06/26/2024
MAGIC VALLEY HOG
HOG RIDE HOME/MILWAUKEE HD MUSEUM/BLACK HILLS RIDE
JUNE 25TH, DAY #5
THEY SAY A PICTURE is worth a thousand words, in this case a thousand plus raindrops. Thick clouds blocked normally early sunshine through motel windows, foretelling a wet departure. The weather radar showed some yellow and even patches of orange, indicators of rainfall amounts. Our saving grace, the storm front moved to the east and south. Still light rain greeted everyone when packing luggage on bikes, the now very normal and well practiced routine. I was the only rider not to suit up (put on raingear), chancing wetness, and counting on the timer from the radar map. Time proved out my choice, with wet roads, but little in the way of moisture. The humidity did create low hanging fog, the sun not able to overcome the humidity. Unfortunately, a typical nemesis, especially in larger cities, neverending road construction hampered our northward path out of Milwaukee. The city am rush-hour traffic and road construction, lasted through the first 15-20 miles. Our ride northward was planned to cover Door County, the 50 rides 1 Nation road for the state of Wisconsin. Door County's claim to fame, beauty, lake Michigan, whitefish, cherries, rolling farmland, with highly sought after vacation property. The area legend includes the wealthy criminal element in Chicago used Door County as a summer getaway due to the bearable temperatures and recreation opportunities. Several old very large hotel properties still exist, although re-purposed ( please see photos by luiza nickels). Once we cleared Milwaukee traffic, lighter peninsula traffic allowed for more sightseeing. The road up the east side of the peninsula, our route northward, parallels lake Michigan. Although the road extends beyond Sister Bay, that small village, for the most part, is the terminus of the road. Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant is a tourist favorite, and their sign, the photo point we are required to show Harley Davidson as proof of the ride completion. The place was PACKED. We had called ahead, with seating within 15 minutes of arrival. Per the maitre d, the eatery serves 1500 to 2000 daily. The facility sports a TRUE grass roof, and under the right conditions, herds goats onto the roof to graze. Alas, no goats on the roof on our visit, with temperatures too high for the goats, and a very soggy roof from rain the night before. The food equaled the excellent reviews, especially the cherry and pecan bread pudding, serving size large enough for three. Our plan to ride the west side of the peninsula south, was scuttled by, yup, road construction. We stopped at the Green Bay HD dealership. Unknown to us, the Green Bay shop and the Wausau shop have the same owners. Most shops now sell a shop specific challenge coin. These two shops use the same coin, with one shop featured on one side and the Sister shop featured on the other. In Green Bay a flyer, stamped by the staff, if produced at the shop in Wausau, netted a FREE challenge coin. Of course, we couldn't pass up on FREE STUFF. Timeframes were a but tight, but we made the Wausau dealership with a few minutes to spare before the doors were locked. The staff accommodated those wishing to purchase dealer specific shirts/items. Everyone exited the dealership with at least one chotsky. The motel had a lounge with a grill. Arranging tables created space for the entire crew, a rarity due to our numbers. The trip finished day 5, our halfway point. Tomorrow is a make miles day and the third and last 500 mile day on this journey. Cole (burn another tank, or Doc) Johnson.