The camping was fun. I always enjoy stars and fire-side conversations. But, we're not as wild as we once were - that's for sure. First night we managed to stay up til 1pm, but by the second night we were all turned in before midnight. Everyone is still reporting to feel 'wiped out' - and we only put on a total of 470 miles. We were more refreshed when we did the 1200 miles around Lake Michigan (took the ferry across Lk. Mich). I guess the beds at the lodgings were still more restful than an air mattress on the ground. LOL
First night was spent at a little isolated, red-neck campground by the Mississippi Palasaides. The guys kept talking about having visions of "Deliverence" in their head, and wished they were "packing." Danny never made it - his bike broke down before he got out of his hometown. We hooked up with Doug in the morning, and we crossed the old suspension, grated bridge into Iowa the next morning, and hit a little bit of rain on the way to the caves.
We were definately NOT dressed appropriately for hiking around the Maquoketa Caves Park in Iowa. One guy complaining that his riding boots were not meant for hiking. We wished we had shorts on - having worked up a good sweat hiking ! Heck, if we had known what we were in for... we would NOT have been carrying around our Leathers ! My biggest complaint was not exchanging my sunglasses. I had to crouch down and inch into someplace (Dancehall cave?) Either I had the prescription sunglasses on & it was TOO dark to see anything, or I took them off, and was too blind & near-sighted to see beyond a foot in front of my face. We were a real comedy troope! Needless to say, we had enough and left earlier than expected.
We enjoyed a beautiful ride up along the vistas of the Great River valley Road, and crossed on the ferry into Cassville Wis. again. (2nd year). We love the group campsite. This year the other 2 group sites were occupied. One site had an entire family of Mexican's, with latin music and over 2 dozen little kids running around. A mini city of campers & tents. And in the 3rd group site was a clan of Blacks, with their music going, and the loud flamboyant laughter of lively conversations. Between the 2 groups... Low-rider pickup trucks and cranking jolopies were coming and going all night. I would have bet the Mexican's would have been up later, but they were buttoned up by 11:30pm. My only complaint was with the 3 bright neon lights that the black group had blazing. I come to the woods to enjoy the stars not to have portable city lights glaring me in the eyes!
Met a fun couple - also camping off their bikes in Cassville, Wi.. who live outside of Wis. Rapids area. We invited them to join us for dinner, and ended up going out for breakfast together too.
And out of a small town like that, the only other bikers we saw come into town.... turned out to be someone we knew, DJ - formerly of Kathy, but with a new girl... (mind you- I didn't say "liked"), but we were cordial, and spoke for a few minutes. Small world.
We rode home on hwy 81 all the way from Cassville to Clinton, Wi (just north of Belvediere) - it was a beautiful, hilly country, curvy unpopulated ride... WAY better than Rt. 20 !
Pictures are in an album - http://community.webshots.com/user/hdrose1
At - http://community.webshots.com/album/174050151sMEjOo
