wheatonFJR
...
This past Fri/Sat/Sun took a 3 day trip to SW WI...a great time together.
There's a Cat Stevens song from long ago that kinda describes where we two are...people talking over each other's words. Son frustrated with dad, dad frustrated with son. Seeing him opening those same wrong doors and starting to go down those same wrong paths that I went so many years ago...knowing that it's not easy to get "back on track" if you get get going too far down the crooked road.
Anyways...just a lot to say that this weekend ride was a lot of good chatter in the SENAs while riding some great twisty and scenic roads together. Bonds were formed...understandings were made.
Leaving early Friday morn
photo stop north of Dodgeville, David with his XJ600
Do you know where this is?
Think...60 minutes producer.
WI 131 south of Steuben
Yeah, I was there, too
Barn.
Mississippi River at Ferryville
We were in front of this bar/grill called the Wooden Nickel...they pretty much just changed to a bar now, so we headed down the road...
...ended up later in the afternoon at this place in Viroqua
Nice place...a little too yuppified...but still a nice place.
I led David through the twisties at Wildcat Mountain, did a loop via Cty F, and David led the second time through and acquitted himself nicely. I ran my ride and he did his. He doesn't ride a much different pace through the twisties than I do, so I was surprised. Good job young man. This whole weekend, I was generally leading and riding my usual pace in the curves...and he did his pace. I wasn't really waiting on him at all. Very enjoyable day. We headed east on 56 east of Viola, then south on Cty Z, then west on 171 for a fun little end of the day fun. We then paced back to the barn on US61.
Our base for the weekend was the River Inn in Boscobel. After 400 miles of riding on Friday, it was a good feeling...the scenic ridge roads, the well run curves...the chatter in the straights. After a quick shower and a walk to the liquor store next door for some cold microbrew...Pearl Street Brewery out of La Crosse this time. Pepsi for David, Dark Brown Ale for me. We walk down the road for some DQ...burgers, fries, and some Blizzards.
We got back to the motel and relaxed and talked about stuff down at the indoor pool and hot tub. I'm not a pool kinda guy, but David is, so it was a lot of fun just talking about stuff...getting misunderstandings out of the way...asking questions that need asking...reliving fun moments from the day's ride.
The next day we got a later start at 8:30am...decided to zig zag north past La Crosse though the Mindoro Cut and north and west to Arcadia area. I hadn't been in this area much, since there is so much south of the interstate to explore already. I wasn't sure what to expect...but it was better than I expected. Scenery was great...and so were the roads...of you don't mind a little bumpity bump of an out of the way rural road...which I don't mind in the slightest.
On the way up, there was a detour, but I let the gps guide us back to where we wanted to go, so yes, there was gravel involved. Kinda like riding the FJR on marbles is what it felt like.
At lunch we stopped at Hansen's Hold Up, a Pirate Western themed biker mcy bar and grill out in the country on a ridge.
Although the food wasn't great, (it was okay, not great) I'm glad we stopped there. Brats und chips. Mit sauerkraut ja? Oder nicht?
Guess who didn't have der sauerkraut?
It was a place I had heard about a few years back, and always wanted to visit. The owners are friendly to all who stop by...
There is great scenery there, and all around Arcadia...
...and just being a cool bar up in Cheeseland, there are always some interesting things. Not corncrete corncobs perhaps, but still interesting...
They even had a wiener Harley dog dawg there...
Looks hungry to me...
So after the lunch feast, we headed south towards Fountain City on some Alligator "somethin' or other" road, head along the River, then back up the curvy main road back to Arcadia...a well maintained with wide shoulders road, mind you, when we happen upon a threesome of the Tribe riding ahead at 50 in a 55. My son gets on the SENA and says, "Why are they riding so SLOW!?" Attaboy. Brought a tear to my eye and a smile on my face.
Well, soon enough, we made quick work of them and continued back past Arcadia, past Ettrick, and pitstopped at Mindoro. Well, as I stopped, I see something that I just gotta get a shot of...so I grab the camera out of the tankbag and get the camera up and shoot...
Ahhhh....that sure brings back memories.
Then I look again as the tractor turns the corner, I see the little kid eyeballin' me!
You can't read his lips in this photo, but I swear, he said, "Hey, you with the yellow helmet! You aren't that fooker Old Michael are ya?!"
Well, I was so shocked I about dropped the camera.
During that same pit stop, we had the pleasure of seeing (and hearing) a old fooker on an HD on the throttle WFO with straight pipes. He had come straight from the bar down the street evidently and somebody must have asked him how fast his bike goes. (or was it, how LOUD is your bike?) As David and I both looked on, we laughed and looked at each other...because the dude had to be a hundert years old considering how saggy his face was as the wind force made his facial skin ripple as he blasted past us. :lol:
So, after all that milarkey, we headed south through the Cut, David having really enjoyed that both north and southbound.
We wandered south to Cty P, headed east, waved at half the Amish nation, ran the Wildcat a couple more times, and the zigzags on 56 east of Viola, then 171 to finish the day.
On County P....do you know what this is? Hint, we're in Cheeseland.
It was a good day. 400 miles of beauty and curves, fun and conversation.
