ALL ROADS LEAD TO STEUBEN

 Seventeen Wednesday night riders showed up at Casey's this Wednesday for the anticipated trip over to Steuben, Wisconsin.  We had Jim D (newbie), Howard, Chuckles, Lois, Larry, Dee, Grayson & Jim, and Bob on bikes.  While Darrel, Roger & Sue, Wayne & Sandy, Ron, and Chuck (not Chuckles) were on trikes.  Dale served as "support" in his convertible.

NEWBIE JIM VISITS WITH DARREL

SUE & SANDY GATHER INFORMATION

WAYNE & RON DISCUSS TRAVELS

ROGER CHECKS THE TRUNK FOR A SPARE

CHUCKLES & LOIS VISIT WITH SANDY

LARRY THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE THE LONE GELO

DEE IS HAPPY TO ARRIVE

GRAYSON & JIM FILL OUT THE GELO QUOTA

HOWARD INSPECTS THE SUPPORT CONVERTIBLE

With temps in the high 70's and a hazy sky due to the fires out west, our group left Casey's after waiting for an impatient fire truck driver to move on through.  We took a short jog on HWY 76 to Forest Mills Road and headed south past the Gelo ranch and on into Luana.  From there we took HWY 18 past Monona, Froelich, Giard, and into Marquette.  We were lucky enough to catch the green light controlling the construction on the Mississippi River bridge and our whole group was able to cross into Prairie du Chien at the same time.  

We then took CR K along the edge of PDC and the river north to Limery Road and turned east there.  Following Limery across HWY 35 and up the hill past Shahada Orchards we came to HWY 27 where we turned north again.  27 took us to the north edge of Eastman and we turned east again onto HWY 179.  HWY 179 is a fun motorcycle road because it has nice scenery and some sweeping curves built in for the nine mile ride into Steuben.  We stopped at Lou's R&R Bar and doubled the population of Steuben.

BY BEATING THE RUSH HOUR WE HAD PLENTY OF PARKING

DEE IS HAPPY TO BE HERE TOO

JIM D CELEBRATES HIS FIRST RIDE WITH US

After a short break we hopped back on the bikes and Dale jumped in the convertible and we headed out of Steuben on 179 again.  After back tracking a short distance on 179, we turned westward on CR E.  CR E offers some nice scenery, but most of it was still obscured some by the haze.  I wonder what it's like being actually close to the fires!  We proceeded on E crossing over HWY 27 and down the hill to HWY 35 in Lynxville.  Turning north on 35 we passed through Ferryville and turned back west on HWY 82 to cross the Blackhawk Bridge into Lansing.  From there we ventured west on HWY 9, and after being "eyeballed" by a flock of turkeys, arrived back in Waukon where a number of us dined at the City Club.

I had 110 miles on the Wing when I pulled into the shed at home.

NEXT WEDNESDAY

The group will need a new leader for the ride next Wednesday as Chuck (not Chuckles), Chuckles, Jim G (You always have to have a Gelo along!), Clair, Darron, and Bob will be out venturing in the wild west of North and South Dakotas.  We will hopefully be able to explore Teddy Roosevelt National Parks and mosey through Spearfish Canyon.  The Enchanted Highway is also on the agenda.

COUPLES TRIP

Right now the plan for the couples' trip on September 11th and 12th is to take a trip down to Gladbrook and see the Matchstick Marvels collection while stopping at the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum on the way.  Since getting motel reservations can be a real hassle, Bob needs to know how many plan to make this trip.  So, if it looks like this is something you want to do, then let him know as soon as you can after he gets back from North Dakota.

PIZZA! PIZZA! THUMPER! THUMPER!

Showing up for our annual "You Gotta Love Summer" pizza run were eleven riders.  We had Roger & Sue, Carl & Joyce, Chuck (not Chuckles), Darrel, and Bob on trikes.  Aboard bikes were Dee, Lee (Darrel's son), Roger, and Gary.

ROGER VISITS WITH ANYONE WHO SHOWS UP!

CARL & JOYCE MAKE ANOTHER RTE

DEE & CHUCK ARRIVE

DARREL & LEE ROLL IN

ALONG WITH ROGER

GOOD TO SEE GARY AGAIN!

 With a beautiful summer day greeting us, we departed Casey's for our pizza run to Saxton Hall in Brownsville, MN.  Having heard good reports about the pizza there, it seemed like a doable destination.

