Mission: North Dakota

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Day 1 - Riding the Driftless Area - Baraboo, WI to Red Wing, MN Sunday June 26, 2022.

Technically, Cheryl and I started in Middleton, WI, some 35 miles southeast of Baraboo where our cohorts spent the night.


Our view from the hotel. If you zoom, you can see our bikes under a tree in the middle parking row on the left side of the photo, but then again, is seeing two blurry bikes parked under a tree really worth the effort?

I use a number of weather apps on motorcycle trips: Accuweather, Storm Radar, and Highway Weather. Highway Weather allows users to input a rough point-to-point route, average speed, and the approximate departure day/time and then provides the forecast at various points along the route at the eta at those points. It's pretty slick especially combined with data from the other apps I and others in my riding groups use. I think there's a subscription fee on Highway Weather, but it's worth the small charge for me.

All sources' forecasts for the day seemed perfect; high temperatures along the route in the lower 70s, no rain. There were some higher winds predicted, but nothing that would be particularly irritating. What I didn't know was that The Ferret doesn't like being cold and headed out of Ohio packed with warm weather gear based upon the earlier forecasts for the week of temperatures near 90 daily. An understandable calculation on his part, but a calculation I didn't need to make since I'd likely be in my lightest gear whether the thermometer read 65 or 95.


The Ferret, someplace in Wisconsin. It may be hard to tell in this picture, but he's a bit more crouched than usual due to the cool and strong 20mph winds.

Cheryl and I hightailed it (aka rode the four-lane US12) from Middleton to Baraboo. We topped off our tanks just before getting to Glen's house so as to make the remaining 225 miles to Red Wing, MN with only one gas stop. The guys were ready to go and we were pleased to learn that Glen, who is dealing with a bad back, felt well enough to lead us out of Baraboo. He hoped to ride out about 50 miles to Wildcat Mountain State Park, mostly following a route along WI-33.


This is the scenic route out of Baraboo. Glen is leading, I was in the second spot, and Ferret, Offroad, and Cheryl in that order, were following. Cheryl does an excellent job in the "sweep" position. Being able to communicate with her via our Cardo units was a great help all week.

I picked WI-33 as our main route for traversing southwest Wisconsin because it's a good combination of curves and speed and it would take us relatively quickly to Wildcat Mountain where the road gets quite a bit more technical. In planning our 6 riding days, I tried to plot routes that had a certain amount of directness combined with either some scenic/technical roads or, in the absence of those, points of interest/roadside attractions to keep things interesting. 33 through Wildcat Mountain State Park would fall into the "technical" category with a couple of switchbacks and a few tight turns. It will never be mistook for the Tail of the Dragon, but it will capture a rider's attention. Unfortunately, the road is in need of repaving which reduced the enjoyment of this pretty and snaky few miles.

At a stoplight in LaValle, Glen asked if he could take us on a "detour". The weather being good and with everyone being fresh, I gave him the OK and we took a couple of county roads that looped and curved over the Wisconsin farmland and eventually dropped us back on 33 and just a short hop to Wildcat Mountain.


I don't know if our other on-bike photographer captured any shots from Wildcat. If so, he should feel free to add them to this thread. All I have is this screenshot to show how 33 bends around over this "mountain"


I love Wisconsin, but I love Wisconsites (aka "Sconnies") more. They just seem to enjoy life more than the rest of us. Even their barns have a friendly greeting for you.

Glen left the group and headed home when we reached Ontario, WI which is just beyond Wildcat State Park. We took a "comfort break", said our "See you on Friday"s and headed to the next landmark stretch of road, the Mindoro Cut.

I only learned of the Mindoro Cut a few years ago which is surprising as it is something of a mecca for motorcyclists in the area. Like Wildcat, it is not as long or curvy as Tail of the Dragon, but can be an exciting ride unless you're behind a pickup pulling a horse trailer. No further comment on that, but here's a little something I cut and pasted from Wikisomethingoranother that talks about the Mindoro Cut and its significance.

