2020: Is it Over Yet?

When the riding season began in early March the threat of Covid 19 was just beginning to come into focus. My first ride was on 7 March and within ten days the coronavirus axe had fallen. Within a few more weeks all summer plans and reservations were canceled. 

The specter of a summer without concerts, sporting events, and motorcycle trips blacked out the horizon and I felt like I was going to be living out an Edgar Allan Poe poem. The crows in the yard were tap, tap tapping louder than usual, or maybe it was just my darkened imagination.

Fox River Trail

The weather slowly warmed and my wife and I spent a lot more time in the yard and on the deck in back of the house. Our bicycles found their way down to the Fox River Trail more frequently and the miles piled up. Many of the things that never seemed to get done in the house were welcome activities. 

By the time June rolled around we knew which of our favorite restaurants could make a decent takeout meal and which could not. Some may have been able to put out a good meal, but they disdained mask wearing and were off the list. For a couple of weeks we tried dining in, but the virus became a raging bull in Wisconsin and we returned to avoiding the red capes that are restaurants and bars.

Door Headlands County Park

Any type of travel that involved an overnight stay we considered a virus risk, so we took a lot of day trips. Sometimes we took the grill and some meat and sometimes we picked up sandwiches on the way out of town. We visited Point Beach State Park, Governor Thompson State Park, Hartman Creek State Park and numerous State Forests and county parks. 

The county parks within 50 miles were a real surprise.  I discovered most of them on motorcycle rides and then my wife and I would go back a few weeks later for a picnic. If not for the virus we may never have had the pleasure of visiting them.

At the beginning of the riding season it did look like I would ride many miles. Health officials were discouraging people from taking any risks and filling up the hospital beds. But as the hospitals did not really begin to fill up until the fall, I put on more miles this summer than in any one previously. They were all on day trips except for one overnight that I spent at Fort McCoy in August. Somehow an afternoon trip to Holy Hill ended up the Harley Davidson Headquarters in Milwaukee.

My riding season ended last month as the weather got colder and the deer got bolder. My Harley Davidson is in storage at the local dealer and my BMW is in my garage. I had fresh services done on both near the end of the season so they will be ready when the weather is in spring. We are preparing for a quiet Christmas season and waiting patiently, or sort of patiently, for our turn to get the vaccine. The weather has been pleasant for December in Wisconsin and we can get out and walk every day. 

Juneau Avenue Site

My brother and I have made hotel reservations for the BMW National Rally in Great Fall, Montana, in June. It felt good to make them but at this point I do not have much confidence that the rally will happen. If it doesn't and 2021 looks a lot like 2020, the tap, tap, tapping of the crows will not sound quite as ominous after the great time I had visiting local sites this year. 

Northern Sights

 The pandemic of 2020 has sent many people in search of a safe place to enjoy the summer in Wisconsin. For many, that place has been the area north of US Highway 29. The resorts, boat landings and campgrounds have been full of visitors from all over the country seeking out the perceived safety of Wisconsin's north woods. I kept this in mind as I planned my trip to acquire the last Harley Davidson dealer stamp I needed to complete my Wisconsin Harley Davidson Dealers Association Passport Tour. 

Northwoods Harley Davidson is located in a park-like setting just north of the busy resort town of Minocqua on US Highway 51. In any other year I would have made this a two day ride and enjoyed some of that clean north woods air and visited a few local restaurants. But due to the pandemic this was going to be 370 mile day. With that in mind, I planned to ride the four lane US 29 and US 51 on the way to the dealership.

I also realized that I could ride two of Wisconsin's Rustic Roads, located just west of Minocqua. My brother and I got off to an early start from Green Bay and by late morning we were on Blue Lake Road, or Rustic Road 58. The number signs at either end are gone, maybe in someone's cottage, so I took the picture midway through at the junction with Rustic Road 59. Number 59 is dirt and sand for a few miles, so I only rode the paved portion on the north end on my Harley Lowrider S. I plan to get back there on my BMW R1250 GSA and ride the unpaved section on the southern end.

My sister, brother and me

Rustic Road 59's northern entrance is on State Highway 70 and that led us back to US 51 on the north side of Minocqua. One of Minocqua's summer attractions is the Min-Aqua Bats, the longest continually running amateur water ski club in the country. They began the season in June, but in August canceled the rest of the shows due to COVID 19 concerns. 

