2023 DART GPS files and important information

May 24, 2023

Hey folks –

The complete Garmin *.gpx routes file for the June 2023 DART can be found here:

2023_BMWST_DART_ALL.gpx

That file is about 12 MB. For anyone using Google Maps (with its 5 MB file limit), here are separate files for the routes to each lunch destination, each of which is less than 5 MB:

2023_BMWST_DART_Dualsport.gpx

2023_BMWST_DART_Dubuque.gpx

2023_BMWST_DART_Platteville.gpx

2023_BMWST_DART_Richland Center.gpx

2023_BMWST_DART_Viroqua.gpx

If you’re using these smaller files, then each day you will need to choose your lunch destination town for that day and load the corresponding file.

These routes have been assembled in BaseCamp using the City Navigator North America NT 2024.1 (V27.10) map set. Whether you're using the same map set or not, I strongly recommend duplicating all of the route files, recalculating the originals, then then comparing each original to its duplicate to look for discrepancies in routing/distance. If you’ve never done this before, here’s how:

After downloading the file and importing it into Basecamp, select all of the routes by clicking on the first route in the list, and then shift-clicking on the last route.
Right-click somewhere in the selected area, and in the pop-up menu, click on “Duplicate” (BaseCamp will ask if you want to duplicate the waypoints; say no).
Select all of the originals (Control-click them one at a time), right-click on one of them, and click on “Recalculate Selected Route(s).”
Right-click on the first recalculated route, and click on “Open” to bring up the route properties window.
In the route list, click back and forth between the recalculated original route and the unchanged duplicate. If the distances are different, you’ll want to visually inspect the map as you click back and forth between the two versions to see where they differ, and insert additional way points to make the recalculated original route match its unchanged duplicate.
When the original matches its duplicate, delete the duplicate.
Repeat steps 5-6 for each of the routes.

A few general notes about how to use the day ride routes:

The routes take you from Prairie du Chien to one of four different lunch destination towns. In the morning, pick a destination town – Viroqua, Richland Center, Platteville, or Dubuque – and then browse through the corresponding batch of routes to decide how far you want to ride before lunch (the distance is in the route name). When you get to your destination town, choose a lunch stop, and bon appétit. After lunch, find the batch of routes that will take you from where you are back to event headquarters (“Borah Borah - HQ”), decide how far you want to ride for the afternoon, and choose accordingly. Depending on your choices, total route distances for each day range from 185 miles to 289 miles. Note that if you choose the same letter (A, B, C...) for the morning and afternoon routes, you'll be riding the same route in reverse. If you skip the routes and just let your GPS take you directly to/from lunch-town, you’ll get something shorter, but it’s likely to be on main roads with more traffic and less curves. The GPS files include several restaurant waypoints in each town, although I’ve only actually eaten at one or two of each. Scroll down a bit in this post for links to restaurant websites and Google-hosted pictures of the food and venue at each place.

I’ve personally ridden many of these roads, but not all of them: I “tele-scouted” some roads from home over the past year or two using Google satellite view and street view. To the best of my knowledge, there is very little total distance of gravel/dirt roads, but I can’t promise absolutely none, so please exercise due caution. Because of construction-related road closures this year, there are a several routes that traverse up to 3 miles of unpaved roads to avoid making a much larger detour.

The two GS routes are an exception to the above claim. Mike obtained these from the folks at Driftless Road Adventures (more info here, where Mike first posted about them). I haven’t ridden these routes at all, but I assume they contain plenty of gravel roads and paths that would be less-than-optimal for folks on RTs or other street-oriented bikes.

In BaseCamp, you’ll see a long list of waypoints marked with an alien head, like this one: . These were harvested from Roadside America, a website dedicated to keeping track of oddball roadside attractions throughout the US. I only punched in a few that are outside the Driftless, but I’ve included all of the ones inside the Driftless. Sadly only a few were actually suitably positioned to be incorporated into the routes I created, but if you're a curious sort of rider, you might want to incorporate them into your own routes, or into your commutes between DART and your home. In Basecamp, you can double-click on each waypoint to bring up the properties window, then click on the “Notes” tab to read some info about what it is (there’s also a link in the Notes section to take you to the relevant page at Roadside America). If you find any that look interesting, feel free to add them to whatever route you like, including your commutes to/from the whole event.

