ANOTHER GREAT EARLY FALL RIDE

 Ten riders, including Honey, showed up on Wednesday night for our 5 O'clock run.  Darrel, ChucK, Irv, and Ron & Helen brought their trikes.  Jim D (and Honey), Chuckles, Dee, and Bob were aboard bikes.

GOTTA WIPE THE BUGS OFF THE GLASSES

NOW WHICH BUTTON IS THE STARTER?!

ChucK observes Dee's one-legged dismount

JIM & HONEY MUGG FOR THE CAMERA

IRV ARRIVES IN A BLURR

With temps in the upper 70's and partly sunny skies we began our journey by taking HWY 76 and then turning onto Forest Mills Road.  After about 5 miles on FMR we turned west onto Yellow River Drive and roared past the Gelo domain.  Since the sun was partly hidden by clouds, we didn't get much glare heading west.  We did, however, notice a lot of dust in the air due to the harvest taking place in the farm fields.  In fact, we had to wait for a combine to cross the bridge on YRD, because there was not enough room for a bike and a combine at the same time!

We continued on Yellow River Drive west over to HWY 51 and then took a short jog north and turned west gain onto the Frankville Road.  For some reason, the Frankville Road passes through Frankville on its way back to HWY 9!  Once reaching HWY 9 we turned back south onto Centennial Road and once again observed a lot of combines in the fields.  After a short cruise on Centennial, we turned back west on Sand Road and into Ossian.

We don't know whether the city of Ossian had planned on turning Becker Avenue into a beach or not, but there was enough sand on this street to call it a sand bar!  After negotiating the sand in town we left Ossian via CR B32 heading west again into Festina.  Upon reaching Festina, we turned south onto HWY 150 and followed some recently resurfaced blacktop to the Great River Road near Eldorado.  Our journey east on GRR on well maintained concrete offered some scenic views of the countryside and actually crosses the Turkey River four times.  

The GRR led us to HWY 18 just outside of Clermont where we stopped at Casey's there for a short break.

THE LINEUP AT CASEY'S

  With some clouds partially blocking the sunset, we knew we were going to have to keep moving to get back before dark, so we just continued on HWY 18 east on into Postville.  Once there we took HWY 51 north up to HWY 9 and said goodbye to Ron & Helen as they turned back west towards home.  The rest of our convoy took HWY 9 east back into Waukon for eats at the City Club.  I had 88 miles on the Wing parked on Main St.  ANOTHER DELIGHTFUL EARLY FALL RIDE!

REMINDER ABOUT SUNDAY

We have a RTE scheduled for a scenic trip up to Rockton for their "nearly world famous" barbequed chicken.  We will be departing Casey's at 10 AM on Sunday.  If you expect to eat the chicken, then reservations are needed.  You can let Bob know by Friday, or after that call the Rockton Bar yourself and make your own reservations.  EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

NEXT WEDNESDAY

Bob will be on a golf outing, so you will need a new leader for the Wednesday night ride.  Good luck, and be safe!

GREAT RIDE FOR A GREAT CAUSE!

 For the first time in quite some time, the weather witch cooperated, and we were able to make our fall trip down to Camp Courageous for their pancake breakfast fundraiser.  A "lucky number" 13 Wednesday Night riders showed up at Casey's on Sunday morning to show our support.  Aboard bikes were Chuckles, Al, Marie, Jim & Cathy, Howard, Dee, and Jim D.  Butts on trikes were Meryle & Mary, ChucK, and Bob & Julie.

HOW MANY CHUCKS DOES IT TAKE TO EAT PANCAKES?

I FOUND SOME SCRATCHES!

MARY DID WARM UP A LITTLE LATER

HONEY MUST NOT LIKE PANCAKES!

