Sunday morning ride

[bajakirch]

I've been gone much of the last week helping out at my son's summer camp. So I purposefully left today open, as I knew SOQS would have a lengthy honey-do list. And, with weather predicted to be gorgeous, I wasn't going to get a break there, either.

I know that SOQS normally sleeps in til about 9:00 on the weekends. So I figured that, if I got up early, I could squeeze in a couple hours of riding before the indentured servitude began. I set the alarm for 6:30 with a goal to be on the road by 7:00. I only missed the mark by about 10 minutes.

So here is my mighty steed, warmed up and ready for departure:



I took off north out of town with the intention of picking up a quick photo-tag for the 2011 Side Game first. Coming home from a restaurant the other night I caught sight of a donkey in a nearby field. About 3 miles out of town my elevation dropped and I hit the notorious Wisconsin River fog. It was thick as pea soup and soon my helmet shield fogged up, inside and out. Chances of seeing the donkey, much less snapping a picture of it with my cell phone's crappy camera, were pretty much out the window. I flipped up my mostly opaque helmet shield, but that just caused my sunglasses to start collecting moisture. In the end, I ended up riding at about 30 mph with my shield up, my sunglasses pushed down my nose, viewing the road through a thin slit between the two to keep the wind from making my eyes water, and expecting at any moment to catch a bug in the eye and be blinded.

After a few miles I swung away from the river and the sun quickly burned back the fog. I stopped, cleared my sunglasses and faceshield, and continued on.

I needed to get over to the east side of Madison and decided to swing through northern Dane County on some roads I hadn't tried before. I was glad I did. I found a stretch of county highway that was a great ride. Lots of twists and turns, some hills and some great views along the way. I was enjoying the ride so much I forgot to stop and snap any photos.

45 minutes into my ride, I pulled into a gas station to check my map. I realized it was a place I'd seen while traveling on the nearby Interstate 94 hundreds of times, but I'd never taken the exit to check it out. Here's what catches one's attention:


I swear Officer, I haven't touched a drop!

A short bit of slabbing later and I swung by a truck stop for this photo-tag:

[bajakirch]

Then I headed into the city. Specifically, I visited one of the communities in which I spend a lot of time driving around in circles as part of my second job. As I was figuring out where I could get some of the newer photo-tags, I realized several could be covered in this area.

So I snagged a rail yard:



and a beach (look closely and you can make out the State Capitol across the lake):



This community is also where the Governor's Residence (they officially stopped called it the 'Mansion' a few years ago, for PR purposes) is located. Here's a pic in front of it. Given all the, uh...notoriety our governor has received lately, they've stepped up security at the Rez. So I figure there were a lot more cameras pointed my direction than vice-versa.



Thanks to the item in front, I have no need for the services in back:



Then it was time for me to start looping my way back home.

[bajakirch]

I took a few back roads home just to avoid the ones I ride all the time. I came up a rise to a beautiful view. I stopped and snapped a picture. That hump in the background is Blue Mound, the second highest point in our state. There's a great road that lead to the top of it. If I ever mount a video camera on my bike, that will be my first video ride report.



I came out on the local state highway and turned for home. I passed Wallace Keller's residence. He was a local scrap metal artist who tragically died in a tractor accident about 2 years ago. He's well-known in these parts for his larger-than-life metal sculptures, and especially for this:


Hmmm...I wonder if HP & Burgi will let this slide as my 'suit of armor'?

It's hard to make out in this photo, but in the background you can see one of his more famous creations, Peg Leg Peete. There are also several dinosaurs.

Now I was getting within spitting distance of home, but I swung off the main road for a quick shot. This is Vermont Lutheran Church, nestled in the hills of western Dane County. It has to be one of the more picturesque churches I've seen. The members of the church have a lot of pride in it, and have kept it looking great, inside and out. I didn't want to get any closer because a service was in session and, on a morning like this, they probably had the windows open. I didn't want the idling of my bike to disturb things.



10 minutes later I was back in my driveway. I was refreshed and felt really good about my ride. The bike held up well and gave me no problems, as usual. I parked the bike back in the garage, gave here a pat and headed into the house. I was now actually looking forward to spending the rest of the day with SOQS, helping her out with some of her projects.

[fishball]

Great report Baja.  I've never saw that elephant off of 94.  Which exit is that near?  Love the view of Blue Mound and the capitol across the lake... great memories for me.

[ariwhiteboy]

Very nice report Baja, glad you got to enjoy your weekend! 

[hppants]

Nice RR, Baja - thanks for sharing.

What's the story behind the elephant?

