Little trip on the Big River

 It was a cold but fruitful spring ride this year. 

I have it in my head to visit all the bluffs on the Wisconsin - Minnesota - Iowa boarder. I have some of the more popular parks crossed off my list including: Memorial and Barn Bluffs in Red Wing, Frontenac State Park, Buena Vista (Alma), Perrot State Park, Effigy Mounds National Monument, Pikes Peak, and Wyalusing State Park. On this trip, I was able to cross off Maiden Rock Bluff. Unfortunately, Old Settler's Overlook, south of Stoddard, was closed.

The road in was a slick mix of clay and gravel.

Enter at your own risk. 

Spring views from Maiden Rock Bluff

Lots of hiking opportunities. 

Warming up with a hot chocolate.

I got a chance to ride Todd's new Honda, a very nice all rounder!

Views from the Grandview Motel

Apps before our Friday Fish Fry at Swede's. 

The Wooden Nickel was short staffed and would have to wait until Saturday night.

Cheers!

Saturday morning we visited the Hermitage for breakfast before setting out on classic Wisconsin backroads. We made our way up S, down P, and over Wildcat Mountain before heading back to the river. Sunday, I took to opportunity to cross the Blackhawk bridge on my way back to Saint Paul. The new bridge is coming along while the old one remains caught up between the engineers and residents. Some days it's open, some days it's not.

- Ride North

May 2nd- 4th | 46f - 76f | 540 miles

Memory lanes - Spring Ride 2024

May 2024. A meet up in Viroqua, a little camping, and a croissant.  

Day 1.

Meandering down to Viroqua to meet up with my dad around 4:00. I like to start these weekends with an all day, solo ramble with just a loose idea of where I'm going. Today's goal was to drift around on some Zen roads, and to make it to the meetup spot roughly on time.

River road, following the Tremealeau west out of Arcadia.

Stringing Zen roads together, bringing me closer to La Crosse.

E out of Alma bypassing Cream on Bank Hill Road.

95 to River Road south to P.

Bambenek Rd/ Dodge Hill Rd, out of Dodge of all places.

G to 93 to Norway Valley Rd.

T to 53 to Galesville for a snack.

A stop at Buena Vista Park first.

A Zen road. A perfect Guzzi road.

I just want hours of this.

Checking in on The Cut.

All geared up for camping, brought a warmer sleeping bag this year.

West Fork of the Kickapoo.

Best camp sites around, lots of room in May.

Day 2.

Lunch at the Saint Francis Hermitage. It was a cold wet morning. We were a little out of place in our rain gear and boots but, the nuns welcomed us into the main dining room anyway. The whole experience was up lifting and set the tone for the rest of the day. 

Rain.

Some riding. Lunch! Some more riding.

Followed by sunset around the campfire.

With a little scotch. 

What a treat!

Day 3.

Heading home after spending some quality time in the outdoors with my dad.

I forget exactly where this picture was taken. 

I think I went down to De Soto before heading back north.

The road north.

Mississippi River backwaters.

Lake Pepin, the Chippewa, and the Mississippi river valley.

I stopped at the Eagle Center in Wabasha. 

I learned that they are all juvenile bald eagles. 

There is a population of golden eagles that visit Wisconsin but, 

it's very small and they only stop by in February. 

What do you know, an eagle!

Another great spring ride in the books. Looking forward to next year! (Lord willing and the creek don't rise.)

- Ride North

May 31st - June 2nd | 70s and rain | 575 mi. | 13.5h moving time

A Wabasha overnight

It's Friday afternoon. My work is done and the bike is loaded up for a short overnight camping trip. As 4:30 quickly becomes 5:30, the rain goes from bad to worse. It would pass eventually but waiting would mean getting into camp after dark. It was time to suit up and go. I do love the challenge of riding in the rain and the reward of chasing the remnants of those big July thunderheads. There was never a question about going and I'm glad I did.

Lake Pepin

My destination was a state forest campground just west of Wabasha. Getting there Friday night would give me all day Saturday to putt around the western Wisconsin countryside, and I had a new tent that needed a test drive. I've been working on my camping kit since having so much fun out west this past spring and in northern Wisconsin last year. 

The campground has pit toilets and a shallow well with a hand pump, not much else. The sites are reasonably spread out and were about 10% occupied. First come, first served. A handful of trails along the wooded bluff would provide some entertainment on a cool fall day but the steamy summer night brought out the bugs. I opted to hang out at the canoe landing for a bit and then retreat to my tent for a book and a scotch. 

Storms move out as the sun sets behind me. 

a campsite on the bluff

After breaking camp in the morning, I crossed back over the river bottoms and found some fun roads to explore just east of the Chippewa River valley. I loved being out there in the morning with all the roads to myself. Linstrom Valley road was particularly beautiful, hugging the western valley wall with the sun up high in the eastern sky.

Arkansaw, WI

It was a productive 24 hours spent out and about in the world with just myself to talk to. These small county roads are heaven on the  little Guzzi. Both Zen and art were nearby at times. 

- Ride North

Friday July 28th - 29th | afternoon storms followed by sunshine 

Descending the Trimbelle River valley

This one made "The Gram" but deserves a home here too. It was a "good vibes" ride, slow with a chance of deer. 

I left St Paul a little after dinner to take advantage of the late summer sun and hunt down some Guzzi roads in Peirce County. Uninterested in fast moving, I snuck out Bailey Road to Afton and onward to the headwaters of the Trimbelle River. 

