Wisconsin has designated over one hundred of its roads as Rustic Roads. They vary in length and surface, but all have been deemed rustic due to their unique topography or historical significance. After I got my BMW GSA in 2012, I began seeking them out and keeping track of the ones I have ridden. Within the first three years I had ridden all of them within a day's ride of home. After a two year hiatus, I decided I needed to schedule a two day trip to ride some that are a little farther afield.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation publishes a booklet that describes each of the Rustic Roads and includes a map of each one. The state is divided into four sections and they are listed by county. I selected seven in the southwest region of the state that are located in four adjoining counties. I would begin with a Rustic Road in Jackson County and the others were in Trempeleau, La Crosse, and Vernon Counties.
The range of weather possibilities in May in Wisconsin is quite large, but there appeared to be a two day window of opportunity this week. So on Monday I loaded the bike and got an early start. It was only about 58 degrees when I left, but the forecast in the western part of the state was for the high 70's and a chance of thunderstorms.
It took about three hours of riding west on US Highway 54 to reach Rustic Road 54. It runs south from 54 to Interstate 94 in Millston. At each road I take a picture of my bike in front of the official Rustic Road sign and then post it on the advrider.com website. There is a thread on the site named Rustic Road Century where riders post photos. After taking the picture and eating a quick snack I headed south on North Settlement Road. It was paved and an easy ride to the interstate. I was planning to ride seven Rustic Roads that day and was happy to get the first one in the hopper.
The end came out right at the interstate and I went northwest toward the Black River Falls exit that would put me back on 54 west. Rustic Road 91 is in Trempeleau County and is a short five mile loop. While stopping to get the picture, a red county truck parked right behind me. Once underway, I found that it was paved even though the booklet listed it as unpaved. After about a mile I saw another county truck on the side of the road. At this point the surface turned to gravel and went steeply downhill. I am not very experienced riding on unpaved surfaces, so I descended slowly. A couple of deer peeked out to see what was making all the noise in their forest as I picked my way along the gravel trail. Soon Highway 54 appeared and I was back on the asphalt. I knew there would be more gravel in my future, so I was glad to have navigated this one successfully.
The weather was still surprisingly beautiful. The forecast had been for some thunderstorms, but none seemed to be in the offing. I turned south on US Highway 53 and entered La Crosse County. After riding Rustic Road 64, a paved loop off of 53, I rode south to take US Highway 16 east to the little town of West Salem. My map reconnaissance was not as thorough as it should have been however, and I ended up riding through a good portion of La Crosse as the temperature began to rise. I followed the 16 east signs and was soon on my way out of town.
Just as I entered West Salem I found myself passing Veterans Memorial Park and stopped there to eat the lunch I had brought along. It felt good to take off my helmet and jacket as it was now well over 70 degrees. After lunch I switched out my gloves for a lighter pair and took the liner out of my Olympia AST jacket. I was not sure how I was going to get from West Salem to the next Rustic Road, so I spent some time studying the map before I left the park. After a nice break I went off in search of number 31. It was easy to find and it led me through some streets in West Salem where there are a few historically noteworthy homes. Leaving West Salem on County Road M, I realized I was more than halfway to my goal for the day.
The weather was now looking more threatening, so I decided to take what appeared to be the shortest, although more convoluted route, to Rustic Road 26. This proved to be a very good decision as the first route I contemplated would have taken at least another 30 minutes. Raindrops were falling as I took the picture at number 26. This beautiful route wound southeast of La Crosse and over Brinkman's Ridge. This provided a good view of the surrounding area and I took a picture from the top of the ridge.
Rustic Road 26 dropped me out on US Highway 14/61 and I had two more Rustic Roads to ride. As I motored toward Ontario the rainfall increased in intensity. Fortunately, I was on good highways and the traffic was light. I passed a few Amish buggies and usually exchanged a wave. The horses were getting wet, but those buggies seemed to be keeping their passengers pretty dry. By this time I was looking for some gas, but discovered that some of the little towns in the area do not have stations. There was no fuel to be had in Ontario, so I continued south on Wisconsin Highway 131 to the start of Rustic Road 56.
The paved Road winds its way through some beautiful contoured farmland. It was a little difficult to really appreciate it as the rain continued, although a little more lightly. There was no signpost at the north end of the Road, so I took this picture at the south end. I continued south on 131 hoping that La Farge would have a gas station where I could fill up before taking on my last Rustic Road of the day.
La Farge offered a Gulf station, but they did not have any high octane gas, which my motorcycle requires. I was not in danger of running out, so I moved on. Rustic Road 55 is off of 131 also and has paved and gravel portions. I was feeling better riding on the gravel and enjoyed this short three mile ride. Turning onto Wisconsin Highway 82 east, I was on my way to my overnight accommodations in Mauston.
The route to Mauston led through Hillsboro and I stopped at the Kwik Trip there to fill my tank. I enjoyed a cup of coffee and thought back over the many sights I had seen. The rain had stopped, but it was still threatening, so I mounted back up and rode north and east toward Elroy. The town is the home of Wisconsin's former Governor Tommy Thompson and this is proclaimed by a big sign as you enter. The highway leads right down the main street and it seemed that there were a lot of boarded up storefronts.
After a steak dinner Monday night and good night's sleep I was on my way by 8:30 Tuesday morning. I had plans to ride the two Rustic Roads in Clark County. This would mean about an hour's ride north on I-94 and then a short ride up US Highway 27 to the little town of Humbird.
The sun was out and temperature was about 70 degrees. It looked a little dark to the north, but it was difficult to tell how far north the clouds were. Mostly I was thinking about my destination, Rustic Road 76. This was to be a nine mile ride on all gravel. It had rained hard all through the southwestern part of the state the night before and I didn't know what kind of shape this road would be in.
Turning east on County B in Humbird, I rode through deep woods while keeping a sharp eye out for the now familiar brown and gold signs. Once I made the turn south onto Rustic Road 76, I saw that it was as advertised. A narrow corridor of wet gravel stretched out before me. I took the necessary photograph and gingerly started out. There was a sandy patch about a half mile in that tried to wash out my front wheel, but I kept on. Following the sign, I turned east at Sand Road and found a bridge over Five Mile Creek. South of the bridge I crossed is an abandoned trestle bridge that made a nice spot for a picture and a break. The last couple of miles went north on Columbia Road, and I came out on US Highway 10.
My plan was to ride County Roads K and P up to Rustic Road 73, which is just south of US Highway 29. But the road was closed on K at the little town of Loyal, and the detour went back west. It was looking pretty dark in that direction, so I stopped to check the radar using my smartphone. The radar confirmed what I was seeing and I decided to leave RR 73 for another day. I went back south to 10 and went east toward Waupaca. I turned onto highway 54 in Waupaca and retraced the route I had ridden the previous morning. The rain stayed to the north and the ride home was windy but dry. The two days of riding had garnered eight Rustic Roads and put about 640 wonderful miles on my BMW.
Once I got home and entered the eight newly ridden Rustic Roads into my notebook I noted that I have now ridden 39 of the 100 plus roads. It seems like a daunting task to ride them all, but I am never in need of a destination when it's time to ride.
