Attn: WI riders

[Lee B.]

I may be heading north in a couple of weeks.

If I make this trip I'll overnight at daughter/SIL's home in St. Paul. Then I'll have two days to make my way to an overnight in Dubuque, IA before heading home. I'll be heading out from KC on Wednesday 7/1 and leaving Dubuque on Saturday, 7/4.

Any help planning some fun riding through WI taking the long (two day) route from St. Paul to Dubuque would be appreciated.

Lee

 

[Gramps]

Here's a couple of sites that may help.

Wisconsin Motorcycling &

Sunday Morning Rides , ride #11 is one I submitted & ridden many times, very good.

But there many other great ones to choose.

If you have any free time while you're here let me know, I'd be happy to take a ride & show you around.

 

[Scoobyvroom]

ROUTE? There is a nice overlook just before wabasha on 60 and one at the end. This is about 4 hours worth of riding.

After the end of my map head south to 95 and stop at Hansons Hold up for lunch. Then head down the hill to Arcadia, very pretty..

 

[Lee B.]

Here's a couple of sites that may help.Wisconsin Motorcycling &

Sunday Morning Rides , ride #11 is one I submitted & ridden many times, very good.

But there many other great ones to choose.

If you have any free time while you're here let me know, I'd be happy to take a ride & show you around.

If I head this direction I'll spend the evening and night of the first day with daughter and SIL in SP. I'll probably rise somewhat early and head east and south somewhere. The idea is to ramble around WI for another two days and end up in Dubuque at teh end of day three. Then day four will be home from Dubuque.

Not sure if you'd be free and care to ride part way with me from SP to ?? on Thursday morning....

All plans are still up in the air at this point. I may go S to AR!

 

[Lee B.]

Scoob...

Thanks for the help! Still planning this trip that may not happen. It looks like your route is a good one!

Lee

 

[Scoobyvroom]

Can't speak for Gramps but I'd be down for riding part way. Will have to see what work looks like. I need to stop in Wi for some fireworks anyway...

 

[Scoobyvroom]

Double Post....

 

[Gramps]

Can't speak for Gramps but I'd be down for riding part way. Will have to see what work looks like. I need to stop in Wi for some fireworks anyway...

I have a Doc. appointment on the 1st, if everything checks out I'm in for a ride.

 

[DaJuice]

Check this route out too. I stared scouting for the GLMC Bonzai Road Rally this year (Centered in Winona, MN) so I spend quite a bit of time along the Twin Cities to La Crosse and Beyond. I let the route stop where I get less familar with the roads, The Bonzai was hosted in Richland Center, WI up until last year and pretty much every road in that area is phenomenal for our types so take my suggested route or some variation of it down to Gays Mills and then head towards Richland Center. Parts of my route not to miss are County E out of Alma to 95, then get off 95 at

). I wish i would have filmed my ride back down as I went out the other way (south) and it got a little more hairy with some dry creek bed crossings in the road. Unfortunately you can't climb that firetower the gate is locked and the 1st row of steps is missing. If your up for some excercise and like firetowers check out the one in Elba, MN not far from Winona. It is 700 steps up the hill from the parking lot to the base of the ~180 step tower. Both of those were bonus locations on the '09 Bonzai.

 

[Aasland]

Here's a quick hodgepodge:

On the MN side, take hwy 5 from Red Wing to Lake City. Then 4 and 10 from Lake City to Wabasha. In Wabasha, from 61, go west on 60 to 86 back to 61. Then in Minneiska take 25 south to Rollingstone and back to Winona. Or, back in Wabasha, take 60 west to hwy 2 south to Millville, then 11 to Hammond to hwy 63. Go south a long way to Lanesboro and get on hwy 16 back east .. scenic and windy buyt not twisty.

In Wisconsin it's hard to go wrong on any road between hwy 35 and the flatlands. Form the north:

Cross over at Red Wing or better yet Prescott (WI). Just North of Maiden Rock, go north on A, come back to hwy 35 on 385th. Just south of Maiden Rock, take aa east to cc to ss to n. Or take ss to d to n. Take n to Pepin. Stop at the Great City Roasters, maybe I'll be there.

Just north of Nelson, take d to i then east on 37 then east on n to t to south on 88. Then go north/east on xx to u where it hits 88 again and north on 88 to Gilmonton. Then turn around and run 88 again to u to xx the opposite direction to ee which will take you back to u just south of montana.

