Ride a Rustic Road

If you’re a bicyclist or motorcyclist and have not heard of Wisconsin’s Rustic Road system, then get in the know right now so you can experience these roads-less-traveled during the autumn season.  The Wisconsin Department of Transportation calls its Rustic Road system “a positive step backward,” which we love.   To qualify a road must have outstanding natural features and vistas along its borders, be lightly traveled, and not be scheduled for major improvements.  Maximum speed limit is 45 mph.  You can order a free copy of the Rustic Roads travel guide online. To pique your interest in seeing peek colors from top to bottom of the state, we offer these recommendations:  Catch the earliest colors by heading to Brown County in northeast Wisconsin where there are three Rustic Roads – 8, 40 and 46.  Spend the night at Sabamba Alpaca Ranch in De Pere, a remodeled 1890 farmhouse where children are welcome. Pick up some of their cozy alpaca clothing while you’re there.  In central Wisconsin, there’s Ellison’s Gray Lion Inn in Princeton, which is in Green Lake County and home to Rustic Roads 27, 81, 90 and 94.  Insider tip: The famous Princeton Flea Market runs through mid-October. Then in far southwest Wisconsin, there’s Wisconsin House, built in 1846 as a stagecoach stop and located in Hazel Green in Grant County, where Rustic Roads 70 and 99 are your designated paths. [caption id="attachment_812" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Ellison's Gray Lion Inn, Princeton (left); Sabamba Alpaca Ranch, De Pere (center); Wisconsin House, Hazel Green (right).[/caption]

Guys Like B&Bs Too – Part I

Good thing you’re likely sitting down reading this next statement: Guys like B&Bs.  Yes, it’s true, guys will even plan a guys’ getaway, or “mancation” at a B&B if said inn meets their manly criteria.  Pray tell, what could that be?  Technology, for starters.  Guys want to feel plugged in, which means Wi-Fi, no negotiation there.  Big-screen TVS are often mandatory as well.  Being able to move around without bumping into stuff is an interior design strategy that appeals to guys, big time.  Of course, food is high on the list, as in hearty and often.  We reached out to our member inns to see which have offerings that are right on the mark for mancations and landed on 10 that are doing it right.  In this blog installment, the first five.  Next five in blog part II. 1.       The Stagecoach Inn in Cedarburg offers a pub crawl in the city’s historic downtown, with all the pubs located in historic buildings and within walking distance of the inn. 2.       In Manawa, the Lindsay House B&B has a special called “Mancation, Manawa Style.” Included is a night of bowling, bar food and beer; coffee bar and breakfast fit for a king; and easy access to snow activities like skiing and snowmobiling. 3.       Canyon Road Inn with a lake location in Turtle Lake has large rooms with king-size beds, flat-screen TVs with DVD players, and welcomes guys who like fishing, biking, hiking and horseshoes. 4.       At Inn at Lonesome Hollow in Soldiers Grove, located on 160 acres in the driftless area of southwest Wisconsin known for its thousands of cold springs, it’s all about trout fishing.  Ride in on your motorcycle to enjoy the winding highways and scenery of the Kickapoo River Valley, then stay in a two- or four-bedroom cabin. 5.       The innkeepers at Eagle Centre House B&B in the southern Kettle Moraine Forest say their rooms with two beds and private bath fit the bill for guys.  Winter mancations here are typically structured around hunting, snowmobiling and skiing, with a hearty breakfast every morning. [caption id="attachment_487" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lindsay House B&B, Manawa"]French Toast[/caption] [caption id="attachment_486" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Inn at Lonesome Hollow, Soldiers Grove"]Trout[/caption] [caption id="attachment_482" align="aligncenter" width="250" caption="Canyon Road Inn, Turtle Lake"]Flat Screen large room[/caption]

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