Mission: North Dakota

[the Ferret]

That was only day 0 out of 9 for Empty Sea and Cheryl . Lots more to come.

My day 0 consisted of riding the CB 250 miles from Cincinnati, Ohio to Evansville, Indiana to meet up with Offroad. I only got lost once, in Louisville Kentucky when I missed my exit to I-71 and ended up downtown lol. Once at Offroads, we loaded up the CB and Offroad's big 6 cyl Beemer onto his trailer to be towed the following day to Baraboo, Wisc, a distance of approx 500 miles to meet up with MTC and Cheryl at friends Glen & Laura's house for the beginning of Mission North Dakota together.

[Cormanus]

I like yours and Cheryl’s approach to this ride EmptySea. I also feel a growing anticipation about the ride report about 48/48.

[GoldOxide_imp]

That was only day 0 out of 9 for Empty Sea and Cheryl . Lots more to come.

My day 0 consisted of riding the CB 250 miles from Cincinnati, Ohio to Evansville, Indiana to meet up with Offroad. I only got lost once, in Louisville Kentucky when I missed my exit to I-71 and ended up downtown lol. Once at Offroads, we loaded up the CB and Offroad's big 6 cyl Beemer onto his trailer to be towed the following day to Baraboo, Wisc, a distance of approx 500 miles to meet up with MTC and Cheryl at friends Glen & Laura's house for the beginning of Mission North Dakota together.

Had a very fine evening dine at The Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville, Kentucky a few years back. Could have almost connected with The Ferret and Stichill when in Lexington and Cincinnati, but couldn't make the timing work.

[emptysea]

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.

[url=https://imgur.com/hr1CJd7]
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

[the Ferret]

Chasing Glen and Matt on day 1







Offroad and Cheryl



it was indeed beautiful riding in beautiful country

[GoldOxide_imp]

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.

[url=https://imgur.com/hr1CJd7]
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

The Ferret appears either perturbed (" ... I've seen this before, and a second time too ... "), or he is animal hungry, sans the onions.


Very nice report write-up MTC.

[the Ferret]

Normally I am the trip planner, for my groups, but this time Empty Sea did all the route planning and the only time I had an inkling of where I was, was when a sign would say Welcome to Minnesota, or Welcome to Wisconsin. A very strange feeling for someone who has planned routes for over 50 years lol. Sea planned some great routes on great roads, with great and sometimes very interesting stops. It was a pleasure following along. Same thing last month with Inhouse Bob and the trip to Rhode Island. It's follow until the guy in front of you stops lol Got to say MTC's ability to program his GPS and end up right where he planned was like magic to this paper map guy.

Empty Sea was right in that I nearly froze on this trip. Predicted highs were in the upper 80's- 90s so that's how I dressed, but we only had that one day (in which I was comfortable but everyone else was burning up lol.). We had temps from the mid 50's to 70's which for me is cold. If not for Offroad lending me a sweatshirt for 4 days, I'd have been curled up in a ball the whole trip lol.

[emptysea]

Day 2 - Red Wing to Princeton, MN by way of some very large things. Monday, June 27, 2022

Until I started planning this trip, I assumed that the Mississippi River divided Wisconsin from Minnesota from the Iowa border on the south almost all the way to Duluth on Lake Superior to the north. Turns out that Big Muddy (aka The Old Man River, aka The Great River, aka the Mississippi River) flows from its headwaters at Itasca Lake southeast through Minneapolis before it connects with the St. Croix River near Prescott, Wisconsin. It is the St. Croix that serves as the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota from Prescott north. I figured this out because I was creating a route that avoided the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) and still got us to the headwaters of the Mississippi. My route north would skirt past the the metropolitan area to its east roughly following the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers until we were far enough north then move west northwest from there.

[url=https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/78b3-112b4e8-1383/view]Day 2 Spotwalla Trip Map
Interactive map of the day's ride.

[url=https://imgur.com/SWf6CXs]
Screenshot of interactive map of the day's ride

Monday's ride would be comparatively short at 155 miles. I planned for a short day because Cheryl and I had just come off of back-to-back 250+ mile days and were facing 4 consecutive days of similar length starting Tuesday. A 250 mile day is not grueling for us, but 6 out of 7 days could be rough, especially if the weather turned bad (aka hot, aka rainy, aka windy). Princeton, MN was the spot on the map was about the right distance and which had a decent and decently-priced hotel - The AmericInn by Wyndam (one of the goofiest hotel chain brand names I've ever seen).

The day's route would take us back into Wisconsin to continue north on the Great River Road on that side. There is a Great River Road on the Minnesota side, but because of its proximity to larger cities, it's been widened and modernized for higher traffic flows. Further north and south, the Minnesota segment of the GRR is quite beautiful. We'd cross back into the Gopher State at Prescott and then continue up another "river road", the St. Croix Trail for 60 miles or so past Taylor Falls.

St. Croix Trail is a lovely 50 mile ride along its namesake river. It has, for me at least, a nice balance of curvy, scenic vistas, small towns, and light traffic. The last part was not as light as it might otherwise be due to some road construction and being that we passed through during Monday morning "rush hour". The towns of Stillwater and Marine on St. Croix had lovely downtown areas that will warrant future visits and explorations.