E out of Alma used to be good until they tarsnaked it this spring.

Canada Ridge Road north of FOuntain City is also good. 95 from fountiain city to arcadia is also nice (particularly north of Hansen's Holdup), with relaxing sweepers. Doelle Valley Road and River Road just east of 95 are more remote with less traffic but tighter.

As we get further south we're further from my afternoon rides, but check out Mindoro Pass just north of Bangor, WI. South of Bangor, 33 (escpecially though Wildcat Mtn) is awesome.

That should keep you busy finding those roads on a map ;-) Someone lese will have to help south of Lacrosse.

 

[Lee B.]

Check this route out too. I stared scouting for the GLMC Bonzai Road Rally this year (Centered in Winona, MN) so I spend quite a bit of time along the Twin Cities to La Crosse and Beyond. I let the route stop where I get less familar with the roads, The Bonzai was hosted in Richland Center, WI up until last year and pretty much every road in that area is phenomenal for our types so take my suggested route or some variation of it down to Gays Mills and then head towards Richland Center. Parts of my route not to miss are County E out of Alma to 95, then get off 95 at

Looks like a great route. Also, thanks for the youtubes. especially of the forest service road that I'll probably pass on.

 

[Lee B.]

I may be heading north in a couple of weeks.If I make this trip I'll overnight at daughter/SIL's home in St. Paul. Then I'll have two days to make my way to an overnight in Dubuque, IA before heading home. I'll be heading out from KC on Wednesday 7/1 and leaving Dubuque on Saturday, 7/4.

Any help planning some fun riding through WI taking the long (two day) route from St. Paul to Dubuque would be appreciated.

Lee

Okay, got the route: Prescott-Alma--North Bend--Mindoro--Ontario--Viola--Richland Center overnight--Gay's Mill.

Any help from that point on to Dubuque for the night?

Lee

 

[DaJuice]

I didn't think I'd get you to bite on the single lane gravel. The tar that goes though that state forest is the best section of road I've found on the east side of Iowa though, it is one of their byways. I put a suggested route from Gays Mills to Dubuque using mainly Iowa roads as the only road I know from there to Dubuque well is WI-35 and it is BORING along that stretch. The stretch from Guttenburg until you get on 52 to head into Dubuque is my 2nd favorite stretch on this side of IA. The view from Balltown is incredible considering it is IA, there is an overlook that is something like 500 feet above the mean river level or something. The overlook itself is not that great, it just looks down at some farms between the town and the river about a mile from town but the constant views along the road are great.

I'll vouch for Canada Ridge Road that Aasland mentioned below, just don't do what I did and take a right on Waumandee Glencoe Rd, it turns into Schaffner Valley Rd which has one of those nasty "Pavement Ends" Signs on it 3/4 of the way back to county G.

Something kinda fun if you head south from Gays Mills would be to hit up cassville and ride the ferry (Click Here) across the river to iowa, that puts you on Great River Road Iowa just south of where it gets real fun heading towards Balltown.

Route

If anyone has some routes from Gay's Mills or Richland Center to Dubuque I'd like to see them too. My scouting trip for that section this spring got cut short when I broke my GPS cradle trying to fix my XM that had cut out and got a flat tire a half hour later. I was heading to Dyersville to snap a photo by the town sign for a grand tour I'm doing before I headed into WI to check that area out. The flat tire was the last straw on that trip, I wasn't enjoying myself so I fixed the tire and grabed some boaring strait roads and booked it home. That was my last scouting trip this spring for that rally and we had a little hole in the bonus locations.

 

[Lee B.]

I didn't think I'd get you to bite on the single lane gravel. The tar that goes though that state forest is the best section of road I've found on the east side of Iowa though, it is one of their byways. I put a suggested route from Gays Mills to Dubuque using mainly Iowa roads as the only road I know from there to Dubuque well is WI-35 and it is BORING along that stretch. The stretch from Guttenburg until you get on 52 to head into Dubuque is my 2nd favorite stretch on this side of IA. The view from Balltown is incredible considering it is IA, there is an overlook that is something like 500 feet above the mean river level or something. The overlook itself is not that great, it just looks down at some farms between the town and the river about a mile from town but the constant views along the road are great.
I'll vouch for Canada Ridge Road that Aasland mentioned below, just don't do what I did and take a right on Waumandee Glencoe Rd, it turns into Schaffner Valley Rd which has one of those nasty "Pavement Ends" Signs on it 3/4 of the way back to county G.

