DAY 14: 332 miles 5178 total miles HOME!!

The chicks got up a little later this morning and took their time having breakfast. It was their last morning of this incredible journey. Thrivette took her usual place on the back of Bif;s bike. It was with excitement and some sadness that they loaded up the bikes and began the final leg of their trek to Woodland.



Soon after getting on the road the chicks saw their first sign for Sacramento....258 miles. They rode through Reno and into the beautiful Sierra mountains and into the heat of the Sacramento Valley. Then about 1pm.....they were there......their own garage in Woodland California. They really, really made it all the way!!!


This has been an incredible journey, much of which has been documented on this blog. Yet, the blog can only express part of what this journey has been about and how powerful of an experience it has been. Some people have said that this is a once in a lifetime experience. Many riders say "if you ride you know...if you don't ride you don't know." For these chicks riding is in their blood and this adventure was just one adventure in their continuing journey and love of riding.




In this final blog we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been with us along this journey. This blogging thing has been a kick and hearing from so many of you has been a blast. Most importantly we can't even begin to express the heartfelt thankfulness we have for all of you who kept us in your thoughts and prayers. We felt you with us on every mile of the journey. And your spirit helped us have a safe, fun and amazing adventure. Also, we want to give Teri a very special thank you - without her this journey never would have happened and the next one - you will be right at our side.




Now, the bikes are safe and sound with their favorite mechanics - Tim and Mark - for a well needed oil change and servicing. And all the chicks are off to the spa for pedi's, mani's and a bit of relaxation.

The end.............

DAY 13: 550 miles - 4846 miles total ALMOST HOME

Whoopie, whoopie today we rode through three states: Wyoming, Utah and into Nevada. Tonight we are staying in Winemucca NV at a very nice hotel with a Casino. Now that Thrivette has experienced the wild side of the biker world she is dying to go to the Casino!! Bif and Sheri need to keep a close eye on that chicken tonight!!

It was a chilly morning as the chicks loaded up about 7:30am in Rock Springs Wyoming. Thrivette said goodby to the Wyoming mountains. This picture is a shout out to all our KPers.

Bif tried a new way to saddle up on her bike. It is a bit of a challenge to get her long legs over that bike with the t-bag and back rest on. Usually, she slips one leg over and does a hoppity hop to get on. This morning she tried something different she put her knee on the seat and was going to swing her foot over .....but oops that foot got hooked into the t-bag while her head was smashing into the handle bars...OUCH....Thankfully, she had that pretty pink hat (helmet) with all the padding on and there was not much damage to her head. And thankfully, Super Sheri was nearby and carefully unhooked Bifs foot. Bif has decided that this twister approach to saddling up just wasn't such a good idea.

Throughout this journey Bif has had issues with the security system on her bike.In order to start the bike the special security FOB has to right near the ignition and regularly Bif has had trouble making that work right. Bif doesn't know what FOB really stands for but has decided it should be F*#cking Obnoxious Button!!

Once those challenges were over the chicks were off through the beautiful mountains of Wyoming and into Utah. Oh no this boarder crossing might be difficult - signs were posted everywhere that said "PORT OF ENTRY - All Loads of Livestock Must Stop." The chicks had to be very sneaky to get Thrivette into the boarders of Utah!!!! Who knew that this boarder crossing would be so trying!!!!

After that ordeal, Thrivette seemed a bit miffed. Thrivette is missing her mommy (aka Lucette) so much and when the girls got tot he salt flats Thrivette started going coocoo and insisted they stop. One of Thrivette's mommy's favorite books is The History of Salt and Thrivette said stopping at the salt flats made her not miss her mommy so much.

Today's ride was much more enjoyable the winds weren't quite so bad, the sun was out and the further they rode the warmer it got. What an amazing experience it is to travel through these three states on the bikes...just enjoying the view and the ride. There is no way to truly describe the peace and serenity one experiences as the ride goes on.

Only 315 more miles until home.........

