Day 11 - Fish Fry with Friends

Today we explored more of the 115th Anniversary Celebration by making a trip to Miller Park where the Police and Civilian Skills Competition was happening.  It was impressive to watch the riders make their way through the cones.  They had some incredible skills and while a few took some spills they were able to bounce back up and right their ride and finish the course.  While we were there we ran into our friend Mike.  It was great to see him again.

From there we headed to lunch.  Today's lunch has been nearly a year in the making.  At Christmas time last year, our season's greetings from our friend Jack had an inquiry about a trip to Milwaukee in August for a fish fry.  Our first thought was, "Perfect - we're planning to be in Milwaukee on the bikes in August of next year- We're In." As Jack pointed out in his letter, a Fish Fry on Friday in Milwaukee is like finding a pot smoker in Boulder. They're everywhere!  The particular place he wanted to go had special significance to him and after we heard the story, we knew this would be the place for us to go too.  It's a little pub called Fritz's.  So what is the story behind this place? Click the link for the full story but the short answer is one of Jack's co-workers' mom went into to help cover a shift 20 plus years ago and she's still working there.  This pub opened on September 28, 1978 and will close it's doors forever as the owners are retiring after 40 years to the day of opening their doors.
We each ordered the fish which came with potato wedges, homemade coleslaw and homemade rye bread.  It was delicious!  We were not disappointed.  Deb said it was the best fish she's had since she left San Diego more than 30 years ago.  We were grateful that Jack extended the invite and that we made the trip. 

Following lunch we made our way to House of Harley on Layton in Greenfield, WI.  This is the second Milwaukee area HD store we've visited.  This place was hopping!  Bikes parked Sturgis style in the streets that were closed down for the celebration.  Vendors lined the streets and the area around the store.  After we strolled through their offerings we hit Culver's for a quick cool treat before we got on the road ahead of the Friday afternoon Labor Day traffic. 

Back at the hotel we opted for a parking lot party and a pool party.  Jack, Cami and I relaxed in the shade outside enjoying snacks, beverages and Jack's cigar.  At the pool area, Torrey, Rick and Deb, and Rudy opted for a soak in the hot tub.  Eventually we all moved to the patio outside the pool area where we visited.  My sister Kristi arrived from Fond du Lac with my niece and nephew ready to swim.  This gave us another opportunity to spend time with them while we were here.

Total Distance Traveled Today: 32
Time to Travel that Distance: 6.5 hours
Total Cumulative miles: 2827   

Day 10 - 115th Anniversary of Harley Davidson - Celebrating with Friends

It was an easy laid-back morning.   No set meet times.  Everyone on their own, at their own pace.
I got up and went for a walk, took care of a few email items, and then took a conference call for the Board of Pharmacy.  Torrey was relaxing in the room. 

We gathered for a brief meeting to review options available for the day and desires for said activities.  About the time we put together a loose plan, we received word our friend Jack from Colorado was arriving.  Jack's been out riding as well, making a trip to Madawaska, Maine and venturing through Canada on his way back to Milwaukee.  Last year at Christmas he asked if we would be interested in meeting him in Milwaukee in August for a fish fry.  More on that tomorrow.

With Jack in and getting settled the rest of us found our way to Hal's HD, now called Iron Town HD.  It is one of 7 Milwaukee area Harley Dealerships. Each one throwing their own celebration party for the 115th.  Not only was Hal's the closest to our hotel, but its service department also came highly recommended by my Uncle Bill Chopski that lived in Milwaukee for years. After the fuse/wiring problems the Lowrider was having yesterday, we wanted to get it in and checked before we head back home.  Torrey and Rudy had looked at the bike this morning and it was still not functioning properly, but they were unable to see an obvious reason why. 

When I called Hal's to see about an appointment, they were polite but said, "it's first come, first served and there's currently 19 bikes in line for service".  So off we went to get the bike in line. Hal's was hopping when we got there.  We were waived through by parking lot attendants to a lot on the back side of the store as the other parking lots were full.  There were vendors set up on 3 sides of the buildings with one side being all food, drinks and a live band.  We headed straight for service and then meandered through the offerings.  Rudy decided he couldn't stand his dirty bike any longer and put it in line to get washed. 

As we were standing near the service department where we dropped off the bikes Rick says, "Hey- Isn't that Will and Sandi Long?"  Sure enough.  What are the chances that we would run into them with so many people in town for the celebration.  We took a quick pic of our Pocatello group before scattering in a number of directions. 

