COWs Fall Rally–Green Bay, WI

Friday, September 27, 2013

Because we were not able to leave home until 12:30pm, we didn’t arrive in Green Bay until 5pm—too late to bike the Friday Ice Cream Ride. Many team members did bike and they reported that they had a great ride. Dennis and I enjoyed sitting on the deck of the Fajita Republic restaurant watching the teams roll in. This also gave us time to pick up our registration packet from hosts Barb and Steve Derenne and gather information about our upcoming weekend in Green Bay.

We chose Mackinaws for supper which was in walking distance from our hotel. We shared our plans with others and by evening, we had 10 teams joining us. Mackinaws did a super job taking care of our last-minute, large group. One delightful gentleman offered to take a photo of our group. We later found out he was the owner of Mackinaws. Not only were they friendly here but the food was awesome!

Saturday, September 28, 2013
COWs Fall Rally Day #2: 40.66 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 3 hours 14 minutes, average speed 12.5

28 tandem teams gathered in the parking lot of the Country Inn & Suites to chat before the 9:00am mass start onto the roads east of Green Bay. The sky was blue and the temperature rose into the 80’s by ride’s end. The planned route was fabulous and included not only road riding but also put us on a bike path along the shores of Green Bay with its fabulous views.

We continued pedaling along this beautiful route until we came to the town of Dykesville. In this town was a wonderful resting spot where we stopped for a mid-morning treat. As we sat in the outdoor seating section of Sweet Seasons, we could watch and wave to all the tandem teams passing by. Many stopped to join us and soon the complete outside deck of the restaurant was full of red and white jerseys.

Well-fed and rested, we pedaled back towards Green Bay. We encountered one very steep hill near route’s end. The treat we had at Sweet Seasons gave us the energy we needed to keep the pedals moving. We reached the top, gathered our breath and continued on towards our end point. After washing up and packing our bike away for the day, we, along with 4 other teams decided to return to Mackinaws for an early supper. Because it was so tasty on Friday night, I ordered the same meal of pan fried walleye—YUM!

Our rally hosts were planning an evening social and we finished at Mackinaws in time to attend. After visiting with many COWs members, we settled in to play a serious game of Spinner Dominoes—a great way to end this busy day.

Sunday, September 29, 2013
COWs Fall Rally Day #3: 31.10 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 2 hours 18 minutes, average speed 12.9

On the last day of the COWs Fall rally we usually bike a few miles to breakfast returning to the hotel in time for the required check out. This year we were on route by 8am and chose to bike the ice cream route which we missed on Friday. We had breakfast at our hotel and then joined a few teams that wanted to repeat this route with us.

What made this route so special, other than the company joining us, was the chance to bike the Fox River Trail, named because of its beautiful views of the Fox River. In the past this has been a well-traveled route: First by Native Americans, then French explorers and traders and later the Milwaukee and Northern Railway. The Fox River State Recreational Trail stretches 20 miles from downtown Green Bay to the Brown/Calumet County line.

Back at the hotel, we packed everything up and said good-bye to many we wouldn’t see again until spring. We really enjoyed this biking adventure in and around Green Bay, a part of the USA we haven’t yet biked. We are grateful to have such dedicated club members volunteer to organize events that allow the club to come together.

COWS Fall Rally – West Bend, WI

Rally Day #3: 22.49 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 1 hour 49 minutes, average speed: 12.2

It’s nearly time to go home and the weather begins to improve. Four teams joined together to finish the 2010 COWS Fall Rally ending with a beautiful route into the countryside and then back to town on the Eisenbahn State Bike Trail. The temperature finally reached into the 60’s and the winds were minimal reminding us that we still have season left to ride. The rally was a huge success thanks to Jim and Anne for volunteering to host this year’s Fall Ride.