Day 12: 570 miles - 4296 total miles GIRL POWER

Last night the girls stayed in Keystone South Dakota at the bottom of Mt. Rushmore. It was a lovely hotel and the chicks had fun in the little tourist town. The best part was dining at the western style restaurant. There was a lot of red and black velvet, guns, and dead animals on the walls. The bar waitresses were dressed in a lot of fake leather, red boostie and black velvet. Yea that was something to see. Thankfully, the girls dinner waitress was dressed a bit more demurely and she was quite charming. She asked about our the ride and as Bif ad Sheri described it she said "now that is GIRL POWER." Yup...that is what this adventure is all about GIRL POWER. At almost every stop we meet other bikers from all over the country, sometimes it is mixed gender groups but we are the only solely women group!!! That is wild!!! GIRL POWER ROCKS!!!

This morning the chicks arose and packed up and were off. Now, Bif has shared how wonderful many of the morning rides have been....but there couldn't have been a better one than this morning! The girls left the hotel and rode just a few miles up a beautiful curvy road up the mountain. They pulled over to help Thrivette get a great look at Mt. Rushmore and couldn't have been a more picturesque view.

Then it was time to get going again. At that very point Biffy once again learned the value of clutches and the friction zone.....as she started up SB (Sparkly Bike) wooooeeeeeeeee suddenly an 800 pound bike starting rolling back down the mountain....with Biffy on it!! That was not suppose to happen.....Biffy was screaming Sheri was directing her to grab her clutch.....just as Bif was realizing that clutches come in mighty handing when starting a bike on a hill.....or a mountain...

The ride through the Rushmore area was fantastic!!! Thrivette was a bit overwhelmed by seeing really, really big wildlife. They saw lean jumping deer jumping, big white mountain goats, flocks of wild turkeys (Thrivette was particularly intrigued with fellow poultry), antelope, and HUGE BISON. All of the wildlife was much more interested in eating than playing tag with the motorcycles. They girls were all very thankful for the animals morning choices.

Usually, riding these wonderful street glides is like "butter" - just sit back, put the music on, put the cruise on, put your feet up on the hi way pegs...and go......kind of like riding a Lazy Boy. As they continued on the ride the going got tough again as the wind picked up. Riding a bike in 30-40 mile an hour wind takes a lot of effort. Thrivettes feathers were really ruffled by now and the girls arms and chests were hurting from having to control those bikes. And the bikes were definitely being pushed to their limits too.

At one pit stop they ran into a group of other rides and all chatted about the wind and the cold weather. One particularly tough looking rider guy was wearing jeans and those oooo so lovely chaps...yea..everyone looks sooo hot in those...hmmm...not......Well, this guy was talking about how cold he was and our favorite Bif responded by saying heated gear works well. Well chap boy gave Bif an evil eye and and barked out the comment "whimp." In kind, Bif returned the evil eye and said "Yes, a toasty warm whimp."

Finally, the girls were leaving the state of South Dakota...finally. The sky was as blue as blue could be and although it was chilly the sun felt great. Wyoming is a beautiful state and glorious scenery. It was a great ride today!!! And now we are less than 900miles from home....WOW...

Before, we end this blog tonight we need to recall a few "Kolb Tales." First the girls want to sincerely thank Brenda for helping plot the Aberdeen Surprise Caper, and the whole Surfeous family for the hospitality -especially that Dawn.

Now, as the girls were packing up to leave an interesting incident occurred. Both Dawn and Brenda were seen madly clucking and waving their arms at the back of Biffys bike.......That was a sight to see. Apparently, they were upset not to have one last opportunity to squeeze the chicken since Thrivette had already taken up her seat in the weather proof saddle bag. Dawn was even caught was tears in her eyes...and we know those tears were for the precious Thrivette.

And one last note - to McKenzie and Hunter. the girls heard you were a bit upset that they had to leave so soon. But they want you to know how much fun it was to see both of you - you guys are the coolest!!

DAY 11: 387miles total 3726 ROUGH RIDING

The trekking duo decided to stay in Aberdeen for a bit before they got in the saddle again. Sheri's cousin, Dawn was not only the perfect hostess she was the perfect chauffeur. We all hopped in the mom van and took the Hunter and McKenzie to school. Those are two of the bestest kids in the whole wide world. Their smiles and laughter will lighten up any room. And the best thing is that they always laugh when Biffy breaks out the camp songs! After that Dawn drove the duo around to do "stop and shock" visits with a variety of family members. It was fabulous to see the shocked looked on their faces as their cousin from California walk up to them.