Turning north at US 51, we were soon pulling into Northwoods Harley Davidson. In all of my stops at dealerships this season I had not purchased anything, so I picked out a long sleeved t-shirt to commemorate my completion of the Passport Tour. The young lady at the checkout said that they had been quite busy all summer and were expecting it to continue through September. 

Big Arbor Vitae Lake

The sun was shining brightly and it was a perfect day to be in the pine scented north woods. My sister and her husband live a few miles north, and they came down to meet us. They led us to an idyllic park on the shore of Big Arbor Vitae Lake. We spent an hour or so enjoying our lunch and catching up the family news. We watched a fisherman in a passing boat reel in a northern pike while an otter cruised into the shoreline weeds. 

Saying our socially distanced goodbyes, we got back on highway 70 and rode east toward Eagle River. I chose two lane roads for most of the ride home and it was some great riding. We rode highways 32 and 55 south through Crandon and the reservation town of Mole Lake. 

My brother-in-law, sister and Honda

The Sakaogon Chippewa Community operate the Mole Lake Casino and Lodge and normally it is a busy little town. But the Community has closed the Casino and Lodge due to the pandemic. There is a portable sign on the north side of town reminding those arriving to wear masks and practice social distancing. It is apparent that the Community leaders are serious about protecting their people. 

The next stop was the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Station in Langlade. It is situated on the Wolf river at the junction of highway 64 and 55. I have stopped there often in the last few years and it has never been staffed. I have been unable to determine if it is closed permanently or not.

The route south on 55 is a satisfying curvy ride through the Menominee Indian Reservation. On this summer weekday the traffic was light and we cruised sublimely out of the north woods and back into fields of nearly ripened corn and soybeans. There is road construction just north of Shawano, so we got back on 32 near Gillett and made our last stop at the Kwik Trip in Pulaski.

A few days after returning from Northwoods Harley Davidson I dropped off my completed Passport Tour at my local shop, Vandervest Harley. They will mail it in for me and I will find out if I am a prize winner in November. The Passport Tour gave focus to my riding this summer and I know I would not have ridden my Lowrider S as far as I did without its impetus. The weather is great as the calendar indicates it is fall and I am planning more rides over the coming weeks. 

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.

Rustic Road 62 and Timm's Hill

The pandemic has altered my assault on Wisconsin's Rustic Roads. In past years I have gone off on one or two strategically planned rides to various locations. These rides enable me to ride a dozen or so Rusties in a couple of days. But this year I have not felt comfortable booking a night in a hotel and have only gone on day rides. So this meant that riding Rustic Road 62 in Price County would be the centerpiece in a long day of riding.

I have been studying the map this spring and summer looking for Rustic Roads that are accessible on a one day ride from my home. Number 62 is west of Tomahawk and about 160 miles away. The quickest route would follow the four lanes on US Highways 29 and 51, but I did not want to ride all the way on the slabs. 

Several years ago I picked up a copy of "Motorcycling Across Wisconsin" (2009), authored by William Murphy. The book has maps of rides, many of them loop style, in the state and each has a particular theme. One of the rides was titled To the Top of Wisconsin and was perfect for my trip. The route was on excellent county roads on the east and west sides of US 51 between Wausau and Tomahawk. As there were a number of different roads involved, I made few notes about the route to back up the information I entered into my BMW NAV VI GPS.

The day before the ride I invited my brother to come along, telling him it would be a 320 mile day. He was up for it and we decided to bring our lunches along rather than try to find a safe place to eat. We met at the Kwik Trip, filled up on fuel, completed our lunch packing, and headed northwest on US 29.

It was a perfect day to ride and soon we were just east of Wausau, turning north. We immediately noticed that the county roads in the area have a red tint from the granite used in their construction. We followed various county roads north and eventually a westerly direction into Tomahawk. Stopping for a break the Amoco on the edge of town, I told my brother that Harley Davidson owns a factory in Tomahawk. 

Willie G. Davidson, grandson of one of the founders, used to vacation in the area. He took an interest in the Tomahawk Boat Factory and in 1961 Harley Davidson bought it. By 1963 the factory was turning out fiberglass fairings, saddlebags and sidecars for the company's motorcycles. We were not far from the factory and saw a couple of Harley semi trucks on their way in and out. After mounting up and riding west through town we spotted another Harley building. Being a Harley owner I could not pass up this photo op. After carefully parking our BMW motorcycles in the lot we asked someone entering the building what its purpose is. She said that the products made east of town were shipped there for finishing. 

