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.
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