Coop's Corner: 2016 Iowa Moto Guzzi Rally

Sunday, July 10, 2016

2016 Iowa Moto Guzzi Rally

Some corn, some beans, a fence post and the red bike. I was out the door around 6AM Friday morning, this time not on a Guzzi but I did at least manage to get the Country of Origin correct.

An absolutely perfect morning to be out, nice enough for me to get an "Eleven Over" infraction; thank you for your kindness and flexibility Officer Tom.

It was just after 9:30 when I rolled into the Elkader City Park and I was thirsty, started with the coffee and then later moved on to a 50:50 mix of lemonade and iced tea.

And 2 cookies.....

Setup went fast down in the far corner of the grounds and it was soon time to start exploring the equipment and see which friends at already arrived. Mike, Dave and Dan were already there on Thursday.

Dan and Dave loaded up the dogs and sidecars so that we could head over towards the river and Guttenberg. Enjoying the shade as well as the fact that the river was flowing by, it was time for lunch so we stopped at Joe's. No ice cream though.

Eric and Jeff did their very best to communicate the fact that they'd soon be in town to me but apparently I was oblivious to their plans. It worked out in the end though and our pokiness gave those two guys time to show up in town just before we'd left.

A nice loop down through Osterdock, Colesburg, Eastwood, Strawberry Point, a quick sashay over to Volga and then a trip up, over and along the ridge on Hwy 56 back down into Elkader.

I saw a lot of cool bikes though missed the Suzuki Mike W. told me about, missed the Hercules as well.

These young cheepers forced a major change in the strategic placement of the food line but an adjustment was made and Johnson's fine catering managed to persevere, much to the delight of all. No one went without, even the little cheepers; mom was in and out of there non-stop.

Saturday morning, it was surprisingly time for food again.....and photos.

I took off on my own over towards the river. Everyone else was crossing on the ferry and I didn't want to be left out. There on the west (Iowa) side for the first trip of the day, we had quite a wait. The ferry was over at the Cassville ramp and as I was later told, the Signal Call Box hadn't yet been put in place, so we patiently waited for the load to fill on the other side.

This Iowa HD couple was first, I was next in line.

The ferry is downriver, just behind the tall grass at the right of photo.

Once we were all loaded, the Deck Hand two-wheeled the Call Box over in place.

By the time we loaded, some more rally-goers had arrived for the trip to Wisconsin.

I've seen this a dozen times now, here and on the Missouri River but it's fascinating every time to see it happen.

I circled down through Potosi, crossed the river at Dubuque and took US 20 up top as far as Peosta, then headed north via some very Fine and Dandy roads towards Balltown. I've been to Five Points and Boy Scout Road before, will be there again.

The overlook at Balltown (no Breitbach's this time). Down Iowa's famous C9Y, back into Guttenberg and then a nice long stop at the park and a very much deserved Raspberry cone at Joe's.

Back to the campground, on with the shorts and sandals, a summery flavored beverage or two and some discussion time around ye old Circle of Chairs.

The Suzuki was back.....

The kids were busy on these scooters all weekend, making the loops through the campground and naturally, standing up gets tiring after a time......

Steve's Quota......

Rob's RX-3 was of course there......

Omni present Bob.....

The local Pork Producers were busy out back doing up our Pork Chop Dinner and that means.....

the Pork Queen and Dairy Princess were there to help serve as well.

Randy and Louise with personalized plates......

Mike was once again gracious enough to let me take one of his machines out for a spin and now I'm more enthused than ever about owning a rig.....I may not even hold out for one of those Russian models.

At 7:45 we had to be lined up for the Sheriff-led parade through town.

The Queen and Princess were going to join us this time. What good are sidecars if you can't take a passenger along once in awhile? I know the Princess had candy to throw, I was too far back to know if the Queen had some too.

Action shots of the parade in progress....

After the parade I went up to fill with gas and thought it wise to get one more photo with Goosi.

As of last night, the forecast was great but this morning early I saw Special Weather Statement on my phone. Further checking revealed a horseshoe-shaped blob of red, heading our way. We waited for awhile and then finally decided to head for home. Other than a couple of pulses of wind, we only rode through some moderate rain and not long after I got back into Minnesota, the rain stopped and the sun returned.

Rod and I finishing up our loading as the far corner of the grounds was emptying out.

Sort of the parade route.....downtown Elkader.

My Iowa loops......

The Trip in total......just under 590 miles for me.

11 comments:

EricJuly 10, 2016 at 8:22 PM
My most enjoyable rally so far! Great people
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redlegsridesJuly 11, 2016 at 8:02 AM
Resistance is futile, join us on the hack side.... :)
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TrobairitzJuly 11, 2016 at 4:42 PM
It sound like they keep everyone well fed at the rally. Must keep the energy up for all that riding.

Bummer about the "performance award" guess it was just your turn.

