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This article appeared in the April, 2011 issue of Owners News
The 37th
Great River Road Rally (GR3) – A Wisconsin Glacial Gift
An odd thing happened around 20,000
years ago. The great glaciers of the Wisconsin Episode, which covered
most of Canada, the Upper Midwest and New England with ice as thick
as a mile, began to recede northward as the world warmed up, leaving
behind scoured terrain and glacial drift. The odd thing? Those
glaciers never covered the Driftless Area located primarily in
southwest Wisconsin. The result? Gorgeous rolling hills separated by
lovely rivers and streams, leading to wonderful scenic rides on a
multitude of federal, state, county and town roads. This is what the
Madison BMW Club's Great River Road Rally is all about.
The "GR3" gets its name from
the Great River Road, WI 35, which straddles the bluffs along the
east bank of the Mississippi River. The rally site used to be on the
river at Bagley, a quick hop from WI 35. It moved northeast some
years ago to Soldiers Grove on the meandering Kickapoo River in the
heart of the Driftless Area, providing a strategic location with
great camping, comaraderie and amazing riding. Wisconsin's "little
dragons", WI 33 through Wildcat Mountain State Park and WI 108
over the hand-hewn Mindoro Cut, make a great day trip with plenty of
other twisties along the way. You may want to stop on the way back
at one of the many wineries in the area. Looking for great views of
the Great River? Visit one of many scenic high spots, such as Mt.
Hosmer across the steel bridge at Lansing, Iowa. Want to ride that
GS on some back roads? Join the rally's adventure ride. A guided
touring ride is also offered.
The GR3 is most definitely a "riding
rally." Although there are small "seminars" on topics
like knife sharpening, and several vendors are on hand to sell their
wares, the focus is on camping, eating and riding. The rally has the
enthusiastic support of several local community groups - it kicks off
on Friday with hamburgers and brats sold by the local horse and pony
club, an all-you-can-eat breakfast provided by a local church group
follows on Saturday, and the Lions Club presents the Saturday evening
meal, which is included in the rally fee. Lots of great door prizes
are given away, and a motorcycle movie is shown Saturday night. If
you register before May 7, you may win a pre-rally Thursday night
motel stay on the Mississippi River (particularly handy if you're
traveling from the west).
But, above all, it's about the roads.
Type "Soldiers Grove, WI" into Google Maps, set the display
on terrain, and be amazed. The town roads all have "Hollow",
"Ridge" or "Coulee" in their names, and that's a
good thing. You can ride along magnificent ridge roads with amazing
views over the hills, or tool along a hill-shaded valley road where
horses drink from nearby streams (watch out for deer!). Best of all,
of course, are the roads that cross the grain, with twisty climbs and
drops.
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