GELOS ARRIVE AND MAKE THE RIDE "OFFICIAL"

With the temp at a "cool" 62 degrees and under mostly sunny skies, we knew it would be warmer sooner as we cruised up Forest Mills Road past the Gelo plantation and on into Luana.  Outside of Luana we got onto HWY 18 east and past Froelich where they were celebrating Fall der all.  We then turned south onto HWY 52 and made haste for Garnavillo.  We usually try to make a stop somewhere along the way to Monticello, but with the number of travelers we had, I was afraid a stop would take too long and not get us to Camp Courageous by noon closing.  We cruised through Garnavillo, Guttenberg, Millville, Luxemburg, and New Vienna then into Dyersville where we continued south on HWY 136.  This stretch of highway used to be rough, but some resurfacing made a smooth ride through Worthington and onto HWY 151 south at Cascade.  Motoring on 151, we soon came to the Monticello exit for HWY 38 and followed 38 to 190th St. and turned east on into Camp Courageous where we got our "usual" parking spots on the paved basketball court.

CHUCKLES THINKS HE'S GOING TO GET A REBOUND

AL TRIES TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE ARE
AND JIM TRIES TO PRY HIS HELMET OFF

MARIE & JULIE SHED WARM CLOTHING

We arrived about 11:30 with plenty of time to eat a hearty bunch of pancakes and sausage along with all  the juice and coffee you wanted.  After the breakfast, we relaxed for a while in the warm sunshine while some of our party who had never been here before explored the grounds.  Jim D even got to witness a train robbery!

While the ride down was rather rushed, the ride back was going to be much slower and full of spectacular scenery.  We pulled up stakes and Camp Courageous and headed back on HWY 38 and onto HWY 151 heading north this time.  We took the second Cascade exit and turned onto Farley Road.  As promised, this smooth stretch of tarmac took us through some sweeping curves and over some moderate hills passing through some harvested cropland and into Farley where we gassed up.  In Farley, we followed old highway 20 eastward for a short drive into Epworth.  We then followed Gun Club Road north out of Epworth heading towards Bankston.  This is where the scenery really picks up offering us some of the best views in Iowa.  The spectacular scenery continued as we turned onto Bankston Park Road and Asbury Road.  While gawking at the scenery, our tour guide missed the turn onto Five Points Road, and had to turn the group around in a nearby farmer's driveway.  We did get back onto Five Points, and we reached the top of a good sized hill where five roads all come together, the view goes on for miles and miles.  Five Points took us all the way back north to HWY 3 and we turned east and journeyed on into Sageville for a rest stop at Eichman's Store.

After our rest, we were going to be treated to some more fantastic views as we cruised north on Sherrill Road through Sherrill, on Balltown Road through Balltown (home of Iowa's oldest bar), and on the Great River Road through North Buena Vista and back down to HWY 52 at Millville.

What would a Sunday ride with 80 degree temps be without a stop for ice cream?!  So we followed 52 into Guttenberg and stopped at Joe's along the riverfront for ice cream treats.  We then took CR X56 north out of Guttenberg and all the way past Pikes Peak into McGregor.  After passing through McGregor and Marquette, we followed HWY 76 north past Rossville and into Waukon.  Except for a stretch of HWY 52 into Dyersville that is being repaved, HWY 76 was the worst road we traveled on the whole day.  We had 230 miles on the trike when we got home.  What a great ride for a great cause!

NEXT SUNDAY

Next Sunday, October 3rd, is our last scheduled RTE for the year.  It's our annual "Run, Chicken, Run" Run up to Rockton,WI, for the Rockton Bar's "nearly world famous" barbequed chicken.  The plan is to leave Casey's at 10AM and wind our way along the scenic backroads into Rockton for the chicken (or whatever else you may want to eat).  Then on the way back we usually stop at Sunrise Orchards outside of Gays Mills and "sample" or "load up" on their apple cider sugar donuts.

NOTE:  If you want chicken, then you need reservations.  You can either let Bob know by Friday about how many chicken dinners you want, or after Friday you can call the Rockton Bar yourself and tell them you're with the Wednesday Night Waukon group.

NEW TIME SEEMED TO WORK OUT WELL

 Apparently the decision to leave Casey's at 5 PM instead of 5:30 PM was well accepted because we had 15 riders ready to go this Wednesday.

Jim D (and Honey), Howard, Chuckles, Lois, Al, Jim G & Cathy, Roger, and Bob were aboard bikes, while Irv, Darrel, and Ron & Helen (new ride) sported trikes.  Bernell & Kathy rolled in on their Spyder.  Darron & Sue even showed up to send us off.