A separate set of waypoints marks the locations of official WI-DOT wayside rest areas throughout Wisconsin. These are primitive sites with picnic tables and outhouses, but they sometimes make for convenient bathroom stops. Only a few actually lie on the routes I made, but I've included all of them just for completeness.

High-octane gasoline can’t be found at all gas stations in the Driftless. I’ve included waypoints for a few that I’ve verified; there are certainly others, especially in the bigger towns and close to main highways, but no guarantees.

There is a “Rally” waypoint at Krachey’s BP in Prairie du Chien. Mike suggested this as a convenient place for people to rendezvous in the mornings, although there are no specific plans I'm aware of right now. Huckleberry’s restaurant is right there for breakfast if you want more substantial fare than what will be available at event headquarters (“Borah Borah - HQ”).

About the Dubuque day ride routes:

The “B” route presents the opportunity for a shortcut. If you’ve overslept in the morning, then when you pull up the B route to Dubuque on your GPS, choose “PDC shortcut” as your starting waypoint; you’ll only have 60 miles to ride to Dubuque instead of 120. Similar issue if returning from Dubuque via the “B” route in the afternoon: if you want to knock off early, then when you arrive at the ”PDC shortcut” waypoint, turn left, cross the mighty Mississippi, and you’ll be back in PDC with just 60 miles covered instead of 120.

The “C” route makes use of the Cassville ferry. The landing on the Wisconsin side is right in downtown Cassville, but the landing on the Iowa side requires you to traverse 2 miles of unpaved road to get to/from the Great River Road. The fare for a motorcycle is $8, cash only. It runs on demand, so if it’s not moored on your side of the river or headed your way, push the button and try to look friendly or pretty, depending on which is your best attribute.

The morning routes all end in east Dubuque, with a number of lunch options available in that area (see list below). However, Breitbach’s Country Dining is about twenty miles north of Dubuque, away from where all the morning routes end. If you want to eat there and you’re riding the “B” or “C” route in the morning, just stop when you get to Breitbach’s (these routes include a waypoint for the restaurant). If you’re riding the “A” route in the morning, then when you get to Dubuque, start one of the afternoon “B” or “C” routes and ride it until you get to Breitbach’s, then continue along your chosen route afterwards.

Getting to/from DART:

There are waypoints on both shores of Lake Michigan for the SS Badger ferry and the Lake Express ferry. If you’re coming from Michigan or eastern Canada and don't mind the fare, either of these handily beats riding through Chicago. The Badger is more northerly, slower (~4 hrs), bigger, older, and cheaper; the Lake Express is more southerly, faster (~2.5 hours), newer, and expensive. The Badger requires you to bring your own tie-downs (you can buy them at a Walmart on the east side of town), whereas the Lake Express supplies tie-downs for you. Both require you to tie your own bike down, and you won't be allowed to visit your bike during the crossing. If you’re prone to motion sickness, remember to bring your preferred remedy; both vessels can operate in some really windy conditions, and it can get rough.

If you absolutely insist on riding through Chicago, to get to Wisconsin, I-294 around downtown is way better than I-90 through downtown. I-294 is a toll road, so they’ll read your license plate and charge you accordingly; alternatively, you can save 50% on tolls by getting an I-PASS (E-ZPass also works if you already have that).

Dining options:

As mentioned earlier, I’ve included waypoints for a few restaurants in each town. Here are some links so you can check out the venues and menus in advance.

