I woke up to cloud and threatening rain to make my way through Minneapolis and onto the Great River Road Wisconsin.
The forecast today was for rain. I was bracing for the worst. I thought about staying for another day but rain was in the mix for the next few days. So off I went to see how far I could get today.
Wisconsin
In my previous 6 month motorcycle trip through the US I really liked Wisconsin. Something about the rolling hills of farmland that appealed to me. I was looking forward to riding in the state again.
When I entered Wisconsin, they had a Great River Road information Center. They had the map of the whole Great River Road that I was looking for. There was also great views of the Mississippi River from the Center. It keeps getting bigger! I have to say that before embarking on this trip I didn’t really realize the Mississippi River was significant above the state of Mississippi.
One thing I found out from the map is that the Great River Road really isn’t one road. It is more of a generic turn for basically 2 roads, one on each side of the river. So on this leg I could have taken the Minnesota road or the Wisconsin road. The numerous bridges across the Mississippi means you can switch back and forth.
I don’t know about the Minnesota side, but the Wisconsin Great River Road was awesome as it meandered beside the river. I loved the little historic towns I passed. If the weather had been better I would have loved to stop at a patio for a bite to eat.
By 1 pm the weather looked like it was deteriorating. A severe weather warning was in the forecast. I decided to stop at the Motel 6 in La Crosse.
Helmet Itch
Throughout the day I had suffered from helmet itch. A year ago I had a bad case of it and went to a dermatologist. She wasn’t able to solve it and it sort of went away. I made a few changes like getting a new helmet, wearing a skull cap, and using a different shampoo. Today it was back. Not as bad as before though.
I was early for the Motel 6 and decided get a haircut at Greatcuts. It was kind of nice to have a prolonged conversation with someone. Thanks Ashley! We’ll see if this helps. It will definitely make me look less unkempt.
Motel 6
I enjoyed another night of a hotel. And look Carllee … I even had a salad 🙂
Route for August 19, 2016
