BRIDGE TRIBUTE AND LEAF LOOKIN'

Bob planned a ride for Saturday that would take him across the Black Hawk bridge in Lansing for the final time and also get in some leaf looking while in Wisconsin.  Upon invitation, he and Julie were joined by Jim, Bill, and Bob P on bikes, with  Roger, Richard, Wayne, Dave, and Don & Kari (newbies), on their three-wheelers. 

WAYNE HEADS FOR A PARKING SPOT

DON & KARI FOLLOW "UNCLE" WAYNE

RICHARD IS ALWAYS READY TO GO

ROGER PULLS IN

BOB P ARRIVES FROM WISCONSIN

BILL ARRIVES FROM LANSING

DAVE INSPECTS HIS RIDE

JIM NEEDS GAS BESIDES COFFEE

Sensing that there may be a crowd trying to cross the bridge early in the afternoon, Bob decided to start the leaf looking first and cross the bridge on the way back.  This traffic across the bridge was confirmed by Bob P who came over from Wisconsin.  

So we started our journey by taking HWY 76 south into Marquette.  We were already starting to see some remarkable colors in the trees, and it was only going to get better.

We connected with HWY 18, crossed the bridge into Prairie Du Chien, and stayed on 18 until we came to HWY 133 just south of Mt. Hope.  Turning onto 133, we followed it, along with some more great colors, to CR K, and turned for a short distance south on it.  Once we arrived at CR T, our journey took us along a scenic and newly resurfaced stretch of asphalt all the way through Blue River and onto HWY 60 at Port Andrew.  We stopped at the Blue River Citgo for a break.

We departed Port Andrew, finishing our refreshments before being "eaten alive" by Japanese beetles.  After a short jog on HWY 60, we turned north onto CR F and avoided the "rush hour" in the metropolis of Excelsior.  Just outside of town we ventured onto CR S and headed west.  Again, CR S treated us to some fantastic views only made better by the color of the trees.  We made our scenic way over to HWY 61near Mt. Zion.  We turned back north on the "Blues Highway" (61) and cruised into Soldiers Grove where we picked up CR C at the edge of town.

CR C is a windy stretch of tarmac that runs along the Kickapoo River for a ways and again we had some great scenery.  C took us over to CR B and we made our way through the striving town of Towerville where the speed limit is 25 mph.  From stories I have heard, there used to be a dance hall in Towerville where in the "good old days"  there were more fist fights than dances at times.  We continued on the "twisties" on B through Rising Sun until we arrived at HWY 35 just north of Ferryville.

Not knowing what the traffic situation might be on the Black Hawk Bridge, once we reached HWY 81, I made the decision to cross the bridge and get my pizza in Lansing or Waukon.  The traffic across the bridge was very light, and Wayne, Don & Kari, and Bob & Julie stopped at the Safe House for some of their "mouth watering" thin crust pizza.

By the time we finished eating, it was dark, so we took our time and with our bright Gold Wing lights made it back to Waukon safely.  We racked up 146 miles on the Wing on this venture.  What a great ride!  We were able to cross "the old girl" for probably the last time and were treated to some of Mother Nature's handiwork with the beautiful tree colors.

NOTE

I have made several short videos of the crossings I have made before the Black Hawk Bridge closed.  Unfortuately they are still too long to put on this blog, so I am going to put them on a DVD for myself.  When I'm done, I could make copies of the DVD if you want one.  Let me know by next Wednesday.

UPCOMING

With colder weather coming, we will just have to wait and see for a ride on Wednesday.  If it's 50 or above and not raining, I will ride.  If not, some of you "tougher" hombres may have to lead.

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