After leaving Casey's we headed north on HWY 76 passing by Dorchester and Eitzen and turning west onto CR 17.  Again on a clear day, the views from the saddle on CR 17 proved to be very scenic.  CR 17 ends just outside of Spring Grove and we turned onto HWY 44 heading for Caledonia.  We turned east onto CR 3 in Caledonia and followed it on down to the river and arrived in Brownsville at Saxton Hall ready to devour their pizza.

THIS IS THE PLACE

I'm sure anyone who has passed through Brownsville has gone by this place and never knew it was there.  We arrive just a little after noon.  They open at noon on Sundays.

PLENTY OF PARKING RIGHT NOW

TIME TO SHED JACKETS ON A WARM DAY

Those of us who ordered pizza were not disappointed.  Everyone seemed very satisfied with the service and the food.

Since I had not planned the return route yet, and it was such a nice day, I promised the group we would return via Teschemper Road (We call it Thumper Road).  It starts near the WXOW tv towers above LaCrescent and is probably the most scenic short drive in the tri-state area.  Again, we were not disappointed!

After the incredible views on Thumper, we ended up on CR 21 and followed it over to HWY 16 where we turned toward Hokah.  In Hokah we were back on HWY 44 and headed south back into Caledonia where we made a "customary" stop at the Dairy Queen.  I'm not sure it's possible to pass close to a Dairy Queen on a Gold Wing without turning in!

After consuming the ice cream treats, we passed through the rest of Caledonia and onto HWY 76 again, and cruised on into Waukon.  I had 120 miles on the trike when I got home.  GOOD WEATHER+ GOOD FOOD+ GOOD SCENERY+ GOOD ROADS+ GOOD COMPANY=GOOD TIMES!

NEXT WEDNESDAY

Since we were rained out last Wednesday, the plan is to try to make it to Steuben this Wednesday evening.  (ALL ROADS LEAD TO STEUBEN)  I will also be passing out the itinerary for the Guys' Trip leaving a week from Monday, July 26th.  Chuck (not Chuckles) said he is almost done packing!

RACK'S IS NO LONGER A MYSTERY

 A dozen Wednesday Night Riders lined up at Casey's on Sunday for our first mystery RTE (ride to eat).  Chuckles, Lois, and Roger N brought their bikes, while Roger F, Darrel, Meryle & Mary, Wayne & Sandy, Carl & Joyce, and Bob boarded trikes. 

LOIS EXPECTING A WARM RIDE

MERYLE RELAXES & TRIES TO FIGURE OUT THE BUTTONS

DARREL ROLLS IN

FOLLOWED BY ROGER N

We departed Casey's at 10:30 with temps in the low 70's and beautiful sunny skies heading for a mystery destination known only by Bob.

Passing through Waukon we took HWY 76 north all the way through Eitzen and onto CR 27 heading west towards Spring Grove.  Right away we knew because of the sunny skies and low humidity, we were going to be in for some spectacular northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota scenery.  We passed through Spring Grove on HWY 44 and stopped at the BP Store in Mabel for a short break.

After our break we continued on 44 and then HWY 52 into Canton where we took CR 21 north.  This whole area has lots of Amish farms, so we were constantly dodging horse piles on the roads.  CR 21 led us onto CR 12 and some incredible scenery for our trip onto HWY 52 just south of Preston.  We passed through Preston on 52 and then turned west again onto HWY 16 and made our way into Spring Valley and Rack's Bar and Grill, our mystery destination.

CHUCKLES & LOIS PARK UNDER THE SIGN

THE REST OF US USE AN ADJOINING LOT

WARM ENOUGH NOW TO SHUCK THE JACKETS

We entered an extremely busy Rack's, but were able to sit in separate booths.  After a fairly long wait, we were served some delicious food with very healthy portions.  Everyone was fully stuffed for our departure back.

Following HWY 16 back through Spring Valley and after backtracking for a while, we turned north onto HWY 80 and cruised through Wykoff.  Avoiding the "rush hour" in Wykoff, we passed on through and onto HWY 52 just outside of town.  We then followed 52 back on through Preston and onto HWY 16 heading east.  Again we were treated to some incredible views as we passed along 16 and down into Lanesboro for a short break.  Returning back on 16 for a short ways, we got onto CR 21 heading north.  CR 21 took us back onto CR 12 and then onto CR 23 heading south back to HWY 52 just east of Canton again enjoying some beautiful scenery.  We followed 52 all the way into Decorah where we turned east onto HWY 9.  It was there that some decided to take 9 back to Waukon while some turned onto the Old Stage Road and passed through Freeport where we dropped Darrel off.  Continuing on Old Stage we entered Waukon and I had 171 miles on the trike when I pulled her into the shed.  What a special ride on a beautiful summer day!

