COWs 25th Anniversary Rally—Lake Geneva, WI

Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19, 2013

Rally Day #1: Friday, May 17, 2013

Lake Geneva, WI to Richmond, IL: 31.25 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 2 hours 26 minutes, average speed 12.7

We arrived in Lake Geneva well before check in and were surprised to learn our room was ready for us. This gave us much needed time to prepare for the wild and crazy weekend ahead. Our room was wonderful with a door out to a private deck overlooking Geneva Lake. We took some time to breathe deeply and enjoy the view before joining the commotion beginning at the registration desk in the hotel lobby. The organization of our rally hosts allowed Dennis and I to take part in all rally activities.  As new secretaries of the club, we expected to be on duty during registration times but our fabulous hosts had everything covered.

After having a quick lunch at Gino’s, we rallied to ride with three Missouri teams and a few Wisconsin members. The route took us southeast through rolling farmlands and forests to Pell Lake and then on towards the Wisconsin/Illinois border. We rode through Genoa City and into the charming town of Richmond, IL, stopping at Skoopers for an ice cream treat—Moose Tracks, Yum!

A descent to Big Foot State Park held a beautiful panoramic view of Geneva Lake. Climbing out of the park, we rode past several lakeside mansions before descending back to the lake and our hotel.

We enjoyed a quite supper at Sprecher’s with Kathi and John Johnson which was followed by the COWs social hosted by Dick and Jackie Homan. We enjoyed visiting with old and new club members. Rally day one ended with a quick officer’s meeting and a final visit with Dennis and Ingrid Hughes.

Rally Day #2: Saturday, May 18, 2013

Lake Geneva, Burlington and Powers Lake: 47.16 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 3 hours 32 minutes, average speed 13.2

We awoke to another sun shining day—great for this pedaling vacation! The 59 teams were gathering in the parking lot of the host hotel for a planned start time of 9:00 a.m. We always enjoy the sea of multicolored jerseys and the excitement as the police escort sends us on our way. All routes rode together for the first 14 miles towards historic downtown Burlington, known as Chocolate City, USA. We followed the broad scenic valleys of Como Creek and the White River.

We looped around Powers Lake and the Nippersink Golf Course before returning to Lake Geneva with time to wash up and COW-pool over to Yerkes Observatory for a 3:00 p.m. private tour. The observatory was established in the 1890’s and is known for having the world’s largest lens-type telescope.

Yerkes is a 100-year-old observatory owned by the University of Chicago with five research telescopes, one of which is the largest refractor in the world. The observatory was founded in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and, using some trickery, was financed by Charles T. Yerkes.

An event social and banquet followed the Yerkes tour and was a wonderful 25-year COWs anniversary celebration and we could not have had a more appropriate setting than Celebration on Wells. We were dining in style with white linen table coverings, a chef-carved roast beef and lighting that surrounded us in an elegant atmosphere. Of the 59 couples attending the rally, 80% join the fun, food and conversation this banquet provided. The introduction of 11 new teams took place following the unveiling of a new tandem song written by Joan Laabs and Susan Pribyl and set to the tune of “Living on Tulsa Time”.

Rally Day #3: Sunday, May 19, 2013

Breakfast Ride to Twin Lakes: 28.97 miles
TANDEM Pedal Time: 2 hours 5 minutes, average speed 13.8

We set off on a final bike route of this Spring Rally with club members that offered their friendship back when we first joined the COWs in 2006. New members joined in and by the time we reached Twin Lakes for breakfast, the size of our group was too large to eat at the recommended diner so we pulled out our smart phones and quickly found a suitable alternative. The Corner Kitchen Family Restaurant was able to seat our group at one large table where we could enjoy this last meal together.

The packing up and good-byes began once back at our hotel. Many teams stopped to share their rally experience with us and express their thanks for a memorable 25^th anniversary rally—this one will be tough to top.

COWs 2013 Spring Rally Ride Statistics

• 5 states were represented: Wisconsin 42 teams, Illinois 6 teams, Minnesota 5 teams, Iowa 3 teams and Missouri 3 teams for a total of 59 teams
  
• 48 teams attended the Saturday banquet and social (80% of total rally attendance)
  
• 11 new teams were initiated into the club

Total Spring Rally biking miles: 107.38

COWS Spring Rally—Port Washington, WI

Day 3—Breakfast Ride: 30.64 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 2 hours 19 minutes, average speed: 13.1

We gathered at 8:00 a.m. for this final day of riding ending the 2012 COWS spring rally. Beth and Pat did a super job hosting this event. It seems they did have an angel watching over them providing care and good weather throughout. We biked most of today’s miles before stopping for breakfast and again it was a wonderful day of riding. We biked the roads towards Cedarburg one more time and then finished by biking back to Port Washington on the Interurban Bike Trail.