County roads N, J, and W in St Croix county are beautiful motorcycle roads. Perched high above the sunken river valleys, they are open and unpopulated. You can almost peer into the dark, sinuous, deer-filled coulees below. I could ride all day on roads like this surrounded by distance. 

County Road J/W

County Road W descends an opening in the limestone bedrock where underground streams feed a river with ice cold water. To the West, Crystal Cave has been carved out under the Eau Galle River. Here the unnamed cave systems are hidden below farmland.

I feel the pull of County Road O and a leisurely trek back up Highway 35 towards home. It's getting late and the sun sets earlier behind the steep valley walls. The deer will be moving, nearsighted and hurried. I slow down and enjoy my time along the Trimbelle before we both reach the Mississippi river. 

There are deer moving, I can see them in the fields and along the road side. From the brambles to my right an eager doe leaps across my path and into the floodplain. My slow pace paid off and kept us both from harm. 

All but a short burst on I-94 were prime Guzzi roads traversed on a beautiful summer evening. From Highway 61, the sight of St Paul at dusk is welcoming.

- Ride North

July 27th | warm summer evening | 7ish  - 9:00 PM

the Waterfalls Capital of Wisconsin

June is here, time for some moto-tourism! In past springs we've planned these trips around riding. This year we chose the scenic route and spent equal parts of Saturday both hiking and riding in the woods north of Green Bay. Our route connected us to both physical locations and memories.

Dave's Falls

Marinette County is the self proclaimed "waterfalls capital of Wisconsin." It's also where our family visited when we went "up north." It's been a very long time since I've been back to the sandy trails where I first learned how to ride a dirt bike. 

But first, I'd have to make the trek east. I didn't particularly enjoy I94 and 29, I found myself wondering, "why do I do this, a car would be so much easier." I had a hunch I'd be rediscovering the answer to that question soon and rode on. My first stop on Friday morning was for food and gas at the Cadott Veterans Memorial. I'm always shocked by how crudely built these machines are. It fosters a real appreciation for the people who climbed inside and put them to use. 

My dad and I were set to meet at the Dells of Eau Claire county park, just west of Wausau, around lunch time. I got there a little late at 1:00. He rode up from south east Wisconsin and had set out on Tuesday to follow the Wisconsin River north.

Carved into the rock, "Roland Brelimer 7.26.25"

It's a beautiful park and our first waterfall of the trip.

We stumbled upon the Gunderson House in Hogarty and did a quick 180. (hwy 52) 

For lunch, we managed to find a fish fry (in Wisconsin on a Friday). Then stopped in at Motorama, home of Alfa Heaven. In addition to Alfa's, they specialize in all the odd, niche, never imported vehicles they can find. Ten dollars a tour, all the car stories you want. 

SSZ Motorcars is their own brand and are built in-house. (very limited production)

Ralph's Quality Corvairs!

We camped at Goodman Park on Friday and Saturday both for nostalgia reasons and for its proximity to all the good waterfalls. It was a good test of my gear too. I had bought a 35L dry bag for my camping gear which fit everything but my tent. The next size up is 60L which would have been perfect for my tent, bag, pillow, sleeping bag and sweatshirt.

The mosquitoes came out at dusk but were never an issue otherwise. The drinking water is tannin stained and slightly iron flavored but I've had WAY worse. I was happy drinking the pumped-by-hand groundwater all weekend. The only gear adjustment I'd make would be to bring a better sleeping bag, it was a little light weight for the 40 degree temperatures we woke up to on Saturday.

The camping spots are all under towering red pines.

Lots of branches on the forest floor, hope it's not too windy. (it wasn't)

An evening walk at Goodman Park

Not pictured, rustic cabins for rent.

Our first stop in the waterfall tour was 18 Foot Falls, located in 12 Foot Falls Park. (camping available)

18' falls

18' falls

18' falls

The water is tannin stained but crystal clear.

12

12' falls

12' falls

Trillium was abundant on the forest floor.

Your's truly

Ride North Sr.

12' falls

 8

8' falls, as short walk from 12'. We passed on 4' falls. 

Long Slide and Smalley falls were our favorites. The short hikes into these falls were rugged and required scrambling over granite outcroppings and around boulders, all part of the fun.

This is just the lower half of Long Slide falls.

This is Smalley, can you find him in the following picture?

More wild flowers. 

While the Trillium were abundant, 

these yellow lady slippers were a rare treat. 

Dave's Falls, our last stop of the day. I figured we wrap up our waterfall viewing in the morning and do some riding in the afternoon but the sun was already getting low by the time we hiked down to the waterfalls. I'm not sure if there's camping at this park but the waterfalls are impressive.

Don't let the kids out of your sight at this beach!

On Sunday we packed up camp and headed out for a big sitdown breakfast. I think we were out of there before 7AM. I was looking forward to taking hwy 8 all the way to the Minnesota border, almost its full length. It took longer but was much more relaxing than taking the 4-lane all the way, and more interesting too.

A stop to charge my long-dead phone and refuel "the temple."

My final stop, just north of Stillwater.

Happy. Happy.

- Ride North

June 3rd, 4th, and 5th | 50f - 70f | mostly sunny, the rain stayed just south 

750 miles | 15 hours in the bike | 58 mpg!