About 12:30 the girls packed up and got ready to ride. The sky was grey, very overcast and as they got onto the freeway the wind really picked up. They rode they the fields of south Dakota seeing the acers and acers of corn, sunflower and wheat. The fields went on for as long as the eye could see. And the wind was whipping across those fields and across the bikes. This was a tough ride. The wind was in control and the girls had to keep both hands on the handle bars to control the bikes. Thankfully there was no traffic so as the wind moved the bikes across the lanes they didn't have to worry about traffic. The bikes were burring about twice as much gas as usual and that was a bit scary too because from gas station to gas station it was a good hundred miles. And it was fricking cold riding through this wind thankfully the girls had heated gear. But this ride was no fun.

Every once in a while the girls would see a billboard like the one that said "Help Perserve Wildlalfe -Wear Fur." Somehow e don't think we'd see such a sign in California.

Thrivette was quite scared for this part of the ride. So for her own protection she did not take her usual seat. She preferred the safety of the saddle bag. She was a bit disappointed that she couldn't see things but that was probably for the best.

Finally, civilization....Pierre SD.....the state capitol. But the hazards grew as Pierre had a lot of road construction and all their streets were torn up. Oh that as fun riding through gravel and having to use one lane for two vehicles. Biffy was almost taken out by a passing semi truck....Leaving Pierre was a good thing.

They continued on their trek and oh joy, oh joy....the clouds began to break up and there was some blue sky!!! Once the girl turned west onto highway 90 life changed. The sun came out the wind was minimal. Off they went riding into the beautiful Bad Lands of South Dakota - it couldn't have been a more welcome and beautiful ride.

They decided to take a little break at the famous Wall Drug and although a bit hesitant, Thrivette decided she would come out. And low and behold she found more friends....Friends from Sacramento!! They met up with the chase car from the Sacramento HOG (Harely Owners Group) chapter,who were also returning from the Milwaukee festival. They were a fun group.....curiously the chase car had lost their riders....

At Wall Drug Thrivette got a little "shooting"in with a lovely pink gun. this was no ordinary gun, it was a lovely pink on....oh what a special gun

The girls hoped back on their bikes for their final 60 miles of the day. And what a spectacular ride it was the sun was going down, and it was an amazing ride into Mount Rushmore.

DAY 10 - 704 Miles- 3339 total miles YIKES LITENTING

Oh boy oh boy, the girls had a wild experience with a bit of lighting. We'll get that that story in a minute.


Sadly, this morning was the day the girls had to leave Milwaukee. The trekking trio and the chicken became a duo. As Ginger decided to travel on her own. So, at 6:25am Bif, Sheri and Thrivette were off. Thrivette took her usual place on the back of Bifs bike complete with her favorite pink seat belt - bungee cord. Sheri decided she wanted to take a side trip to Aberdeen South Dakota to see family. So, vroom, vroom off they went.

Even thought they were sad to be leaving Bif homeland, it could not have been a more beautiful morning. They watched the sunrise, the steam rise off the Wisconsin wet lands, sip their coffee and listen to npr review the Sarah Palian choice and the republican convention. In this chilly morning our Bif was toasty warm in her heated gear and her "hot pants." This was one of the best investments ever...heated gear good.....


Along the way they continued to meet Harley riders who loved Thrivette. Here are two charming fellows from Minneapolis. The girls stopped for lunch in Albert Lea MN where they met another group traveling back to California, they were from the Glendale HOG (Harley Owners Group) chapter. In addition, to being introduced to the Trivette they always shared stories about the HD 105 gathering, how much fun everyone had in Milwaukee and shared information about routes.

The scenery was beautiful and they past through the rolling hills, lush green, and the Mississippi Valley into Minnesota. The land began to flatten out and more and more lakes and lots of cows appeared as they travelled through the southern part of Minnesota.

The girls were making excellent time and by 3:30 they had arrived in Sioux Falls SD which was their original destination. They chatted and Thrivetted stopped for a bit of a look at the Casino...She was liking South Dakota. After the little rest they decided they had it in them to go a few more miles all the way to Aberdeen. So, off they went north on hi way 29. South Dakota has amazingly desolate landscape. It was so flat the girls could see for miles and miles and miles. They were hugh fields of corn, lots more cows even cute little baby cows.



