IT GOT A LITTLE LATE

On a warmer than normal September evening (82 degrees), we had 14 Wednesday night riders show up on 13 units.  Chuckles, Lois, Dave, Lissa, Larry B, Bill, Bob P, and Dee arrived on two wheelers.  The three wheel crowd consisted of Terry, Irv, Roger, and Bob R.  Richard and Melodye filled out the group with their Slingshot.

LOIS, CHUCKLES, AND DAVE ARE EARLY ARRIVALS

CHUCKLES IS PARKING ATTENDANT FOR TERRY

LARRY B VISITS WITH RICHARD & MELODYE

BILL ROLLS IN WHILE DAVE HAS A DRINK

IRV ARRIVES

IRV AND BOB P CHAT

ROGER SHOWS TERRY HOW TO CLEAN A SPYDER WINDSHIELD

CHUCKLES DEMONSTRATES PROPER JACKET WEAR

DEE ARRIVES

With the intended destination being the Viroqua area, Bob R leads the "posse" out of town on the Elon Road.  Right away, we could tell there was some humidity and maybe some smoke haze in the air,  We could still enjoy the views, but not at the distances we had on previous rides.  At the end of Elon Road, we turned north onto the Lansing/Harpers Road and down the hill we went into Lansing.  So far, the only wildlife we encountered were squirrels who enjoyed darting back and forth on the roadway until they become roadkill.

After arriving in Lansing, we crossed the Blackhawk Bridge and arrived in Wisconsin.  It's always interesting to see the progress being made on the new bridge.  It was amazing this time to see the huge supply of rerod that was stacked up on racks.  Once in Wisconsin, we took HWY 35 south through Ferryville, arrived at CR C, and headed back east.  We passed by Bob P's home and Bob R had an encounter with a turkey buzzard.  It seemed the buzzard was pissed off for being chased off a carcass he was feeding on, and decided to harass Bob for a ways by flying right over his head.  Actually we heard later that Bob P had been stung by a wasp along on C, so maybe the Bob's weren't welcome here tonight.

After dodging a few more squirrels, we arrived at HWY 27 and crossed it.  Staying on CR C we passed into Star Valley and continued our journey to CR J.  There we made a turn back north and chased a couple of deer back into the ditch.  Lots of wildlife activity!

CR J offers a smooth ride with abundant scenery.  We enjoy the sights as we pass by the challenging Viroqua golf course and roll on into town for a break at one of the Kwik Trips in Viroqua.

THE PAUSE THAT REFRESHES

LARRY AND LISSA MAKE ROOM FOR THE SLINGSHOT

TERRY AND IRV DISMOUNT

We have made stops at this Kwik Trip before, and while it's a convenient stop, it's sometimes not that easy to get back out.  The traffic along this main street can sometimes be heavy.  Fortunately we were turning right, and Richard used the Slingshot to slow down the traffic.  We made our way through town and onto HWY 56 heading back west.  Here we were treated to a smooth ride with some sweeping curves and a beautiful orange sun.

We cruised down 56 until we arrived at Mundsack Road just after Romance (the town).  Mundsack Road is one that always brings smiles to our faces.  It's a unique route, in that it is mostly a one lane blacktop with no yellow lines and goes along side part of the Bad Axe River.  There are a couple of dips in the road that are used for water drainage, but there are signs that warn you to slow down for them.  There are also some spectacular views of the river below, but staying alert is a must, because there is quite a drop off that you would not want to try.  Speaking of wildlife, we passed by a meadow that was full of geese, deer, squirrels, and rabbits that all seemed to live in perfect harmony, a roadside zoo!  This road also takes you up close and personal to a farm, since you cruise up close to the barn on one side and the house on the other.

After our enjoyable  five mile  journey on Mundsack, we arrived back on HWY 35 and headed back north.  The orange sun that we had observed only a short time ago had pretty much disappeared, and some darkness was probably going to be on us sooner than expected.  We continued along 35 at a faster rate and then on to HWY 82, back across the bridge and into Lansing.  It became a little more darker as we made our way along HWY 9 back to Waukon.  The darkness kind of crept up on our leader who doesn't like riding in the dark, especially with the amount of wildlife that seemed to be out.  As far as we know everyone made it back home safely, and seven of us stopped at Uptown for eats.  Bob R had 113 miles on the trike after arriving in Waukon.  It looks as if our rides on Wednesday nights are going to have to be shortened since it is getting darker quicker (dammit!).

NEXT WEDNESDAY

Maybe up through Yellow River Forest.

UPCOMING

We have five couples going on the Couples' Trip this weekend to North Freedom, WI, for a train ride and an overnight stay in Reedsburg.

On Sunday, September 29th, is our annual trip to Monticello to support Camp Courageous with their Waffle Breakfast and Open House.  Right now, the plan is to leave Casey's at 9 AM that morning.  More details to follow.