It was getting near lunch time and the Rustic Road was 25 miles west, so we got on our way. The NAV VI took us the rest of the way to County RR, Rustic Road 62. It is a paved road that goes south into Timm's Hill County Park. Timm's Hill, at 1951 feet, is the highest point in Wisconsin. The park, which also contains 160 acre Bass Lake, encloses the hill. We stopped at a spot on the lake that had a picnic table and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the surrounding woods. Across the small lake, which the Rustic Road guidebook claims is "teeming with northern pike", was a restaurant and bar. Soon after we arrived the quiet was interrupted by the arrival of an squad of ATV riders at the restaurant. If that many riders think it is worth a stop I will be back once I feel safe in a restaurant.

After lunch we rode just a few hundred feet to a parking area near the observation tower. It was a quarter mile hike up and it was quite warm on top of the hill. We plodded up the old wooden tower and took in the view. It was an almost cloudless day and it was possible to see for miles. The old metal fire tower still stands next to the observation tower. After catching our breath and taking a few pictures, we made our way back to the bikes. There were a few other people around, but it does not seem to be a popular spot for visitors. 

Our route home was on county roads paralleling US 51 on the west side. The first few miles on County C were a mix of curves and hills as we made our way south. Eventually the road straightened out as it entered healthy looking corn and soybean fields. We crossed over US 29 and turned east on County N. We planned to ride this into Wausau before hopping onto US 29 for the 90 mile blast home, but we ran into a "road closed" sign. So at Edgar, home multiple high school football championship teams, we got back on the big highway and road east and home.

It was an outstanding day on the bike and one more reminder that life can be grand even under the burdens of the pandemic.

Riding Some Brand New Rustic Roads in NE Wisconsin

My attack on Wisconsin's Rustic Roads is continuing through this abnormal riding season. In other years a ride to a Rustic Road would include a stop at a local restaurant for breakfast or lunch. The search for just the right place was as much a part of the planning as working out the route to my destination. Early in the season I was disappointed by the fact that I would not be able to enjoy the local cuisine on my rides. But over the past few weeks I have discovered the joy of bringing my sustenance and finding a lake, river, or county park to enjoy with my meal.

Wisconsin adds to the list Rustic Roads on an intermittent basis. The only way to know if there are new designations is to check the website. Two of them were recently added in northeast Wisconsin. I rode the first after finding it by accident and the other one involved planned day trip. As of now I have ridden almost 90 of the state's Rustic Roads. I have plans to make it to 100 by the end of the year but since March I have learned to not count on plans. So I am taking pleasure in the rides that I am able to complete and not thinking too far ahead.

In late June my brother and I went for a ride up into Oconto and Marinette Counties. The route took us up Highway 32 to Wabeno. By doing a map recon I discovered that just west of Wabeno is Richardson Lake County Park. There is a campground and a little picnic area near the lake and we stopped there for lunch. After enjoying the quiet of the woods and good meal we went back into Wabeno, then due east on County Road C. We had not gotten far out of Wabeno when, to my surprise, a familiar brown and gold Rustic Road sign appeared. I did not have my logbook with me, but I knew that number 118 was new and that I had not ridden it yet. By the time I stopped and took the picture my riding partner had come back to see what had held me up. It is not easy to ride with a Rustic Road hunter.

RR 118 is a beautifully paved road with some nice sweeping curves and elevation changes. We rode it across Marinette County to Wausaukee, where it meets Highway 180. This road follows the Menominee River, the border between Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, on its way into Green Bay. There are a lot of great little stops along way where travelers can enjoy the river. When we got to Marinette we were going to go up to Menominee to get some pasties at Kolonel K's, but there was an unusual amount of traffic. It was then that we remembered that the president was there that day visiting Marinette Marine. We rode back south on US 41 and on the way into Green Bay saw the president's chopper and its escort of two Boeing Ospreys on their way north.

After finding number 118 in my own backyard I thought I should get back on the Rustic Road website and see if any others had been added in northeast Wisconsin. Sure enough, there was number 117 just south of Wautoma near Saxeville. I had been in the Saxeville area several years ago riding RR 48 and this one is just outside of town,

On the day I rode down there the forecast was for afternoon thundershowers. I kept a close watch on the sky and checked the radar on my phone at stops. It looked like it would be clear long enough for me to ride the Rustic Road and then get home dry. I used the Nav VI GPS on my BMW R 1250 GSA to guide me into Saxeville and onto RR 117. One of the features of this road is a short side road that has a covered bridge and I did not want to miss that. 