RON & HELEN ARRIVE ON THEIR NEW RIDE

JIM GIVES HONEY A "PRERIDE" WALK

DARRON STILL IN SHORTS, BUT NOT RIDING

THE INDIAN RUMBLES IN

ADMIRING THE NEW TRIKE

IS THIS REVERSE?!

DARREL'S YELLOW BLENDS RIGHT IN WITH THE PUNKINS

GOOD TO SEE ROGER AGAIN

Departing at our predetermined 5 o'clock, we headed out east on the Elon Road.  Again, like last week, it was cool, but with low humidity, the scenery really stood out.  At the end of the Elon Road, we took a short jog north on Lansing/Harpers Road and then turned east again on Lafayette Ridge Road and followed it on a scenic route down to the Great River Road.  We cruised south from there on into Harpers Ferry and at the stop sign turned north again onto the Lansing/Harpers Road.  After a 2 mile stretch on L/H R, we turned west onto Yellow River Forest Road.  This road has the 35 MPH limit, so we took our time through the turns and enjoyed the views this route offers.  It does at times take some skillful maneuvering, especially on a two-wheeler, to avoid some of the gravel patches that get tossed on to the pavement, but the ride is well worth it!  After traversing through YRF, we reached HWY 76 and turned south into Marquette for a break at the Casey's store there.

HONEY NEEDS A BREAK TOO

After our break we continued west into the setting sun before we turned into Luana and followed Diplomat/Forest Mills Road north past the Gelo ranch and onto HWY 76 just south of Waukon.  From there some of the group proceeded onto into town for eats at the City Club.  I had 85 miles on the Wing when I parked her on Main Street.

It was nice to get back with enough daylight left to give our Winneshiek riders back home before dark.  With the number of riders we had, we will plan to continue to leave from Casey's at 5 for the rest of the riding season.

SUNDAY IS OUR CAMP COURAGEOUS RUN

It's time again to support our "pet" charity, Camp Courageous down in Monticello.  On Sunday is their Pancake Breakfast Funs Raiser from 8 til noon.  Pancakes, pork sausage, coffee, milk, and juice are on the menu, and the cost is $10.  You can also feel free to make an additional monetary donation.  Camp Courageous offers recreational opportunities to special needs people and it totally funded by private donations and no government funding.  That's probably why they are successful!  If you want to learn more you can go to www.campcourageous.org and see all the good they do.

The ride down and back will take in some of the best scenery in northeast Iowa.  We will even pass by (but not stop!) at Iowa's oldest bar.  

WE WILL DEPART CASEY'S AT 9:15 ON SUNDAY MORNING with the weather forecast of temps in the mid 70's and only a 2% chance of rain.  That should make for a great ride for a great cause.  EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

NOT ENOUGH DAYLIGHT!

 It was one of those beautiful evenings to be out riding.  Clear skies, low humidity, and comfortable temps made for a near perfect trip.  Even though we had a great ride, it would have been nice to have more time to take in the spectacular scenery in our area, but our daylight hours are growing ever shorter.

We did have eleven riders (or should I say 12 with Honey) meet up at Casey's this Wednesday.  On bikes were Howard, Jim G, Jim D (with Honey), Marie, Al, Chuckles, Dee, and Bob.  Irv and ChucK were on bikes, and Bernell brought his Spyder.

JIM CHECKS OUT JIM & HONEY

HOWARD MAKES HIS INSPECTION

GASSING UP THE HARLEY & INDIAN

"BIRTHDAY BOY" WITH A BLACK EYE!

CHUCKLES, ANOTHER "BIRTHDAY BOY" ROLLS IN

HONEY, SPORTING NEW GOGGLES

BERNELL ARRIVES JUST IN TIME

At a little before 5:30 we took out of the Casey's parking lot and avoiding a glass spill that needs cleaning up, we proceeded east onto the Elon Road.  As expected we could see for miles and miles.  At the end of Elon Road, we turned north onto the Lansing/Harpers Road and cruised in to Lansing.  Passing through Lansing, we took HWY 26 and followed it along the Mississippi River to New Albin.  Actually once we got out of the sun on the Lansing/Harpers Road and HWY 26, we were met with some much cooler temps.  After our "refreshing" ride along the river, we turned back west onto Pool Hill Road just outside of New Albin.  At times we had to do a lot of squinting into the sun as we proceeded towards Eitzen, but turning our heads to the right or left for a few glances at the landscape helped.  After arriving in Eitzen, we took a short jog north on HWY 76 and then west again on CR 27.  The sun was again against our faces most of the time as we motored along on 27, but we were still able to take advantage of a smooth ride and beautiful views as we rolled into Spring Grove.