Eventually, they made another turn toward the west to Aberdeen. They did briefly stop and and discussed if they should get gas. They only had about 45 more miles to go and the gas tank said they had 121 miles left on the tank. So they decided that was more than enough gas for this last leg.

The air began to change and the sky was getting grey. Suddenly, the girls were in the middle of a huge wind storm. There were 50mile an hour wind coming right across them. Even though the girls bikes were big with that wind it was clear just how small they were and how vulnerable they were to the elements. As they past through Blue Dog Lake and Enemy Swam the lakes had hug white caps and the wind was blowing. The bikes were chugging along and Thrivette was on the back with her feathers quite ruffled by this time.

Then.....OMG.......HAIL,RAIN, LIGHTNING.....One fricking big STORM......OMG......Luckily there was a gas station that the girls turned into to watch the storm. Thrivette was shaking and frightened so for her own protection she took up a new riding place safely inside a saddle bag. As the girls watched the storm all of a sudden lightening stuck oh maybe 20 yards from them BOOM, BOOM, FLASH, FLASH, SPARKS....Yikes.........It was a bit frightenting as Bif screamed and jumped.....Sheri called her family to tell them we were in a storm and the ever so enlightened Brenda asked if we were pulled off. Hmmm let see, it was hailing, lightening and Sheri was texting....yea all from the bike...NOT.

As the rain calmed a bit the girls jumped back on their bikes and off they went. Oh no........the bikes had been working so hard they had been burning a lot more gas then usual...and yup all of sudden....both gas tanks were registering low.....oh no....now what......that meant they had at best 10miles left on that tank....Oh joy....there was a gas station. WHEW!! And it was six miles from Aberdeen.

That last forty mile ride was heroining!! But well worth it when we pulled into Sheri's cousins drives revved the engines and beeped the horns. We saw the whole family jump as they had no clue the duo was stopping by for a little visit. Here are some of the family meeting our lovely Thrivette.

DAY NINE - A Tour of the Shores Lake Michgan

Ah the last full day in Wisconsin. The weather was absolutely perfect, the festival was winding down and a lot of people were beginning to pack up and leave for their homes. During their stay in the lovely Midwest Thrivette met so many interesting people and today was no different. Over the last few days the girls have been bonding with a gentleman from Virginia and today he introduced them to his special friend Animal. Animal travels with him all the time. Thrivette said she wants to be like Animal and do more traveling!!

Since, the festivals were winding down and the weather was perfect Sher and Bif decided to take a tour along the shores of Lake Michigan. This is Biff old stomping grounds. They followed the rolling hills on the edge of the Kettle Moraine, vroomed past beautiful lakes, and beautiful lush landscape. the drove about 75 miles north to a city called Manitowoc where Bif use to live and graduated high school. She had not been back since 1981! And she could still find her way around the scenic city. Manitowoc is situated right on Lake Michigan and is famous for it's Maritime history and the ferry the goes between Michigan and Wisconsin. And of course, Manitowoc has a HD dealership where Thrivette met a new friend... a pig...oh we mean a hog.

Tomorrow is the start of the journey westward!!!

DAY EIGHT- THE PARADE and Some X-rated Activities for Thrivette

The big adventure of the day was the HUGE......HUMUNGEOUS........GIGANTIC.........
motorcycle parade. This was like no other parade, 4.5 miles of 100,000s of people and some 7,500 motorcycles!!! It was absolutely unreal!!! (Check out a news websites http://www.wisn.com/ to look at better parade picture.)

The trekking trio and the chicken got up early and mounted their bikes and were at Miller Park by 6:30am. Even by that early hour thousands of bikes had arrived and were lining up for the parade. As the four "chicks"rode into the staging area it was incredibly well organized with many people were there directing the riders. Our ever so cautious Biffy was actually told to go slower...... hmm....... maybe they wanted her to walk her bike... Since lots of people would be waiting around the organizers did have food vendors in the staging area...but the choices were limited.....Brats (Bratwurst for you non Midwesterners) and Beer......Brats and beer - yumm the perfect Midwestern breakfast.