[bajakirch]

That's the Hwy V exit off 94 (DeForest). I don't really know the story behind the elephant other than that it's been there at least as long as I've been driving (nearly 30 years). I did read something once that said the original elephant was made of pink-painted car tires.

[NightHawked]

Baja great way to start the day, nice report. Bike always looks like you detailed it prior to.

[JB1290]

Great report. Thanks for sharing.

[bajakirch]

Baja great way to start the day, nice report. Bike always looks like you detailed it prior to.

Nice of you to say that. I'd call it one of those 20-footers; looks really good from 20 feet away. Up close, it could use some serious cosmetic work. Next winter's project is a recovering of the seat, which is split in 3 places now and is being held together with black Gorilla tape.

[luckylindy]

Wisconsin is looking good.  I would switch this Texas heat for WI weather.

[roadrunner]

Nice ride report and pics Baja ... thanks!!  Sometimes you just gotta "carve" out some time for the bike .. 

[talespin]

Wisconsin is looking good.  I would switch this Texas heat for WI weather.

Exactly - my years in Santa Fe and Portland completely eradicated my memory of how hot 108º days are, especially when you've got 7 or 8 of them in a row.   

Nice trip, baja, I envy you. Everywhere I ride here is about 30 different shades of brown.

[bajakirch]

Wisconsin is looking good.  I would switch this Texas heat for WI weather.

It's all relative. I'd say the same in reverse order come January.

I just met a guy that runs a successful investment firm in Houston. He started coming up here in the summers to visit family and get away from the Texas heat. His family liked it enough that they moved here while he kept his job in TX. He now 'commutes' to Houson; he'll work from home for a couple of weeks, then travel back south for 2-3 more.

Come to think of it, my former neighbor moved here from Texas too. They got tired of spending all summer indoors. Similar story -- visited family and ended up liking it so much they moved here.

I envy you. Everywhere I ride here is about 30 different shades of brown.

SOQS would love to move to a desert climate. My biggest objection to that is this very issue. Every time I go to the Southwest, I'm taken aback by the lack of color. Tan, tan and more tan.

We took the kids on a family trip to Montana a few years back. We drove, and it wasn't long before they were asking where all the green was. I took it as an opportunity to remind them how lucky they were to live in an area with easy access to fresh water. I have a first-class trout stream across the street from my house; I can count the number of times my kids have made use of it in the 15 years we've lived here on one hand.

[fishball]

I love Wisconsin and prefer it over a desert climate but not all arid land is devoid of color.  Here are some pics of the Sedona, AZ area.

[bajakirch]

I think I drove that same road when I visited Sedona a few years back. Beautiful country.

And WI is all picturesque now, but we have to remember that, around late November, we pretty much go from color to black-and-white.

[hppants]

Fishball - that creekside Fall picture is fantastic.  I liked it last Fall, and I like it now.  It's intriqing how the leafy trees grow along the creek, where more water is available, and when their leaves turn, they provide the color along the creek.  The conifers, which don't need much water, stick to the hill sides.

Really cool shot.

  (sorry Baja)

[fishball]

By the way Baja I know it would be a bit of a ride for you but if you get a chance take a scoot up to Holy Hill for some nice roads, a breakfast at the church and some great photography opportunities.  It is particularly beautiful in the fall.

[bajakirch]

That's a great idea for a ride. Maybe once JB recovers we can meet up for a ride over that way. I'm so close to the driftless area that I sometimes forget there are some good rides to the east as well.

[fishball]

There are some good spots in the east but the roads and scenery are much better in the west.  If you really want an epic ride try the Great River Road and make sure you travel through Wyalusing State Park.

[bajakirch]

The GRR is definitely on my to-do list, and I've camped at Wyalusing once a year for about the last 6 years. In fact, if I find a way to squeeze in my first weekend MC camping adventure yet this year, I've been thinking of heading that way.

Here are a few shots from last year's trip to Wyalusing State Park:

The Wisconsin River coming in from the north:



The joining of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers:



And I found this guy when I was breaking down my tent. I didn't even know we had these in WI:

[fishball]

That first shot is spectacular and reminds me why I like Wyalusing so much.

[OhCrap]

Awesome pictures, I really like the one with the praying mantis!

[JB1290]

I can tell you one thing, Baja...you have way better areas for great RR's up there in Dane County than down here in Kenosha. Unfortunately, the population and traffic here has skyrocketed so bad that it seems like I need to ride at least an hour away before it even remotely becomes enjoyable.   

[hockeyhawk]

Nice report and pics baja.