Curves on highway 60

Another wonderfully sloppy Dam Saloon bikini contest has come and gone and the Drifless Riders took in the action in our usual fashion.

We started off the day by getting drenched and abused by an isolated thunder storm, but once we broke through it was clear sailing for the rest of the day. Our route took us down through Zumbrota and east on the beautiful and twisty highway 60 (one of the best Minnesota biker roads out there).

Highway 60 pops out in Wabasha. From there we headed down hwy 61 to Minneska for a quick stop at Buck’s Bar. Crack a cold one and let a little rain move through, then on to the contest…..

Shake your tush on the catwalk

This years contest had all the accouterments: There was alot of sunburn mixed with alot of beer mixed with alot of sweat mixed with alot of cheering. Throw in some overflowing Biffie’s and a couple fights and you’re starting to get the picture.

The bikini contest turns into a bikini-less contest

Lets be sure not to overlook main event – the parade of topless sea-hags. As usual the main event did not dissappoint. This years contestants left any form of decency at home. They and strutted their stuff and gave the fans what they deserved and more.

The party’s winding down

Eventually everyone had seen enough, boats & bikes started shipping out, and those pesky drunken hicups set in. All in all it was another great Dam Saloon bikini contest. Time to head for the hills.

Scene from the top of a bluff somewhere in southwest Wisconsin

I’ve posted a few more photos on this message board. If you have any of your own, please post em.

See ya next year.

Get’n out of Dodge
If you’re like a Driftless Rider, you’re likely headed out of the Twin Cities metro area as soon as you start your engine. The map above shows some of the routes and stops that we like that are all reachable within a hour or so.

First of all, let’s talk about getting out of the Twin Cities. Of course there’s all four directions you can head, but we’re the Driftless Riders and that means we usually head east to the St. Croix & Mississippi River valley. So east-wise… our most widely used route takes us down to Newport and then east on Glen Road or 70th Street South. If you keep going you’ll eventually get you to the St. Croix Trail, a great road, north or south along the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River.

We prefer this route out of the Twin Cities because it’s the quickest way to get clear of heavy traffic and start enjoying the countryside. It also leaves you poised to take a short scenic ride to either of the nearby river crossings – north to Hastings or south to Prescott.

The loop
My quick ride “loop” starts with the get’n out of Dodge path mentioned above. From there I jet to Hastings, WI. Sometimes I take the St. Croix trail north and other times I add a little extension by going down to Prescott and then taking the Wisconsin side up.

After a quick stop at Dick’s in Hastings, I continue north to Stillwater. If you take highway 35 it’s only a few miles, so to make it a little more interesting I like to go through Burkhardt on County A before venturing back to Minnesota.

A couple other notable routes
I’ve added a couple routes that deserve to be included becuase they’re in the proximity and they’re kick-ass roads. And by kick-ass I mean scenic, twisty, and deep in the river bluffs.

County Road O: This road is like what you see in motorcycle postcards (not sure if these exist, but they should). There are twists, dips, curves, nips?, single vehicle bridges… the works. There are trees hanging over one side and a brooke wandering down the other. It connects 35 to highway 10.

County 7 Blvd: If you’re ever going down 61 in or out of Redwing, there’s no reason not to take this little detour… you won’t regret it. The 90 degree curves lead you down in the valley, past Welch (ski) Village, and back out.

Bars:
The map also labels a few of our favorite watering holes. Some of these are pretty well known in the biker community, but there’s a couple that you might not have heard of, so if you’re looking for a destination maybe….

The Cave Bar – Its located in Hersey, WI, which isn’t much more than a wide spot in the road, but its worth a stop because of the friendly people, cold drinks, and it’s decor. As you might guess, its cave-ish. http://www.herseycavebar.com

Neumann’s Bar – Its located in North St. Paul, just off highway 36. Its been serving the thirsty since 1887. Every Thursday there’s a ride – be there at 6pm – leave at 6:30pm. Any rider that returns receives a coupon for a “buy one get one free” beverage. http://neumannsbar.com

Willow River Saloon – Located in Burkhardt, WI, it’s a big bar for such a small town. The word “saloon” really describes the atmosphere.

See ya’ll there….

Day One–St. Paul to Prairie du Chien

Hwy 52 to County Road 60 (near Zumbrota), very cool twistys as you wind your way east to Hwy 61. There some different routes you can take, but they’re all good, and a lot of small towns if you get thirsty and need to stop in for a brew.