We later met up for a snack to the listen to the band.  Jack joined us for a cold one too. 

About 3pm we decided it was time for happy hour and headed back to the hotel to share a few appetizers and drinks.  Will and Sandi stopped by too after their trip to Milwaukee HD. We talked shop about rides we've experienced and fun we've had along the way.  Hal's called to say the Lowrider was ready.  They had tweaked a number of little things on the bike, but overall found no major issues with the bike.  We decided to go get the bike and then head downtown to see what was happening a Veteran's Memorial Park, one of the main venues for the celebration. 

Veteran's Memorial Park is 13 miles due east of where we are staying.  It's a straight shot down I-94/I-794 to get there.  It's a muddy mess due to the recent rains.  We found parking fairly easily and fairly close.  We arrived about 35-40 minutes before Lee Brice took the stage.  This gave us a bit of time to look at the official 115th merchandise, find some food and a drink.  Cami and Torrey headed toward the Full Throttle Saloon that's set up on site.  On their way they found another friend of ours, Mike from California.

 

 

Lee Brice put on a good show and we were glad to have made the trip into town to see it.

Total miles today:30
Time to travel those miles: 11 hours
Total Cumulative miles: 2795

Day 9 - Reunited -Together Again

We spent the morning packing up and loading the bikes amongst a few other chores.  Torrey helped clean up downed branches and debris from the yard and I logged into the computer and did a few necessary tasks via email and returned a few phone calls.

Around noon we saddled up and headed north on Lake Shore Drive (Hwy 45) which runs along Lake Winnebago to Oshkosh.  If you're following along on a map you may be wondering why we are headed north when Milwaukee is south of Fond du Lac.  We opted to ride out and meet Cami, Rick & Deb and Rudy on their way in from Superior.  It was mid-60's riding with dark clouds in the sky, but no rain.  At Oshkosh, we got on 10 and headed for Stevens Point.  This was the location of our planned meet up. 

The few quick texts we received informed us that there was a mechanical problem with the lowrider Cami is riding.  It sounded like a fuse and Rudy and Rick were getting it switched out.  They hoped to be back on the road shortly. 

With that, we decided to ride to Waupaca.  Again we checked the messages and found they were headed out on the road and the new best place to meet would be the Wausau HD store.  To get there we took I-39/US 51. We were only there maybe 15-20 minutes before the four of them rolled in.

They were a bit road weary from the experience of the last three days.  Cami was dressed in full rain gear just to be safe.  Rudy could barely get off and on his bike due to a leg/ligament injury issue he is dealing with.  It was great to see each of them. 

After catching up on the day's happenings, we went and fueled up and started making our way south to Milwaukee. 

We went back through Waupaca and towards Oshkosh, but this time we stayed on US 41 into Fond du Lac.  After a brief visit there with my mom, my brother-in-law and my niece, we rumbled down the highway for the resting place that will be ours for the next 5 days.

 We arrived dry and safe and that's what matters the most.

 

Total miles traveled today:  293
Total time to cover those miles: 8 hours
Total Cumulative miles: 2765

Cami-O
I'm beginning to think the theme of this trip has something to do with water, but today the waterworks come from within. We left the hotel 9:06 a.m., and about an hour down the road on the side of the road near Spooner, Wisconsin I received many phone calls.

When Rudy pulled over to put on another layer because it's again cold riding today, I answered my phone and received some devastating news. Today I lost a very good friend, Jed Crowder. He was a local Legend in my community and one of my greatest mentors in life.

When I got off the phone, I noticed that my instrument panel was no longer functional. I guess if you're going to get stuck at a certain mile per hour 69 is pretty good number. As we rolled on down the highway, I did my best to drown my tears in the Tennessee Whiskey (Chris Stapleton) playing on my MP3 player. With at least 300 miles to go to my Wisconsin home, I'm doing my best to not let this break my spirit for this ride. When I get where I'm going, (Alison Krauss) I'll try again, but for the rest of this day I just can't Cry Pretty (Carrie Underwood).
#cancersucks
#CrowderStrong

 

Total miles today: Unknown

Time to Travel that distance: Today, time is standing still
Total Cumulative miles: It no longer matters

Blog Addendum: Even the worst of days can end happily.  Alpha Omega Cheers to Chief Love 'Em Bengals, and to the newest grandpa....Cowboy, Rudy Moore.

