Gophers and Cheese

I took advantage of the good weather last Saturday to do another 200+ mile ride.  It was clear with a high near 70.  I decided to go to Welch, MN.  I had been there twice before, both times in May.  I decided to get there via the St Croix Trail.  I took I-94 to exit 258 but instead of taking Cty Rd 18 towards Afton like I normally do, I followed signs for the St. Croix Scenic Byway and immediately took a right on Hudson Rd and then a left on Cty Rd 21.  There was a buffalo farm on the corner. The road leads to Afton, just like Cty Rd 18 but is more scenic and a better ride. I continued on through Afton and crossed into Wisconsin at Prescott where I fueled up.  I kept riding to Diamond Bluff where I stopped briefly at the Nauti Hawg. I continued south from there and cut back into Minnesota at Red Wing and followed US-61 to Cty Rd 7, which runs straight (or should I say curvy) into Welch, MN.  The best curves are actually south of Welch, in the ...

I stopped by Mad Jack's in Brooklyn Park for "Jacked Up Bike Night" (Third Thursday) tonight.  Sadly the lot normally reserved for bikes was full of cars and the outdoor patio appeared closed.  It was sunny and clear but it was a little chilly (around 60).  I didn't see other bikes so I turned around and left.  Apparently it seems Dulono's is the only real bike night in October in Minneapolis.  Both Mad Jack's and The Joint clearly listed bike nights in October on their websites and I attempted to attend both this month with disappointing results.  Don't get me wrong - I really like both of these places and go a lot.  Just don't expect to show up to bike night in October at either place and actually see bikes.

Back in August, I stopped by The Joint for their monthly bike night (second Wednesday of the month).  It was deserted (Strike One).  However, it was also the week of Sturgis so I figured that was a good excuse. Well, last week the weather was decent for October so I took a ride downtown to see what was going on for this month's bike night.  The weather was a little cool and it is getting dark earlier these days but First Thursday at Duluno's the week before was packed so I had high hopes I would finally be able to see what bike night at the Joint was like. Unfortunately, it was practically empty again (no offense to the few people who were there). Granted there were a couple of bikes in front of The Joint and Whiskey Junction but it just looked like some buddies stopped for beers. It was not a big bike night crowd.  My Sportster was the only bike in The Joint's parking lot. Disappointed, I drowned my sorrows in a beer but I did get some good pics of The Joi...

Got the latest issue a few days ago along with my free sticker.  Sweet. Interestingly, the text is nearly illegible in black-and-white...

As promised, what is a fall color run without some color pics?...

Last Saturday, after a stop in Diamond Bluff, I continued north to Prescott and got some fantastic pics by the railroad bridge. I crossed the border back into Minnesota just briefly to stop at Point Douglas Park. I jumped back into Wisconsin and headed north towards Hudson.  I found a nice spot near a cornfield to take some pics. I continued up to North Hudson where I learned that I missed the Frost Your Nuts Run earlier that day (I thought the run was 10/16 but it was actually 10/9). I dropped back down to I-94 and headed west.  Here are a few shots taken while riding past Minneapolis. I'll post selected color pics in Part 4...

More pics from last Saturday... After riding County Road O, I kept heading south past Red Wing and stopped at an overlook. I pulled into Maiden Rock for this pic. The area is typically packed during the Flood Run . I headed further south to another overlook. Then I rode back north... ... and stopped at Smiling Pelican Bakeshop, which was FINALLY open (they were closed most of the year for remodeling). Heading back north, I got stuck in some really slow traffic for the 4-way stop near Red Wing.  While crawling along at a snail's pace, I couldn't help but notice this insane mailbox setup.  Maybe it was just Halloween decorations but something tells me it wasn't. Can't tell what you're looking at?  Here it is in horrific color (click to enlarge): I continued north and stopped in Diamond Bluff at the Nauti Hawg. More pics to come in parts 3 & 4...