On the northern outskirts of Stillwater, with 4 or 5 gas stations and a couple of convenience stores behind us, I was informed that some of our group was in need of a comfort stop. It would have been more convenient to know this when entering the town rather than after having left it since it's 15 miles from Stillwater to Marine on St. Croix where I knew there were gas stations. I asked Cheryl to keep her eyes open for a wayside, park, or anyplace else that looked like it might have a potty. As luck would have it, there was a scenic overlook with chemical toilets just a few miles down (or I guess up) the road. We had a nice long "helmets off" stop that included snacks and a truly scenic view of the river. In hindsight, the request for a break that seemed to come a little late could not have happened at a better time.

This is as good a point in my report as any to mention that Ferret rode behind me in the 2 Slot for almost every mile of this trip. He didn't bring the same smile to my face when I spied him in my mirror as Cheryl does, but it was comforting to be reminded that I was leading a collection of very competent riders. Offroad commented at one point that it was cool to see the two CBs winding through the curves together. It was pretty cool being one of the two, too.

When we were in Ohio for the CB1100 Rally last year, InhouseBob and his friend "Mustache" Mike mentioned that they, or one of them - or someone they know - or someone, when at a loss for someplace to ride, would search Google Maps for "World's Largest" and pick out a roadside attraction as a destination. Mike, Cheryl, and I actually did this at the rally and took a lovely ride to Chester, WV to see the "World's Largest Teapot" (see below). I found while preparing our routes for Mission: North Dakota that much of days 2 through 5 would be along the mostly flat and mostly straight roads that are prevalent on the Great Plains of the United States. Bob's and Mike's comments and our visit to the Teapot provided a solution to adding interest to the tour. Once I had a rough idea of where we were going each day and staying each night, I searched for "World's Largest" and, as luck (I'm not sure if the die-hard riders in our group would call it "luck".) would have it, there were several on or very close to route I was planning. The first of these was the World's Largest Walleye in Rush City, MN.

[url=https://imgur.com/wOj1HjB]
World's Largest Teapot, Chester, WV. Here is the handle, here is the spout.

Now, if you look at the map of this day's route, you can plainly see that Rush City is nowhere near the direct line, or even a scenic line, between Red Wing and Princeton. I could have cut off that segment of the ride, but we'd have arrived in Princeton, pretty much a dot on a map, at around noon with nothing much at all to do. I wanted to lengthen the ride just a little bit, but needed some attraction or another to help decide how and where to stretch things. Enter the World's Largest Walleye, the at least somewhat curvy roads around Rush Lake, and the intriguingly named restaurant, The Grumpy Minnow.

[url=https://imgur.com/pNfGfz0]
World's Largest Walleye, Rush City, MN - Up until this photo was taken, I might have described Offroad as the least goofy of any of us.

[url=https://imgur.com/XdHMG5t]
The Grumpy Minnow, Rush Lake, MN - I don't have a better picture from here. Perhaps Ferret or Offroad does. We ate outside with Cheryl and Ferret finding the sunny side of the table and Offroad and I wisely protecting ourselves from melanoma (and heat) beneath the shade of a mostly-functioning patio umbrella.

I thought our lunch was worth the short trip down a gravel road. We had a delightful view of the lake, the food was good, our server was attentive and polite. The food took a bit too long to arrive at our table, but we were in no hurry and in any case, were lowering our customer service expectations to meet the reality of a post-pandemic Midwest.

We finished lunch, uneventfully navigated the gravel exit to the Grumpy Minnow and headed to Princeton. Unfortunately, we were detoured around what was, or at least looked like on a map, the most scenic roads of the afternoon. We arrived at the hotel around 3:00. Ferret and Cheryl took a dip in the pool. I lit up a cigar in the smoking area in front of the hotel -- I smoke cigars, but am constantly baffled as to why the hotels subject ALL their patrons to tobacco smoke whenever they enter or exit the establishment. There's almost always a space further away that would still be convenient to all.

The AmericInn was very nice and the managers and staff very helpful. However, it is not particularly close to a sit-down restaurant. Correction: not close to a sit-down restaurant that is open on Mondays. The nice folks at the hotel directed us to the Fore Seasons Golf Club which has a grill/restaurant for us. 4/10ths of a mile walk each way. Ferret grumbled a bit and Offroad offered to call an Uber for us all, but we made the walk. The food was just OK, in my opinion. The service was slow and I thought the server seemed disinterested. There was a nice view of the golf course and we were able to watch several groups finish their rounds as we dined. The walk back was pleasant as the temperature had dropped a bit. We sat for a bit in the lobby of the hotel and discussed the next day. Rain was forecast for the morning and then again in the early afternoon. We decided that we'd be ready to leave early, but might wind up hanging out for a bit if there was rain. The side trip to the headwaters of the Mississippi River was in jeopardy, though. We would sleep with fingers crossed for safe and relatively dry Tuesday ride.

[GoldOxide_imp]

The quality articulation is quintessential MTC. Thanks for the fun reading.

[the Ferret]

St Croix Scenic Byway



wonderful riding



The aformentioined rest stop



ahh the Grumpy Minnow, nice little place. Don't know how Sea finds these gems



Here's one showing the view before we moved to a table with an umbrella



The ride afterwards was nice roads with lakes on both sides



my fav from that day.. at the hotel after the ride Empty Sea getting some "appreciation" from Mrs Sea