Day 8 - Laying Low and Day 4 - Are We Having Fun Yet?

Today was a day off the bikes for us. I walked around the property this morning making it out to the end of the pier on the lake.  To be clear, this is Lake Winnebago.  The lake my dad grew up on and that played a central role to my childhood summer vacations.  It was beautiful and peaceful.  Here's a few pics I snapped on my walkabout.

We finished up laundry. I went on a walk that I thought was similar to what I do at home but ended up being twice as long as I expected. We went to the Holyland to play crazy rummy with my Aunt Mary and Uncle John.  A pretty low key day for us it seemed.  That was until we were leaving Mt Calvary to go back to the lake house in Fond du Lac for dinner.  That's when we heard the village siren go off.  About that same time all of our cell phones alarmed with a National Weather Advisory of tornadoes in the area.  The report detailed there would be high winds, heavy rains and possibly hail.

With the bikes parked outside, it was a race across town to get back to the house which is on the west shore.  We were determined to make enough room in the garage to fit the two bikes in. We were within a mile of the house when the rains hit and the wind picked up.  I went for the house to grab the fobs while Torrey and my mom went toward the garage to open it up and start making space.  The yard/drive was already a mucky mess.  By the time I hit the door from the garage into the house the power was out.  Found the fobs and rushed back out through the garage.  Torrey jumped on the wet seat of my bike and rode it into the newly found space.  With a few more strategic moves rearranging garage items, we had enough room for the CVO Road Glide too.  By now the rain is pouring down in buckets  We all made a run for it to the house. 

The rain and wind subsided in about 30 minutes. It took an hour for the power to come back on.  We could see from the windows of the house there were several trees in the yard and the neighbors yard that fell in the storm. I went out to survey the damage.

 
My sister Kristi brought her kids (my niece and nephew) over and we all had dinner together.  While we visited we awaited word from Cami, Rudy and the Storks to hear how they were doing.  The weather radar indicated they should be clear of the storm, but we waited for confirmation from them.

Total miles today: 0
Time to travel that distance: 0
Total Cumulative miles: 2472 still.
Tomorrow: Meet up with the other riders and get into Milwaukee.

Cami-O:

Are we having fun yet?
I'm not sure where the world draws the line between the West and Midwest, but I can tell you there is a distinct difference at the border of North Dakota and Minnesota. That is where amber waves of grains give way to farm houses, corn rows and the ripe smell of cow manure. The closer we got to WI the more wooded the roadside became, which made me more and more excited as we traveled.

Funny moment today: The guys want to road name me Sheep. I said, oh hell no."  Deb  says, "Whyyyyyyyyy not?!" 

Most of the day was largely uneventful, which was nice when compared to yesterday, but it wouldn't be any fun without any excitement on the road.

 

The Storks almost got hit by sparrows.
It started raining about an hour out of Superior.
Rudy had 2 full size deer dart across the road in front him. Luckily, we had slowed for a stop light prior to the deer making their jaunt from our left to our right.
For two days in a row now I have wanted to say that so long as you're willing to dress like the Michelin man, motorcycling is not so bad, but I don't really know if I feel that way after getting drenched for the second day in a row.

Rudy finally broke down and put on a second hoodie today, but never did find a warmer pair of gloves in the Harley store in Grand Forks.  The average temperature today was 53 degrees. Rudy and Rick said this is more like an October day, than the hot August days we were hoping for.

 

 One of my favorite sayings from my Dear ol' Dad is: You've gotta have a bad day to know when you're having good ones. 

Just in case any of you are thinking I'm being a pansy on my maiden voyage, let me let you in on some of the things that have occurred.
Glacier Pass now has snow on it.
My sister, Kristi, shared the MPR report this morning the indicated, "Evacuations underway as major flooding hits SE MN and Western WI.

 My sister, Nicki, reported tornado warnings in WI at 3:51pm. She then reported the power out at 4:19pm. Then sent a picture of the flooding occurring in Wilkum's lake house yard and a map of all of the road closures according to 511WI. 

So back to the original question...We are still safe and compared to yesterday, I'd say yes, I'm having fun and today was a good day!!

Total miles today: 411
Time to travel that distance: 10.25 hours
Total Cumulative mileage: 1647