Something kinda fun if you head south from Gays Mills would be to hit up cassville and ride the ferry (Click Here) across the river to iowa, that puts you on Great River Road Iowa just south of where it gets real fun heading towards Balltown.

Route

If anyone has some routes from Gay's Mills or Richland Center to Dubuque I'd like to see them too. My scouting trip for that section this spring got cut short when I broke my GPS cradle trying to fix my XM that had cut out and got a flat tire a half hour later. I was heading to Dyersville to snap a photo by the town sign for a grand tour I'm doing before I headed into WI to check that area out. The flat tire was the last straw on that trip, I wasn't enjoying myself so I fixed the tire and grabed some boaring strait roads and booked it home. That was my last scouting trip this spring for that rally and we had a little hole in the bonus locations.

What I'm tempted to do is to go west from Gays Mill then North again on 35 to LaCrosse then back over to MN to check out that interesting looking little loop in the SE corner of the state that is made up of highways 16 and 44 then head down the river road to Dubuque on the IA side.

Of course maps can be deceiving so if you have knowledge of that section of MN or 35 between Gays Mill and LCrosse let me know.

 

[DaJuice]

What I'm tempted to do is to go west from Gays Mill then North again on 35 to LaCrosse then back over to MN to check out that interesting looking little loop in the SE corner of the state that is made up of highways 16 and 44 then head down the river road to Dubuque on the IA side.Of course maps can be deceiving so if you have knowledge of that section of MN or 35 between Gays Mill and LCrosse let me know.

I'd say that would be a good plan. 16 is a Byway - Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway. Lanesboro on 16 is a really cool town, there is a lot of canoeing, rafting and peddle biking going on. You won't be disappointed with that road. I've never been on 44 but thought the same thing you did from the map, even if it isn't that great it still looks like the best way back from when 16 straitens out.

The section of 35 south of La Crosse is Blah, Consider this route back up to La Crosse.

Let me know what you think of 44 if you end up going that way.

 

[Aasland]

16 is very scenic and relaxing. Don't expect anything technical, but if you do it on a weekend there will be many tourists, and in that area that would be the most enforced road.

Just south of Lanesboro, off 16, look for cr-21. Ride that about three miles, enjoy, turn around, and continue whichever direction you were going on 16.

 

[wheatonFJR]

From Gay's Mill, do 171 to Boaz, then head south and zigzag west...there are also curvy county roads west and north of Dodgeville west and north to the WI River.

 

[Lee B.]

What I'm tempted to do is to go west from Gays Mill then North again on 35 to LaCrosse then back over to MN to check out that interesting looking little loop in the SE corner of the state that is made up of highways 16 and 44 then head down the river road to Dubuque on the IA side.Of course maps can be deceiving so if you have knowledge of that section of MN or 35 between Gays Mill and LCrosse let me know.

I'd say that would be a good plan. 16 is a Byway - Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway. Lanesboro on 16 is a really cool town, there is a lot of canoeing, rafting and peddle biking going on. You won't be disappointed with that road. I've never been on 44 but thought the same thing you did from the map, even if it isn't that great it still looks like the best way back from when 16 straitens out.

The section of 35 south of La Crosse is Blah, Consider this route back up to La Crosse.

Let me know what you think of 44 if you end up going that way.

Thanks again for the info. I like the looks of your alternative to 35 to La Crosse.

will keep you posted on 44 if I go that way.

right now it looks like I will be heading this direction instead of Milwaukee.

 

[Lee B.]

16 is very scenic and relaxing. Don't expect anything technical, but if you do it on a weekend there will be many tourists, and in that area that would be the most enforced road.
Just south of Lanesboro, off 16, look for cr-21. Ride that about three miles, enjoy, turn around, and continue whichever direction you were going on 16.

If I do this ride that stretch will be Friday morning or early afternoon. Thanks for the warning about traffic/tourists. It being Friday, 7/3 it is probably going to be full-on tourists.

From Gay's Mill, do 171 to Boaz, then head south and zigzag west...there are also curvy county roads west and north of Dodgeville west and north to the WI River.

I'll check it out tonight on S&T. Thanks for the tips.