Hello, Wisconsin!

This year's GWTA Region C Rally took us to a place we'd never ridden before... Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  My high school band trip to Whitewater doesn't count... those memories are limited to diesel bus fumes, white shoe polish, white glove inspections, and everything Hup-Hup-Ready-Ho!  This trip, I actually got to see Wisconsin! 

To get to Chippewa Falls, the five riders of Chapter NE-W (Bob, Jacquie, RR, U2, & Hammy) used almost the same route that we had used two years ago to get to Gold Rush XX in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  This time, we just kept going... across Minnesota (I think it's safe to say that southern Minnesotans are committed to wind farm energy!)... until we met the Mississippi River and Wisconsin state line.  At that point our group detoured north and followed the Great River Road along Wisconsin Highway 35. 

Wow!  This portion of the Mississippi is so different from the section of the "Big Muddy" that runs from Cairo, Illinois, to the Gulf of Mexico... it's hard to believe this is the same river.  Wisconsin's Mississippi River is slower, fewer snags and hazards, less debris, and a lot clearer water.  When I lived in Kentucky, I think Dad only ventured over to the Mississippi River once just to say he'd done it... between the busy locks, the high volume of barge traffic, a fast muddy current filled with logs, snags,  and ever-changing shallows and channels, we preferred to do our recreational boating around the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers.

The towns along Wisconsin's Great River Road are filled with personality and chances to stretch and browse.  It was a good way to finish our trip up.  I'd recommend making this trip on a weekday; the road is full of traffic on the weekends as the locals get out and about.  There are lots of little shops and places to eat and refuel along the way.  Three Wheels West enjoyed Pepin's Pickle Factory, a water-front restaurant housed in an early 1900's pickle and sauerkraut factory.

Hammy has been looking forward to this trip to Wisconsin for almost as long as the staff has been planning it.  Both my daughters and I are fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House Books.  Ever since the event planners announced a Little House ride and a chance to see the setting for Laura's Little House in the Big Woods, Hammy has been focused on one thing... getting to Pepin.  Until this trip, I never realized that Laura was born so close to the Mississippi River.  I never associated the Lake Pepin where "Pa" fished as part of the Big Muddy.  Time and technology really do change a person's perspective.  To a biker, the river is a hop, skip, and a jump from the Ingalls old farm.  To Laura's family, it was probably a longer and more complicated journey.   (Little House Ride Note:  Whoever mapped out the Little House Ride is owed a word of thanks... Three Wheels West loved the stretch of twisties and the scenic view of the valley along Highway SS.  Just for a moment, we felt like we were back in the Smokey Mountains.  That is one awesome stretch of road!  Thanks guys!)

 Click here to see more pictures and a slideshow.



posted on Thursday, July 02, 2009 8:26 AM by U2Farmer

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