our fill of pizza and the other delicious food, we departed Mt. Hope heading south on CR J.  After frightening a herd of goats on a roadside farm, we came to CR A and turned west into Bloomington.  From there we followed HWY 133 back to HWY 18 near Patch Grove and cruised on it back through PDC, across the bridge, back through Marquette, Giard, Froelich, Monona, and on into Luana. Our Winneshiek riders kept going on towards Postville.  The rest of us then took Diplomat/Forest Mills Road back to Yellow River Road and the Gelo ranch, where Wayne & Sandy departed for home.  A ways further down Forest Mills, Gary & Gloria turned off to their home.  Continuing on to HWY 76 and into Waukon, I had 133 miles on the trike.  Good weather, great food, good company, great scenery!

REBOOT!

 What started out to be a perfect night for riding, turned into somewhat of a "cluster".  We had an even dozen riders gather at Casey's on Wednesday night.  Greg and Dale along with David and Kenny were the support convertibles.  Wayne and Darrel were on trikes, and Marie, Larry, Howard, Roger, Al, and Bob straddled bikes.

DISCUSSING THE FINE POINTS OF CONVERTIBLES

We started out heading north on HWY 76 and just outside of Eitzen, we turned west onto CR 27.  A smooth and scenic ride on 27 took us into Spring Grove.  From there we turned onto HWY 44 and on into Caledonia.  We passed through Caledonia and "some of us" continued on CR 3 down to Brownsville and a stop at the convenience store there.  

However, upon arriving at Brownsville, I only had three others behind me.  Since no one knew for sure what happened to the rest, we backtracked on 3 to Caledonia and 44 back to Spring Grove in hopes of finding the rest of the group safe.  When we stopped in Spring Grove, I received a message from Wayne saying they had stopped in Caledonia and were OK.  Howard, Darrel, and Bob headed back to Waukon through Dorchester while Roger headed back home through Spring Grove.

When we arrived at the City Club, we found out that some loose battery cables on a Harley had caused a breakdown near Caledonia.  Since Harleys have a knack for hiding their batteries under the seat, it apparently took Wayne supplying tools and along with Larry close to an hour to get the cables tightened.  They just proceeded back to Waukon from there.  I did end up with 112 miles on the Wing when all the backtracking was done and we stopped at the City Club.  We were all relieved that everyone was OK.  By the way, CR 3 from Caledonia is in good shape and a nice scenic run down to Brownsville.  Hopefully we will get a chance to do it again.  Good lesson learned--CHECK YOUR BATTERY CABLES!

SATURDAY

This Saturday, the 15th, is our Mystery RTE leaving Casey's at 4 PM that afternoon.  Also on Saturday, there is the Mags/Byrnes Ride and the Boy Scout Omelet Breakfast at the Waukon Banquet Center.  I do plan on attending the omelet breakfast around 9 AM, but I'm not sure about going on the Mags/Byrnes ride yet.  It's for a good cause, but the last time I went, most of the stops were at bars.  So I haven't been on one since.  While at the Banquet Center for the breakfast, I will check out the ride agenda and see if I want to go.  Either way, I will be at Casey's at 4 PM for the Wednesday Night Riders Mystery Run.  Everyone is invited to join in on either or both of the rides.

NEAR RECORD FOR WAUZEKA LOOP

On a near perfect night for cruising, nineteen bikers and convertible riders gathered at Casey's Wednesday evening to take in the warm temps and sunny skies.  We had seven bikes ridden by Al, Beth, Chuckles, Lois, Howard, Larry, and Marie (newbie).  Mounting three wheelers were Bernell & Kathy, Irv, Wayne, Darrel, Chuck K, Gary & Gloria, and Bob.  David and Dale & Greg supplied the support convertibles.

GASSING UP THE DFT

LOIS ARRIVES

WELCOME TO MARIE AND GOOD TO SEE BETH AGAIN

DARREL FILLS OUT THE WINNESHIEK CONTINGENT

AL EXPLAINS TO IRV HOW TO STEER

FILLING OUT THE GELO QUOTA

With Bob leading we departed Casey's heading south on HWY 76 and then taking Forest Mills Road past the Gelo ranch and the golfers on the Tri-City course and on into Luana.  With very little humidity in the air, the views were outstanding.  Passing outside of Luana we then took HWY 18 past Monona, Froelich, Giard, and Marquette.  When we came to the stop light for bridge repair, we hit the stoplight on red.  That gave everyone on our convoy a chance to catch up and pass over the bridge together.

We skirted around Prairie du Chien on what they now call Main Street and arrived at HWY 35 south near Culvers.  We took 35 south and everyone seemed to be able to make it through the stop lights to HWY 60.  Heading east on 60 we were able to get views of the bluffs and cruise along the Wisconsin River.  It's hard to imagine how wide the river must have been ages ago when it cut out the valley we were motoring through.  We soon arrived at our rest stop at the BP convenience store in Wauzeka.

OVERFLOW PARKING

ENJOYING THE WEATHER AND THE BREAK

NINETEEN IN WAUZEKA

The workers in the store handled our group very efficiently, and we were back on the road heading west on CR N.  It was very thoughtful of the county to resurface N for us!  It made for a very smooth and scenic trip down to HWY 27.  Taking 27 north, we passed through Eastman where a softball game was being played and just outside of town we jumped onto CR D for a smooth, scenic downhill trip west onto HWY 35 south.  Following 35 we took CR K just outside of Prairie du Chien and followed it along the river back to HWY 18 and the stop light on the bridge again.  We hit the light just right again and the convoy again was able to pass through all together.  Our final route was up HWY 76 north, another road the state of Iowa should be proud to have!!  The plan was to cut though Waterville and take the Elon Road back into Waukon, but the skies looked rather cloudy to the west, so we continued our bumpy ride past Rossville and into Waukon.  Several of us stopped at the City Club for supper, where the conversation at our table turned to church attendance.  I had 110 miles on the trike when I pulled her into the shed.  If we would have had 4 more riders, we would have set the all-time record for attendance on a Wednesday night ride.

And now a little Covid humor provided by Chuckles--

WE'RE BAAACK!!

After covering almost 1,800 miles on the Guys' Trip last week, Jim, Chuck K, Chuckles, Clair, and Bob returned home on Saturday afternoon.  We encountered some real warm weather, some rain, some rough roads (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana), some real smooth roads (Kentucky).  We were able to take in some twisties in Kentucky that offered some spectacular scenery.  

Our stops included the Route 66 Museum in Pontiac, Illinois.

 The largest Route 66 mural in the world

Remember the VW vans?

Our next stop was the Ark in Williamstown, KY

It's huge!

But I still don't know how Noah did it!!

Our next venture took us to Ft. Knox, KY, where we visited the General George Patton Museum.

He's always been a hero of mine.

The boys standing at "attention"!

From there, we rolled into Springfield, IL to introduce Chuck K to the 2nd most famous lawyer.  We took in the Lincoln Museum and the Lincoln Tomb.

Touch the nose for good luck!

You can ask the other guys, but I think it was another great trip!

See you Wednesday!