Mindoro farmers and La Crosse County officials commissioned the Mindoro Cut as part of the Good Roads Movement, linking a creamery in Mindoro with a railroad station in West Salem. Before the cut was made, Phillips Ridge was too steep to be traversed, so traffic to Mindoro had to take a longer route bypassing the ridge. Construction on the cut began in 1907 and was primarily conducted with hand tools, though dynamite was also used. Planners initially thought the ridge was composed entirely of sandstone; construction became more difficult when it was realized that the ridge had an interior made of hard dolomite. Since horses could not be effectively used on the steep slope, waste rock was removed from the site via wheelbarrows which were balanced on narrow, uneven planks. Louis Miller, a contractor and supervisor of the project, would fire workers who toppled their wheelbarrow three times; many workers reportedly left the job after bringing their first load down the ridge. Workers were paid $1.25 per day and purchased meals from an on-site cook shanty. The project was completed in 1908; its ultimate cost was $11,241.29, reportedly a loss to its contractors. The highway was paved through the cut and guardrails were put in place in 1920; the cut has not been changed since. The cut is 74 feet (23 m) deep, 86 feet (26 m) long, and 25 feet (7.6 m) wide; it is the second-deepest cut built by hand in the Western Hemisphere and the oldest functional cut which has not been improved upon. The cut was added to the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places in October 2006 and the National Register of Historic Places on May 15, 2007

Also, like Wildcat, I was too preoccupied with the road and the aforementioned truck to take any worthwhile photos. Perhaps Ferret snapped a few.


Here's a screen shot from Google Maps in which you can see the curves and the hill that was "cut" to make room for the road.

After riding "the Cut", we stopped in Mindoro for lunch at Top Dawgs Pub & Grub, which ironically, is known for burgers and not hotdogs. They advertise that they hold some sort of Guiness record for most different burger options on a menu (108). It's a small, dark, place that is more a bar than a restaurant. There were two older women doing all the cooking and some of the serving. Counting us, there were probably 10 or 12 folks waiting for their burger selection and, just like the refugees in "Casablanca", they would wait...and wait...and wait. I wasn't in a hurry so I didn't watch the time, but we spent more than an hour there. I thoroughly enjoyed my burger, but Offroad and Ferret seemed underwhelmed. I saw a Facebook post that indicated that they have been very short-staffed due to local economic conditions and they apologized to all of their customers for the slow service. We would encounter similar service delays at several stops during the upcoming week.

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Our first of several meals together. This one at Top Dawgs

We had about 100 or so miles left to our day's destination of Red Wing, MN. Glen recommended we take WI-54 down to the Mississippi River and then follow the Wisconsin side of the Great River Road all the way north until we crossed the River at Red Wing. For those that are not familiar, The Great River Road is a scenic byway comprised of state and federal highways from the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. Most, if not all, states that border the river have their version of Great River Road so in reality there are two scenic byways -- one on each side of the river.

Glen's recommendation was a great one. 54 is curvy, hilly, and has great views as it descends into the river valley. Once down to river level the GRR, which is WI-35 on our side, we traveled through a number of small river towns, most a little rundown, but all filled with folks enjoying the sunny and pleasantly cool Sunday afternoon.


Just one of a half-dozen little towns we passed through along the GRR on Day 1.


The pilot probably couldn't see the sign from that far away.

A few years ago, Cheryl and I took a motorcycle trip that involved crossing the Mississippi into Minnesota. Due to my misplacing a way point and to construction related detours, we crossed into Minnesota and then immediately crossed back into Wisconsin necessitating a frustrated stop and turnaround at a roadside rest stop before crossing one last time. And then I did the same thing 4 days later on the return trip. Cheryl makes fun of this often and now tells people that I have an OCD thing that requires I cross the river thee times before "officially" entering Minnesota. In keeping with that tradition, I planned a quick crossing into Wabasha, MN for gas and to record a Tour of Honor site visit and then back to Wisconsin to continue the trek north. I was wondering why the gas station was packed with vehicles when it hit me that it was mid-afternoon on a Sunday and most of these people were gassing up to head home from their vacations while we were gassing up to head out on ours.


First and second crossings



Veterans Memorial Park
Tour of Honor memorial site MN4

More of the Mississippi River on our left as we continued the last 50 or so miles to Red Wing. We crossed the river for the third time via the Eisenhower Bridge of Valor. Once in Red Wing, we had to detour around Old Main Street, on which our hotel is located, because the street was completely dug up for utility work. We checked into the Nichols Inn & Suites, headed down to Kelly's Tap House Bar and Grill for another meal that took a bit too long to be delivered by the very cute, but less efficient server - Hey, at least she's showing up for work.

A quick note for those that enjoy a post-ride cocktail...it's risky business ordering a martini in a place that has "Tap House Bar & Grill" in their name. I never seem to learn that lesson.


Third crossing. This is Ferret just barely into the State of Minnesota on the Eisenhower Bridge of Valor