Sunday, May 18, 2014

THREE DAY SCOOTER TRIP

FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS I’D BEEN PLANNING A THREE DAY SCOOTER TRIP FROM LA CROSSE, WI TO SPOONER, WI. I HAD MY ROUTE ALL MARKED OUT ON THE COUNTRY BACK ROADS. MARY THOUGHT IT WAS A STUPID IDEA AND WAS DISCOURAGING ME.

IN AN E-MAIL TO MY BROTHERS TO LET THEM KNOW ABOUT MY ITINERARY FOR THE WISCONSIN ADVENTURE I CONFESSED MY THREE DAY PLAN AND RIDE. NEIL IMMEDIATELY E-MAILED BACK AND SAID HE HAD A SCOOTER, COULD HE COME?

AND SO A PLAN WAS BORN……

DAY #1

I LEFT LA CROSSE ON FRIDAY MORNING IN 51 DEGREE WEATHER, AND RAIN SHOWERS THREATENING. I HAD SPRINKLES ON MY FACEMASK BEFORE I GOT OUT OF HOLMEN. MY DESTINATION WAS DURAND, WI 102 MILES AWAY, WHERE I WAS TO MEET UP WITH NEIL FROM GREEN BAY, WI. IT WAS ONE COLD RIDE!!!

102 MILES, FOUR AND A HALF HOURS, INCLUDING A HALF HOUR RAIN DELAY, AND I COMPLETED MY LONGEST SCOOTER RIDE TO DATE.

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THE FIRST THING I DID AFTER CHECKING INTO THE HOTEL WAS TO STAND IN THE HOT SHOWER A HALF AN HOUR TO WARM UP.

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NEXT THING WAS A WALK-ABOUT IN DURAND, WI TO CHECK OUT THE BARS. DURAND SITS ON THE EDGE OF THE CHIPPEWA RIVER AND IN THE SPRING THE EDGE COMES UP INTO TOWN A BLOCK.

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I HAD A COUPLE OF HOURS TO WAIT FOR NEIL’S ARRIVAL FROM GREEN BAY. NOT 102 MILES AWAY, BUT 250 MILES AWAY. AS I WAS SITTING ON MY COMFORTABLE BAR STOOL SOME GUY KINDA BRUSHED UP AGAINST ME AND SAT DOWN ON THE NEXT STOOL. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE TO SEE UNCLE HANS!!!

NEIL’S ARRIVAL ALSO HAD A SURPRISE AS HE ARRIVED ON A BRAND NEW YAMAHA CHERRY RED MOTORCYCLE.

DAY #2

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FROM DURAND, WI TO TURTLE LAKE, WI. 76 MILES, AND 7 HOURS OF TRAVEL TIME? YUP, THOSE NUMBERS ARE CORRECT IF YOU ADD IN THE 7 TAVERN STOPS…… THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE TEMPERATURE TODAY IS 61, NOT 51.

I ENJOYED THE COUNTY BACKROADS WHERE I COULD SCOOT ALONG AT 45 MPH AND NOT BOTHER ANYONE, AND THE BROTHERS ENJOYED THE COUNTY BACKROADS WHERE THEY COULD ZIP ALONG AT 145 MPH AND NOT BOTHER ANYONE.

ONCE WE ARRIVED IN TURTLE LAKE, WI WE MET UP WITH A COUPLE OF HOT CHICKS:

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THAT’S “GRANDMA JACK” AND AUNT KATHY…..

DAY #3

IT WAS LIKE A PARADE, ONE RED SCOOTER, ONE SILVER YAMAHA, ONE NEW RED YAMAHA, THE BIG RED PICK-UP, AND NEIL’S RED SURBURBAN & TRAILER. TURTLE LAKE TO SPOONER, 74 MILES AND I LOST COUNT OF THE TAVERN STOPS. THE GOOD NEWS, NOT 51 DEGREES, NOT 61 DEGREES, BUT A SUNNY AND 71 DEGREES FOR TODAY. THE LAST ONE WAS IN SPOONER AND WE FOUND THESE SMILING FACES.

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ALL I ALL IT WAS A GREAT ADVENTUE. 252 MILES ON THE SCOOTER OVER THE THREE DAY TRIP AND I LOVED IT. MY THANKS TO THE BROTHERS, A COUPLE OF REAL BIKERS, FOR SLOWING DOWN TO SCOOTER SPEEDS AND TAKING ME FOR A GREAT RIDE.

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