We stopped at the Kwik Trip in Spring Grove for a short break and long enough for Jim G to gobble up some high octane fuel for his Honda.  While there after visiting with Bernell, he informed me that Kathy was babysitting some of their grandchildren.  He also told me that they had 16 grandchildren including four sets of twins!  Out of the KT parking lot and after a short jog on Main St. we turned east onto CR A16 (aka Dorchester Drive) and headed downhill into Dorchester.  With no sun in our eyes, we really could enjoy the views along this route.  We arrived in Dorchester just ahead of the "rush hour" and got back onto HWY 76 aiming to get back into Waukon before it got too dark.  We accomplished this and pulled up to the City Club for eats around 7:30.  I had 86 miles on the Wing at that point.  GREAT RIDE, BUT TOO SHORT!!

MAYBE LEAVING A LITTLE EARLIER

It was suggested to me that maybe for the rest of the rides on Wednesday night this fall, we could leave Casey's at 5:00 instead of 5:30.  I would consider this, if we made sure we left no one out that normally rides with us and could not get there by 5.  Let's try it this coming Wednesday night and see.  IF THERE IS ANYONE WHO COULD NOT MAKE THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIDES BY 5 PM INSTEAD OF 5:30, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS TOGETHER FOR TOO LONG TO LEAVE ANYONE OUT!!

COUPLES TRIP REPORT

I have heard no complaints (I wouldn't pay any attention anyway!) on the Couples' Trip last weekend.  We had good weather, mostly good roads, nice motel rooms, great eats, and saw some really interesting attractions.  I would like to be able to put up more information about the trip on this blog, but right now I'm writing an article about the ride for Wing World Magazine.  If the article does get published, I'll keep you informed.  If not, I'll post some more drivel and photos on the blog about the trip.

I was also glad to hear that the Hospice Ride was well attended.  Hopefully next year our dates don't conflict with each other, and we all can ride in it.

NEXT SPECIAL RIDE

Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 26.  That's scheduled to be our ride down to Camp Courageous in Monticello for their pancake fundraiser breakfast.  As of now, we will plan to depart Casey's at 9:15 that morning.  Also, as of now, we will be able to be served inside, as opposed to drive through only this spring because of COVID.  I'll keep you up to date on this one.  This ride is for a very good cause, and we have a real scenic ride back after the meal.

Seven 2 LEGGERS and ONE 4 LEGGER TRAVEL TO THE ROOSTER

On a rather cool Wednesday night, we had seven humans and one canine make the ride to the Wired Rooster (aka Ruptured Rooster) Coffee House in Caledonia.  Jim D showed up with "Honey" both riding on his Harley.  ChucK and Dee arrive on the trike and bike.  Al cruises in on his Indian while Jim & Cathy arrive in time on their Gold Wing to fill out the Gelo quota.  Bob took the lead on his Gold Wing.

JIM D AND TRAVELING COMPANION "HONEY"

CHUCK & DEE ROLL IN

AL BACKS UP TO THE PUMPKINS

THE GELOS MAKE IT AN OFFICIAL RIDE

We left Casey's at 5:30 under partly cloudy skies and a temp in the low 70's.  Taking HWY 76 north past Hanover, Dorchester, and Eitzen, the original plan to journey west into Spring Grove was changed as we spotted dark rainy clouds hovering to the west.  So opting to stay dry, we kept going on HWY 76 on into Caledonia where we stopped at one of Jim & Cathy's favorite hangouts, the Wired Rooster.