BUGSY'S FAREWELL

I'm sure Bugsy's family and other friends were very appreciative of the escort our group provided out to the cemetery.  We really had a good number of WNR show up for our farewell to Bugsy.

NEXT WEDNESDAY

Providing that the weather cooperates and the roads have been cleared from the flooding, our destination for next Wednesday looks to be Steuben (ALL ROADS LEAD TO STEUBEN).

NEXT SUNDAY

Next Sunday, the 18th is our "You Gotta Love Summer" pizza run.  The plan is to leave Casey's at 11 AM that day and find a good pizza joint.  Everyone is welcome!

WNR FAREWELL TO BUGSY

 I have offered Bugsy's family to have the Wednesday Night Riders be escorts for Bugsy's funeral procession.  They really appreciated the offer and thought it would be a great thing to do.  We would take our motorcycles and convertibles and act as escorts from St. Pat's to Mt. Olivet Cemetery after the funeral.

I contacted Craig at the funeral home and he said we could park in the St. Pat's school parking lot and if we got to the church by 10:30, he would seat us all together up front.  The funeral is at St. Pat's in Waukon at 11:00 AM.  If you can't make it or do not want to attend the funeral service and still want to be in the procession, then I would say be at the church around 11:30.

I would like to see as many Wednesday Night Riders as possible be there and give Bugsy a nice send off !   

Any questions--contact Bob at 563-568-7277.

We had five WNR show up at Casey's on Wednesday night.  I guess with the cooler weather and the possible threat of rain, the attendance was down as compared to the previous several weeks.  At any rate, we had all trikes this time ridden by Irv, Roger & Sue, Darrel, and Bob.

THE SMALL GROUP GATHERS

DARREL FEELS FOR RAIN DROPS

Under cloudy skies and temps in the upper 60's we left Casey's heading for Bagley.  I had originally planned to go to North Andover, but with two bridges out on HWY 133 over there, I didn't want to take the chance on detours.  We went out on HWY 76 and then onto Forest Mills Road and cruised past the vacant Gelo ranch.  Continuing on FMR, and passing through Hardin, we arrived in Luana and then took HWY 18 east past Monona, Giard, and Froelich.  When we arrived at the Mississippi River bridge under repair in Marquette, we had a short wait at the stop sign before we could cross into Prairie du Chien.  When we got through the closed area on the bridge, we noticed that in front of the traffic waiting to cross from Wisconsin was a tractor pulling a large piece of hay equipment.  We were thankful for being headed in the opposite direction!

We passed through PDC and onto HWY 35 heading north.  After crossing the Wisconsin River Bridge, be turned west onto CR C passing through parts of Wyalusing State Park.  We then turned onto CR X and had a scenic cruise along the river through the metropolis of Wyalusing and on into Bagley.  I'm pretty sure there was much less traffic on this route tonight than there was over the weekend!

After avoiding the "rush hour" in Bagley we took CR P through the bustling village of Brodville and back onto HWY 18 east.  We backtracked on 18 back towards PDC and stopped at the Port Citgo convenience store in Bridgeport.  Some of us even sampled the ice cream treats there.  Who said it was too cold?!

After our break we backtracked some more through PDC and across the bridge again.  We hit the stop lights right again and only had a very short wait before proceeding on into Marquette. In Marquette we took HWY 76 north past Rossville and on into Waukon for our eats at City Club.  I had 106 miles on the trike when I parked her at home.  A cool but pleasant Wednesday night ride!

CHANGE OF PLANS--BUGSY'S SERVICES

 The way the weather looks for Wednesday night, it looks doubtful for a ride.  So, since we may not be getting together, I thought I should inform everyone now about a change in plans for our Mystery Ride set for Saturday.

As most of you know by now, our friend and fellow rider, Bugsy Burroughs passed away last week. Friends may call from 3-7 PM on Friday at the Waukon Banquet Center.  His funeral will be held on Saturday at 11 AM at St. Pat's.  

Our Mystery Ride was set to leave Casey's at 10:30 on Saturday.  Since I know there will be a number of WNR who want to attend Bugsy's funeral, I am changing the Mystery Ride to Sunday departing Casey's at the same time (10:30 AM).

