Adventure Motorcycle Blog

Started the day at my Uncle/Aunt’s house in Prairie du Chien. Aunt Jill made breakfast, Uncle Roger jumped on the bike for a quick pic, and soon after I headed out. I topped off on gas and then not too long after that I jumped on a section of the Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail. It was interesting to see the different types of gravel used on some of these backroads throughout the day. Some of it had a sand texture while other parts of the trail had large chunks of gravel and it was deep. This made for some sketchy riding when going down hill while at the same time curving to the left or right. I didn’t feel like airing down my tires since the terrain seemed to change every few miles. At times I would compare it to being on ice. The front end was all over the place and the slightest pressure on the throttle would break the back tire loose. I turned off the ABS and that helped control a little bit. All in all still a blast. Tons of cows, horses, some turkeys and for whatever reason the skunks were out in force. Saw four of them along the way in different spots near the ditch, but also saw (and smelled) three squished ones. About two hours into the ride I came across some adventure bike riders that were headed south. They were from the Iowa Dual sport motorcycle club. It was nice to see other adventure bikes out there. Ran across numerous Amish families and the kids were all about the bike while mom and dad didn’t seem to give shit. My Go Pro helmet chin mount broke and I forgot to bring extra mounting pieces. I might end up rigging it to the top somehow if I can’t find parts to fix it. Yes, this is a massive paragraph and I’m too tired to make it look pretty. I stopped for lunch in Soldiers Grove then rode another 2 hours or so. My Garmin Zumo XT gps has a feature where it lists all the campsites, with contact info and amenities. It was time for a shower so I found a place outside of Wilton called The Tunnel Trail Campground and headed there. This place is great. Family owned, quiet, tent spots, small store, pool, shower, and it sits right off the path all the bicycle folks ride the tunnel systems on. Between the site and two bundles of wood it was $32. I’m not in a huge rush to get going in the morning, but guessing I’ll get breakfast along the way. There’s a big storm coming tomorrow night north of here starting around 6 so I want to find a site and be all setup before it starts raining. Anyways, the fire will probably be out in the next 30-40 minutes so I’m going to crash.. No bear bag tonight, the owners said they haven’t seen a bear here in years…