AKA THE RUPTURED ROOSTER

MAIN STREET CALEDONIA

"HONEY" WILL SOON BE LOOKING FOR A FIRE HYDRANT

After sampling some of the Rooster's coffee and ice cream, we continued through Caledonia and took CR 5 out of town heading east.  CR 5 eventually joined up with CR 14 and we took 14 (an infamous road) down to HWY 26 near Millstone Landing.  Turning south on 26, we passed through New Albin and just outside of town turned onto Iowa River Drive heading southwest.  Again it looked like we might get wet before we arrived back in Waukon, so we continued onto Lycurgus Road over to HWY 9.  Turning west onto 9 we followed it on wet pavement on into Waukon.  It looked as if we just missed a pretty good shower, so very skillful guiding kept us dry.  We pulled into the City Club for eats where the conversation turned to elderberries.  I had 74 miles on the Wing when I got home.  Apparently the Wednesday Night Riders now have a mascot!

COUPLES TRIP

It looks like we will be having eight couples making the journey this weekend to the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum in Waterloo and the Matchbook Marvels Museum in Gladbrook and spend the night in Toledo.  We will be departing Casey's at 8:30 Saturday morning.  Looks like good weather!

HOSPICE RIDE

For those not going on the Couples' Trip, I strongly recommend attending the Winneshiek Medical Hospice Ride on Sunday.  This is an event that the Wednesday Night Riders try to attend, but this year the ride was postponed from June to this Sunday, so it ended up being on the same weekend as our Couples' Trip.

The Hospice Ride will start at the Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah at 11 AM on Sunday.  The WMC will be hosting a breakfast before the ride from 9-10:30 for a free-will donation.  The cost of the ride which will end at Topling Goliath at 4:30 is $15 and goes for a very worthwhile cause.  Hopefully next year our dates won't conflict.

 

ICE CREAM "CONVOY" SETS NEW RECORD

 On a near perfect Labor Day Monday, 24 Wednesday Night Riders on 18 units showed up at Casey's for our annual "Double Dip" Ice Cream Run. This number of riders and units set a new record for attendance at one of our rides!

Bike riders were Dee, Jim D, Chuckles, Lois, Terry, Al, Marie, and Howard.  With BOT (Butts On Trikes) were Wayne & Sandy, Roger & Sue, Meryle & Mary, Gary & Gloria, ChucK, Carl & Joyce, Irv, Darrel, and Bob & Julie.  Greg rode in on the only Spyder.

ROGER & IRV GAS UP

HOWARD GETS PERMISSION FROM DOROTHY TO COME!

AL & MARIE ARRIVE

 

GOOD TO SEE THE YELLOW SPYDER AGAIN!

WE HAVE GELOS, SO IT"S AN OFFICIAL RIDE!

DEE POINTS TO THE "W"

CARL & JOYCE MAKE ANOTHER RTE

ADMIRING JIM'S HAT!

WELCOMING JIM D's TO HIS FIRST RTE

THE "PERFECT PROFILE" OF AN ICE CREAM EATER

"AND I HAVE TO LEAD THIS CONVOY!"

We departed Casey's at 1 PM and passed through Waukon on HWY 9 and then through Churchtown and into Lansing.  We then crossed the Blackhawk Bridge into Wisconsin and took HWY 35 south.  Just outside of Ferryville, we turned east onto CR B and enjoyed a scenic ride up the hill to HWY 27 and turned south.  Following 27 we passed through Rising Sun, missed the "rush hour" in Fairview and rolled through Mt. Sterling and Seneca.  Because of the low humidity and clear sunny skies, we could see for "miles and miles".  We continued on 27 until we found CR F and turned back west and followed it down the hill to HWY 35 south again.  CR F probably offers some of the best views in it's four mile length.  We took it slow and enjoyed some spectacular scenery!

After arriving on HWY 35, we scooted south to CR K just outside of Prairie du Chien and took it along the Mississippi to HWY 18 where we crossed on the "ever being repaired" bridge into Marquette and then south into McGregor.  There we reached our ice cream destination at Sadie's Sweet Shop.

THE CONVOY ARRIVES AT SADIE'S

TIME FOR ICE CREAM

After Sadie treated us to her delicacies, we turned back north through Marquette and onto HWY 76 heading north.  We cruised up a much needed to be resurfaced 76 and turned onto the Waterville Road (CR X32).  This route provided some more great views as we passed through Waterville and onto the Elon Road turning west.  Elon Road took us on into Waukon where we enjoyed our "second dip" at Homestead Dairy and were joined by Dennis & Marlene.

I don't think we could have picked a nicer day for this journey!  I had 110 miles on the trike at the dairy.