Wild Motorcyle Roads in Illinios and Wisconsin

One of my favorite things to do is to break the day on a Motorcycle. The changing light in the morning is mesmerizing. I departed Tennessee at 0430; I'm on my way to Wisconsin on a 1,400-mile
odyssey. I'm in search of a River Road. This one is on the Illinois River between Peoria and La Sala.

The road is always calling my name. It's like a song I can't get out of my head. It's been that way since I was a little kid of 10, riding my Honda 50 around our neighborhood. I was always looking for new trails to ride. Today, it's no different. On the second day of the trip, I start on an unknown road, Illinois Highway 29/26.

It's a fast climb out of the Illinois River Valley onto the northern Prairie. Riding on the Prairie has its advantages. You can see the weather for miles; sometimes it is unavoidable, and sometimes it isn't. Today I skirt a squall line to the west, heading into Wisconsin, and only get a few raindrops. Riding on flat terrain gives you a peaceful, relaxing feeling. Then there are the windmills that fill the corn fields. Which, to me, brings an added beauty.

Once I get into Wisconsin, the terrain turns to rolling hills of the Driftless Area. A rare northern geographical feature where no glaciers were ever present during the last ice age. I make a turn to head north on County Road J, which turns into a gift from the motorcycle gods. Some of the best roads I've ridden, I have found by accident. This one was special, about 30 miles of switchbacks and S-turns.

It's been a good ride so far today. I'm stopping for an early lunch, and it's only an hour to Mom's house for a 4-day visit. After my 4-day visit with Mom, it's time to head home, another 700-mile adventure.  

After a 500-mile ride from Wisconsin, where I rinse and repeat County Road J, I thought about riding straight through to home. But the heat was getting to me, so I decided to stop outside of Mount Vernon in southern Illinois.  It's only a short 219 miles to the house.  

The next day I decided to leave the interstate to ride some more unknown roads.  Leaving the highway behind, Illinois Route 142 opened up into a rider's paradise, characterized by long, unbroken straightaways punctuated by wide, sweeping turns.  On this pavement, the heavy rumble of a classic V-twin engine smoothed out the tarmac, making the rural highway feel like pure silk. 

The final stretch promises a familiar rhythm.  The high-energy rock discography of the band Seether provides the soundtrack for the remaining miles, keeping the heat fatigue at bay.

Ahead lies Kentucky Route 109—a twisting asphalt ribbon that this motorcycle knows by heart.  The garage in Clarksville, Tennessee, is finally calling, bringing an end to an epic 1,400-mile journey defined by open roads.

Riding the Red River Gorge: The Dragon Returns

 

The State of Appalachia, as some people call it, is an area that encompasses West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and East Tennessee.  This place is a motorcycle mecca.   There are more killer Motorcycle roads than a person could ride in a lifetime.  On this trip, we explore eastern-central Kentucky.  The Red River Gorge area.  We make our basecamp at 4 Guys RV Park where we have trailered the bikes. 

On our first full day in the area, we ride the Eye of the Dragon that wraps around the Gorge, mostly comprised of Kentucky SR 715. There is a neat one-lane tunnel that you use to get to the gorge area.  This road is filled with twists and turns, ascents and descents.  It is a very technical ride.  We stop at an old homestead during the ride, and  I say to myself, "I bet they wish they had motorcycles back in the day." 

After the Gorge, we ride down to Jackson to Ride the Red.  Highway 15 is a fast four-lane road with sweeping turns and fast straightaways.  In Jackson, we have a great lunch at Sazon Mexican Restaurant.  After lunch, we ride State Road 52 over to Beattyville.  Then back home to base camp.  A fantastic first day, with the second half filled with many twisties and fast sweeping turns.   

We ride the Beattyville loop and part of the River Dragon on our second full day. Great lunch at the Bob Cat Dinner, named after the Beattyville High School Mascot. It is a great burger and shakes place. Today was a repeat of day 1, with lots of technical roads.

On day 3, we decided to do something different and took a short ride to Natural Bridges State Park. Then took the sky lift (ski chair lift) to the top of the ridge where the Natural Bridge is located. These natural bridges are located all over the Cumberland Plateau and the Appalachian Mountains. This is the largest one we have ever seen. Neat rock passage to the bottom of the bridge.

It was our final day of riding.  The best day yet, we rode KY HWY 28, The River Dragon, down to Hazard.  Then KY HWY 30, The Hornets Nest, back to the Mountain Parkway. Again, these are excellent technical motorcycle roads with no traffic and some views that take your breath away.  On the way, we stop at the Log Cabin Cathedral, a large church built like a log cabin. Pretty impressive.

In Hazard, we had some, so, so barbecue.  It was not bad, but not great.  I'm a BBQ snob, with the ultimate standard of Jack's BBQ in Nashville. However, we have had BBQ in Texas that was just as good, and South Carolina BBQ is to die for, but in many ways, it is not authentic BBQ except for the pulled pork.

While in Kentucky, you will see this God Awful blue everywhere, it's the University of Kentucky colors, and the whole state has adopted it, sad to say. It's all good, though. It was a great week of riding its always sad when you have to leave, but it's another adventure under our belt and a great taste of the State of Appalachia.

Some Motorcycle Rides in Appalachia