When I stopped for the bridge photo I noticed a park like area to my right. There was a home and some outbuildings on the property, so I was surprised to see a sign that indicated the public was welcome. The bridge spans the Pine River and there was a young fellow trying his luck fly fishing. I watched his efforts as I ate my lunch. An old Buick pulled up and a local gentleman and his family got out. As his wife and daughters took pictures of the bridge he came over to chat. He said that an older couple had owned the property I was on and had tended the gardens as long as they could. When they could no longer maintain it the local government purchased the spot and opened it for public use. It was a beautiful and peaceful location and one I would not have enjoyed if I had been seeking a local restaurant. Soon he went back to tend to his ladies and I spent a few more minutes enjoying the river. Then I remembered the threatening weather forecast and began packing up.

Rustic Road 117 is not very long and soon I was on County K heading up toward Wautoma and home. the county was doing some road work and while there were no detours I ended up having to clean a lot of tar-like specks off my motorcycle when I got home. I chose a southerly route home on Highway 10 and that was turned out to be the wet route. But it only lasted about 20 miles and then it was sunshine and dry roads all the way home. 

The list of Rustic Roads is up to 122. I am glad that I found these two close to home and can now add them to my list of roads ridden. This riding season is different from all others, but in some ways has become better than the others.

Beaver Dam and Madison Harley Davidson Sh

The scourge of COVID 19 shows no signs of abating and I continue to be happy to have a riding goal for the summer. The Wisconsin Harley Dealers Association Passport Tour has given me the incentive to get out on the road and map out new routes across the state. Now that I have gotten Passport stamps at all of the participating dealerships in the eastern part of the state it is time to look to the west.

This week I planned an overnight trip that would have netted me six new stamps and left just one to acquire. But Mother Nature intervened in the form of a rainy forecast and that plan went by the wayside. Or it would have if the waysides in Wisconsin were open. The first part of the route was still in play though, and I made the best of it.

I was on the road after the I 41 rush hour subsided on a beautiful sunny morning. It was cool enough that I was comfortable with a long sleeve riding shirt under my Harley Davidson Killian jacket. The only luggage capacity on my 2016 Low Rider S is a swingarm bag, so I travel with a Fly backpack. There would be enough room in there

 to ditch the riding shirt as the day warmed up.

The first stop was Mischler's Harley Davidson in Beaver Dam. This is the also the home of one of two BMW dealerships in the state. The dealership was opened in Waupun by William Mischler in 1958 selling Harley Davidsons and became a BMW dealer the next year. Soon after, the shop moved to Beaver Dam. It has been in several locations since and the new owners, William's son Art and his wife Deb, moved to the current location in 2002. It is a state of the art facility with easy access off US Highway 151. I have a BMW also, so I make it a point to visit Mischler's at least once each year.

Madison is only about 40 miles southwest of Beaver Dam on 151, but it was an interesting and unsettling ride. The highway has been under some type of construction for at least two years and justt south of Beaver Dam there was a good stretch of single lane along this four lane highway. It ended near the Columbus exit and just as traffic was getting up to speed the orange barrels showed up again. In an unfortunate incident, a truck with some type of crane struck and killed a construction worker. I did not know it at the time, but saw the truck amid several law enforcement vehicles. There is also road construction on I 39 near the exit for Harley Davidson of Madison, but the dealer rep gave me some good directions to avoid it on my way in.

I got my first Harley Davidson in 1998 and at the time was a member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. I was drilling in Madison then and on those weekends I always found time to visit the local Harley shop. It was called Decker's then and was located on US 51 on the south side. When it was sold and moved to its current southeast side location in 2002 it became Capital City Harley Davidson. Since then it has been sold and renamed twice. The current owner closed his Sauk Prairie Harley Davidson dealership in Sauk City in 2015 and merged those operations with Harley Davidson of Madison.  

This place has an inviting showroom and an excellent selection of parts and accessories. There was a 2020 Road King Special on the floor, the first I have seen in my travels. It had a premium paint job and looked terrific. I remembered more grassy area outside from the last time I visited, but they added some square footage for storage and there was no picnic area on the property. I still managed to find a nice shady spot under a tree to enjoy my lunch. 

While eating I marveled at how perfect the day was perfect and lamented the fact that I was not going to be able to continue northwest toward the next participating dealer. It would have been a great day for it, but the looming forecast meant I was on my way home. After watching a rider or two take some shiny new bikes out for test rides I packed up the backpack, put on my helmet, jacket and gloves and got back on the highway.

