Gophers and Cheese

A brand new set of four to be precise... My wife and I traded in our 2002 Honda CR-V to get a brand new 2012 Subaru Outback.  It's awesome.  I really love it.  Last weekend was beautiful and the fall colors were peaking so both Saturday and Sunday we headed out to some of my favorite motorcycle roads to break the Outback in properly. On Saturday we headed northeast to Taylors Falls and on Sunday we headed southeast to Maiden Rock and Welch.  The Subaru corners so much better than the Honda ever did.  We also hit three different Rustic Roads along the way (101, 103, & 51). Rustic Road 103: Maiden Rock, WI: Rustic Road 51.  This one had 4 or 5 shallow water crossings. Sunset on the very curvy road between between Welch and Vasa, MN: Who would be crazy enough to take a brand new car down twisting, turning, filthy, dusty, muddy, dirty, and gravely roads through the woods and even cross a few streams? Apparently me, but I've done all those s...

I've been so busy posting pics from my trip to Iowa that I almost forgot to post these pics from a really nice ride earlier in the month.  You can tell it was at least a few weeks ago by the old headlight. Anyway, I took I-35 north to US-8 east and headed out to Taylors Falls.  For the first time I grabbed a bite to eat at The Drive-In Restaurant including a very tasty root beer float. I crossed into Wisconsin and headed south with a quick diversion down a Rustic Road .  I think it was County Road S (rustic road #101). I continued south to Stillwater and stopped at P.D. Pappy's .  There were lots of bikes.

Today was a beautiful day in the Twin Cities (70s and clear) and I headed to Welch, MN for the first time.  I had heard that there were some good twisty roads near that town and the rumors were true. From the Twin Cities, I headed down through Hastings, MN.  Here's a shot of the bridge you cross into Hastings on US-61S. I took US-61 to MN-20 to Cannon Falls, MN.  Here is an abandoned gas station. I stopped in Cannon Falls to take some pictures.  I don't know if these are the Cannon Falls but they are waterfalls in Cannon Falls, MN. Near the falls was a little fenced in area with fish (trout I think), ducks, and a pair of swans.  One of the swans was sitting on a nest. From Cannon Falls, I headed west on MN-19 to Sunset Trail.  Sunset Trail looked like an interesting road on the map.  What I didn't know until I got there was that it wasn't paved.  If this road was in Wisconsin, I would think it would be an official "Rustic Road".  I...

Just south of Maiden Rock, I went in search of Rustic Road 51.  This one is 4 miles long and is gravel.  I may have to check this one out once the leaves fill in the trees as I'd bet it is even more beautiful. I couldn't ride it all the way through because the road was washed out.  The water looked a lot deeper in person and was not something I was willing to try to cross. Since I only rode a small portion of the road, I headed back and made my way to the other side where it was much more open and hilly. It was a nice diversion and one I doubt many (if any) of the thousands of bikes on the run chose to do that day.

This past Sunday (March 21st), I decided to ride somewhere new.  I had read online about Wisconsin's Rustic Roads .  They even have an award program specifically for motorcyclists (visit 10, get a patch / visit 25, get a certificate).  I decided to try three in between Taylors Falls, MN and Hudson, WI.  Specifically, I set out for Rustic Roads #101, #103, and #13. First, I stopped in Taylors Falls and walked around Interstate State Park.  The water in the St. Croix River was rushing fast as all the snow in the state has been melting. Just south of Taylors Falls in Wisconsin, I hit the first of three Rustic Roads, #101.  It was paved but full of gravel.  It has some nice scenery and curves but I had to go really slow to avoid slipping on the gravel. After #101 was #103.  This was an unpaved road.  For the most part it was fine but there were a few brief sections of slippery mud.  To my disbelief, I saw this along the way.  App...