This sounds like it could be a good time
http://www.jsonline.com/features/travel/97634914.html
No telling where you'll wind up
Mark Hoffman
Bill Pond rounds a corner on Highway 33 running through Wildcat Mountain State Park near Ontario, Wis. “You just pick a direction and you know it’s going to be curvy. Thank God the glaciers didn’t wreck that," says the rider from Red Wing, Minn.
Curves and hills take motorcyclists through scenic southwestern Wisconsin
By Mark Hoffman of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: July 3, 2010 |(9) Comments
Bangor - It's all about curve appeal.
It draws motorcyclists and their four-wheeled brethren to descend on southwestern Wisconsin in search of cornering nirvana.
The terrain is much different than in southeastern Wisconsin.
"I think it's as close to mountain riding as you're going to get in a Midwestern state. The curves are every bit as sharp and the grades can be just as steep," said author and motorcyclist Barbara Barber.
The 60-year-old retired social worker, who currently rides a 2006 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic, racked up 200,000 miles on two wheels over 10 years and authored the book "Sunday Rides on Two Wheels (University of Wisconsin Press, 2009).
Experienced riders seek out roads that end with words like Valley, Slide, Coulee and Hollow. These words are a cue that a ribbon of asphalt will wrap itself around undulating hills or follow a stream or river.
Even state highways can provide an exhilarating ride.
One of Barber's favorite roads is a 21-mile section of Highway 131 that zigs and zags its way between Gays Mills and Wauzeka.
"The terrain makes it wonderful, especially if you like miles of curves and up and downs," said Barber.
"Thank God the glaciers didn't wreck this," said Bill Pond of Red Wing, Minn.
"You get out there. There's no autopilot. You go to work and it's the culmination of all your senses working," said Pond, a Triumph and Kawasaki owner.
In her spiral-bound 170-page book, Barber uses Cashton as the starting point for four rides ranging from 73 to 182 miles.
The Monroe County village also is the hub of Wisconsin's largest Amish population.
Travelers on their iron horses need to exercise caution because they may find themselves sharing the road with their equestrian counterparts around a corner or over a hill.
"When you get into southwestern Wisconsin, you can ride along a ridge top and you see the beautiful farmland below. Sometimes the views surprise the heck out of you when it opens up and you say to yourself, 'Oh my,' " Barber said.
Bikes for rent
La Crosse Harley-Davidson has a significant rental business with customers from across the U.S., Canada, France and a repeat customer from Egypt.
"The roads are so good here, when I ride I flip a coin at the first stop sign to decide which way to go. Heads we go left, tails we go right. You never know where you're going to go. It's our favorite way of riding," rental manager Jody Stackmaster said.
The dealership offers an alternative to customers who prefer planning to serendipity.
"If people don't know where they're going, we hand them a map with four good rides along with places to see," Stackmaster said.
This dealership annually rents about 200 motorcycles.
One customer is Egyptian rider Ahmed Farahat.
"I rode in Europe, Italy, Switzerland and France. Nothing compares to the USA and their rider's spirit where Harley started," the director of the Cairo Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) said.
Businesses have embraced riders, and some have been started to meet the demand.
Brandy and Dan Vuich opened the Blue Highway Motorcycle Lodge in 2005.
The former Chicago couple had a desire to move away from the city and start their own business.
They turned a rundown former deer farm into a resort with six cottages that cater exclusively to motorcyclists April through October.
The cottages feature whirlpool tubs, gas fireplaces, flat-screen televisions, even a place to wash down your motorcycle at the end of the day.
"There's nothing wrong with camping if you're of a particular age, little motels are OK and you can park your bike outside your door, or you could be at a nice hotel and watch from your window as five guys load your bike into a truck," Brandy Vuich said.
She finds the people in the area are welcoming to bikers. "People are courteous to motorcycles around here and you won't find many tailgaters; if you're going 35 mph taking in the sights, they'll just pass you."
Mark and Sheila Donnelly celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary with their third stay at the lodge.