I had plenty of time and chose to take some back roads home. Over the years I have been on most of them, but it is a beautiful part of the state. Highway 73 took me through the little towns of Deerfield, Marshall, Randolph, Columbus and up to Fox Lake. I thought of the many people I knew from the National Guard who lived in the little towns around the home of the State Headquarters. 

The little town of Columbus was in the news recently as they announced the removal of their Christopher Columbus statue. I went south on Highway 60 to see if it was still there, but all that was left was a cement pedestal near the empty Shopko building. On my way back to 73 I passed a statue memorializing the local Union soldiers who had died during the Civil War. The Amtrak was leaving the station and blocking the street, so I used the traffic halt to take a few pictures.

Following 73 took me to Highways 33 and 68 and I rode into Waupun ready for a break. A Kwik Trip appeared just at the right time and I enjoyed a Kona coffee and blueberry muffin. A gentleman in a Ford Harley Davidson pickup stopped to chat and ask a few questions about my Low Rider. He and his wife have Harley Ultras and he also enjoys his Sportster when bar hopping. 

The ride home was over familiar roads along the east side of Lake Winnebago. Even though my trip was cut short it was a pretty good day on the bike. I now have gotten stamps from all of the dealers in the bigger cities, so the next rides will be on much less traveled roads.

Passport Tour Stamp Quest in the Milwaukee Area

Wisconsin weather is famously unpredictable and we are experiencing an unusual heat wave. This week the temperatures have been in the high 80' and low 90's with high humidity. This all factored into my quest to get Harley Davidson Dealers Association Passport Tour stamps from the participating dealers in the Milwaukee area. Most of my ride would be near the Lake Michigan shoreline and it would be a bit cooler there.

I left Green Bay at 0830 and made my first stop at Suburban Motors in Thiensville. Thiensville is about five miles west of I 43 and, unlike most other Harley dealerships, is located in a downtown area. A village of a little more than 3000 people, Thiensville has a quaint old downtown and was rather busy on a mid week morning. There are restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries, all busy with shoppers and diners.

Suburban Motors has been in this location for 40 years and prides itself on the fact that they have sold bikes to several generations. This shop had more parts and accessories, along with clothing, than any of the shops I had been in. They also had a good selection of their inventory outside for interested buyers to examine. After a quick look around, getting my Passport stamped and hydrating, I rode back to the interstate and went south.

My next stop was Uke's Harley Davidson in Kenosha. The ride through Milwaukee went well as it was after the morning rush hour. Uke's is a dealership that I have ridden past many times on my way to Chicago and points beyond. There has not been a good reason to get off at the exit near Uke's, so I had never been there. It is not be missed by travelers, though, due to its tower showroom containing five floors of new motorcycles.

Uke's has a long history with Harley Davidson and Kenosha, going back to 1930. Their website details how this family owned business has been a major player in motorcycling in Kenosha for almost 100 years. The building they are in now was built in 2003. It is easy to pass up, but worth a stop. I took time to enjoy my lunch on their front patio, got my Passport stamped and rode off to my next dealership. 

To get to Wisconsin Harley Davidson in Oconomowoc I skirted the south and west sides of Milwaukee on Interstates 43, 41 and 94. Oconomowoc is about 30 minutes west of Milwaukee and the dealership is on the south side of the highway. The groundskeeper had finished cutting the expansive lawn and was in the process of blowing the cuttings off the parking lot. I took this into consideration as I parked my Low Rider S. 

Oconomowoc means "where waters meet" and the area is known for its lakes. The dealership originated in Watertown in 1917 and moved to Oconomowoc in 1995. The big beautiful building I entered was completed in 2005. Like the other new shops I had been in there was plenty of showroom space and a friendly staff. 

It had become much warmer as I rode away from the lakeshore and I knew that I would be into late afternoon traffic by the time I got back to Green Bay. So after a chat with one of the representatives and getting my Passport stamped I went back out into the heat. I finished up the water I had with me before crossing the interstate and riding north on Highway 67, leaving the city of lakes behind me.

I wanted to avoid riding in the heat as much as possible and also avoid going back through Milwaukee. My route took me through part of the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine Forest and it was a nice break from the interstates. I did encounter some unexpected detours as I made my way north and east, but it made the ride more interesting. I arrived back on the lakeshore at Grafton and rode back north on I 43. After one more water stop in Sheboygan I arrived home at 1700.