Our group stopped for breakfast at Newport Shores. The brunch buffet was awesome. A photo shoot took place following our meal and Don Zietlow provided us with a final circus act when he dropped his sunglasses below the boulders we were posing on. It took newbie, John White, to snake his long arm down between the rocks to fish the glasses out—that’s true club dedication!

What a memorable rally. We travelled new routes, met new friends and gathered with friends we haven’t seen since last biking season. Port Washington is a quaint little village which helped make this spring rally a success. Saying good bye was easier as we would all be seeing each other again soon, either at the COWS Wrangler ride on the Root or at the Midwest Tandem Rally in Madison, Wisconsin—Life truly is good!

Total Rally Biking Miles: 117.50

COWS Spring Rally—Port Washington, WI

Day 2—Port Washington to Oostburg and back: 59.62 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 4 hours 17 minutes, average speed: 13.8

A mass reunion was held at 9:00 a.m. in the parking lot of the Country Inn & Suites. It’s always a treat to see all the teams come together toting their gear in, on and behind whatever vehicle works. The forecast for the day could not have been better for this spring ride. Most teams were choosing the 60-mile route to get the most out of this gorgeous day. After a short greeting from our rally hosts, Pat and Beth Peterson, we were released into the countryside in search of an adventure full of new sights and sounds.

All bikes are welcome at a COWS rally. I was envious of Dennis and Ingrid’s new wheels, a green and yellow tandem Greenspeed trike. They allowed me to test its comfort and I slid into the stoker’s seat with ease—is there a new bike in our future?

We’re off pedaling down the quiet country roads between Port Washington and Oostburg with 50 tandem teams at our side. The weather is the topic of choice as we greet each team we pass. We are blessed to have such a lovely day for this spring COWS rally.

In Oostburg we stopped at a Subway to order a sandwich which we took to the red trailhead depot building to eat. We watched the many tandem teams pedal by as we enjoyed our lunch on the benches of the abandoned train station.

Our ride comes to an end after 60 miles of pedaling but the party continues on. The COWS spring banquette was held near the hotel at Nisleit’s Country Inn. The banquette room assigned our group was overflowing with COWS members. The food was good and the meeting following was brief. Kelly and Jordan stepped down from their 8-year reign as club secretaries and Dennis and I were nominated to the board. We are grateful for the time Kelly and Jordan gave our club and will remember their part in each COWS activity we attended. Hats off to them both for their dedicated service! As a parting gift, Kelly and Jordan passed the COWS hats to us and I will treasure them always.

COWS Spring Rally-Port Washington, WI

Day 1— Port Washington to Cedarburg and back: 27.24 miles
TANDEM: Ride Time was 2 hours 41 minutes, average speed: 10.8

The 4-hour trip to Port Washington was a breeze compared to our last COWS adventure in Alabama. We reached Port Washington before noon and awaited a call from Kathi & John Johnson to verify lunch plans. John and Joan Laabs also checked in and plans were set to meet at the Dockside Deli along Lake Michigan. Jean and John White, new COWS members from Missouri, joined our group. After lunch, we began biking along the planned route for rally day 1 which passed through Port Washington and then turned southwest towards Cedarburg before returning via the Interurban Trail—a 30-mile paved trail completed in 2002 which spans the entire length of Ozaukee County.

A short break was unanimously decided as we came upon the Chiseled Grape Winery. This unique winery was housed in a renovated old school house and offered wine tastings which was enjoyed by the wine connoisseurs in our group. Back in Port, we decided an afternoon cocktail would add a nice touch to this great riding day. The pub we chose, Sir James, had a dark, medieval charm to it and included a friendly bartender who took good care of us.

Today’s route was full of scenic backgrounds which we fully enjoyed as we slowly rolled along. The view of Lake Michigan from the pier was spectacular with clear turquoise water sparkling under the bright sunny sky—a wonderful start to the 3-day weekend with members of our COWS tandem club.

Our 5-day Bike Trip in Wisconsin

Friday, May 20 to Tuesday, May 24

We just returned from a 5-day bike trip—Wow, 5 days of biking in a row, that’s a first for this season! We did have to dodge raindrops and some very wicked storms but we managed to have a great time.


Friday and Saturday were spent with our tandem club, Couples on Wheels (better known as COWS), biking in and around Chippewa Falls, WI. Hosts for this spring rally were Lane and Linda from Eau Claire. They did a wonderful job planning various routes and events for the weekend. One highlight included the opportunity to climb an official category 5 hill—no problem for our mean machine! Stopping at the Leinie’s Lodge is always a treat—free beer samples and great tours and this year the lodge provided shelter from the rain when needed.

Our annual COWS meeting and banquet was held Saturday evening and the food was excellent. The restaurant staff came swarming out of all entrances to serve our group of 36 tandem teams. We ordered from a menu of 4 choices and each choice was delicious! Joan and John Laabs were our escort for the evening as we were vehicle-less for this trip which would allow us to bike towards home following this COWS rally.

