Monday, August 5, 2013

Wisconsin Moto Guzzi Rally 2013

I was there.  Taking Friday off, it was a relatively early start on a cool, lovely early August morning.

The ol' Ascot (TranZalp) with Lake Pepin, the wide spot in the Mississippi River.


I met Dave down in LaCrescent, MN and we stayed on the west side of the river, taking a break just north of Marquette, IA.


Pretty sure Louie is wondering why anyone in their right mind would ride that thing to a Moto Guzzi Rally.


Half of the attendees in this photo are from Nebraska, one real member of the Wisconsin MG club and one from MO?


John once again trailer-less.....


Thankfully, we're all quite neighborly.....


I got a short ride in Dave's CSM sidecar....


The private Lake Joy......


Registration for new arrivals....


A panorama view of the main 'upper area' grounds; the 24/7 beer trailer featured at the beginning.


We three rode up to Highland,  WI for breakfast at Grandma's Kitchen.  I'd have taken a photo but my lens wasn't wide enough to cover the plate.


Besides Dave's sidecar rig, Rick was there with his 750 Breva, an actual Guzzi at the rally.


Both on the way to and then again from breakfast, we found lots of up/down, narrow lefts and rights blacktop.  Here we stopped at The Big M.



After lunch with some friends in Mineral Point, the 3 of us headed out for another loop, this time down to the river at Potosi Point, a man-made narrow peninsula stretching for what seems like half way across the wide river.  Once used as a way to access deeper water for loading the area's mined lead into boats, now it serves as a convenient boat launch and fishing spot.


Some Guzzi's and an Italian infiltrator.


A new, modern Adventure bike (non-Guzzi) in the background with a machine (Guzzi) that normally would have seen more than its share of Adventure in its day.


The Traditional decorated and well-lit Golf Cart Parade on Saturday night, put on by the campground's seasonal campers.  I  heard someone counting but lost track, though I believe there were 20 or so carts.


The parade was led by this Lead Dog cart, complete with air horn (loud) and flames shooting out the two exhaust stacks (bright).


A really fun rally, 624 miles on the Honda, fine rides down and home again.  Though friend Gene didn't attend the entire rally, he stopped by on Saturday afternoon to share lunch with us and it was very much appreciated.  This Madison group of Guzzi Rider's work tirelessly to make sure that we attendees never get hungry or dry during our stay; they truly put on an incredible gathering for just over 200 people.

16 comments:

  1. Golf cart parade??? It all looks like great fun.

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    1. Our region's privately owned campgrounds seem to have evolved from weekend places for mobile setups to permanently parked, larger trailers and even small cabins, both of which will most likely never move again. 3 season use by families of multiple generations, there are yard sheds for storage, decks, structural awnings, etc. The vehicles of choice for getting around, visiting the neighbors, heading to the pool, transport to the wi-fi/game rooms seem to be golf carts and other side-by-side vehicles.

      There are 4 wheeled vehicles constantly on the move.

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  2. What's a "guzzi"?

    Anyway, looks like a fun time!

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    1. Deb,
      A guzzi is short for Moto Guzzi (Gute' zee), an Italian motorcycle name that has been around for a long time. The joke has been and we're reminded of it on some of the T-shirts...."Moto Guzzi - Going out of business for 32 years". Like so many other Italian entities, long term ownership of industrial companies has been very sporadic.

      It was a rally put on by the Madison, WI Moto Guzzi Club and there were lots of them present last weekend, though folks (like me) show up on other brands as well. So far we all seem to be welcome.

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  3. Moto Guzzi, in Europe known as Italian Harley (that was at a time when you would spend more time wrenching than riding...)
    I have always been a Guzzi admirer but I rather ride a Harley, as it is more reliable ;-)

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    1. A fair comparison...at least for now. :) They DO both have V-twins, but then my Honda is configured that way too.

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  4. Another well spent weekend. I hope we have another chance to cross paths and meet.

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    1. Thanks Martha, it was well spent my all of my definitions.

      We'll make it happen. I plan to get back down into your neighborhood more than once yet this riding season.

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  5. What a fun weekend. I was wondering how it went.

    It looks like you had some great weather and great riding with friends too. The golf cart parade looks interesting. Who knew there would be that many there. Nifty idea.

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    1. We really did have fun. Generalizations are always just that, but as a rule, the Guzzi gatherings seem to be just a shade more laid back and more cordial.

      The cart parade was just a fraction of the machines on premises. I meant to go and actually count the number of units in the park but did not....there are lots of families that spend much time there. It seems many people that once "went up north to the cabin" are now doing it this way.

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  6. Another rally! BTW, the video you have in the post is private so it can't be viewed.

    You don't have a Guzzi stashed with all of the other bikes?

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    1. I've got reservations or strong plans to attend two more and at least another event or two. Thanks for the note about the video, I had no idea. It should be fixed now.

      No Guzzi now but be patient. :)

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  7. Wow! Sounds great fun! We are looking forward to some Guzzi events! Thanks for popping by.

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    1. I'll be watching for your report on Guzzi events and any others that you attend as well. I spend time with folks that you might meet over there on the Isle of Man as well.

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  8. Wait... Wait...

    Did I read 24/7 Beer Cart?

    Shoot. Think they would be OK with it if a Triumph showed up next year?

    Looks like an awesome time!

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  9. You in fact did. There must have been half a dozen Tigers; the owner of the campground rides a '69 Trophy.

    I wouldn't miss it if I were you.

    In two weeks we'll be at Money Creek Haven Campground for the MN Moto Guzzi Rally and you should be there as well. Not sure what I'm riding yet but expect to make it Friday evening.

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