These three shops are in the busiest and most traveled areas of Wisconsin and I am glad to have their stamps. The last seven are pretty well scattered around, but they are in more remote areas. Plans to visit them are already in the works.

Lakeshore Harley Davidson Shops

A few days after learning about the Wisconsin Harley Davidson Dealers Association Passport Tour I rode off on my first dedicated ride to secure stamps at participating dealers. I packed up a nice lunch and aimed my 2016 Harley Davidson Low Rider S south on Interstate 43.

My goal was to get two stamps on the ride. It was a perfect June day for riding and the traffic was light. Wisconsin is an open state as far as the corona virus goes, but many people are still staying home and staying safe. 

Harbor Town Harley Davidson is located on the I 43 west frontage road in Manitowoc. Most of the stores have been quiet during my midweek visits and this one was no different. There was not the usual picnic table outside Harbor Town, but I found a shady spot to eat before going inside.

After browsing around the new and used bikes and the discounted clothing rack I got my Passport stamped and prepared to continue south. 

Lunch at Harbor Town HD

Route 43 Harley Davidson is the dealer in Sheboygan and is about 20 miles south of Manitowoc. It has been in this location since Harley's heyday in the 1990's. I bought my first real motorcycle jacket here in about 1999. It is the Marlon Brando style and although I don't wear it much now I got a lot of use out of it. 

I parked near the picnic tables outside the store and hydrated a bit before going in. One thing I have noticed is that the Harley dealers are all doing their own thing as far as protecting themselves and their customers from the virus. There are very few masks on the employees, if any, and I have only seen one with the plexiglass shields at the service counters. 

Made in the USA

After checking out the shop and looking for another deal on a jacket I asked the representative about getting my Passport stamped. He said that the dealership "had not made the cut" this year and were not participating. He said they had sent in all of the paperwork, but were not included in the tour. He asked which ones I still needed and was very helpful in providing a good route down to Suburban Harley Davidson in Thiensville. That would be for another day.

As I prepared to leave I resolved to spend some time studying the Passport and make sure that my trips would not end up without a stamp. It was a great day to ride though, and any ride that ends in perusing shiny new bikes is a good ride. 

Discovering the Wisconsin Harley Davidson Dealers Association Passport Tour

A couple of days after my trip to Wausau I loaded up my backpack and rode south. My destination was Open Road Harley Davidson in Fond du Lac with a stop at Appleton Harley Davidson. The sun was out and temperatures were in the high 70's. This is prime riding weather in Wisconsin.

I purposely did not leave Green Bay until mid morning. My route was down I 41 and the traffic during morning rush hour is legendary. By the time I was on the road it was tolerable. Appleton Harley is about two miles off the interstate and I arrived ready for a water and stretch break.

This dealership holds some wonderful events during the year and there is ample room for them. They have a brat shed on the grounds for some events and a large parking area. Across the street is another parking lot that they use for the Harley Davidson Riding Academy classes. On this day there was one to one instruction happening. My wife and I stopped in early this year, prior to the pandemic shutdown, for their Wing Ding event. Local wings places set up shop in the maintenance area and for a small fee attendees can sample local wing delicacies. It was very well attended and a fond memory of when we could talk and mingle freely with fellow motorcycle and chicken wing enthusiasts. 

Appleton Harley Davidson

The shop had a good selection of new touring bikes and a few nice Sportsters. I always like the looks of the Sportys, but I don't see one in my future. I had one twenty years ago, but now that I am used to the Dynas and big twins I do not think I would be happy on a 1200. This dealership has very friendly associates and after a few brief conversations I packed up on got back on I 41 south. 

The Open Road dealership is on the frontage road on the west side of the interstate. It is in a huge building with a covered picnic area next to the parking lot. All of the newer Motor Company dealerships seem to be built next to the main highways and are on big pieces of property. It makes it easy to get in and out and provides plenty of room for dealer events. The pandemic has shut down the events, but the amenities are still there for riders like me. 

Open Road Harley in Fond du Lac

I parked next to the covered picnic table and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. Like the other shops, this one had very few customers. A couple of people drove up in cages and came out with parts and clothing. A couple on a trike rode in for a mid week visit. After eating I went in to find a lot of pandemic related safety features. I sanitized as requested and began to check out the merchandise.