About 20 minutes before the ride was to begin Biffy and Sheri decided to powder their noses one last time...never knowing how long they'd be in the parade. And one would think that that kind of task was simple....Wrong...... The challenge was first making it through the sea of bikes to the line of many, many lovely blue porta potties. And that challenge was simple in comparison what Sheri and Bif had to do upon completion of the nose powdering. They now had to find two, tiny little bikes hidden in chasm of bikes. Even though Sheri and Bif think they have big bikes, the bikes here are huge!! Sheri and Biffs bikes are kind like nice little girly scooters in comparison to many of the bikes here. So, finding those little scooters in a sea of monster bikes was a challenge. Oh joy, the duo had an AH HA moment (as Oprah would say) they realized their was something distinct about Super Sheri's bike. tied to her antenna was a lovely little blue glove left there by their favorite mechanics Mark & Tim and Bachmans Cycles!!! Those mechanics are helpful souls aren't they - always thinking. Yea that blue glove really was handy.

Once they found their scooters, the bikers were allowed to leave the staging area two by two. As they merged onto the streets of Milwaukee they were greeted by cheering fans ...thousands and thousands and thousands of them. People packed the streets, were on top of buildings and hanging from balconies. This was a much bigger parade than the SF pride parade!!! It was WILD.

Following the parade the four chicks left the Summerfest grounds for another event site at one of the local HD dealers. There was a huge party and out of all the dealer parties this is the one that Thrivette had the most fun at because she got to experience the well ummm seeder side of the biker lifestyle,including getting felt up by a real live stripper! and being involved with some kind of bong contest!!! Now, children cover your eyes - this is an adult only adventure. The pictures speak for themselves.

Following the risque event the four chicks decided to mellow out a bit. Ginger had had enough and decided to go back to the hotel to relax. Bif was experiencing a bit of thrift store withdrawal. So, off they went to a consignment store and to the ever popular Lands End Outlet (yea Teri - one of your favorite stores). Of course Bif found lots of bargains......they will be shipping many things home....can't fit all those bargains on the bike...hmm so will the shipping costs outweigh the bargain prices......And at each of the stores the staff chatted the girls up about what it was like to be in the parade and about biking. Can you believe it ..even in the consignment store they were incredibly nice to bikers....Gotta love these Milwaukians!!!

And to top this fabulous day off. Sheri and Bif had dinner with Bifs dad. Oh yea, just like in college, when they went to dads house they brought along their laundry and did it at dads house. And Biffs dad, the ever helpful dadio made something special for the girls...their own portable little bottle of windex!!! Isn't he precious.

One last note.... A special message to our "BIG F%#King Ray of Sunshine" don't worry we have not forgotten about you. Remember, in an earlier post we mentioned that we were the motorcycle version of Charlies Angles and you are our Charlie helping us get through this "mission." Check out this...we are Harley Angles. So, Charlie call us with our next mission!!

DAY SEVEN: The Festival-Double WOOOOWZER

Where in the world would you find a couple hundred thousand Harley Davidson motorcycles - Milwaukee's picturesque lakefront and throughout the city. Bikers really have taken over the entire city. Everywhere the trekking trio went today there were many, many, many, many bikes.


Lake Michigan




Contemporary Art
Museum @ Lake front

So often bikers are not welcomed and perceived to be some lifeforms lower than a slug. Well, Milwaukians are much more savvy than holding on to such ugly stereotypes. They have truly rolled out the red carpet for Biffy and all the other bikers. Everywhere they go there are signs welcoming the bikers, people standing on the overpasses wave at all the bikers and everyone, from the hotel staff, to the gas station attendees, to people in the grocery store, to the restaurants greet us all with huge smiles and engage in conversations about biking. They have been sooooo cool!!! What an amazing experience - how can Bif even explain the joy of being so welcomed and being part of this tremendous event!!! This is a once in a lifetime experience....one the most memorable and fabulous that Bif and Thrivette have ever experienced!!!


Although, the trio has been seeing more women bikers, they have yet to see another group of only women.........Thankfully, HD is really encouraging women to get into the sport and had a whole Pavilion dedicated to women. Most of the events focused on things like how to deal with helmet hair, how to eat right on the road and helping new riders (or women considering becoming riders) learn some basic techniques. Some day, when there are more and more women riders maybe HD will have more seminars and information for skilled riders.