Following the banquet, we went out on the town with Dennis and Ingrid. We finally found a quite little bar where we could visit without shouting above the music.

Back at our hotel room, we got things ready for our next journey with Kathi and John Johnson. We promised them an early ride start Sunday morning as we would be joining them for the start of their 6-week bike trip east along the Northern Tier towards Bar Harbor, ME. Our plans were to make it at least to Prairie du Chien with them by Tuesday.

The COWS Sunday Breakfast ride was mass starting at 9:00 a.m. but the Veerkamps and Johnsons would already be 2 hours down the road. Only a few COWS couples were up to send us on our way.

We headed west towards Durand, WI where we planned on stopping for the day but didn’t plan on such an easy ride. We reached Durand by 10:30 a.m. and then decided to continue biking towards Wabasha hoping to beat the afternoon forecasted rains. We made it to Nelson just as the rain started to pour down, and a great shower it was.


The rains lasted only about 10 minutes and then the sun returned to dry us off and stayed with us until we reached our lunch stop at Slippery’s in Wabasha, MN. Lunch was great and the rest was needed. Kathi and I got on the phone to inquire about lodging and we found an AmericInn on the edge of town. We were pleased with our choice. The Inn was very “bike friendly” and even had a sign on the entry window welcoming bikers on the Northern Tier—cool! We were welcomed to the Inn by Steve, our friendly desk manager. After a rest in the whirlpool and a game of Hearts, we walked to the Dairy Queen for a light supper. Lights were turned out early so that we could all get some rest before meeting at 6:00 a.m. for breakfast and another early start to our biking day. We are still trying to beat the storms surrounding us. Tornados were spotted close by with touch downs in La Crosse, our next overnight stop. We felt like true storm chasers as we biked into communities renovated by the visiting tornados. We ended our biking day with 62 more miles on the tandem.



Our second day of riding with the Johnsons took us from Wabasha to La Crosse, WI with a total of 70 more miles on the bike. We were on the bikes and heading towards Winona by 7:00 a.m. We made it to Winona by 9:00 and stopped for a short visit with Ma Storsveen (Deb’s mom) before returning our tires to Wisconsin soil. The decision to bike the Wisconsin side to La Crosse was a good one as we avoided the climb out of Winona on Hwy 43—we celebrated this realization unanimously.

The skies looked very threatening as we pedaled down the highways but no rain fell today. We did see a rainbow peeking out at us but it soon disappeared as the sky began to clear.

We detoured through Perrot State Park and then through the town of Trempealeau along the Mississippi River making for a very enjoyable ride. We then got onto Hwy 35 and took it all the way into La Crosse. It had its busy moments but decent shoulders were a big help. We planned to have lunch at Fayze’s downtown La Crosse, but decided to stop at Features in Holmen as our stomachs were demanding food.


The chore to find accommodations fell to Kathi and me again. We decided on an Econo Lodge as the price was right. It wasn’t bad but would probably not recommend it to anyone. It did, however, have a very friendly bar within walking distance making our stay more enjoyable. We enjoyed pizza back at the lodge and watched Dancing with the Stars. John then had the great idea to begin tomorrow’s ride at 5:00 a.m. to avoid the morning rush hour traffic out of La Crosse and then have breakfast once through town. We all agreed to this craziness and headed to bed to rest for our next day of riding.

Morning came early on this last day of our biking adventure with Kathi and John. As we check out of the Econo Lodge, the night manager handed us a bunch of bananas to tie us over until we found a breakfast stop past La Crosse—what a kind soul. It was 5:00 a.m. as we began pedaling towards the outskirts of town.

We were 20 miles into our ride when we noticed a quite café open for breakfast. We had the place to ourselves and were treated like royalty. We all ordered the “Scrambled Mess” and when it was set down in front of each of us we all began to laugh. One portion would have been enough to satisfy us all. We had to leave part of this delicious meal behind. The cook thanked us for stopping and then stepped outside to take a peek at our transportation. We offered her a ride but she quietly refused sending us one our way rested and very full.

We then got back on our bikes and continued pedaling down Hwy 35 towards Prairie du Chien. The route was very scenic but rather stressful for our captains—heavy traffic and rough shoulders can make for a very long journey. We avoided rain again today and arrived at Prairie du Chien dry and with 64 more miles on the bike.


Kathi and John checked into a Microtel and then we all relaxed in the hot tub, walked to Culvers for ice cream and then played cards. Our escort service (daughter, Jill) arrived to pick us up around 1:00 p.m. and we loaded all our belongings into the van while Kathi and John looked on.

Saying goodbye is always tough after these days of sharing such wonderful moments with our dear tandem friends. We wished them a safe journey east and after a round of hugs, climbed in our van for our journey back to normality.