MINNESOTA RED LIGHT LAW
Sec. 42. Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 169.06, is amended by adding a subdivision to read: Subd. 9. [AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE RELATING TO UNCHANGING TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNAL.]

(a) A person operating a motorcycle who violates subdivision 4 by entering or crossing an intersection controlled by a traffic-control signal against a red light has an affirmative defense to that charge if the person establishes all of the following conditions:

(1) the motorcycle has been brought to a complete stop;

(2) the traffic-control signal continues to show a red light for an unreasonable time;

(3) the traffic-control signal is apparently malfunctioning or, if programmed or engineered to change to a green light only after detecting the approach of a motor vehicle, the signal has apparently failed to detect the arrival of the motorcycle; and

(4) no motor vehicle or person is approaching on the street or highway to be crossed or entered or is so far away from the intersection that it does not constitute an immediate hazard.

(b) The affirmative defense in this subdivision applies only to a violation for entering or crossing an intersection controlled by a traffic-control signal against a red light and does not provide a defense to any other civil or criminal action.

A snapshot of Maiden Rock from the 2007 Fall Flood Run

The 43rd Annual Fall Flood Run Is Saturday September 20th 2008! Get yer motors run’n! It starts at the Beach Club formally known as the Beach Bar (same bar new name).

2030 St. Croix Trail
Lake St. Croix Beach, Minnesota 55043
ph. 651 436-5065

Breakfast starts at 8:00 am
Run leaves the bar at 10:30 !

Brian Zepp from KQRS, City Heat Motorcycle Club, and the10th district American Legion Riders Minnesota Chapters will lead the run.

Description from the Official Flood Run website:

(www.floodrun.org)

“Over the year’s, the Flood Run has grown and gone thru many changes as one of the oldest and larger runs in America. The original run went down Minnesota highway 61 to Winona to help sandbag during the 1965 floods.Through the years, many people avoided the traffic of Hastings MN. and Red Wing MN. by riding down Wisconsin 35. Now the run has grown to a massive number of motorcycles and to alleviate the congestion going into some of the towns, we are adding the original nostalgia run down the Minnesota side. It incorporates the whole Mississippi River Valley because after all, it floods on both sides of the river.

The Flood Run has always been a charity event. From throwing sandbags in 1965 to buying a Benefit Wristband to support a great cause! Proceeds benefit the kid’s at Gillette’s Children’s Hospital.

With the $10.00 Benefit Wristband you get a discount at every stop at any business listed down the Flood Run. Many Minnesota and Wisconsin businesses have jumped on board to help with some great discounts making your $10.00 Benefit Wristband worth hundreds of dollars if you hit every stop.

All motorcycle makes and models are welcome!”

Examples of specials along the route include:

Redwing, Mn. If you run the Minnesota side go down highway 61 to Redwing and be sure to stop at the The Roxx Bar & Grill 310 Plumb Street, Red Wing MN. We open at 10:00 A.M. ready for action! Hamburger & Fries…Reg.$5.50 … $4.50 with Benefit Wristband Domestic Beer & Rail Drinks…Reg. $3.00 … $2.00 with benefit wristband. We have a Meat Raffle at 2:00 and Karaoke starts at 9pm and goes until 1am.

Lake City Mn. Where we have three great places offering discounts with a wristband. Old Bank Bar and Grill At The Old Bank Bar we will give you $1.00 off any menu item with a Benefit wristband. Live music ” Outland” will be playing Friday and Saturday night from 9:00 P. M. till 1:00 A. M. No cover! Bronk’s Bar and Grill $1.00 off any menu item with your Benefit wristband. For Pete’s Sake Bar get $1.00 off drinks all day and night with your Benefit wristband.

Wabasha, Mn. Great benefit wristband discount on the patio Offered at Slippery’s Bar and Grill. Where ‘Grumpy Old Men” was filmed. Fantastic view from the patio.The best stop on the run, The Pioneer Club there is free food till it run’s out, Live music, The band Kick Back will be playing from 8:30 till 12:30 Great stop!

Minneiska, Mn. Where the old main stay’s ~ Buck’s Bar and Grill offer wristband discounts. Bucks Bar will be serving your choice of Hamburger, Grilled Chicken, Brat & Kraut, or BBQ pork Sand. with Beans and Chips for $5. Armband discount will be $1.. We have also added Chocolate House Premium Ice Cream to our menu. KWNG radio will be live at Buck’s Bar from 3:30 to 5:30 for a late afternoon blast! Stop in and say to Terry and Jeanie and the D.J. you may end up on the radio! Rebel’s Rollin Inn Entertainment all day and night, with Getaway Entertainment. They will be doing a keg lift along w/other fun games. The party starts w/DJing outside from 2-7, then moving inside doing karaoke and DJ till close. Bars will be serving $2 cans of beer all day and night, with Flood Run benefit wristband get one dollar off a can of beer or cocktail.

