Motorcycle Adventure: August 2014

Sunday, August 31, 2014

On the road selfy.

Taken on the ride. Gms

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Friday, August 29, 2014

Wood Track Racing

One of the early forms of motorcycle competition was oval wood track racing. This was a display of wood track racing and some of the variety of racers produced by different manufacturers.ROM

Early Bikes

Here are but a few pictures of what we thought were unique and interesting bikes to see. ROM

Steve McQueen

This was a display dedicated to Steve McQueen the actor. This was his runabout 1949 Indian scout. Steve McQueen was a well known actor but also an accomplished dirt bike racer. ROM

Yesterday we went to see the shops that are featured on American Pickers. Today at the museum we saw several items on display that have been picked by Antique Archaeology on American Pickers. There was a tag on this car which is powered by a motorcycle engine that said "picked by American Pickers". ROM

National Motorcycle Museum

Today we traveled to Anamosa Iowa to tour the national motorcycle museum. This was different from the Harley museum in that it had bikes of all makes and models. This was really a fun and informative tour. We all like motorcycles and no some things about some bikes but not much about all of them. The museum showed us a great deal and helped us to understand some of the similarities and differences in the motorcycle manufacturers bikes. This was a great history lesson.ROM

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Game

This is a picture game we play every year. See if you can find a man in the cornfield. Create your own story to go with the picture.

More Antique Archaeology

The stores were not extremely large but they were cram packed with everything you can imagine. ROM

American Pickers

We rode from about 2 o'clock until 6 o'clock in a pretty good rain. However that did not dampen our spirits. This afternoon was spent in La Clair, IA. This is the home of the TV show " American Pickers " which focuses on Mike and Frank, owners of Antique Archaeology and their travels through the country to find and resale relics of the past. It was fun going to their store and even recognizing many of the items that we had seen them purchase on their television program. Danielle their assistant was not there but we had a good time anyway. Most items were little pricey but we had fun looking around. Mike is a big collector of antique motorcycles and there were several in store. Of course none of them were for sale. They were in a variety of stages of restoration and fun to look at. ROM

Stopped

Harleys parked near a corn field in the country can only mean one thing. Farming techniques inspection. Width of the rows, plant population and the number of ears on the stalk. Well, maybe just an emergency stop. The crops are really looking great. Some of the corn must ten foot tall. Gms

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Monroe, WI

As mentioned earlier in this blog we try to eat with the locals. We had lunch today at Bumgardners in Monroe, Wisconsin. This was Original Cheese Store and Tavern that had been in business since 1931. They specialized in Wisconsin cheese,a variety of deli meats and soups. It was hard to choose what you were going to enjoy. They also produce what they call a Swiss Apple. This was Limburger cheese and onion on whatever bread you chose. Gaylen and ask for a sample and found that if you could get past the smell of the Limburger cheese it was not all that bad. Neither of us felt like we could eat a whole sandwich. This was really a neat town about the size of Arkadelphia and was built on the Central Square concept. There were approximately 50 to 60 buildings downtown and all were either specialty or professional buildings. There was a single building in this downtown area that we saw that was empty and the historic courthouse of Greene County was the focal point. This place made you want to live there. ROM

The Heartland

The Midwest is a great expanse of farmland. We have seen some of the prettiest crops of corn that you can imagine. There are some stalks that are ten feet or even taller in height. This is also a busy dairy center. We saw any number of dairy farms as we traveled through the back areas. You could smell the dairy farms long before you get to them and long after you left them! It really makes you admire and appreciate those who farm and feed us. ROM

Milwaukee Ralley

We did not know we first planned this trip but that this was the week of the Milwaukee Rally. This was the first year for the rally and was sponsored by Harley Davidson and Hupy and Abraham personal injury attorneys of Milwaukee. Many of the Harley dealerships in and around Milwaukee were setting up vendors and other types of activities for the crowds they are expecting to attend this four-day Labor Day event. Would have been fun to stay and see what the Harley hometown boys can put on but we had to get on our way to make the rest of our stops and our journey own time. ROM

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Miller Brewery Tour

After touring the Harley Davidson powertrain factory our next stop was to have lunch at the Harley-Davidson Café and then proceed to the Miller Brewing Company. The meal was great and the tour was interesting. The area where the brewery is located is called Miller Valley and covers 5 square miles in the downtown area. They brewery was established in 1903 and ironically that is the same year that Harley Davidson begin production. Two major industries for Milwaukee continue to prosper after over 100 years in operation. ROM

Miller Highlife Tour

The drivetrain tour was interesting but no pictures allowed. Then the brewery tour and the CAVE which was a part of the original process to store the beer in 1903 when they first started brewing. They cut ice from the lakes and rivers to line the walls, being 60 foot underground were able to keep it cold through the hot summer. Gms

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