We headed home early today, but David and I both really enjoyed the trip.
There's a Cat Stevens song from long ago that kinda describes where we two are...people talking over each other's words. Son frustrated with dad, dad frustrated with son. Seeing him opening those same wrong doors and starting to go down those same wrong paths that I went so many years ago...knowing that it's not easy to get "back on track" if you get get going too far down the crooked road.
Anyways...just a lot to say that this weekend ride was a lot of good chatter in the SENAs while riding some great twisty and scenic roads together. Bonds were formed...understandings were made.
Leaving early Friday morn
photo stop north of Dodgeville, David with his XJ600
Do you know where this is?
Think...60 minutes producer.
WI 131 south of Steuben
Yeah, I was there, too
Barn.
Mississippi River at Ferryville
We were in front of this bar/grill called the Wooden Nickel...they pretty much just changed to a bar now, so we headed down the road...
...ended up later in the afternoon at this place in Viroqua
Nice place...a little too yuppified...but still a nice place.
I led David through the twisties at Wildcat Mountain, did a loop via Cty F, and David led the second time through and acquitted himself nicely. I ran my ride and he did his. He doesn't ride a much different pace through the twisties than I do, so I was surprised. Good job young man. This whole weekend, I was generally leading and riding my usual pace in the curves...and he did his pace. I wasn't really waiting on him at all. Very enjoyable day. We headed east on 56 east of Viola, then south on Cty Z, then west on 171 for a fun little end of the day fun. We then paced back to the barn on US61.
Our base for the weekend was the River Inn in Boscobel. After 400 miles of riding on Friday, it was a good feeling...the scenic ridge roads, the well run curves...the chatter in the straights. After a quick shower and a walk to the liquor store next door for some cold microbrew...Pearl Street Brewery out of La Crosse this time. Pepsi for David, Dark Brown Ale for me. We walk down the road for some DQ...burgers, fries, and some Blizzards.
We got back to the motel and relaxed and talked about stuff down at the indoor pool and hot tub. I'm not a pool kinda guy, but David is, so it was a lot of fun just talking about stuff...getting misunderstandings out of the way...asking questions that need asking...reliving fun moments from the day's ride.
The next day we got a later start at 8:30am...decided to zig zag north past La Crosse though the Mindoro Cut and north and west to Arcadia area. I hadn't been in this area much, since there is so much south of the interstate to explore already. I wasn't sure what to expect...but it was better than I expected. Scenery was great...and so were the roads...of you don't mind a little bumpity bump of an out of the way rural road...which I don't mind in the slightest.
On the way up, there was a detour, but I let the gps guide us back to where we wanted to go, so yes, there was gravel involved.
Kinda like riding the FJR on marbles is what it felt like. At lunch we stopped at Hansen's Hold Up, a Pirate Western themed biker mcy bar and grill out in the country on a ridge.
Although the food wasn't great, (it was okay, not great) I'm glad we stopped there. Brats und chips. Mit sauerkraut ja? Oder nicht?
Guess who didn't have der sauerkraut?
It was a place I had heard about a few years back, and always wanted to visit. The owners are friendly to all who stop by...
There is great scenery there, and all around Arcadia...
...and just being a cool bar up in Cheeseland, there are always some interesting things. Not corncrete corncobs perhaps, but still interesting...
They even had a wiener Harley dog dawg there...
Looks hungry to me...
So after the lunch feast, we headed south towards Fountain City on some Alligator "somethin' or other" road, head along the River, then back up the curvy main road back to Arcadia...a well maintained with wide shoulders road, mind you, when we happen upon a threesome of the Tribe riding ahead at 50 in a 55.
My son gets on the SENA and says, "Why are they riding so SLOW!?" Attaboy. Brought a tear to my eye and a smile on my face. Well, soon enough, we made quick work of them and continued back past Arcadia, past Ettrick, and pitstopped at Mindoro. Well, as I stopped, I see something that I just gotta get a shot of...so I grab the camera out of the tankbag and get the camera up and shoot...
Ahhhh....that sure brings back memories.
Then I look again as the tractor turns the corner, I see the little kid eyeballin' me!
You can't read his lips in this photo, but I swear, he said, "Hey, you with the yellow helmet! You aren't that fooker Old Michael are ya?!"
Well, I was so shocked I about dropped the camera.
During that same pit stop, we had the pleasure of seeing (and hearing) a old fooker on an HD on the throttle WFO with straight pipes. He had come straight from the bar down the street evidently and somebody must have asked him how fast his bike goes. (or was it, how LOUD is your bike?) As David and I both looked on, we laughed and looked at each other...because the dude had to be a hundert years old considering how saggy his face was as the wind force made his facial skin ripple as he blasted past us. :lol:
So, after all that milarkey, we headed south through the Cut, David having really enjoyed that both north and southbound.
We wandered south to Cty P, headed east, waved at half the Amish nation, ran the Wildcat a couple more times, and the zigzags on 56 east of Viola, then 171 to finish the day.
On County P....do you know what this is? Hint, we're in Cheeseland.
It was a good day.
400 miles of beauty and curves, fun and conversation.We headed home early today, but David and I both really enjoyed the trip.
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