Harley Davidson Western Wisconsin Swing

The area around La Crosse, in southwestern Wisconsin, is often referred to by the locals as "God's Country". If you spend enough time there it is evident that God took some special interest in its creation. The river valleys, hilltop vistas and snaky roads make the Coulee Region heaven on Earth for motorcyclists.

I woke up to a cool morning at Fort McCoy. The hotel was offering breakfast to order as long as it could be placed in a paper bag. I chose a blueberry muffin, yogurt and some fruit to get my day started. My Lowrider S has only a swingarm bag for luggage, so everything I had with me had to go in the backpack, and it did not take long to load up. My brother was along with me on this trip and our first stop was 30 miles west. The shop we were going to did not open until 1000 and by 0830 we were anxious to get on the road

La Crosse Area Harley Davidson is located 8 miles east of La Crosse in Onalaska. The dealership began as a Yamaha shop in Waukon, Iowa, and took on Harley Davidson in 1989. They expanded into the La Crosse area in 1996. We arrived just as the dealership opened at 1000, but the shopworkers were already busy moving bikes around the lot. One happy customer was exuberantly celebrating the new, louder sound coming from his Sportster.  The friendly staff members were welcoming and helped out with some directions to get us back on the highway. 

The La Crosse shop is near US Highway 35, part of the Great River Road. The Great River Road is a series of roads that roughly follow the Mississippi River for over 2000 miles through ten states. We were able to ride 35 for several miles north before turning north on to US Highway 53 toward Chippewa Falls. Before leaving on Monday I had checked the Wisconsin Department of Transportation website and noted the road construction on our route. There was a detour on 53 that I wanted to avoid and it led to one of the best motorcycle roads I have been on. 

After turning east on Wisconsin 95 at Blair., we turned left on County Road W. County W is a marvelous road for motorcyclists. The curves and hills are sublime and that day it was lightly traveled. We did encounter a few excitable deer, but otherwise it was a great experience. Its northern end dropped us back on 53 in Pigeon Falls.

Several miles up the road we pulled off at a scenic overlook. There was an old stone marker there memorializing Nicholas Bourlier de la Chavelle. The story goes that he forsook a life of easy living to live in a local cave in order to better enjoy the beauty of the area. The view is spectacular, but I do not think I could enjoy it enough to live in a cave.

Beautiful two lane blacktop continued for another thirty miles before the four lane began in Eau Claire. Chippewa Falls Harley Davidson is on Business 53 and it did not look like they were in business when we pulled into the parking lot. It struck me that the dealerships that park bikes, either new or used, in front of their shops are more appealing to anyone driving past. Putting a few, or a lot, of shiny examples of American Iron out in front of your place of business and can only help.

Bikes out front or not, they were open and the sales guy was quick to offer a bottle of water or some coffee. We took him up on a cup of joe and talked about his dealership. They were originally located in downtown Eau Claire and moved to their current location in Chippewa Falls in the 1990's. After getting my Passport stamped we mounted up and went to the local Culver's for lunch.

The state of Wisconsin went under a mask mandate on 1 August and our two days on the road showed a great variety in how businesses and individuals are complying. All of the workers in the Kwik Trip convenience stores wear masks and a good percentage of their patrons do also. Harley Davidson's corporate office must be taking a hands off approach as some of their dealership employees are wearing masks and some are not. 

We had two great days to ride and I am happy we could take advantage of the weather. I now have Passport Tour stamps from 14 of the 15 Wisconsin Harley Davidson dealers. The lone wolf is Northern Lights Harley Davidson in Arbor Vitae and I am looking forward to a great ride into Wisconsin's north woods.

Reel Brothers Harley Davidson and Rustic Road 121

It has been a few weeks since my last ride to a site participating in the Wisconsin Harley Davidson Dealers Association Passport Tour. I had a trip planned a couple of weeks ago but the weather went south and I canceled. My other bike is a 2020 BMW R1250 GSA and if I would have been riding it I would not have canceled, but I try my best to avoid riding my 2016 Lowrider in any kind of rain. It would not be harmful to the bike, I just like to keep it as clean as possible. It is nearing 14,000 miles and it still looks almost like new.

Today and tomorrow promised excellent riding weather and the trip was back on. My brother, on his 2016 BMW R1200 GSA,  and I left Green Bay under cloudy skies enjoying a tailwind out of the north. Our route took us south on I 41 and then west on US 21. These highways are thick with Kwik Trips and even though I limited myself to two cups of coffee, I had masked up and visited more than one Kwik Trip before getting fuel at the one in Necedah. 

The clouds and cool weather continued as we turned south on Wisconsin Highway 80. A few miles south of Necedah we took the left fork onto Wisconsin Highway 58 and into Mauston. Reel Brothers Harley Davidson is on the northern edge of Mauston and all was quiet as we pulled our bikes into two of the many empty parking spots.

This dealership was like most I have visited across the state getting my Passport Tour sheet stamped. There was only one other patron and most of the remaining bikes were of the touring variety. There were two attractively painted Softail Sport Glides on offer also.

This is the first of a planned two day assault on four Harley Davidson dealerships participating in the Passport Tour in 2020. I am also riding as many of Wisconsin's Rustic Roads as I can, so after visiting Reel Brothers we went south on Wisconsin Highway 82 and then north on Wisconsin Highway 80. Wisconsin Rustic Road 121 winds northwest off of 80 and returns via County Road S. It has some nice hills, curves, and little farms for scenery along the way.

Once back on Highway 80 we rode through the little town of New Lisbon. North of town, on County M, is Kennedy County Park. I had found it on the map and it looked like a good place to stop and eat our lunch. The gravel road led to a campground and picnic area. There were a few campers, but no one else was around. The picnic area is next to the  Lemonweir River and we enjoyed the quiet of the woods while we ate.

Leaving the park on M, we turned west on County C. This took us to the main gate of Volk Field in Camp Douglas. This is a Wisconsin National Guard hotbed and serves both Army and Air Guard units. It was the home of the Wisconsin Military Academy before the new one was built at Fort McCoy in the latter part of the 20th century.

From there we went north on County H to US Highway 21. Thirty miles west is Fort McCoy. The post was established in 1909 on land between the towns of Sparta and Tomah. It became an important location for training and preparing troops for World War II and many of its buildings date to that time period.

A number of buildings were taken down by the Amish, who then repurposed the lumber. Those that are still in use have been extensively renovated. The post has a nice outdoor museum of buildings and vehicles that brought back many fond memories of Annual Training periods spent at the fort. We were able to secure lodging on post for the night and after a trip to the Post Exchange we settled in.