Lunch break at Open Road

One of the associates came over and I told her I was visiting as many Wisconsin dealers as I could this summer as all of the usual events and rallies had been canceled. She told me about the 2020 Wisconsin H-D Dealers Association Passport Tour. The Passport Tour began on April 1 and ends October 31. There are fifteen dealers in the state participating. She gave me a Passport and explained how it worked. As you visit each dealer you get them to stamp your Passport. Depending on the number of stamps you get, you are eligible for prize drawings in the fall. I accepted the Passport she offered and realized that I had just found a riding goal for 2020. 

My ride home took me up the east side of Lake Winnebago. It is a much nicer ride than the interstate and quite scenic. During the ride I was planning my trips back to Bull Falls Harley in Rothschild and Mischler's in Beaver Dam to get the Passport stamps and visualizing rides to the far corners of Wisconsin. It is nice to have reason to ride in the middle of the madness.

Riding During the Pandemic

The spring of 2020 will be remembered for many reasons and one of them is the cancellation or postponement of just about everything. Tickets for sporting events, concerts and vacations sit unused in desk drawers or on digital devices. As springs rolls into summer and the pandemic continues to hover the postponements turn to cancellations or become 2021 events. 

For motorcyclists one effect has been the cancellation or postponement of many rallies and events around the country. Riders schedule vacations around them and for many of us the rides to and from the events are highlights of the riding season. The BMW National Rally was scheduled to be held in Great Falls, Montana this coming week. My brother and I had hotel reservations and talked all winter about the route to take out there from Wisconsin. By late March we began to realize the rally was in jeopardy and by May it had been canceled for 2020. 

Over the winter I mapped out a plan to ride some of Wisconsin's Rustic Roads. They are all in the west and northwest part of the state. The plan was to ride to Madison to watch my niece receive her diploma from the University of Wisconsin in early May and then head up to the Rustic Road hunting grounds. But there was no graduation ceremony and I had no interest in trying to find a hotel to stay in at that time. In addition, the state was on lockdown and there would have been no restaurants available.

Last weekend I decided to take my Harley for a ride out to the Harley Davidson dealership in the Wausau area. I had never been there and it was a beautiful day to ride. So I packed a lunch and rode west on US Highway 29. Doc's Harley Davidson is near Shawano, WI, and right on 29, so I made a stop there. If you have never been to Doc's, it is a "must see" dealership. He has everything from a zoo to an antique store on the property and his motorcycle related creations are inspired.

Doc's Harley Davidson

After a brief walk around the shop I continued west toward Wausau. The traffic was light and the miles clicked past. The dealership in the Wausau area moved from downtown Wausau to Rothschild several years ago. Like many of the Motor Company's shops, this one moved close to the four lane highway. In this case it is near the intersection of US Highways 29 and 51. As I pulled up I immediately began looking for a picnic table or some area suitable for a relaxing lunch. Most of the dealerships provide a spot like this and Bull Falls Harley Davidson did not disappoint.

A perfect spot for lunch

The sun was warm and I took my time eating. A few riders came and went, but there was not much activity for a sunny Saturday in June. I had thought that this shop was called Rib Mountain Harley or something like that, so I was interested in the new name. After disposing of my lunch packaging I ambled into the shop.

Harley Davidson in Rothschild Wisconsin

It all looks brand new although the building went up in 2006. As I was looking over the new bikes I heard someone call my name. I looked up and it was a representative who I knew from my local shop, Vandervest Harley Davidson in Green Bay. He had helped me trade in my 2004 Low Rider for my 2016 Low Rider S. He explained that the Vandervests had bought the Rothschild dealership in April 2019 and several employees split their time between the two shops. I was glad to see a familiar face and we spent some time catching up. 

Harley Davidson, like a lot of manufacturers, shut down for a period of time this spring. The showroom had a good selection of new touring bikes, but there is not the number I would expect. I have learned that there will be limited numbers of 2020 bikes built and the 2021 models will not be introduced until February 2021. Normally the new models are unveiled in August.

On the way home I turned south at US Highway 45 and meandered back to Green Bay on the back roads. During the ride I began to think about the possibility of spending a few days over the summer visiting the Wisconsin Harley shops. Over the next few days a plan took shape and the 2020 riding season had a new focus. 

Riding Season on Hold

I spend at least a few minutes each day browsing a couple of motorcycle forums. One, advrider.com, is an excellent source of information and inspiration for all things concerning my BMW R 1250 GSA. The other is hdforums.com and feeds my appetite for information about Harley Davidson motorcycles. The former is geared toward all motorcycle riders interested in adventure style riding while the latter focuses exclusively on Harley Davidson bikes.

