Mike Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Yes, we’re doing it again! Steve Knapp, Mitch Patrie and I are hosting our little get together in the best riding country in North America, the Driftless Area Riding Tour (DART). It’s a simple concept: our place in Prairie du Chien, WI is HQ. Those who would like to camp can do so for free. For those who prefer more refined accommodations, there are several hotels nearby (I’ll post a guide soon). Generally speaking, folks roll in on Thursday, ride, eat, and tell lies through Saturday, then hit the road on Sunday. We’ll provide a contribution-optional meal on Saturday. The address: 13040 Borah Ridge Rd., Prairie du Chien, WI 53821. I’ve attached a few photos from past events, and will post more info in the days and weeks ahead. But mark your calendars now…it’s a great time—informal ass-kicking fun. 5 Link to comment
Dave_in_TX Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Looks like I'm going to be riding lots of miles this summer. I was already planning on riding from Texas to the MOA rally in Redmond and then to Wisconsin to visit relatives and in-laws. I also have a motel reservation for the UN in Eureka Springs. Now It looks like I'll be heading north from there for DART before finally going home to Texas. 4 1 Link to comment
9Mary7 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 That's right after the UN...... I'm gonna have to play with my schedule to see if I can make this work. 1 1 Link to comment
Brodiepunker18 Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Doing it in July this year? I’ll have to see because my best friend and I were talking of going down to ride the dragon around that timeframe. 1 Link to comment
scout6 Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Looks like the calendars are aligning for me to join this year. 2 Link to comment
9Mary7 Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Looks like I've got it worked out..IN. Will be available to do some low speed maneuvering drills (and coaching) if there are interested riders. 2 Link to comment
Dennis Andress Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Well... the goal here is to wear out the new bike... I'm IN! 2 1 Link to comment
Hosstage Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 I know many here are familiar, but the Driftless region is one of the most unexpectedly enjoyable places to ride. Some very technical areas, great landscape, and hardly a straight or level road to be found. I always put it on my list to make it to DART but yet to do it. Hopefully one of these times I'll pull the Harley up the road and make you guys wonder what the hell that all noise is doing here. 2 Link to comment
9Mary7 Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 22 hours ago, Hosstage said: what the hell that all noise is doing here. Bring the noise! I do have a funny story that involves a couple HD riders and a PC800....... I'll divulge at D.A.R.T. 1 Link to comment
Hosstage Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 6 hours ago, 9Mary7 said: I'll divulge at D.A.R.T. Now I really need to make an effort to get there. 1 Link to comment
Brodiepunker18 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Okay so I’m IN! we decided to push the trip to ride the dragon to 2025 due to needing more time than we thought for the trip. pretty stoked for our trip we are planning for this year though! My summer has filled up with motorcycle rides and concerts and a trip with my kids to Canada. 1 Link to comment
BigtowH8 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 On 2/10/2024 at 7:47 AM, 9Mary7 said: Bring the noise! I do have a funny story that involves a couple HD riders and a PC800....... I'll divulge at D.A.R.T. Ah, memories of the PC800. Count me in. If only I still had my PC to bring south. Looking forward to my first DART. 1 Link to comment
Brodiepunker18 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 3 minutes ago, BigtowH8 said: Ah, memories of the PC800. Count me in. If only I still had my PC to bring south. Looking forward to my first DART. I have been every year…it is well worth the trip for the riding and camaraderie. 1 1 Link to comment
9Mary7 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 13 hours ago, BigtowH8 said: Ah, memories of the PC800. Count me in. If only I still had my PC to bring south. Looking forward to my first DART. I'm bringing the PC..... Link to comment
JCtx Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Stupid question: Is this an all-paved 'rally', or unpaved too? Just curious. My cousin has the bikes in his 2nd house in Traverse City, MI, which is not that far from there. Will look for nice roads on Google. We were planning another dragon trip, but it's 3 times farther away (trailering the bikes, of course). That area could be another option. But we have street bikes. Not sure if we could actually make it to your gathering (we'd stay at a hotel, but would be great to be able to leave SUV and -foldable- trailer in somebody's place), but to know if we can add that area as an option for a riding trip. Thank you. Link to comment