Hopefully there will be a good number of Wednesday Night Riders that pay tribute to Bugsy and his family by attending his wake and/or funeral.

PLAN "B" TO HOUSTON

Eighteen riders showed up at Casey's on a fabulous Wednesday evening for an anticipated ride to North Andover in Wisconsin.  However, our friends across the river have been dumped on lately with some spots receiving close to eleven inches of rain.  With the chance that some of the roads, particularly in Crawford County, may be closed, the decision was made to head to Houston (Goin' Back To Houston) via Yucatan.

Showing up on trikes were Roger & Sue (Frick & Frack), Bugsy, Irv, Ron, Bernell & Kathy, Meryle & Mary, Wayne & Sandy, and Darrel.  Chuckles, Lois, Howard, Larry, and Bob brought their bikes.  Kenny supplied the only "support" convertible.

80+ DEGREES-PERFECT FOR SANDY

ROGER & SUE MAKE THEIR SECOND APPERANCE

BUGSY TELLING STORIES

RON RIDES SOLO TONIGHT

IRV EXPLAINS THE INTRACIES OF HIS TRIKE

QUITE A CROWD AGAIN TONIGHT

DARREL TELLING RON HOW TO GET TO DECORAH AND BACK

MARY EXPLAINS HOW BIG HER HELMET IS

QUITE A LINE-UP OF TRIKES

OUR LONE CONVERTIBLE

CHUCKLES & LOIS ARRIVE--IT MUST BE TIME TO LEAVE

Under sunny skies and temps in the low 80's we departed Casey's, toured through downtown Waukon and then took HWY 76 north.  We take it slow to start with, since with this many units it can be hard to get all though the only stop light in the county.

Following 76 north past Hanover and Dorchester and through Eitzen, we turned west onto CR 27 which took us over to HWY 44 just outside of Spring Grove.  On through Spring Grove and then onto CR 4 (Yucatan Road), we proceeded on a northeasterly direction passing through Black Hammer and Yucatan and onto HWY 76 just outside of Houston. The Yucatan Road always offers some good scenery, and the crops growing along the river bottoms looked great. Turning onto 76 we followed it on into Houston and stopped at the Cenex Convenience Store for our break.  At that point Bernell & Kathy departed for a Legion banquet in Mabel.  Thanks to them for riding along, and thanks to Bernell for his service!

BERNELL & KATHY GET READY TO DEPART FOR MABEL

THE REST OF US PARK & HEAD IN FOR REFRESHMENTS

ROGER GETS A COPY OF OUR "SPECIAL" RIDES

CHUCKLES & LOIS HEAD FOR THE SHADE

After refreshments we took a short jog on HWY 76 north and then turned northeast onto CR 9.  We took 9 over to CR 21 and turned east on over to CR 25 and headed south to HWY 16.  CR 9, 21, and 25 also offered some nice views.  HWY 16 took us on into Hokah where we found CR 18 and cruised on it down the hill into Brownsville.  Just on the edge of Brownsville is HWY 26 and we took it all along the Mississippi River through Reno and New Albin and into Lansing.  Between Reno and New Albin, I had a deer cross the road a ways in front of me.  Knowing that where there is one deer there is probably another, I showed way down until I was passed where it crossed.  In Lansing we turned west onto HWY 9 and headed back west into Waukon and the City Club.  It proved to be a really nice ride that mixed sun and shade and the sunny skies provided some really nice views.  I had 126 miles on the Wing when I put her to bed for the night.

NEXT WEDNESDAY

Hopefully any road closures in Wisconsin have been reopened and we can then do the ride to North Andover that was planned for this Wednesday.

GUYS' TRIP

The annual Guys' Trip is planned again this year for July 26-31.  The agenda includes traversing North Dakota and riding through Teddy Roosevelt National Park.  Also in the plans is a journey down to South Dakota and through Spearfish Canyon and return to Waukon on the 31st.

With seemingly everyone wanting to travel now that Covid has lessened, motel reservations can be a real hassle, to say the least.  So, with this in mind, if any guy is even just thinking about going along, you need to tell Bob R as soon as possible.  Believe me, it's a lot easier to cancel reservations that it is to get them!

Right now I have Jim, Darron, Chuck, Clair, Chuckles, and Bob as tentatively committed.  Again, if you are even just thinking about going along, let Bob R know ASAP!!

STOP LIGHTS

The next time our group gets stopped at a long light, I expect this from our Harley riders.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut0qn8XuVlE