Lancaster Wisconsin Raid

Review written by Toni Haggard

Dave and his Adventurer overlooking the Mississippi Palisades from the Iowa side		Dave, Chris and I left the Chicago area heading west on Route 20. The ride is scenic and goes through many small towns. After stopping in Rockford for gas we headed north to Janesville in order to stop by the Team Triumph dealership for a visit. We ended up staying at the dealership for a while talking about motorcycles and looking at the bikes in the showroom. We left and headed west on highway 11 from Janesville. The scenery became more hilly the further west we went which was a nice change from the flat ground that we had been driving on. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called the Wheel-In, which was a quaint little place in the middle of nowhere.

After lunch we continued west on 11 and then headed north to Lancaster. We stopped at the Pine Grove Motel which would be where we would stay overnight. We checked in and looked for Jeff & Teri Trepanier, the proprietors of the motel who are also Triumph owners! It turned out they were on their way back from Sturgis so we decided to check in and then go for an evening ride while they were returning home. Dave consulted a map and suggested a short ride up to Prairie Du Chien where we could cross the river into Marquette, Iowa. From there we would take the Great River Road south to Dubuque, cross back over into Galena, and then head back north to the motel.		Chris and his 1200 Daytona

Toni and her 2000 Adventurer		We found the roads in the tri-state area to be very beautiful and fun to ride. There are a lot more curves, hills, and valleys then in the rest of the areas, not to mention you have the Mississippi flowing in the background of almost every view. Some of the rock formations are so impressive that it's often hard to keep your eyes on the road while driving. We took the bridge over the Mississippi into Marquette which is beautiful town right on the river. There were a number of small restaurants on the river bank, but we didn't stop as we wanted to get back to Lancaster before dark.

The Great River Road between Marquette and Dubuque is definitely a stretch of road that I would recommend to anyone on a motorcycle. It has a challenging combination of curves and hills along with breathtaking views of the Mississippi River Valley. There are a lot of photo opportunities and these pictures are an example of how beautiful the area is. Check out this link insert fav roads line for some maps. Between Millville and Dubuque is an especially curvy stretch which was a lot of fun to ride. You ride through some narrow twisty sections of roads going up and down hills and then all of a sudden you're on the crest of a ridge and everything opens up. From those vantage points can see the Mississippi Valley and the surrounding three states.

Dave, Jeff, Chris and Toni taking a break		Once we got back into Illinois we headed back north to Lancaster. Jeff and Teri had gotten home by the time we got back to the motel. It was already evening - our short ride taking us a few hours! We logged 400 miles that day but it was a lot of fun. We ordered pizzas and stayed up late sitting around the Trepanier's dining room table discussing Sturgis and the various accidents that Jeff had survived. The next morning we decided to hook up with some Triumph riders on a planned ride sponsored by the Sindt dealership in Dubuque. On the way there Jeff took us down some more windy back roads It was another challenging ride and a great way to start another day of riding.

By the time we got to the dealership a number of riders had already assembled. The plan was to head east into Galena, take the Stagecoach Trail, and meet for lunch at the Apple Canyon Lake Restaurant. Stagecoach Trail ended up being a tricky road where the sport and classic bike riders separated into two groups. I was in the classic group and after navigating a particularly tight turn going uphill, we came across a number of riders stopped by the side of the road. Two bikes and three riders went down but luckily no one was severely hurt. I stayed with one of them, Jason, until the ambulance took him away. The EMT's commented that at least one accident a day happens there, not only with bikes, so be safe if you decide to take that trail.		Chris at the Sindt Dealership

Waiting to cross the Mississippi into Galena		After everything was taken care of at the accident scene, the remaining group drove on to the restaurant and had a buffet lunch. The food was great, but the service was extremely slow. It did give us all time discuss the ride. the accidents and the upcoming Galena Raid.. After lunch we said our good-byes and headed home. It was frustrating trying to find our way out of the Apple Canyon area - it seems all the roads there run in circles! We eventually stumbled upon Route 20 which we took east for a while before dropping south to hit Route 72. From there it was a straight shot east to home.

Dave & Chris proving men never ask directions...		Headed back home after a great weekend!