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.