COWS Fall Rally – West Bend, WI

Rally Day #2: 58.94 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 4 hours 47 minutes, average speed: 12.3

The words to describe this biking day would have to be chilly and windy! After a few announcements from host Jim, 18 teams mounted up and out into the 50-degree temps to explore the Northern Kettle Moraine north of West Bend, WI.

We biked 30 miles straight before our first rest at the Parnell Tower and the wind was exhausting, sapping energy from any reserves we might have. We did not even consider climbing the fire tower once at the park. Our rest included a visit with Annette and Tom and we then got back on the bike to pedal 10 more miles to our lunch stop in Dundee, arriving tired and hungry. Lunch at the bar & grill was excellent and it was fun to see all the riders making their lunch stop here. The bartender was very kind and invited us back if we should find ourselves in Dundee again.

Our lunch break was 40 miles into our ride so we now only had 20 more to go to finish. We made it back to the hotel by 3:30 p.m. giving us an hour to clean up and navigate to our hosts' house for a backyard bar-BQ. Jim and Anne planned a wonderful cookout for all riders at their home. Chef Jim grilled mouthwatering brats and even provided a very special dessert. A variety of salads and snacks showed up as each COWS team joined the party.

We had a wonderful time getting to know each other better. Jim and Anne did a wonderful job making us all feel welcome in West Bend.

COWS Fall Rally – West Bend, WI

Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest
Rally Day #1: 0 miles

Because of dangerous winds blowing at 35 mph as we arrived in West Bend, Dennis and I chose to visit with COWS members rather than bike the route around the city. Six couples planned to gather for supper at the Coachman House Restaurant recommended by Anne and Jim White, our hosts for this weekend. Following our meal, Dennis and I decided to visit with the locals in the bar and had a wonderful conversation with a retired couple from Milwaukee. We then drove back to the AmericInn to rest for our ride into the Northern Kettle Moraine planned for Saturday. The forecast looked promising and we were hopeful that the winds would move on out to allow us to bike the 60-mile route.

COWS Fall Rally Day #3

Ride Day #3: 30.17 miles

Ride Time was 2 hours 26 minutes,average speed: 12.3

Art and Deb showed up around 9:00 and we began navigating along the 30-mile route for rally day 3. It was another chilly day and winds were fiercer than rally day 2 but we still enjoyed ourselves and made it back to the hotel dry and with plenty of time for our Noon checkout. Our 4-hour ride home gave us time to reminisce about our rally weekend—and what a great adventure it was!

COWS Fally Rally Day #2

Ride Day #2: 50.15 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 3 hours 44 minutes, average speed: 13.3

The mass start was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. and 10 teams were ready to ride out regardless of the threat of rain and chilly temps. We all boasted of our stubbornness to stay with the plan. The lead tandems raced out ahead and we fell towards the back reminding ourselves that we must keep our own pace to avoid burnout early in the ride. We met up with the group for lunch in LaGrange for a quick sandwich and made plans to bike with Deb and Art Tillman to a fresh fish market to purchase snacks for the evening’s social. We only experienced a few sprinkles during the day’s ride and our warmer bike clothing kept us comfortable throughout the day. We arrived back at the hotel in time to clean up for snacks and games with our COWS friends. As the time neared the supper hour, we all decided to have pizza delivered to the party room where we could continue our social gathering. We made plans to finish our biking weekend by biking Rally Day #3 with Art and Deb and then we said our goodbyes to those deciding to cut their weekend short and pack for home. We were pleased to get this day of riding in with some COWS teams as the weather forecast put pressure on many to cancel plans to attend. It was not the best riding weather but we always seem to have a great time with this group!

COWS Fall Rally Day #1

Ride Day #1: 4.03 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 19 minutes, average speed: 11.5

We reached East Troy at 2:30 p.m. to register for the COWS Fall Rally. The weekend weather was predicted to be cold and rainy. We did get the bike ready to do a short ride around the town dodging rain drops as we pedaled. We then relaxed in the hotel hot tub for a bit and then got ready to join the group for supper at Roma’s—yum, very good.