Still can't decide if I like that Suzuki Gladius or not........
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VStar LadyJuly 11, 2016 at 7:33 PM
You folks out there just seem to have too much fun. Glad you missed the weather - hope that keeps up, north of you looks pretty nasty right now.
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Speed BumpJuly 11, 2016 at 8:58 PM
I enjoyed your blog of the Motto Guzzi Rally in Elkader...great 2 days...your pictures are also awesome and really covered all the adventures of the event.
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"it was auspicious to approach any situation from a deferential, inquisitive place. Conceding that there is much to learn is the best blueprint for discovering something new." ----B. Fuller

The Man straightened stiffly above the block of salt fixed to the stake and looked at the young cattle ringed about him. The pasture was holding out well and the stock was looking good. This bunch would be ready to sell in another month, maybe sooner if the market was right.

A stir among the cattle down near the river brought him round to face the swinging bridge he'd built years before. Someone was coming toward him from the bridge. Someone in breeches, but it didn't look like a man, somehow. What was a woman doing in his pasture this time of night?

He bent over the salt again; maybe if he paid her no heed she'd go on past and let him mind his own business. He heard her footsteps come nearer and stop. "Good evening," she said.

Her voice was smooth with book learning but friendlier than most, and somehow almost shy. When he made no answer she went on, "I've been sitting on your swinging bridge....I thought I'd like to say thank-you...." Her voice stumbled a little, then she tried once more.

"You are Mr. ____". His name sounded strange in her voice, but she went on to tell her own.

"That's what they've called me the last sixty-eight years," he said, looking past her face to the hills fast darkening under a single star. "I reckon the woods are free for those that like to walk there."

The unfamiliar voice laughed a little. "That's what Emerson said: the grove belongs to the man who walks in it with an open heart....On that basis I guess I've owned part of your woods for a good many years.....". She made a final effort. "I've always wanted to thank you....."

Something deeply hidden stirred in him. "There's a stump up there, in the notch of the woods", he said slowly, "that before the timber grew so tall you could stand on it and see all over this country."

He kept still a minute, remembering, then, "I used to stand up there an' look at things, an' wonder how they come to be like they was, an' how the hills was created, an' all the things in Nature.... I told my wife I guessed all the religion I ever had I got standin' on that old stump, a-wonderin'..." He turned his face away from her.

She helped him out. "I know about that, a little. This afternoon I saw......." Her account of a thing she had really taken time to look at eased him, and he answered with telling of the badger den at the foot of the swinging bridge.

When she had gone, he turned to watch her. After a moment she stood clear and unmoving against the sky. You could hear the sounds of the river where she stood. She was one that could stand still long enough, he thought, really to hear what a body was saying, or a river.

Then she walked down the farther side of the slope and was gone. ------Margaret Snyder from A Chosen Valley

Fall was the end of harvest, end of the growing season, a burst of color and sun-warmth before killing frost turned the land gray and cold. Fall was a moody time, full of both life and death, a time when we were reminded of the power outside of us, reminded that the seasons happen to us. We do not invite the change to come.-------Ben Logan, from The Land Remembers

When you get those rare moments of clarity, those flashes when the universe makes sense, you try desperately to hold onto them. They are the lifeboats for the darker times, when the vastness of it all, the incomprehensible nature of life is completely elusive. So the question becomes or should have been all along, what would you do if you knew you only had one day, or one week, or one month to live. What lifeboat would you grab onto? What secret would you tell? What band would you see? What person would you declare your love to? What wish would you fulfill? What exotic locale would you fly to for coffee? What book would you write? ------- Ben Tyler

We were also cautioned about journeying far from home. As an example of the dangers, the town had a badly crippled lady named Lucy, who as a girl had traveled to New York City. As she traveled along a sidewalk, sightseeing, she was struck by the outstretched hand of a suicide who had leapt from high above. Her spine had been shattered and for the rest of her life, she was to walk bent forward at the waist, tapping the sidewalk with two black canes. Whenever the subject of travel to a big city was raised, someone would say, "Just remember what happened to Miss Tripp." ---- Ted Kooser, from Local Wonders

"Steamboats are like wedding cakes without the complications...." ----Mark Twain

"It's not about having lots of money, it's about having lots of options......." -----Chris Rock

As the very proud father of three former ponytail wearers, hopefully I can get away with this....."For the past few years it's been fashionable for young women to wear ball caps and to snap the strap on the back under their ponytails. I like the looks of that, their shiny ponytails jauntily swinging, but it's hard not to think of the rear ends of horses. There's a piece of harness called the crupper that goes just under a horse's tail to keep its nose down. If the horse lifts its head to look for a way out of whatever predicament it's in, the crupper tightens and hurts the horse. But it's foolish for parents to think that a ball cap might keep a young woman from running away. Anybody can see they're made for running." ------Ted Kooser, Local Wonders

"I tell the guy's girlfriend that the only difference between the book's main character Phaedrus and myself is that I am neither brilliant, tortured or insane, she looks at my bike and there is an uncomfortable silence." --------ahendepe (a.k.a. Vermin)