I've been meaning to ride a couple interesting-on-a-map roads a hundred or so miles north of me for some time, and with predictions of sun and forecasted highs in the high 60s to low 70s, today seemed like the perfect day. I laid the route out, and it appeared to be about 4 - 4? hours round trip, which meant I needed to leave by 1 to ensure I was back in time to make dinner.
After mowing the lawn and some miscellaneous household tasks, I zoomed north on US41, leaving the house at 1:45pm. I rode past the city of Green Bay, and turned north toward the Upper Peninsula.
Exiting at Suamico, I gassed up and headed east on county roads, finally turning north on Cty J just west of the west coast of Green Bay. I followed it north to Oconto, where I rode out onto a one-lane causeway, which terminated a couple hundred yards into Lake Michigan:
Turning north, I followed along the water's edge, catching occasional glimpses of blue water through the alternating woods and residences. Eventually the road dove into the forest, and for what seemed like forever this is the view I had:
Emerging at Peshtigo, I hopped on US 41 briefly before exiting and heading to County Highway BB, and then B. B looked very interesting on a map, but the low speed limit and enormous turkey I nearly clipped when the limit increased to 55 kept me cautious and removed a large amount of the potential fun from the road. Turning east and then north, I rode to Marinette and crossed the bridge into Michigan, more to prove a point than anything else.
After encountering a roadside attraction:
US41 south a few miles back through Marinette brought me to State Hwy 180, which was the main reason for my ride. 180 follows the Menominee River, ending in Wausaukee. I raced along the sweeping curves and found myself a beautiful spot for a quick break at a bend in the river:
180 is 30 miles long, and as I mentioned ends at US141 and Wausaukee. Wausaukee, the “Ranger City,” is a small town with a great spot for a break along the railroad tracks:
While I was waiting in line, a train came through, pulling probably two dozen railcars full of timber:
From here, it was 141 to 41 and back to Appleton, with a total of 220 miles for the day.
Sorry for (1) the crappy cell phone pics and (2) the size of the pics, I reduced them down but apparently not quite enough.
Andy
After mowing the lawn and some miscellaneous household tasks, I zoomed north on US41, leaving the house at 1:45pm. I rode past the city of Green Bay, and turned north toward the Upper Peninsula.
Exiting at Suamico, I gassed up and headed east on county roads, finally turning north on Cty J just west of the west coast of Green Bay. I followed it north to Oconto, where I rode out onto a one-lane causeway, which terminated a couple hundred yards into Lake Michigan:
Turning north, I followed along the water's edge, catching occasional glimpses of blue water through the alternating woods and residences. Eventually the road dove into the forest, and for what seemed like forever this is the view I had:
Emerging at Peshtigo, I hopped on US 41 briefly before exiting and heading to County Highway BB, and then B. B looked very interesting on a map, but the low speed limit and enormous turkey I nearly clipped when the limit increased to 55 kept me cautious and removed a large amount of the potential fun from the road. Turning east and then north, I rode to Marinette and crossed the bridge into Michigan, more to prove a point than anything else.
After encountering a roadside attraction:
US41 south a few miles back through Marinette brought me to State Hwy 180, which was the main reason for my ride. 180 follows the Menominee River, ending in Wausaukee. I raced along the sweeping curves and found myself a beautiful spot for a quick break at a bend in the river:
180 is 30 miles long, and as I mentioned ends at US141 and Wausaukee. Wausaukee, the “Ranger City,” is a small town with a great spot for a break along the railroad tracks:
While I was waiting in line, a train came through, pulling probably two dozen railcars full of timber:
From here, it was 141 to 41 and back to Appleton, with a total of 220 miles for the day.
Sorry for (1) the crappy cell phone pics and (2) the size of the pics, I reduced them down but apparently not quite enough.
Andy