And we have yet to meet another rubber chicken....but today Thrivette met the human Chickenman Notice how Thrivette is bowing her head in honor of meeting the chicken man. This big burly Harley rider loved meeting the rubber poultry. His CB handle is the chicken man and his grand kids call him "grandpa chicken." Today, not only did the girls feel so welcomed by Milwaukians - Thrivette observed that "hard core, tough" Harley guys seem to be fascinated with rubber chickens...interesting connection.....Harley guys reallyy are big sweethearts underneath all that "toughness."










Thrivette had a big day today. She started the day by going on a tour of one of the Harley factories. When they go to the factory the trio had to park their bikes way behind the factory. Thankfully, Thrivette met a very special golf cart diver, named Stanley, who gave them all a ride from the bikes to the factory. Stanley made Thrivette cluck with giggles when he said "usually you see the hogs chasing the chicks but Thrivette seems to be chasing the hogs." Thrivettte enjoyed the tour and learning about twin cam engines.

In addition, to these two characters Thrivette met up with southern gentleman she met in LaCrosse. She also met riders from all over the world, including: Italy, UK, Germany and France. These bikers rent bikes while in Milwaukee or the went to the lengths of shipping their bikes!!!!







At the event, Thrivette and Bif were really fascinated by the police stunt riders. HOLY BOLOGNA can those guys ride. They can whip those bikes around in really tight circles and at incredibly fast speeds. As they zipped those bikes around in ways that just plain shouldn't be possible a gentleman next to Biff captured the feeling of the moment by saying "Holy Crap" in absolute amazement. Now, Biffy really knows how much more she needs to work on increasing her skills.

Thrivette has been so thankful to have been freed from her office that today she felt very generous and "gave back." HD is big supporter of the Muscular Distrophy Association and Thrivette was compelled to support them and by a raffle ticket.

One last note for today - when the trio was going back to the hotel they got a bit lost. Bif was a passenger with Super Sheri and Bif was seen on the back of bike while going down the road pulling out her blackberry and pulling up mapquest to figure out how to get "unlost." So, one can search the Internet almost anywhere...even on the back of a bike.

Stay tuned tommrow for highlights of the parade from the ThrivetteCam...........

Day Six - Milwaukee WOWZER

This morning the trekking trio awoke to rain, rain and more rain. As they ate breakfast they intently watched the weather and it appeared that the rain was not going to let up. But have no fear......rain gear is here!! They packed up the bikes, strapped everything in, tightly bungeed it on and cover their gear and themselves with the ever so important rain gear. And off they went on their final 70 mile trek from Madison to Milwaukee. Fortunately, for the short hour long ride the weather held out and the trekking trio stayed dry. Then about about 9:00am....the trekking trio arrived....they arrived........HOLY BOLOGNA.....they really, really made it all way to Milwaukee.

Once they got settled in their room they were off the their first HD 105 aniversary events.Thousands of bikes, lots of people...lots of stuff to do. Thrivette was so excited now she'd be able to experience the true biker lifestyle....oh to be a biker "chick." Bikes, rock music, beer, tattoos, piercings......oh so much to experience.

And of course the trio and the chicken are meeting mighty interesting people. Like the dreadlocks boy who wanted to chock Thrivette, the couple from Chicago who trailered their bike.....oh that 90 miles from Chicago to Milwaukee is such a hard ride....whimps...

More tales latter.

And MC check this out....people in the biker world love to "Talk Like a Pirate" Ay matey..

And a special note to our favorite mechanics...Mark and Tim....your lovely shop model Mona....has competition, check this lady out....gotta love biker fashion.

DAY FIVE - 2285 miles Hanging Out In Madison

Thrivette Gets a New Perspective

This morning Thrivette decided to make a special request of the trekking trio. As much as she has enjoyed being strapped on the back of Biffys bike, Thrivette thought it might be fun to ride facing forward on Super Sheri's bike!! And ooooo what a special experience it was being able to see the world as she entered it vs as she exited it!!

Today, the trekking trio decided to go for a tour of Wisconsin's great capital Madison WI. They started out the journey with a late breakfast and a visit to the OnAlaska HD store. As they arrived they were greeted with a couple hundred other motorcycles - all of whom were on the same pilgrimage to 105 HD event in Milwaukee. The bulk of those bike took off en mass roaring through the streets of OnAlaska/LaCrosse Wisconsin. The trio did a little shopping before they left the dealership.

