Flood Run 2008 and not the best way to make a smiley face in an energy concerned world

The Fall Flood Run, the 3rd weekend in Sept, became a tradition a few years ago because the Spring Flood Run, held on the 3rd weekend in April, (and we all remember last April) was fraught with cold and wet weather. This had to be the nicest weather for even a Fall Run. It was 85 and hot. Lotsa bikes out. I was invited by an old friend from high school and living in Rochester to join him and others to do the Fall Run. Bob is a H.O.G. and Patriot Guard member and knows the back roads and off we went. Our destination was Red Wing and across the bridge into Wisconsin and to the Harbor Bar for lunch.





The group from l to r; Steve, Lorrie, Cycho, Tracie, Barry, Bob and Vickie.


HEY, Look it's Superman!!!!!!!!







The next stop is Maiden Rock, WI and the bikes are lined up in traffic for a mile waiting to find a parking spot. The Flood Run had begin in the 1960's when there were some spring flooding and bikers came down to help and it has become a tradition to remember those who helped and those in need.


Maiden Rock is a beautiful little town on the river. Next stop was Nelson, WI for an ice cream cone made with the BEST ice cream in the world. Traffic again was bumper to bumper and backed up when some guys on Boss Hoggs left in a sorta show. A Boss Hogg is a motorcyle with a hopped-up Chevy V-8 in it. It is wretched excess and entertaining. Anyway one of the guys does a burnout and about a block ahead of him is a cop car that can't be seen. Well, as soon as the cop heard it and saw it he just pulled into the oncoming lane blocking his path and pointed him over to a side street to write the ticket. I'm glad there is always some dumass around to do that stuff....I really like to watch. I don't know what the fine is in WI but in Sturgis it's a $100. My cousin was in Sturgis w/her husband and the crowd talked him into doing a burn out on Main Street and he did and he was nabbed by the cops before the smoke cleared. I don't know what he was thinking because there is ten cops at every intersectionin Sturgis.



From Nelson it was back across the Mississippi and into MN and to Wabasha for gas. Then it was the back roads to Elba, MN, in Whitewater State Park. It was almost like coming home. When I was a student at Winona State my main hobby was trout fishing anf this was one of the most beautiful places I had visited. Elba was hit hard in last year's flooding and the bridge had just been completed. Mauer Brothers' Tavern is still there. They always awarded weekly prize for biggest trout and also the season's biggest trout. There was a new bar in town called Jerry's Saloon where the majority hung. While we were sitting outside an old, really old, like 40 years ago, neighbor of Bob and Steve and Barry's met up again.





Steve, Bob and old friend.





Vickie and Vicky and Bob




At the end of the day the guyz were doing burnouts

and

some only trying to do burn outs






and then the pros came and began their handi-work.
















What's he doing???














Is it a peace sign?

Ohhhhhhh, I get it now.

it's a smiley face :-)

Another damn Boss Hogg!!!!!!!!

Vickie

wants a

H-D!!!

Tracie wants one too.

As the afternoon came to a close a calm settled on the scene, but it was not a real sense of calm, it was actually fear...........we could feel the presence of them........................evil squirrels had come... for our nuts. Everyone begin to slowly move to their bikes and start them quietly and then ghost out of town and into the setting sun.