HOT BEEF & COLORFUL TREES

 Every year Bob makes a trip over to Kickapoo Corners in Readstown just to sample their "famous" hot beef sandwich.  Since he tried earlier in the year on a RTE with the Wednesday Night Riders and found the restaurant was closed to give the help a break, he wanted to try again before the weather turned too cold.  There was also an opportunity to ride some of the backroads near Richland Center that he hadn't done in a while and maybe get to see some leaf color.  So, he put out an invitation via this blog that anyone who wanted to join him to meet at Casey's at 10:30 Friday morning. He picked Friday, since it was predicted to be the warmest day of the weekend. Three other riders showed up to make it a foursome.  Therefore, we had Bill on his Gold Wing, Terry on his Spyder, Richard with his Slingshot, and Bob on his Gold Wing trike.

BILL AND TERRY GETTING READY TO ROLL

THE SLINGSHOT ANXIOUSLY AWAITING HER DRIVER

Before we left, Bill informed us that his house in Ft. Myers, FL, had survived the hurricane without any damage.  WHEW!

With Kickapoo Corners as our first destination, we traversed HWY 9. HWY 82, HWY 35, CR E, HWY 27, CR S, and HWY 61 passing through Lansing, Ferryville, Lynxville, Seneca, Petersburg, Rolling Ground, and  Soldiers Grove before rolling into Readstown and the Kickapoo Corners parking lot.  It didn't surprise me to see a full parking lot and some folks sitting outside, since it was about noon, and this restaurant is known for its great home cooked breakfasts and lunches.

Upon entering, we saw the dining room was crowded, but we did find a table for four in a corner.  We were surprised that a waitress came over so soon and took our orders.  Naturally Bob ordered the hot beef sandwich, and Richard and Bill followed suit.  Terry opted for the apple burger special.  I have always said that these hot beef sandwiches were the best I've ever had, and they did not disappoint!  Lots of  hot beef on a slice of bread covered with "real" mashed potatoes and gravy and fresh green beans on the side make up this tasty dish.  The comment I heard was, "This meal makes the ride over here well worth it!"

After our satisfying "lunch", we made tracks for Richland Center on HWY 14.  Bob used to do a lot of riding around Richland Center and knew it was a hub for some great county roads in the area, and we found some. After passing through Bosstown and getting gas just outside of Richland Center, we took CR Q west to CR E north to HWY 171 west to CR F south through Five Points and Excelsior to HWY 60.  All of these roads offer great riding along with great scenery.  We could have taken at least a dozen other county roads in this area and experienced the same thrills.

Once we arrived at HWY 60, we cruised west through West Point and Sand Prairie to HWY 61 and turned south into Boscobel for our "mandatory" ice cream stop.  This was at Udder Brothers Creamery where we had stopped on a Wednesday night ride earlier in the summer.  By now the temps were in the 80's, so the ice cream was going to hit the spot.

WELCOME TO UDDER BROTHERS

IT'S WARM ENOUGH FOR ICE CREAM....

AND BILL AGREES

After our ice cream treats, we weren't going to head straight back home, because Bob had some other alphabet roads to try yet.  We had seen some beautiful trees, but hopefully we could see some more.  We continued on HWY 61 south until we turned onto CR T.  This road is a real "gem", and if you are ever in the area, take it in either direction.  We traveled west on T over to CR K and headed back north arriving on HWY 133.  After a short jog back west, we turned onto CR C.  The first part of C is slightly rough but still scenic, and it was warm enough that the shade it offered was welcome.  The road does get alot smoother as it skirts the Wisconsin River and winds its way up to HWY 18.  We take 18 through Prairie du Chien and across the bridge to Marquette.

Now in Marquette is where we were treated to some fantastic leaf color on the bluff behind the old school, post office, and motel with the sun shine making the colors pop out.  The following photos are from a friend living in McGregor that were taken that same day with her drone.

As you can see, the colors are spectacular, and if you are wanting to go out and leaf look, pick a sunny day around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and come here.

We finished our journey by taking HWY 76 back to Waukon, with Bill cutting back through Harpers on his return to Lansing.  I racked up 190 miles on the trike on a great day.  FANTASTIC FOOD, ROADS, WEATHER, AND SCENERY!  It doesn't get any better!

I would like to do another "leaf looking" ride.  The first few days of this coming week look to be chilly, but the weeekend looks somewhat promising.  Stay tuned to the blog for anymore "spur of the moment" rides.