Bust ass down Hwy 61 and jump the river at LaCrosse to Hwy 35 (this a critical point as you need to stay or go). There was a bit of an allure to stay in LaCrosse as its just a kick ass place to party, but it was good that we escaped, as the ride down to Prairie du Chien with the sun is setting is spectacular. The ride from LaCrosse to Prairie is when you first get the experience of being really close to the river and you have some kickass views as your cruisin.

(Note: If you want to stay in LaCrosse the first night, you may want to jump the river over to Wisconsin earlier in the day. The ride from Prescott to LaCrosse (Wisconsin side) is much cooler and laid back, along with some nice stops)

“Prairie” is a great town to stay in, friendly people, lots of small bars, but lodging can be a bit tricky, be sure to call ahead to get a room, as the town tends to be busy in the summer.

We ended up staying at a small shithole, but who cares, it was within walking distance of downtown bars. We ended up hitting a great old lounge restaurant, frequented some small dive bars, and then found some locals to drive us down to this bar down by the river to sing drunken karoke. Quote of the night…”Do you have any jumper cables? Oh, I meant to say do you have any weed?”

Day #2–Praire du Chien to Moline

A night in Prairie might leave you a little groggy in the morning, but you just need to buck up, climb on the horse and get some fresh air in those lungs.

We headed out bout 9 am and cruised out on Hwy 18. Your gonna want to get off on County Road C and get yourself closer into the river, there’s some options here, but we went to County X to the City of Bagley to County A, to County W (the object here obviously is to work your way close to the river, but it can get tricky at times).

Get yourself to Cassville and then jump on 133, and head to Potosi.

We recommend a stop to grab a burger at the local bar across from the town brewery. Don’t forget to have yourself a Potosi beer.

Next you’ll have a deparature from the river as you jump on Hwy 61 and get some highway time in down to Dickeyville, and its all highway to the Illinois border, where you’re gonna want to get on Hwy 35, and then to Hwy 20.

Editorial note, this section of the ride kind of sucks, as you’re on Highway to Galena and then aren’t a lot of options, but trust me, things do get better.

After Galena, look for the Blackjack Trail and jump off on that and slow it down for a while and enjoy the ride. Your gonna come out on Hwy 84. Unfortunately, once again your gonna have some boring highway time as you work your way down to Savanna, Fulton.

A highly recommended stop in the Iron Horse Social Club in Savanna, good food, cold beer and a motorcycle museum. http://www.ironhorsesocialclub.com/main.html

Things get a bit better south of Fulton as you find the river and quite few small towns along the way where you can stop in and have refreshments.

We ended up staying in Moline that night, but I have to admit that there is not a lot of nightlife in this town. Guess what I’m trying to say is you might be better off staying in some small towns outside of the city, and save yourself a few bucks.

But if you do want to have some comfort, there is a Radisson next to the John Deere Headquarters. The comfort is a little pricy, but there are plenty of bars within walking distance.

If all that riding has made you want to see some boobs, we found a club over in Davenport called the Chorus Line, decent place, but a little tricky to find http://www.stripclublist.com/c.asp?c=8000

Day #3–Moline to Canton Ferry (yes it really is a river ferry) and Back (Big Boy Day)

We behaved ourselves the night before and got some good shut eye because we knew today was going to be a “big boy” day, lots of white knuckle miles.

Bust ass out of town on Hwy 92 cursing the Quad Cities and try to find yourself some country. This is divided highway so if your looking for a speed stretch, this is it.

Things brighten up around Andalusia as you find yourself getting back to the river roads. Your gonna want to get off on County Road TT and head through the Loud Thunder Forest Preserve. This is a real nice ride, some twistys and good scenery as you’re making your way to Illinois City, and back on Hwy 92.

Take 92 and get of on County A, which turns into 14 and then 17 (lots of corn fields). Look for the turnoff to Keithsburg on 76th street. This is how you get back closer to the river, and you’ll follow 25 and then 3, and work your way to 34. This stretch is mostly corn fields. Enjoy.

We cruised down to Fort Madison and jumped the river to look for some lunch. We decided to try one of the river boat casinos. Note to self: don’t eat at these places, they’re rotten, find yourself a restaurant in town. There’s also little bar in Niota if you want to get yourself a beer and a bag of chips.