There is one type of thread that shows up with some regularity on both forums in some fashion or another. It has to do with which of us are "real motorcyclists". I generally avoid these threads, but sometimes they pop up in unexpected places and I find myself reading down the rabbit hole. The arguments range from type of motorcycle, how it's equipped, the type and amount of riding gear worn by the rider, the number of miles ridden each year and wrenching skills. It all makes for some righteous internet outrage.

This was on the day Wisconsin went into Safer at Home.

But the one thing that defines all motorcyclists is our desire to ride. Maybe it's around the block or it's around the world, but we all own motorcycles in order to ride them. In the northern hemisphere some of us parked our bikes when the neighborhood was alight with jack-o-lanterns. We have spent the last several months planning the routes to new or old destinations. The bike magazines have been filled with articles about rallies and events scheduled for the 2020 riding season. Some of us attended motorcycle shows over the winter, perusing the latest bikes and bike gear. As the calendar turned to March, the beginning of the season for north country riders, the anticipation built.

Back in December the news out of China was troubling, but China is far away. The months of January and February did not bring about any real concern. I attended the International Motorcycle Show in Chicago on 8 February and the Automobile Show in Milwaukee on 27 February. I purchased a ticket for the Milwaukee Brewers opener to be played on 26 March. But by early March I began to sense that things had changed. If the Brewers did play their opener on schedule, it looked like it would be to an empty stadium. I took the BMW out for its first ride on 7 March, but there were ominous clouds on the horizon.

The new Acura NSX in Milwaukee.

The world changed on the evening of 11 March. A National Basketball Association player had tested positive for the coronavirus and the league shut down play indefinitely. All college and pro sports soon followed suit and we have been on a path toward isolation since. As I write this. my state, Wisconsin, is under a Safer at Home order until at 24 April. This means all non-essential businesses are shut down and citizens are expected to stay home unless they have a good reason to be out.

The result is the riding season is on hold. All of the planning may in fact be for naught, as we are in the grip of a pandemic the likes of which we have not seen in over a hundred years.
Whatever your attitude toward other bikers, we are all faced with the same reality. Bikers want to ride, and it may not happen in 2020. A popular refrain in the media is, "We are all in this together" and that applies to all of us as motorcyclists, no matter how we or others define the term. There will be stories of compassion, heroism and sadness throughout the next several months, or however long it takes to find a  vaccine for COVID 19. As motorcyclists, let's use this as an opportunity to realize that there is more that brings us together than keeps us apart.

Stay safe, wash your hands and keep those riding plans handy!

House and Furnishings for Sale

AMA Motocross racing is on tonight but the weather does not look much warmer in Arlington, TX, than it is in Wisconsin tonight. It is still not near to riding weather up here, though. We got about a foot of snow over the past couple of weeks, so it will be a while before it is gone.

My wife and I have owned a duplex for the past forty plus years and we are getting ready to sell it this spring. That has kept me busy since the beginning of 2020. I have had all of my motorcycles and gear on one side, along with enough furniture to keep it comfortable. I am selling or giving away the furniture using Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. It has been a lesson in the old saying "one man's junk is another man's treasure". The other side has had the same renter for twenty or so years, and now that she is out there is a lot of redecorating to be done. I have made a lot of trips to the local Home Depot for cans of white eggshell paint. We are going to try and sell it without using a real estate agent, so it will be a learning experience.

Duplex for sale!

Having all of this to keep me busy this winter has been good. As spring nears, however, I am feeling more of a sense of urgency to get things done. The riding season is short and I want to be able to take advantage of the warm spring days that will eventually reach us. I will have to make room in my garage now for both of my bikes, too. I had them both at my house for a couple of years, so I know I can fit them in there. It is pretty tight, though.

In my free time I have been shopping for a few new motorcycle items. The new Klim Badlands jacket still looks pretty nice, but I am also thinking about the Aerostich Darien. I will be going through Duluth on my Canadian fishing trip in May, so that will be a good opportunity to stop at their factory store. A few new bits for my Harley Davidson Lowrider S are looking good also. I am planning on getting the black flush mount gas cap and gas gauge along with some black trim pieces.

This bike needs a little more black on it.

A trip to my BMW dealer this weekend revealed that they are undergoing another remodeling project. They have just added Royal Enfield to their stable of brands and are making a space for the bikes. They knocked down a wall or two also so customers don't have search around for the Ducatis and Beemers. The variety and brands of motorcycling gear and clothing is being evaluated and changes will be made. It will be interesting to see how it all comes out.