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This year, we decided we were going to take as much time off as we needed to get a chance to hit some really scenic roads. I started my morning off with a quick trip up I90 to Rockford, and then a little taste of my favorite road, IL2 along the Rock River. I met my buddy Jim at the corner of IL64 and IL2 in Oregon, IL. We followed 64 all the way to Savanna, IL. This was another scenic road. Really easy on the turns, but beautiful nonetheless.
We stopped in Savanna off of IL84 to have lunch at the famous Poopie's Bar and Grill/Tattoo Parlor/Garage. The portions were huge, and the prices were reasonable. After filling our bellies with some good food, we were back on the road to cross into Iowa. We jumped on US52, which follows the Mississippi all the way to Dubuque. This ride had mostly sweeping turns, and some small elevation changes. The first 20-30 miles or so had some real colorful tree cover, but that also brought a lot of leaves down on us. I have to say taking leaves to the face at 55mph can get annoying really quick!
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We stopped in Dubuque for gas, and hightailed the hell outta there. It always amazes me to find little ghettos in the middle of what seems like nowhere. We followed 52 just outside of Dubuque, and followed this to IA C9Y, which is their Great River Road. This portion of the ride definitely lived up to it's name. There were some very good sweepers, with elevation changes equaling hundreds of feet.
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As we made our way into a small town named Balltown, there were cars seemingly everywhere. As we made our way up C9Y, the road appeared rise and end, shooting straight into the sky. We stopped here for some pictures, and took advantage of their scenic overlook. These can be seen just below:
The ride out of Balltown continued to be great, continuing the sweeping curves and hills. Then we were in the middle of cornfields for what seemed like forever. We finally found route 18, which took us towards Prairie Du Chien, WI, and allowed us to follow WI 35 just west to Lancaster.
We stayed at the Best Western in Lancaster, WI, which was a very small town. However, food and drink were only 2 blocks away, and a Piggly Wiggly kiddie corner from the hotel. We stopped in at a little place called Doolittles, and pounded a few Blue Moons while waiting a considerably long time for mediocre food. This just so happened to be the same night the Brewers beat the Diamondbacks to make it to the NLCS. So the few locals (may have been half the town) were in the bar screaming at the TVs. We made it back to the hotel around 8:30PM and were both out before 10PM.
(I should mention we did not have to wear our jackets after lunch, since the rest of the day was in the high 70s and sunny!)
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