"It's like old home week. We'll just keep coming back," Sheila Donnelly said. "I find it therapeutic and calming. The sweeping roads, the beautiful farmland&ensp.&ensp.&ensp. I swear you breathe better."
"For a lot of these towns, 16 motorcyclists walking into a little restaurant is a big boon for business," Brandy Vuich said.
Mindoro stop
A popular stop for two-wheeled travelers is Top Dawg's Pub & Grub in Mindoro.
"If we didn't have motorcyclists we wouldn't have been able to survive. We can't make it on locals alone. (Riders) are always good people, they're appreciative," said Susan Kast, who owns the pub with her husband, Paul.
Their claim to fame is serving 108 kinds of hamburgers. Besides a traditional burger, adventurous carnivores can try the Bombay Burger (curry and chutney) and Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love (Ortega chiles, jalapeño peppers, Monterrey jack cheese and cayenne sauce).
The truly famished can order a four-pound burger for $27.95.
Most people get there by riding over and through the Mindoro Cut on Highway 108 north of West Salem in La Crosse County.
The 74-foot deep, 25-foot cut is a sight in itself and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It took two years of hard labor, mostly by hand and horse, to create the deep gash in the stone to reduce the slope at the top of a hill.
The townsfolk grossly underestimated how much work it would be to complete the shortcut to La Crosse. They did not know that beneath the soft sandstone was much stronger Prairie du Chien dolomite.
"We have a group of riders from Chicago who come up every year. The first time they were here, they rode back and forth through the Mindoro Cut eight times because they had never seen anything like it." said Susan Kast, a Top Dawg's co-owner.
There's a small parking area at the top of the hill with a historical marker detailing the work that took place a little more than 100 years ago.
More to eat
Another Mecca for hungry bikers is the Rockton Bar in La Farge, about 5 miles south of Wildcat Mountain State Park.
The bar is smoke-free, except when its renowned barbecue chickens are cooking.
Recognizing a demand four years ago, the La Crosse Area Convention & Visitors Bureau began publishing free detailed maps with suggested rides, many of them off the beaten path.
"We drove the roads in search of the most scenic roads," said Michelle Hoch, the bureau's tourism director.
The maps feature La Crosse as the hub and the rides spoke out from the Mississippi River city.
"We're along the Great River Road, which is a destination in itself. We figured we could keep them around here and then take them out into the country," Hoch said.
The scenic vistas are a perfect fit for the bureau's promotional mission.
"The natural beauty and the landscape you see from a cycle is a different perspective. The feeling you get surrounded by the bluffs next to the river is something you just have to experience," Hoch said.
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Planning your ride
I think maps are exciting. When I study them I see an infinite number of possibilities. Spend some time with the Wisconsin Atlas and Gazetteer (DeLorme, $19.95) and plan your own route.
Roads that end in words such as Hollow, Coulee, Valley and Slide are guaranteed to be worth riding.
Do not overlook alphabet roads; i.e. Highway A, Highway B, etc.
Be on the lookout for the state-designated Rustic Roads. The program started in 1973 to help citizens and local units of government preserve what remains of Wisconsin's scenic, lightly traveled country roads.
The second edition of Sunday Rides on Two Wheels (University of Wisconsin Press, $19.95) is tough to beat. It is spiral bound, and unlike many other books, it offers routes on lightly traveled county roads.
Milwaukee Map Service Inc. publishes a Southwestern Wisconsin Road Map, an excellent foldable detailed map covering an area from Madison to the Mississippi River and north to south from the Illinois border to Highway 10.
The La Crosse Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (800-658-9424) publishes an excellent free brochure, Classic County Roads. It has four pre-planned routes ranging from 96 to 143 miles in length.
The Kickapoo Valley Association Inc. (608-629-5911) publishes a free detailed map featuring businesses and attractions east of the Mississippi River between I-90 on the north and the Wisconsin River on the south.
If you're not a map person, there's nothing wrong with serendipity and just see what you discover.
- Mark Hoffman
