Retired and Trippin

When we rode away from our motel in Keokuk, IA at 8:00 it was partly cloudy and 68.  In Donnellson, IA we hopped on Hwy 2 westbound.  This is the start of the Iowa Historic Hills Scenic Byway. We rode west and north to Keosauqua, IA, where Chris was born.  We toured the old family spots in town and gassed up the motorcycle. We continued west to Bloomfield, IA.  As we approached the town we noticed what could be a building steeple on the horizon, but it looked different somehow.  We drove into town to find that the steeple of the county courthouse had scaffolding around it.  It was interesting looking. Just west of Bloomfield we rode south to Kirksville, MO, where we had a DQ break.  Our first of the trip.  We then continued south to Brookfield, MO and had a picnic lunch in a park. We continued south to Brunswick, MO and headed west towards home on Hwy 24.  At Carrollton, MO we hopped on Hwy 10.  West of Carrollton we saw places still flooded from earlier this summer. We arriv

Today was a day with family, who are also friends.  We rode from our motel in Keokuk to Deb & Tim’s and hung out with them.  Then we rode back to our motel.  It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day.  We rode a total of 30 miles!  And w e were happy to learn that Mel and Trisha made it home safely. For more photos from today click on the following link: https://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/PicturedRocksMichiganDay9?authuser=0&feat=directlink

When we rode away from Bradley, IL at 8:30 it was sunny and 70 degrees.  The outlook for today was for another great day of riding. We rode west and had lunch at Happy Joe’s in Galesburg, IL.  Mel and Trisha wanted to eat at Happy Joe’s one more time before returning home, where Happy Joe’s does not exist. We continued west and then turned south just short of the Mississippi River.  We crossed the Mississippi into Fort Madison, IA. We rode south on Hwy 61 to Deb and Tim’s.  Deb is Chris’ cousin and very good friend.  Mel and Trisha had the privilege of meeting Deb, Tim, Myrna (Chris’ aunt) and Stub (Myrna’s husband). After the brief family reunion we rode south to Montrose, IA where we picked up the River Road between Montrose and Keokuk, IA. At Keokuk we checked into the Fairfield Inn before returning to Montrose to experience the Watermelon Festival.  The watermelon was larrapin good! Mel, Trisha, Chris, and I returned to Keokuk where we enjoyed a swim in the hotel pool.

We rode away from Muskegon, MI at 8:45.  Skies were clear and it was 70 degrees.  Another beautiful day! We rode south to Holland, MI and visited the Windmill Island Gardens ( http://www.cityofholland.com/windmillislandgardens ).  The grounds were pretty and there was an authentic Dutch windmill that was actually disassembled in the Netherlands, transported to this location, and reassembled.  It is a working windmill that still grinds grain into flour.  The tour was very informative and it was interesting to see how a windmill works. We continued south to South Haven, MI were we visited the marina and took our last look at Lake Michigan (for this trip, anyway).  The wind blowing in from the lake was whipping up some impressive surf.  There were big swells moving from the Lake Michigan end of the channel, down the channel, and into the marina.  It was a very pretty area and we enjoyed a picnic lunch there. Our trip continued south to South Bend, IN.  We rode our magnificent mach

We rode away from our motel in Traverse City, MI at 8:30.  It was 69 and sunny – for a little bit. Hwys 31 and 72 took us west out of Traverse City to Hwy 22 north to 204 west to 22 south to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  In that area we stopped briefly at the beach in Glen Haven, and then we rode the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. where we made stops at the Glen Lake overlook, the dune overlook, and the Lake Michigan overlook.  As you’ll see from the photos, by the time we got to the Lake Michigan overlook we were in pretty heavy fog so our view of the Lake was less than perfect!!!!! We continued south on Hwys 22 and 31.  We stopped at a park where the Platte River flows into Lake Michigan.  It was still a little foggy there.  We stayed on Hwy 31 south. In Frankfort, MI we stopped at the Bayview Grille, where we enjoyed a larrapin good Reuben sandwich. Just south of Hart, MI we rode west away from Hwy 31 to Silver Lake State Park on the shore of Lake Michigan, where w