Dave_in_TX Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 24 minutes ago, JCtx said: Stupid question: Is this an all-paved 'rally', or unpaved too? Just curious. My cousin has the bikes in his 2nd house in Traverse City, MI, which is not that far from there. Will look for nice roads on Google. We were planning another dragon trip, but it's 3 times farther away (trailering the bikes, of course). That area could be another option. But we have street bikes. Not sure if we could actually make it to your gathering (we'd stay at a hotel, but would be great to be able to leave SUV and -foldable- trailer in somebody's place), but to know if we can add that area as an option for a riding trip. Thank you. Part of the road to rally host Mike's place is gravel but the rest is paved unless you want to ride some gravel. There are no specific routes. 1 Link to comment
Hosstage Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Mike had a video a few years ago of the road to his place, looked like a pretty easy ride, not a very long road, in good shape. As Dave says, paved roads abound in the area, just the goofballs seek out the gravel roads... Link to comment
Brodiepunker18 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 9 hours ago, 9Mary7 said: I'm bringing the PC..... YES can’t wait to see it!!!! 😁 1 Link to comment
JCtx Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Thank you guys. Sounds like a nice area. Will check it out on Google. Weather should be great for riding up there at that time of the year. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 16 hours ago, JCtx said: Stupid question: Is this an all-paved 'rally', or unpaved too? Most of the roads in SW Wisconsin are paved, but there are a few gravel roads here and there. I've been touring in the Driftless Area for a couple of decades now and have accumulated a pretty extensive GPS route database. As the event date gets closer, I'll be posting route package that includes a whole mess of day rides, as well as waypoints for many restaurants, hotels, and other attractions in the riding area. Most of my routes are carefully selected to avoid gravel roads as much as possible (I'll also be checking later this spring for construction-related road closures that are scheduled to occur during DART). I do have a couple of gravel-road routes, though I haven't actually ridden them myself. As with most other BMWST events, some folks group together for day rides, some go solo, and some choose to wander without hewing to any GPS route. It's all very casual. Since people stay at a few different hotels (or camp in Mike's yard), you may want to make day ride arrangements with folks the night before. 16 hours ago, Hosstage said: Mike had a video a few years ago of the road to his place, looked like a pretty easy ride, not a very long road, in good shape. It's really short: just 0.2 miles of gravel road to get to Mike's place. 15 hours ago, JCtx said: Thank you guys. Sounds like a nice area. Will check it out on Google. You can also check it out on Road Curvature, which uses a little bit of math to highlight roads with a lot of curves in them. Here's a screenshot of the driftless area, with event HQ at the red dot: Some pics from my past rides in the Driftless: 6 Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 GravelMaps is an additional resource for anyone hunting for gravel roads. Unlike RoadCurvature, GravelMaps doesn't use math - it's just a place for users to report gravel roads that they know about. This means it may not be exhaustive, i.e. the fact that a road isn't highlighted at GravelMaps does not guarantee that it is a paved road. But if you're looking for gravel roads, it can be handy. Try the filters tab to look for complete routes people have submitted, or just road segments people know about, or both. Here's a view of the area around DART HQ: Complete routes are in blue, and segments are in yellow. 1 Link to comment
JCtx Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Looking forward to the route maps. But the area looks great. The 3rd photo reminds me of the river road from Presidio to Lajitas (Big Bend), and 335 in the TX Hill Country, with similar roller-coaster blind crests like that one. But obviously greener there. Ha ha. I'd have to rely on my cousin to ride there, since it's too far away. Thank you for the great info. Link to comment
9Mary7 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Booked in at the Captain's Cove. See y'all in July 1 1 Link to comment
Crumpadump Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 New guy here. Sounds like fun. Count me in. 1 1 Link to comment
