Rustic Roads

[cheesy]

I first heard about this Rustic Roads thing late last year. http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/safety/...usticroads.htm

As friend Dave and I were both free of the wimmin folk today, we tried our luck at hitting the 10 today.

6:30am in my little town. Dave has a 1983 GL650.


Potty stop in Harvard, IL. Dave's friend, Jarrod, rode with us to Walworth, WI. He has a new Yamaha SR400.


First Rustic Road, Snake Rd, west of Lake Geneva, WI. Dave's smiling face then my mug.



There's nine more of each of those, so I won't bore you guys with those. But there were others.

This is what a lot of the scenery was like. Quiet, little traveled roads.



How often do you see a Ford GT-40 at a small town gas station?


It weren't all fun and games, though. At the third Rustic Road foto-op, I dropped the Maggot. I set the side stand down, shut down the engine, and started to get off just as the side stand folded up. I rode it down, breaking the fall with my left ham string and the clutch lever. Much cussing ensued as I untangled myself from the bike. Dave helped me stand her back up. The pain in the back of my leg is telling me it isn't a pulled muscle. It's a tear, AGAIN. (If I had a couple of bucks for every torn ham string muscle I've had, I could buy a big lunch). I ignore the pain and check out the bike. Other than the clutch lever being a bit shorter, there is no damage. Phew!


I grit my teeth and we pressed on, getting our 10th and final road in by noon. The last road dumps us into the area I grew up. We stop for lunch and then I take every short cut I know that gets us back into home territory in less than 90 minutes.

176 miles for me and 202 for Dave. The pain has eased somewhat, but will be a whole new experience tomorrow. A new clutch lever and cable will be here by mid week.

[Weldangrind]

Congrats on breaking the bike's fall, although bummer about your injury. I hope you heal quickly.

I'm in love with Jarrod's bike.

[cheesy]

I liked Jarrod's bike, too, but the lack of electric start at my age is probably a deal breaker. It does look comfortable, though.

I'll heal, I always have. I rode the Maggot into work this morning. It was easier to ride that than to push the clutch in on the Jeep.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for posting the nice ride report. I'm sorry to hear about your fall, but I'm glad you are recovering well.

[cheesy]

Just a bit of a twinge tonight, enough to remind me it's there.

This was also the first long ride with the windshield mounted in it's happy place and not coming loose. 60.6mpg. Best ever.

[SpudRider]

[cheesy]

Got my patch yesterday along with a nice letter from the Wisconsin DOT.

[Weldangrind]

So cool! I love how some States really encourage stuff like that. I really appreciate that WA and OR have designated off-road parks available, which is virtually unheard of where I live.

[culcune]

That is great (the overall ride and the Rustic Road idea in general--obviously not the fall!!!), especially the patch!!! I grew up in Chicago up until we moved in '79 to L.A. when I was 10, but for several years prior we had friends in the Salvation Army who introduced us to the Salvation Army family camps in Wisconsin. I remember Army Lake camp and Camp Wonderland. Army Lake is near Milwaukee, but not sure where Camp Wonderland is (was?). Someone on youtube who posted a video of the historic trolley that ran in front of Army Lake confirmed that the camp is still there, and the spot that he happened to film on Army Lake Road still looks the exact same as it did in '78, the last time I was there!

The point of my ramble is that Wisconsin seems to have the same 2-lane highways that I remember from my youth, and the state is even proud of that! I will suggest this idea to Arizona considering we have plenty of rustic roads, including the old Route 66! Great idea, and even looks doable on Chinese bikes.

[cheesy]

Holy cow, culcune. Camp Wonderland is in Camp Lake, WI. I grew up on the east side of the lake in Trevor. Last I knew, it was still a going affair.

[culcune]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Holy cow, culcune. Camp Wonderland is in Camp Lake, WI. I grew up on the east side of the lake in Trevor. Last I knew, it was still a going affair.

That is a wonderful coincidence! I fondly remember learning how to fish at Army Lake, but having far better luck at Camp Wonderland (I should ask my parents who are now in their late 70's if we went to both camps every summer or switched off every summer).

I remember one summer, my grandparents came to visit from England. My grandfather was a London cab driver and very 'English' and wanted a pub. Of course, the Salvation Army are not a drinker's best friend. But we ended up going to a bar or pub nearby in one of the towns near Wonderland, and my parents jokingly hoped that one of the staff members wasn't going to drive by and see us there, LOL.

You guys from Wisconsin have reminded me of what a great state Wisconsin was (yes, still is, but 'was' for me). This thread really solidified that, and sometime in the near future, since I should start considering making a 'bucket list' since I am hitting 45 this year, that I will definitely add this Rustic Road patch to the list!! On a Chinese bike

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

So cool! I love how some States really encourage stuff like that. I really appreciate that WA and OR have designated off-road parks available, which is virtually unheard of where I live.

Believe it or not, California has several off-road parks throughout the state, although they are quite strict with what bikes you can ride there (the whole red sticker vs. green sticker thing).

[Weldangrind]

Since WA is only 35 blocks away for me, I'm going to explore the State. I love it there.

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Since WA is only 35 blocks away for me, I'm going to explore the State. I love it there.

I would love to explore the northwest US and into Canada.

BTW, since you are so close to the border, can you warn me when you start seeing the snowbirds heading south, LOL

[cheesy]

The best 'pubs' in the Camp Lake area are long gone. The one across the Soo Line tracks from the grocery store burned down probably 35 years ago. Good food. The other was on the NE side of the lake and was called 'Marchucks Resort'. Originally, a vacation spot for folks coming up from Chicago, it had cabins and boats for rent. The cabin biz was pretty much was done when we moved there in '59. As kids, we would scrounge pop bottles and take them to the bar for the deposits and then hit their arcade to play pinball machines with our fortune in nickles. Best Friday Fish Fry in the area.

Camp Wonderland was in the town of Camp Lake but located on the western shore of Center Lake. I'd swim and water ski on that lake.

I'm headed to Northern Wisconsin this weekend with the camper and might borrow my BILs KLR650 and scope out some Rustic Roads in the Hayward area. Maybe get some lefsa and pasties, too. I'd go back to Wisconsin in a heart beat when I retire, if they wouldn't tax my wife's pension. Not much chance of that happening, so I'll just have to visit.

I wonder if Wisconsin's current governor will soon be sharing a cell with our ex-governor.