Sunday, May 3, 2020

End Of April


Monday after work, a really enjoyable loop around Lake Pepin.


Downtown Stockholm, Wisconsin.


Across the new bridge in Red Wing and what little remains of the old bridge.


Point no Point on the Minnesota side, where the river makes a big turn.



Friday was destined to be an all day ride, even with the good chance of rain forecast and I had no plans to waste it.  I didn't make a Route but knew a general area that I wanted to travel toward.  Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls were sort of 'in my way'...big city riding is not something I seek but then I'm not afraid of it either.  As I was approaching the Eau Claire suburbs, I passed the Huntsinger Farms horseradish facility.  They are the world's largest producer of horseradish.

It was then that it dawned on me to go downtown, or at least deep into the UW Eau Claire campus, Water Street.  I remember that evening in 1981 very well and wanted to revisit The Joynt.  We had a good time in an amazing venue at a place with years and years worth of music history.


The establishment on the left, Closed For Cleaning.  That night in December, 1981 people were lined up on the sidewalk and around the corner to see Blossom Dearie.


From there, lots of traffic and stoplights, my goal to head north on Hwy 124.  Not only through Eau Claire but through their adjacent city of Chippewa Falls as well.  Little did I know that I'd be passing my favorite brewery.


I did recognize a couple of spots along the way but didn't directly connect with where I was.  County E, Rustic Road #6.  This was the ride for the day, a great 264 miles.


I stopped here, just like I had on the TW200 back in October 2017.


Same stop sign.





What I look for on the GPS.....squiggles.



I was all set to eat lunch right here but the sky was getting dark to the west and there were already enough wet sections on the sandy/gravel road.  I decided to head for Cornell to see if I couldn't find some shelter for my lunch preparation.



Local park shelter in town....Cornell was named for Ezra Cornell, one of Western Union's founders.  An owner of large timber tracts in in the area, upon his death, they were an endowment for Ivy League Cornell.


According to Wikipedia, this is the lone surviving pulp wood stacker, last used in 1972



 My view from the picnic table.  Geese provided entertainment.




It brightened up so I went back to finish what I'd started.







I remembered and recognized this classic barn right away from my last ride here.  I proceeded down this road off of County M and before long came upon, ROAD CLOSED.  I went on anyway.



I was thinking...."stay on that ridge of grass, cross the bridge, more grass and....".  I've got a fantastic photo of the TW200 in this spot but back then, the lake was tamed and staying where it belonged.


In the end, I turned around and had to get one more shot of the barn.


Not far from Careyville.


Mike, here's another area demanding caution.



My 2nd Rustic Road of the day.


Lake Pepin Friday evening, almost home.


Saturday, we were fortunate to have Nich and Hanna come down from Mpls.  Some great food on the grill and then a sourdough bread extravaganza. 


Getting multiple ingredients together for four loaves of sourdough.


Thanks Cheryl for the gifts!  Already being used and appreciated.



Sunday Nich and Hanna had spent the night and then it was a sourdough baking morning.


There was a plain loaf, this chocolate chip loaf...


Rosemary/garlic and finally a white cheddar/dill.  I've got to say the rosemary/garlic my favorite but they're all good.  You just can't beat any of them toasted after they've aged a bit.



Finally, a nice 95 mile'r on the Himalayan this afternoon.  A couple of very windy days but still nice to be out in the freshest air.


Ready for another Lock Down week around here, hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy.  Those of us that gather around campfires w/motorcycles are planning....for ways and places to gather.









8 comments:

  1. Nice ride photos. Really pretty area though I don’t know how you keep all those roads straight.

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    1. Thanks Richard, the roads seem to be one of the few things I can keep track of...that started early.

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  2. No one well ever starve at Cooperville….. :)

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  3. Yep, nice pics of a puttering ride....I too don’t fear big city riding but don’t seek it out either.....

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    1. Odds change I believe and frequency makes a difference too. Thanks Dom, no SW panoramics here.

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  4. Love the concept of a "Rustic Road". Up here we just call it "dirt". Bread looks great.

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    1. Thank you sir. Wisconsin has a program, residents can suggest adding scenic, historic, lovely, etc. roads to their Rustic Road System. When there were just over 100, I had ridden slightly over half. Those I'd missed were primarily in NE Wisconsin and the remainder around more urban parts of the SE.

      The state, at least was, handing out Certificates for easy proof of roads visited. My friend Kevin (in MN) was offering patches to those that had done 100. Paved and gravel/sand both, connecting them all is the best part for me.

      We are bread-rich this week and I'm just nibbling at it, not my choice but the silly doctor's.

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