Minnesota City, Mn. The L-COVE Minnesota City, MN will be having a lot of awesome stuff going on. As always Benefit Wristbands welcome with discounts at the inside bar. Our Tiki bar will be open at PM weather permitting. (you can smoke out there!) Also going on outside will be our famous barrel toss contest starts at PM, volleyball, and horseshoes. Camping will also be available with big fire pit. Campers must comply with local noise laws. The always fun and beautiful BUDWEISER GIRLS will be here. You can get your picture taken with them all money going to the children’s hospital. Local guys Brian & Andy will be here for an open jam they are great guys with great talent!! Also for entertainment we will have the local band Whiskey-n- Wimmen will play from 7:30 to 10:30 and Jaymz Dank Band will play from 10:30 PM to close. Featuring music from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, Clapton, Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Johnny Lang, Stones, Cream and many many more. For those of you interested in little food we will have chicken with wild rice soup and chili. Plenty of safe parking over night if you would like.

Winona, Mn. If you are leaving from the southern part of the run you can meet at Winona Harley Davidson. We will also have coffee and donuts for the riders in the morning and we will grill brats from 1-5 for anyone stopping in the afternoon. Wristbands and Flood Run T-shirts available at our shop. Anyone with the wristband will get 20% off any 1 Motorclothes/Collectible.

Prescott, Wi. The No Name Saloon is home base for the Flood Run in Prescott. You can get your Official run support discount wristband and Official run merchandise there, Official run shirts, Official run pin’s……….just outside the No Name Saloon. Be sure to use your Benefit Wristband at every bar on main street for a discount. Scabs Place, Broad Street Bar and Grill, Pilot House Boat Drinks, Muddy Water’s Bar and Grill, The old Steam Boat, The No Name Saloon

Diamond Bluff, Wi. Stop at the Nauti Hawg, for food, drink, live music and a discount Formerly the Gem Bar. One Dollar off of any food item with a Benefit wristband. Free beer out side till it run’s out with the same Benefit wristband! Karaoke at 7:00P.M. The North Country Bull Rides will be here setting up around the same time. The band this year is called “Slippery Elm”. They are an Americana Roots Rock Band (The Beetles, Jackson Brown, Grateful Dead, etc). They will be hanging out for most of the day starting at about 10:30 or 11:00 and playing when it gets busy. Al Hauser (Al’s Custom Cycle) will setting up his booth again! Must see! We will have the big tent. Food this year BBQ’s, potato salad, chips & a pickle. North Country (Mechanical) Bull Rides will be at the Nauti Hawg from 10 am to 3 PM or so. St. Paul Harley Davidson will have their accessories trailer set up at the Nauti Hawg

Hager City, Wi. Don’t miss The Border Lounge go east on highway V V 2 blocks for that eye popping entertainment. ( Benefit Wristband gets you in FREE. ) At The Harbor Bar you can get a great discount worth stopping for!

Bay City, Wi. At Mike’s Bay Town Bar and Grill it’s buck off day. ( Anything in the bar, you get a $1.00 off. ) Stop say hi to Mike and show that benefit wristband for your buck off!

Maiden Rock. Wi. KWNG 106 FM radio will be live all day from Maiden Rock Park, Stop by and say hi, you might end up on the air. Maiden Rock Fire Department as always, will be serving up some fantastic chow you can’t miss. In the park we also have a Official Flood Run Merchandise booth selling Run shirts, Woman’s spaghetti strap shirts, Skull caps and official Flood Run pins. Don’t miss Ole’s Bar where you can get $1.00 off a drink with a Benefit wristband. Very HOT Bartenders! “There will be Karaoke from 5:30 till 10:00″ We are happy to add The Lakeside Bar to the Flood Run. Be sure to stop in say hi and ask about the special they have with your discount wristband. Maureen’s sewing will be selling Official Flood Run patches as always’. Maureen has a huge selection of patches and accessories to check out! She can sew them on for you. Be sure and get yours! Sport Motors Harley-Davidson of Chippewa Falls WI. will be in the park displaying their merchandise. Come and check out several Harley-Davidson and Buell Motorcycles as well as the BRAND NEW Spyder Roadster from BRP. We will have lots of Genuine Harley-Davidson Motor Clothes and Harley Licensed Apparel FROM 10-40% OFF !! Also, stop by and meet Miss Sport Motors. Old Man River Your Benefit Wristband earns a $1.00 off a burger !

