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Published: August 16th 2010
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July 17-18th. Girls Weekend! My friend Ingrid thought of the idea to go camping at Spook Cave located in McGregor, Iowa which is about 10 miles east from Prairie Du Chien, WI. I visited there before and did a cave tour, but never stayed the night. 5 ladies are in attendance for this overnight expedition: Ingrid, Penny, Lisa, Patty, and myself. We all met at Ingrid's place in Elmhurst, IL which is about an hour ride for me. We get on our way with Ingrid leading the pack. We follow North Avenue with another group of motorcycles in front of us. As we ride this great road, I watch the tons and bergs fly by me. No stopping this time, but I'll be back. We made it to the Mississippi River and rode the Great River Road north to Galena with a side trip on Blackjack Road. After crossing the river in Dubuque, we head north on the Iowa side to a small drive-in for lunch. The only problem was, no AC. It was so freakin' hot that day! Unbearably hot. It was so hot, my kickstand sunk in the asphalt.
After lunch, we stopped at a nice roadside park
that overlooked the Mississippi. I don't remember the name, but it had great views of the river. It was time to finally head to the campground and set up. We had our own little island in the campground, but it was located right next to the train tracks. Those tracks would come to haunt us later. We set up camp and head over the border for dinner stuff and adult beverages. After riding all day in the hot, hot sun, it was time to get hydrated.
A campfire was made and the adult beverages opened. Finally, we could sit and relax. Lisa got out her campfire pokers and we all cooked angus hotdogs. Mine was nicely charred on several sides. Sat that baby in a hotdog bun with some ketchup and mustard, and I was in heaven! So juicy and yummy! The conversation was entertaining as always and lit up by our headlamps. After last year's Colorado trip and Ingrid with her magical light, we all had to buy one. It may sound corny, but the light was so convenient!
With the campfire dwindling down, it was off to bed which is my tent. I bought a brand
new mattress with 3"foam and so was looking forward to trying it. Again, might sound weird, but you need all the comfort you can get while sleeping on the ground. Remember the train tracks I mentioned earlier. During our hotdog feast, we talked about the train tracks. Our tents were right at the bend of the curve. Someone asked how often the train ran through and was told once. Ok, we could handle that. Well, not really. At first you heard the horn off in the distance. Shit, the train is coming. At dinner, we talked about trains derailing and killing us all. It is one thing to talk about it, but once you are in your tent and it is the wee hours of the morning, certain thoughts go running through your head. The train was getting closer. The light flashes into my tent with a circular motion and the ground starts to rumble. The tracks start to whistle. More scary thoughts go through your head. The train finally appears and bends the corner with all its power and strength. The screeching got louder and louder, unbearably loud and so close to your tent. You are thinking the train
really is going to derail and kill you. Holy crap!
Note to self. Never stay by train tracks again. No thank you.
In the morning, we awoke to pouring rain and a few storms passing through the area. It was time to bail and head home. All packed up, we headed out for breakfast. Good stuff at the local diner. I set a route to Dunbarton and that's when the group split. I went to the east and the others southeast. It was a hell of a time as always. 539 miles. Not bad for a weekend trip.
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Tot: 0.092s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 11; qc: 53; dbt: 0.044s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
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