Prairie du Chien

Huckleberry's – Open for breakfast at 7. I've eaten here and can vouch for the egg special with kielbasa. (pics of the food and venue)

Hungry House – nothing pretentious here, just basic comfort food. But if you’re up early, so are they: you can get breakfast at 6 AM. (pics of the food and venue)

Pete's Hamburger Stand - This place has been slinging burgers for over 100 years now, and I don’t think much has changed in all that time. The menu is pretty simple – either you want a burger, or you don’t (OK, drinks and chips are available too) – and the only seating is your car, motorcycle or city benches on the sidewalk. But if you like simple, classic meat-on-a-bun from a place with some history, Pete’s may be the place for you (pics of the food and venue)

Jone's Black Angus – Great food, but it’s a bit more upscale than the kinds of places we tend to frequent, so tuck in your shirt and straighten your hair before you go in. (pics of the food and venue)

Dubuque

Adobos Mexican Grill – Mexican-owned and operated, so expect some good stuff. (pics of the food and venue)

Copper Kettle – Not a huge menu, but highly rated, and the pics look promising. (pics of the food and venue)

Foodie Garage – The menu features almost five dozen different burgers, along with several wraps and sandwiches. If you can’t find a burger you like on their menu, then you probably just don’t like burgers. (pics of the food and venue)

Pete's Thai – Not the cheapest option, but then you didn’t buy the cheapest bike either. Highly rated, so just open your wallet and enjoy. (pics of the food and venue)

The Barrel House – Gourmet burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and tacos – the menu pics alone are enough to make your mouth water. (pics of the food and venue)

Breitbach's Country Dining – Opened in 1852, owned by the same family since 1862. Lunch is served from 11AM - 2:30PM, so plan accordingly. There’s a scenic overlook a mile north of town, and another one within walking distance of the restaurant; either one affords grand views of the countryside all the way across the Big Muddy into Wisconsin. (pics of the food and venue)

Platteville

A&W – Dying for a classic root beer and burger combo? Head on over. (pics of the food and venue)

Culver's – A high-quality fast food restaurant that got its start in Wisconsin 38 years ago and has since spread to numerous locations throughout the central and southern US. (pics of the food and venue)

Las Amigos Mexican – Authentic and tasty, confirmed by yours truly. (pics of the food and venue)

Steve's Pizza Palace – a local place serving gourmet pizzas and other items. (pics of the food and venue)

Richland Center

Culver's – This is about 3 miles SE of town, but Culver’s puts out reliably high quality food. (pics of the food and venue)

RC Tacos – I ate here on a DART '22 day ride. I can confirm that the food is authentic and tasty. If I ride to Richland center this year, there's a fair chance that I'll go back here. (pics of the food and venue)

Mellem's Fish House – From outer appearances it’s a hole-in-the-wall establishment, but it seems to be highly rated. If you’re looking for deep-fried piscine goodness in the middle of the Driftless, this might be a worthwhile stop. (pics of the food and venue)

Richland Family Restaurant – I ate here on a personal driftless tour in 2019. It's the local greasy spoon, with a wide assortment of classic comfort foods. (pics of the food and venue)

The Dairy O at Tijuana Crossing – A burger and ice cream stand. Outdoor picnic tables for seating, so if you want to eat here, either hope for fair weather or wear your rain gear. (pics of the food and venue)

Viroqua

Culver's – north end of town; expect the usual Culver-ish goodness. (pics of the food and venue)

Pacifico Mexican Grill – (pics of the food and venue)

Driftless Cafe – Definitely fancier than average for small-town Wisconsin. The menu varies from day to day. I've eaten here several times and will probably stop by again this year. (pics of the food and venue)

Nelson Tru-Value Agricenter (brats?) - If you’re looking for a real Wisconsin lunch, high school kids and other groups sometimes cook brats on a grill outside Nelson’s Tru-Value Agri-Center to raise money for various causes. If they’re out front when you stop by, expect all the usual brat toppings, along with chips and soda on the side. You’ll have to use your bike as a table, but it’s good eatin’.

That’s about all I’ve got. Watch out for cowshit and gravel on the roads, and beware of flesh-rending agricultural equipment on blind rises and turns. Ride safe, ride well, be excellent to each other, and above all, have fun.

Here’s the route file links again.