The Poopy, Crapo, Bro Ride 2013

Yes, this year the Bro Ride was a Poopy Crapo, ride but that doesn't mean what you might think.  We decided to ride part of the Great River Road (GRR) which for us began in Quincy, IL on the eastern side of the Mighty Mississippi.   Back and forth we went from Illinois to Iowa and back again, then on to Wisconsin and Iowa and back to Wisconsin and Iowa and Illinois again.  Altogether we crossed 7 bridges over the Mississippi and even floated down river for 15 minutes or so....on a ferry, of course.
The plan was to meet in Havana, IL to see mom and dad and then head on out for this year's ride.  My brother had a few destinations in mind and they seemed good to me so off we went.
First on the list was Poopy's Bar and Restaurant in Savannah, IL but before we got there we had to go through Crapo Park. TJH was in the lead and I was happily following behind when we pulled into a park and my brother stopped and looked at his phone and said that we were in Crapo Park.  I looked around and saw trees and bushes and grass, a perfectly nice little park.  What do you mean Crapo Park?  He said we apparently had to go through Crapo Park.  I said, "Crapo Park?"  And he said, "That's the name of the park, Crapo Park." I believed him but I had to see it for myself and take a picture.  Sure enough there it was, and here's the picture.

We never made it to Poopy's that night because a thunder storm, complete with lightning and rain stood right in our way with about 45 minutes of riding daylight left.  Bummer.  So instead of eating at Poopy's we holed up at a Comfort Motel in Fulton, IL and ordered in pizza and tacos from Manny's.  I don't know what Manny's does with their tacos but they were outstandingly greasy and delicious.
The storm blew over that night and the next morning we took off on the GRR.  The timing wasn't right to go to Poopy's now so we figured we'd catch it on the way back.  Our main destination that day was the Grotto at the Holy Ghost Park in Dickeyville, Wisconsin.

I remember the grotto from my childhood days 40 or 50 years ago.  It hasn't changed a bit.  As a child I was somewhat of a rock hound and I can remember that I always wanted to break off some of the grotto and take it home.
After the Grotto we decided to go looking for a Macho Man hamburger at New Diggings Saloon.

This is a great burger made from cattle sired by the bull named Macho Man.  Tasty.  Their apple pie with ice cream was good too.  I would tell you how to get to New Diggings, but I can't. You just have to wander around the Wisconsin countryside until you find it.  The best I can do is say that you should follow Highway 11 east, which should turn into W, or maybe it's the other way around.  It's a very friendly place.  We got there at noon on Friday and we were the only customers there.  The New Diggings General Store would be another place to visit but it didn't open until 3 pm  .... really....3 pm.

Now we were bent on getting to the ferry, mainly because I've never been on a ferry with a bike before and I thought it would be fun.   We crossed over the Mississippi at Dubuque and rode along some of the best scenic roads that we found in Iowa.

We finally saw a little sign that said "Cassville Ferry" by a dirt road.  I didn't think there was any way that could be the road for the ferry.  It was.  We crept down this dirt and gravel road on the river bottom land, sort of a backwater looking place, for about a mile.  I expected to hear banjo music at any moment.  Finally we came to the riverbank, an outhouse and an electrical box. This seemed like a great place to be ambushed, but we pushed the button to call the ferry and within 5 minutes the ferry came around the bend.  We loaded up the bikes, enjoyed the view, and saw two bald eagles sitting on a branch over the river.  It was worth the $8 for the trip.

   
By now we realized that we'd better head back toward Savannah or we would never make it to Poopy's for dinner that night.  We rolled in to Poopy's and I'll admit I was a tiny bit apprehensive.

Poopy's is known as a biker bar and restaurant.  I ride a motorcycle but I don't consider myself to be a biker, per se.  I didn't know if people would be crushing beer cans on their head or breaking things or what.  We walked in and the first sight we saw was about 50 senior citizens who had apparently turned out for the Friday night fish special.  There was a younger group at the bar.  We had the chicken striips, coffee, clam chowder and a baked potato for $11 each.  The chicken strips dipped in the "Poopy Sauce" was the best meal we had on the trip.  Funny thing was, the place was very crowded but when we walked out to the parking lot my brother pointed out that ours were the only two bikes.  The rest were all "cages".
It got dark on us so we made a bee line for my brother's place back in Dekalb, IL, and I took the long way home the next day through Streator, IL.  I had a great breakfast at Chippers Grill, saw some dear friends, visited a buddy's shop,

ate lunch at The Good Table Restaurant in Kentland, IN

and made it back to Indy in time to take my wife out for dinner.
I traveled a total of 1,127 miles, didn't eat at any chain restaurants and only indulged my sweet tooth in one ice cream shop.

 We have another great Bro Ride under out belt and are dreaming about next year.  The best part of the trip was seeing our parents, two of God's greatest

masterpieces.  We are very fortunate to have had such good parents who love Jesus and serve Him faithfully every day.  They are great examples to us and their love never runs dry.