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.
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