Pepin, Wi. This Old Bike™ is one of the official stops. We will be having live entertainment, vendors, food and wrist band discounts. Dave and Sandy Dykema owners of This Old Bike™ Shop in Pepin Wisconsin will be having a fun filled afternoon for all who stop by. We will be having The Love Buzzards playing live Biker Blues/Rock-n-Roll from 11:00 am to 3:00 PM, Vendors Selling Motorcycle Stuff, Mr. Goodies making up Cajun Gumbo and Buffalo Burgers w/ Chiefs Concessions having Hot dogs, Hamburgers and Fries… 50’s Style! Tattooist Slinging Ink with Ralph and Mary’s Bar selling your Favorite Cocktails. Great River Roasters Coffee House will have the very best in Exotic Coffee and Food.

Nelson, Wi. At The Nelson General Store and Deli ~ You get $1.00 off anything on the menu. Ice cream cones are a buck! Do the math! We will miss Ida at The Top Hat Bar! Thoughts are with her family. Stop in and ask for the Flood Run discount and throw one back for Ida! Enter the Back Water’s Restaurant ~ And don’t forget to ask about your Benefit Wristband discount. Fantastic chow at the Lions Club stand! They donate a percentage of sales to Gillette’s Children’s Hospital.

Alma, Wi. At Traxx Restaurant and Bar, get your Benefit Wristband discount of $1.00 off any item in the restaurant. The Burlington in Alma will have a $1.00 off any drink or food item with a benefit wrist band for the flood run. Its the big red brick building just north of the dam. We have great bloody mary’s. Hope to see you there. Have a safe ride.

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….

If anyone has read it and want to give it a review, let me know.

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.

The Famous Key West Sunset

After 4 months of Minnesota’s cold and snow it’s time to escape.   Here’s the skinny on my most recent winter exadous.  The trip included a ride from Miami to Key West, some interesting characters, and alot of pina coladas.    

The Story:  The girlfriend (aka. GF) and I woke up in Miami beach amongst a mob of blue haired crazies. We hopped in a cab to escape another round of shuffleboard and happily paid the driver $70 to drop us off at the hard to find Eagle Rider, Harley rental, of Miami. Once we shook off our nausea from the cab ride we were ready for Jorge (whore-hay) the manager to service us (and by service I mean fit us with beat-up helmets that we opted against wearing due to our foolish bravado). The bike rental process went smoothly and before we knew it we were cruise’n down the Miami interstates on a decked out Electraglide.  Not being accustom to the ammenities of a fullly loaded Electraglide, my GF raved about the throne-like passengers seat and we soon settled in for a sun drenched trip across the ocean.

The first thing we learned is that people on their way to Key West are not in ahurry, which was just fucking fine with us, especially becacuse we were mixing navigation with site seeing. The drive is only 150 miles but we somehow managed to spend an entire day getting from point A to point B. 

 Along the way we discovered that each of the Keys pretty much looks the same and they all have some kick-ass, shack-like bars along the side of the ocean. One of our favs was Hog Heaven where we made fast friends with a dude from Connecticut who was missing his front tooth and claimed to be an amateur porn star – we settled in for a few more beers and listened up.  The take home message from king dong was “don’t do porn – you’ll regret it…. and your girlfriends dad will find it on the internet and hold it against you”. Words to live by my friends. 

The drive to Key West is a series of bridges, the longest of which is 7 miles (I think). On this particular day the sun was out and the bridges were lined with dodgy fishermen and thier mothers. They all seemed like they had been through some career debackle and had now given up the smack and settled in to a life of liesure and happiness.

We met a few more locals on our way to Key West, including a tough chick who was quick to offer us a place to stay so long as we brought our own tent. Fearing a midnight rape, we opted out. 

We found that the locals are a laid back friendly crowd. You can’t help but get the feeling that some of them might have been considered a “little off” back in their days as working folks in the Midwest or New Jersey or wherever they migrated from. But in Key West their quirkiness makes them cool and they make you think that you are crazy for not chucking your ridiculously stressful life to belly up to a bar next to the ocean day in and day out. Believe me, they were convincing. We fantasized more than once about chucking life up in the Driftless Tundra and sharing a beach shack with the porn guy and his old lady (OK not really, but the beach life is hard to resist).

I’m going to rank this venture on two scales: On an overall trip and fun scale it ranks high – like a 9 out of 10. On a motorcycle ride, roads, and scenery scale it ranks lower – like a 5 out of 10. The reason for this is that the Keys are frick’n great. The sun, attractions, and nightlife are great. But the actual route and roads are slow, straight and really busy.

The trip is totally worth doing, but keep in mind that it’s less about riding and more about vacationing.