We headed out Friday morning, the sky was clear and the temperature was cool but not uncomfortable. We were running about 15 minutes late as usual. No matter what time we were leaving, Jeff is always late. It's like a competition with him to see how close to the minute he can be and it drives me crazy. For a Friday morning rush hour, the traffic wasn't bad. We got to the Capitol Drive Harley plant where we met up with Ken and his friend Rick. So we had a nice group of three bikes for the ride north, making us more visible in a number larger than one.
So we headed out on the highway with the first stop at Shreiner's in Fond du Lac for breakfast. Each stop meant planning for the next stop when we're in a group. It's the only way we can communicate - by planning in advance. We rode to the gas station down the street from the restaurant after breakfast. Rick had the smallest bike so it was up to him to let us know how far we could ride. He said he started to get concerned at 125 miles so we agreed to start looking for the next gas station after 100 miles.
We were on highway 41 planning to take highway 10 towards Stevens Point. Jeff missed the turnoff. It was in the middle of a construction zone and I thought he was looking for 110 so I didn't mention that I saw the highway 10 exit until we were almost to Green Bay. The turnoff was on the north side of Lake Butte des Morts so it was way too far to go back. We got off the highway, re-grouped and headed into Green Bay and took highway 29 instead. On the way we passed Doc's Harley-Davidson so after a gas stop we agreed to go back and stop in. H-D clothing does not appeal to me so I didn't buy anything, neither did Rick since he doesn't have a Harley, but Ken got a shirt.
Back on the road again, the next stop was our hotel. We were staying in Wausau, so we didn't have far to go now. We all stopped at the hotel, Jeff checked us in then Ken and Rick headed out to go check in at their hotel. They were staying in Rhinelander so they had another 45 minutes ahead of them. In the meantime, we walked across the street to McDonald's for my favorite diet Coke. The caffiene was good. Back at the hotel, we got into our swimwear and headed down to the pool, maps and brochures in hand. We swam some laps to unwind, soaked in the hot tub to get the feel of the road off. Sitting by the pool, we read through our maps and brochures and planned the rest of the evening.
After showering, we got back on the bike and headed up to Tomahawk. There was a motorcycle parade starting at 5:30 so we wanted to find a nice spot to sit and watch. We parked by the event's sponsor grocery store and hit the vendor tents. We decided to head in the store, buy a 6-pack and some snacks for the parade. We met a nice guy who wanted to thank my husband for his service to our country. Jeff wears his Legion Riders motorcycle vest like a badge of honor. And sometimes people notice. This man has a son in the Navy as well so he felt compelled to tell us how proud he was of him, as it should be.
We found a nice section of lawn next to some friendly people, opened a few Pacificos, sliced some lime for the beer and munched on potato chips while waiting for the parade. Ken called to say he just got there. I told him our location in Tomahawk and he said no, he just got to his hotel, not Tomahawk! He left our hotel almost 3 hours earlier. I guess the worst thing that happened wasn't missing highway 10 anymore. He said they did a u-turn a few times when they discovered they were going the wrong way. I guess it's a good thing it's all about the ride.
It was a nice time, sitting in the grass, watching the parade with a beer and my honey. After the parade, we got on the bike and headed to the street party about a mile away. We saw Ken and Rick heading in the opposite direction, but we figured they would eventually head to the street party since the parade was over. As we went to park, which was difficult since there were so many people and so many bikes, Jeff hit the curb with his foot as the bike was moving forward. Meaning he yanked his leg backwards as the bike was in forward motion. He pretty much sprained everything from the knee to the ankle. He was lucky he was able to keep the bike upright since he was in so much pain. He got off and stretched until the pain subsided. I asked him if he wanted medical attention, we were right across the street from the police station but he said no. He wanted to walk around to see if he would be ok. I sent Ken a text message telling him where we were figuring we would run into him. With his height, he is not hard to pick out in a crowd.
The street party was pretty cool. We stopped to listen to a band called Oil Can Harry. They were pretty good. At least I thought so, Jeff said he was having a hard time thinking of them as good after attending the U2 show in Chicago on Sunday. Obviously there is no comparison so we just got a laugh out of it. Jeff wanted to move around so his leg wouldn't stiffen up. We bought 2 bottles of water and a bag of popcorn from the Boy Scouts. The really cool thing about this rally is that there are all sorts of non-profit groups here selling food to make money for their cause. It is so much better than the awful Famous Dave's Restaurant or the other crappy fare found at the rallies around home.
Jeff mentioned that he was hungry for pizza so on a whim, I stopped at a tent selling slices and we split a piece of sausage pizza. Amazingly, it was hot and delicious. And it was just enough food for us. We walked to the east end of the street where another band was playing. I don't know their name, but they weren't as good as Oil Can Harry so it didn't matter for me to find out.
We walked, ate our pizza, enjoyed each other's company, then decided to head back to the hotel. I checked my phone for messages, there were two missed calls. Between the loud bands and being on the bike, the best form of communication is text messages. You get them when you can and you don't have to be someplace quiet to hear the message - or the phone ring for that matter. It was late, we weren't hanging around anymore. It was late for us anyway, it was almost 10:00.
The 30 minute ride back to the hotel was a little chilly, but in the north woods, where there are no big city lights, the stars were incredible. There were so many and it felt like you could just reach out and touch them. They were so bright among the darkness of the empty highway. The air was crisp and the view when looking up was spectacular.
It was a nice day, nice, safe ride, and a good time.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment