Headed Home a Ride on Wisconsin Route 78

After spending a few days in Merrill Wisconsin, it's time to head home to Tennessee.  After 4 days of riding the River Road along the Mississippi, I decided to take a more direct route home.  There are still some sites I want to see, and an Interstate to be avoided.

I leave on a gray morning not expecting rain, but sure enough, God starts spitting about 25 miles down Interstate 39.  It is a light on and off rain, I can't decide whether to rain suit up or not.  So I stop for gas and decide to press on.  Luckily the rain subsides, and I dry out quickly.  As the sun comes out, I leave the interstate where I-39 meets I-90 near Portage.  Then join Wisconsin Route 28.

My original reason to take this road was to avoid I-90 which is a mess between Madison and Rockford.  This road turned out to be a joy to ride.  A curvy river road that filled the senses.  It is a good day to be on a motorcycle.

I stop for lunch in Prairie Du Sac at the Eagle Inn.  On the banks of Lake Wisconsin, I had the Turkey Thanksgiving Special.  The waitress was friendly and had a lot of questions about my trip.  I'm always amazed at the reactions that I get when I tell people I'm on a long motorcycle trip.  Most ask where you've been, and where you're going, some even ask if they can go with you.

As I leave the hills and curves of the Wisconsin River; Route 28 straightens out into a flat corn filled plain.  In no time I'm crossing the border into Illinois.  As I pass through Dixon Illinois, I stop at Ronald Reagan's Boyhood home.  Reagan as a child lived in a lot of places in Northern Illinois, this was one of them.

After visiting a dead president, I rejoin I-39 and blast down to Decatur for my overnight stop.  I'll be home tomorrow after 5 hours on the interstate and a stop at Four River Harley Davidson.  You know I have to stop and check out the sales rack.

Day-4 on the Great River Road: Final Push La Crosse to Merrill Wisconsin

So today is the last day of an incredible 4-day motorcycle riding along the Mississippi.  I've seen a lot of great sites and met some fantastic people.  Today is just a short push from La Cross to Merrill Wisconsin to visit some family.

I leave La Crosse on a warm morning the ride is pretty uneventful.  I leave the River Road and La Crosse on I90 for a short time to Tomah.  Where I jump on Wisconsin State Road 173 which cuts across the state at a North East angle.

It is a straight road, but after 3 days of curves on the Mississippi it feels good to just to cruise.  If you ever wondered where they grew cranberries well this is the place.  The fields look like rice fields which are flooded for harvest.  I soon join the Wisconsin River and follow it all the way to Wausau, passing through the river towns of Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point.  They are paper mill towns and have that paper mill smell a pungent sickening sweet smell, that one gets used too.

Once in Wausau, I stop at the Harley Davidson of Wausau to check out the sales rack and I found some sweet stuff.   I then went to the lounge, to have a cup of coffee.   There I reflected on my 4 day trip up the Mississippi.  I saw some neat things and had some great rides. CLICK ON THE LINKS below to catch up on it all.

Day 1: Illinois Route 3 and Ste. Genevieve

Day 2: Missouri Route 79

Day 3: The National Motorcycle Museum 


After my reflection, I was off, from here Merrill is only 20 minutes away.  I will be here a few days before I off on my next adventure back home the Clarksville Tennessee.

A Moment in Time on a Motorcycle

I ran across these pictures the other day from a trip out to Yellowstone on my 98 Softail a few years ago. Right after I finished visiting Hell's Half Acre, which is a small gorge in the middle of Wyoming's desert plain. I stopped at a rest stop to cook some ramen for lunch when this couple ran up to me.

The man said, "that he always wanted a motorcycle and a Harley." He explained that he never got around to it in his life and was sorry about it all. He seemed pretty emotional when he asked if he could sit on my motorcycle. The ignition was locked, so I said go ahead man have at it. He then asked if I would take a picture of him and his wife next to the bike and email it to him later, which I did.

Later on while back on the road, I couldn't help thinking how lucky I was.  To be on this road at this moment, doing something that others only dream of.