We left Curley’s Motel at 8:30.  It was sunny and 68 degrees.  We back-tracked going westbound on Hwy 123 to the Tahquamenon Falls – both upper and lower, which are at two different locations.  Both falls were impressive in their own way.  We rented and rowed a boat to an island to view all 5 falls at the lower falls location. After viewing the falls we rode back to Paradise, MI and then rode south on Hwy 123 to Interstate 75.  Just north of the Straits of Mackinac we stopped at a rest area for a picnic lunch. We crossed the toll bridge to the lower part of Michigan and, like in most toll locations, we had to pay extra for having three axles (they count our trailers).  What a hose job! Just south of the bridge we hopped on Hwy 31 south to C66 westbound to Cross Village, MI.  Here we visited Legs Inn.  It is an interesting restaurant specializing in Polish foods.  The grounds are pretty and there are interesting pieces of art (?) and décor inside and outside the restaurant.  We en

We departed Munising, MI at 8:30 under partly cloudy skies with a temperature of 52.  C H I L L Y ! We hopped on county road or park road H58 eastbound through Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore (PRNLS).  We stopped at three scenic locations within PRNLS: the Au Sable Lighthouse (where we walked over 3 miles round trip), the log slide scenic area, and Sable Falls (where we also enjoyed a picnic lunch).  H58 was a nice smooth blacktop with twists and turns through the forest.  It was a beautiful ride. From Grand Marais at the east end of PRNLS we rode south on Hwy 77, east on Hwy 28, north on Hwy 123 to Paradise, MI and then north to Whitefish Point and the Shipwreck Museum.  We visited the museum and the surrounding grounds and then returned to Paradise. We ate dinner at the Little Falls Restaurant and checked into Curley’s Motel, a real classic, with rooms looking out onto Lake Superior. We spent some time lounging outside looking out over Lake Superior before bunking down for t

We left our Super 8 Motel in Green Bay at 8:15 under cloudy skies.  There were a few very light sprinkles before we left . . . . . but after our motorcycle covers were removed . . . . . . so we got to dry off our bikes several times.  It was 62 degrees. We rode by the Packers’ Lambeau Field before departing northbound on Hwy 41 to Menominee, WI.  Hwy 35 took us north to Escanaba, MI along the west shore of Lake Michigan.  We hopped on Hwy 41 north again, then Hwy 67 and 28 to Munising, MI. We had a very average lunch at the Dog Patch Restaurant before settling into our lodging at the Superior Motel (and suites!!!!) in Munising. The highlight of the day was our sunset cruise of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  The wind was blowing in off Lake Superior, which made for choppy waters and a rough ride, but the scenery was great. Another great day of riding, 210 miles.  The high temp was 72 and it was partly cloudy most of the day. For more pictures from today click on the follo

We departed Cedar Rapids, IA at 8:00 am.  It was cloudy and 68 degrees.  Later, at times, it dropped to 66 and for most of the day it was partly cloudy.  A beautiful day! We rode Hwy 151 north and east to Cascade, IA where we gassed up and took some photos of the St. Martins Catholic church, which was built in 1899.  It was an impressive church. Hwy 136 took us north through Dyersville, IA through some pretty Iowa country. In New Vienna, IA we stopped to photograph another beautiful Catholic church, St. Boniface. Hwy 52 and a county road took us to Pikes Peak State Park in northeast Iowa.  There was a great view of the Mississippi River. We hiked a half a mile to Bridal Veil Falls, which ended up being a Little Pisser Falls.  There wasn’t much to it.  In the parking lot of the park we saw a unique trike type vehicle called a Stallion ( http://www.thoroughbred-motorsports.com/ ).  It was steered with a steering wheel.  Chris liked it because it looked like she could nap in the

We met Mel & Trisha at a Quick Trip in Shawnee at 12:45 and departed for the upper peninsula of Michigan.  We were all ready for another motorcycle trip. It was 84 degrees under blue clear skies with no wind.  Gary and Margie were to accompany us on this trip but they had to cancel at the last minute . . . . . what a pisser! We rode north on I-35 to Des Moines, IA, east and north on I-235 through Des Moines, east on I-80, north on Hwy 21, and east on Hwy 6 to the Amana Colonies.  We got gas and took breaks in Bethany, MO and Colfax, IA. We had dinner at The Ronneburg Restaurant in Amana, IA. Their specialty is German food and it was very good.  It originally existed as a communal kitchen in the original Amana Colonies but in 1950 it became a restaurant.  You can read more about it at http://ronneburgrestaurant.com/ . After dinner we rode north on Hwy 151 to Cedar Rapids, IA where we bunked down for the night at the Super 8 Motel. Today we rode 340 miles.  The high temp was