Biffy was very thankful that this morning the weather was a bit warmer so she didn't have to be electrified by putting on her extra layers of heated gear. Although that gear is "sweet" and most defiantly is a welcome addition on chilly rides. As the trio left, it was warm but overcast. they filled up with gas one last time and knew that today's' ride would be a short 150mile trek to Biffy's college town- Madison Wisconsin. The trio and the chicken breathed in the clean Wisconsin air and were headed for Madison.

It was a beautiful ride through Wisconsin. This was the Mississippi valley area and the Wisconsin Dells. For those of you not familiar with Wisconsin - the reason it is so lovely is in part due to the work of the glaciers millions of years ago. And those glaciers did an indescribably beautiful job of craving out the land in this part of the state. The beautiful cliffs, the Wisconsin river, gently rolling hills and the incredibly lush land were..beautiful.

Bif was enjoying such beauty as she glided down the road, and as usual, listening to npr recapped the most exciting moments of the democratic convention and sipping yummy coffee. Biffy began to notice that even the names of the stores were different here in the Midwest. As many Targets as they saw they also saw Shopkos! Instead of Pete's Coffee in the Midwest they have Sapp Brothers coffee.....yes....Sapp Brothers. Biffy hasn't dared try the Sapp brothers concoctions ..yet. And many of the 7-11 like gas/food shops were named Kum & Go. Oh..now....Biff wasn't kidding...that really is the name of a chain of stores......hmmmm Midwesterners certainly do have curious names for things....

The trio stopped in for a little break in Mauston Wisconsin. At the stop they met two couples who were traveling together whom hailed from New York state. The men were riding and the women were passengers. As they all chatted two other bikes rolled in one of whom, FINALLY....was another woman rider!! The duo was traveling from Oregon state. At the Mauston HD dealership they had the most creative use of high heeled shoes ..ever....The planted catus plants in them!!! Now that is the only useful thing to do with high heels.

And once again the trio experienced the niceness of Wisconsinites. Sheri had go into a store to look some things up on her blackberry and look at the road map. Sheri accidental left the map in the store and a gentleman saw it and saw Biffy and asked if that guide may be hers....he made sure the trekking trio had their maps....that was very nice.....

Then onward to Madison the trio went. Biffy showed off her former home. The first thing they did was stop at the HD dealership where they were greeted by a couple thousands bikes!!! The heard that had left LaCrosse early in the morning had arrived in Madison and were now greeted by thousands more bikes. Bikers are taking over Wisconsin.......The trio took extra special care of Thrivette and covered her ears - as the thousands of bikes roared out of the dealership on their journey to Milwaukee. That many bikes made just a wee bit of noise...and the earth seemed to be shaking a bit too....Wisconsin is not earthquake land.......What a powerful site to see, hear and feel that many bikes......Wow...now, what will it be like when the trio and the chicken are joined by hundreds of thousand bikes in Milwaukee.....The excitement is building!!!

After that experience, Biffy showed off her college town. They went down to the famous State Street that runs between capitol and the University of Wisconsin. They gabbed some famous Bascom ice cream (it is too...much better than that hippy dippy stuff from Berkely that Ok kyun ravs so much about), and headed to the Memorial Union Terrace. This in one of Bif's favorite spots in the world. They relaxed eating their ice cream and watched the sail boats. They also witnessed a very crafty little squirrel. he was up in one of the huge oaks trees and was throwing things down at the students sitting on the Terrace. He had pretty darn good aim, and made contact with a few students and with their computers. Funny how Mr. Squirrel left the trekking trio alone.......

Madison has been quite an adventure......especially for Thrivette.... once again she met many interesting friends......including singing feet, clowns and a robot...Wisconsin is a colorful state now isn't it.

CAN YOU NAME THIS FAMOUS WISCONSINITE?

Off to bed before the big day....our arrival in Milwaukee...OH BOY!!! And llok for the trekking trio and the chicken in the big HD parade on Saturday. Out of the hundred of thousands bikes that will be in Milwaukee only 7,500 were choosen to be in the parade..and all three of our bikes got passes...Yippeeee....