Then go south and down to 92, very cool stretch along the river, as you work your way to Keokuk. Out of Keokuk, find 12.

Once again, a lot of corn fields and the empty roads. Its somewhat cool as you get into levee country and the flood plain.

This is where it gets a bit tricky, but a major highlight… turn off on 2600th avenue and head to the river through corn fields to find the ferry to and cross the river. (there should be a sign that cleverly says “to ferry”)

You’ll think your lost, but just keep going and go past a huge grain elevator, and there you will find the cargo ferry. This is usually to take grain trucks across the river, but they will also acommodate motorcycles. I think its was $8 bucks a person, but very cool. Can’t say that I’ve ever had my bike on the water before.

I’m not gonna lie, the rest of ride back to Moline on the Missouri side is not cool, but you just need to suck it up, and ride like hell on Hwy 61. Motivate yourself by thinking about going back to the Chorus Line.

To sum up the day, left early got back at dark, put on over 400 miles and my ass was sore.

Day #3–Moline to LaCrosse, Iowa Side

This day is by far the highlight of the trip as you start making your way north on the Iowa side. Be sure to get an early start. You’ll have a lot of nice riding ahead of you.

Once you jump across the river on I-74, get off on the Great River Road (hwy 67), dust off the cobwebs and point that hog north. You’ll have some nice river time for awhile as you work your way up to Clinton. From this point you can get creative with some routes as you work your way up to Dubuque. Best bet is to get a local map, otherwise if you want some highway time, feel free to crack the throttle open and cruise up Hwy 52 or 61.

PAY ATTENTION! The key route is to get on C9Y which is north of Dubuque, lots of good twistys and lots of nice views as you go in and out and up and down the bluff country. When God made the motorcycle, this is where he did is test riding.

A great and historic stop is in Balltown. It has a great vista, which on a clear day they say you can see Illinois.

However, I’m sad to report that the oldest drinking and dining establishment in Iowa, historic Breitbach’s burned to the ground this winter, here’s a link I found with some memorable pictures http://www.kannimports.com/x_breitbach/breitbach_main.html

(I’m just glad I was lucky enough to see it once. It’s a good lesson for those who put off taking motorcycle rides… you just never know how long you or something else might be around, so do it while you can).

Anyway, great bluff county ride all the way to Millville, where you jump off and get some highway road north to Guttenburg. Jump off on X-56 north of town and make your way to McGregor which is just south of Prairie du Chien.

I would strongly recommend stopping at the historic lookout near Prairie in Pikes Peak State Park. It’s really cool and you can see the whole town of Prairie du Chien and where the Wisconsin River flows into the mighty Mississippi.

Following are some links with some cool pics:

http://www.sierravisionsstock.com/sierravisions/pictures-from-pikes-peak-state-park/

www.pbase.com/stanzman/image/35341961

After getting some blood back in our sore asses and legs (Pike’s Peak has a nice rest area) we cruised out on 76, which is a very cool ride along the river and through Effigy Mounds Park. Follow this north to X52 and it will take you to Harpers Ferry and then into Lansing.

Lansing is a nice little town to stop into and have a brew.

Next, you’ll want to hit 26 and bust ass north to the Minnesota border. This stretch is away from the river. Its a nice rural stretch with some good scenery and a few good sweeping curves.

26 will take you through New Albin and then into MN. The first part of the MN stretch is also away from the river and it goes through some flood plains and marshy areas, but its still somewhat cool. Once you get to Reno you’ll have really nice roads.

From then on all I could really think about was getting to LaCrosse and getting some beer in me…and I have to say, even though it was a Sunday night, I did accomplish that task.

Day #4–The Last Stretch (LaCrosse to St. Paul)

Well, there’s not much I can tell you about this stretch, but you have some options. You can either bust ass back on I-90 or Hwy 61 or you can wind your way back if you have some time and still have the energy.

Me, let’s just say I did the straight hwy 61 shot home in morning, as I had too many whiskey shots the night before. However, I do recommend breakfast at the Whistle Stop in the small town of Frontenac in between Red Wing and Lake City. Don’t blink, cuz you might miss it.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING ABOUT OUR TREK AND IT GIVES YOU SOME GOOD IDEAS FOR A RIDE. LATER.