WE VISIT THE USS LST-325 AND MAKE THE NEWSPAPER

 After deciding that it would be too hot to comfortably ride on Labor Day, we decided to have an alternative ride on Saturday.  A WWII warship, the USS LST-325 had arrived in LaCrosse and was open for tours.  So we decided that would be our destination that day, along with a couple of stops for refreshments.

Eight regular Wednesday night riders showed up at Casey's at 10 Saturday morning.  We were also joined by David R (aka Porky) from Wellsburg.

Mike & Joan, Jim & Cathy, and Dee rode in on bikes.  ChucK and Bob & Julie were on trikes, and David arrived on his Spyder.

ChucK DEMANDS A STOP AT THE ROOSTER IN CALEDONIA

JIM TELLING A "TALL TALE"?

CATHY TELLING A SURPRISING STORY?

DAVID R (PORKY) JOINS US AGAIN

The nine of us hit the road with a "required" stop at the Wired (aka Ruptured) Rooster coffee shop in Caledonia with temps in the low 70's (for now).  Passing through town we took HWY 76 north all the way up to Caledonia.  We arrived on Main Street and while Bob & Julie opted for the bakery, the rest of the group decided to patronize the Rooster.  I don't know about the coffee at the Rooster, but the pastries at the Caledonia Bakery are to die for!  After the rest of the group joined Bob & Julie, the proprietor of the bakery came out to see how we were doing. David asked the proprietor about free samples, and to our amazement, she brought out a plate full of portions.  Everyone sampled them and agreed that they were the best!  The next time you are traveling anywhere near Caledonia, and want to try some delicious baked goods, the be sure to stop at the Caledonia Bakery.  Apparently the Wired Rooster across the street has any type of coffee you might desire.  WE WILL BE BACK!

After our break, we got back onto HWY 76 for a short jog out of town and then took HWY 44 up through Hokah and to HWY 16 just outside of LaCrescent.  At the stoplight we turned east on HWY 14 and rode on into LaCrosse.  Making our way to Riverside Park where the LST was docked, we soon realized that we were not the only ones that decided this was the thing to do today.

After parking the cycles, Bob, Julie, and David waited for a shuttle to take us a long ways to the end of the line waiting to board the ship.  The rest of the group made the long hike to the docking spot.  After an hour and half wait in line, we were able to board the ship for our tour.

The LST-325 (LST=Landing Ship Tank) is the last fully operational WWII Landing Ship Tank.  Winston Churchill called the LST's "the ships that won the war".  They were capable of carrying 20 Sherman tanks, 200-400 troops, and 30-40 wheeled and/or tracked vehicles.  Here's some photos I took of the LST-325 on Saturday.

THE BOW WHERE THE TANKS ROLLED OUT

THE HISTORY OF THE LST 325

YES, IT ALSO TRANSPORTED JEEPS

ONE OF THE ARMAMENTS

THE BRIDGE

LOOKING TOWARDS THE BOW

ONE OF ITS CAMPAIGNS

A SPARE PROP

An interesting tour of a ship type that most people have probably never heard of.  They also participated in the Korean and Viet Nam wars.

After our tour we returned to the cycles by various methods, and decided on Chinese food. The temps had now moved into the middle 90's.  Jim took us to the Chinese Buffet on Losey Blvd. where the service and food were great.  What would a Labor Day weekend be without ice cream?!  We stopped at DeSoto Arco convenience store for the desired hand-dipped deserts.

We then made our way across the bridge into Lansing, where Mike & Joan peeled off for New Albin, and the rest of us headed down HWY 9 to Waukon and then some on to rural Postville.

The ship will be in LaCrosse on Monday yet, and then down to Dubuque.  If you're looking for something different to do on Labor Day, then a tour of LST-325 would fill the bill.

MORE GOOD PUBLICITY FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIDERS

This article appeared in the last issue of the Waukon Standard newspaper.