steveknapp Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 On 2/13/2024 at 10:37 AM, Joe Frickin' Friday said: Most of the roads in SW Wisconsin are paved, but there are a few gravel roads here and there. And across the river in Iowa and Minnesota gravel roads are more common. Another resource, there are quite a few gravel bicycle rides on ridewithgps.com. WI roads are often used for farming. Hence more manure moments than NC or TN. Link to comment
Bike and ref Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 9 hours ago, steveknapp said: And across the river in Iowa and Minnesota gravel roads are more common. Another resource, there are quite a few gravel bicycle rides on ridewithgps.com. WI roads are often used for farming. Hence more manure moments than NC or TN. I've been through there, all of the farmer do use bathrooms Link to comment
duckhawk64 Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 I am going to make it this year. Tent camping. 1 2 Link to comment
scout6 Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 So, this sounds like a lot of fun. What facilities are available for those that choose to camp? Link to comment
9Mary7 Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Our gracious host Mike has a modern barn complete with toilet and shower. Plenty of lawn space for tents. 1 Link to comment
Brodiepunker18 Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 I’ll also be camping as usual. 😁 Link to comment
Redman Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 On 2/13/2024 at 11:37 AM, Joe Frickin' Friday said: .... .... Some pics from my past rides in the Driftless: AH.... Hum..... Link to comment
BruinsFan Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 What little extras could the visitors bring to help out... after uploading the bikes and making a run back to town for top shelf mushrooms and greasy heart burgers! This trip has knocked on my door the past couple months and I'm just entertaining the idea. Nothing set in stone. If its even half as friendly as the FART ride was. I'll need to prepare myself for another addiction in a new state with new friends. Hopefully I'll introduce, cross paths with 9Mary7 and Joe Fricken Friday, and learn a bit more while we're at START this year. I'd like to be more involved even if its baby steps with each venue. Be well, keep smiling and safe journey to all you'ns. Link to comment
Mike Posted March 16 Author Share Posted March 16 On 3/14/2024 at 8:07 PM, BruinsFan said: What little extras could the visitors bring to help out... after uploading the bikes and making a run back to town for top shelf mushrooms and greasy heart burgers! This trip has knocked on my door the past couple months and I'm just entertaining the idea. Nothing set in stone. If its even half as friendly as the FART ride was. I'll need to prepare myself for another addiction in a new state with new friends. Hopefully I'll introduce, cross paths with 9Mary7 and Joe Fricken Friday, and learn a bit more while we're at START this year. I'd like to be more involved even if its baby steps with each venue. Be well, keep smiling and safe journey to all you'ns. Just bring yourself. The general outline is: -Mike (me) and my wife Victoria make our property available as HQ. Tent campers are welcome. We’ve got a lot of grassy space and I’ll rent a portapotty and a wash station. We have a shower in our barn, but it’s got a very limited hot water supply (10 gallon heater), so fast showers are rewarded with the possibility of not being immersed in ice cold water. -I’ll have coffee brewing in the morning. -I’ve picked up some breakfast stuff in the past—nothing more than muffins and the like—but if anyone wants to contribute to the food stash it’s welcome. -We’ll provide a meal for the gang on Saturday evening. Nothing too fancy, probably catered locally. If you want to toss something in the coffee can to help defray that cost it’s appreciated, but not mandatory. -Mostly it’s about informally getting together and riding off for nearby destinations. There’s absolutely great riding around the area—thousands of miles of twisty paved roads that are lightly traveled. I do always caution folks, however, that you may encounter Amish buggies, farm equipment, and gravel in the corners. The roads demand your utmost attention and EMS services, all volunteers, can take quite a while to show up if you crash. -I’ll provide some info on accommodations in the weeks ahead. There are tons of hotels, but they do fill up in the summer. Overall, we try to keep it informal and just provide the opportunity for camaraderie and great riding. 6 1 Link to comment
Fubar Posted Thursday at 01:09 AM Share Posted Thursday at 01:09 AM This location sounds suspiciously like the Chateau du Fromage. Sadly, not doable por moi due to conflict with a family reunion. Link to comment
Fubar Posted Friday at 01:38 AM Share Posted Friday at 01:38 AM On 2/12/2024 at 6:19 PM, JCtx said: ..... My cousin has the bikes in his 2nd house in Traverse City, MI, which is not that far from there. Curious: Are you planning to take the ferry across the lake or dragging the bikes thru Chicago? Link to comment
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