For those who live just west and southwest of the Mississippi River, the thought of riding across Illinois and Indiana farmland to reach Lima is not especially appealing. If you’ve got the extra time, here’s a good route for you but you’ll need to allow an extra week or so for travel. This route takes you up the west side of the Mississippi River, through Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and south through Michigan’s mitten to Ohio.

The route begins in St. Louis. Three points of motorcycling interest in the St. Louis area are of course the BMW MOA office, BMW Motorcycles of St. Louis (www.bmwstl.com), shown at right, and Classic Motorcycles (www.classicmotorcyclesllc.com). BMW Motorcycles of St. Louis is a full-service BMW retailer located in a brand new building. Stop by and say hello on your way to the rally. Classic Motorcycles is located in south St. Louis and it’s a museum, not a dealership. Classic Motorcycles features displays of off-roading memorabilia as well as the Husqvarnas, Jawas, CZs, Pentons, Hondas, Indians, Triumphs and Rokons that converted old logging roads and game trails into present-day enduros, hare scrambles and motocross.

Leave the St. Louis area via I-70 westbound and go a short distance to Missouri Hwy. 79 north. Hwy. 79 loosely hugs the Mississippi River and is a Scenic Byway offering views of the mighty Mississippi, soaring rock cliffs, rolling hills and colorful landscape. About an hour up the highway in Clarksville, MO, you’ll come to the start of the 50 Miles of Art (www.50milesofart.com) in Clarksville, MO. The towns of Clarksville, Louisiana and Hannibal are linked by history and heritage and they’ve drawn professional artists and craftspeople to live and work.

Founded in 1817, Clarksville (www.clarksvillemo.com) is a prime spot for viewing Bald Eagles in the winter at Lock & Dam 24. Along Hwy. 79 and on Howard and Front Streets you’ll find a cluster of antique shops and crafts stores. This district is on the National Historic Register. Grab something at a local restaurant and walk down to the river to eat.

The downtown district of Louisiana (www.louisianamo.com) features Missouri’s most intact Victorian streetscape. The town is home to the famous Stark Brothers Nurseries, and you can also see the log home of the town’s founder. Visit the Louisiana History Museum on Georgia St. for information about the Louisiana Mural Organization, which has completed nine community murals, one of which is shown at left. Another attraction is the town’s sculpture park, which features international and American sculptors.

"America’s Hometown," Hannibal, MO (www.visithannibal.com) is of course, the boyhood home of Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain. If you are a Mark Twain fan, you’ll find plenty of interesting places to explore in Hannibal, such as the Boyhood Home and Museum, Clemens Justice of the Peace Office, Pilaster House/Grants Drug Store and Becky Thatcher Home. In addition, there are other museums, a diorama, optical science center, caves, live shows, riverboat tours, and more. If you happen to be in Hannibal as early as the Fourth of July you can take part in Hannibal’s National Tom Sawyer Days.

When you leave Hannibal travel west to Hwy. 61 and continue your journey north. In about 30 miles north you’ll come to Wakonda State Park. The land in the park was once used to mine gravel to pave Missouri’s secondary roads, but now it contains six lakes, hiking and bicycling trails and a rare sand prairie. Sand from the gravel mining was piled into mounds creating rolling sand ridges that have developed into the prairie, and the mined sand was used in construction of a 20,000 square-foot swimming beach. If you are camping, take a day or so here to explore the prairie, watch migratory birds, swim, or paddle a rented canoe on the lake. If you aren’t camping the park has recreational trailers for rent (www.mostateparks.com/lodging.htm) but reserve early.

Not much farther north, you’ll cross into Iowa on an old 50-cent toll bridge that crosses the Des Moines River at St. Francisville, MO. To get to St. Francisville leave Hwy. 61 and continue on Hwy. 394 toward Wayland, MO. For an interesting side trip, before getting to St. Francisville, take Hwy. C and then Hwy. 81 to the Battle of Athens State Historic Site (http://www.mostateparks.com/athens.htm). Prior to the Civil War, 19^th century Athens had about 50 businesses, including a large mill and the St. Louis Hotel, but few structures remain on the present-day site. Athens was the site of the northernmost Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi. The remaining buildings include the Thome-Benning House, which was shot through with a cannonball during the battle. Exhibits and tours interpret the battle and history of the town. The site also offers hiking trails, a lake, picnic and camp sites, and frontage on the Des Moines River.

At the toll bridge on the Missouri side there’s a modern gas station where you can gas up, get something to drink and take a potty break. After crossing the little toll bridge at St. Francisville you’ll be in Iowa on 4-lane Hwy. 218. The state of Iowa has recently improved this highway, which goes due north (read dead straight and flat) to Iowa City, and it will eventually join the interstate highway system. It’s not an exciting road but you can make up time spent sightseeing in Missouri, or you can see how fast that K1200RS will go (tickets are your responsibility). All services are available along this stretch and Mt. Pleasant is a good place to stop. Mt. Pleasant is home to the Old Threshers Heritage Museums where you can step back into our agricultural heritage. You’ll find Gina’s BMW (www.ginasbmw.com) just south of Iowa City, where you can get another BMW "fix."

Once you leave Gina’s you’ll want to take Hwy. 1 north. You have two options here. One is to follow Hwy. 1 through downtown Iowa City, and if you do that you’ll have to keep your eyes open for several turns as you wind your way through. You can also go around the city using the interstate highways. Both routes will probably take about the same amount of time.

Hwy. 1 will take you through some pretty Iowa farmland to Hwy. 151. Go north to Anamosa, IA where you’ll find two points of interest. One is the Anamosa State Penitentiary, where you might find yourself if you over-tested your horsepower in front of an Iowa State Trooper on Hwy. 218. Just kidding. Holding more than 1200 inmates, the penitentiary is operational and it’s also on the National Register of Historic Places. The structure is 132 years old; inmates constructed the stone structure and even quarried the stone. Inside, you’ll find the Anamosa State Penitentiary Museum (www.asphistory.com/museum) where you can enter a cell, learn the history of the prison and infamous prisoners, see contraband and craftwork and more.

On Main St. in Anamosa, you’ll find the National Motorcycle Museum (www.nationalmcmuseum.org), which is open 7 days a week. Founded in 1988, the museum is committed to documentation, education and preservation and it is a testament to the builders, riders and racers of a bygone era. You’ll find lots of motorcycles and memorabilia there, as well as some old bicycles and memorabilia. Many of the bikes are on loan, so the displays constantly change. If you’ve been there before, it’s worth another visit. Something new appeared in Anamosa last year—the High on the Hawg Café, located across the street from the museum. Inside you’ll find some good food, ice cream and motorcycle ambience, including shop rags for napkins and a rolling tool chest that holds table supplies.

Continue north on Hwy. 151 to Dubuque, IA and visit the fairly new National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (www.rivermuseum.com). This facility contains 5 large river aquariums and several other exhibits that "let you get up close and personal with the giant catfish and ancient paddlefish of the Mississippi." You can also see otters, diving ducks, an alligator, frogs, turtles and snakes that inhabit the river, and take a walk through wetlands. The museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and it’s the Interpretive Center for the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge and for the 10-state National Great River Road. Using historic boats and life-sized exhibits the Fred W. Woodward Riverboat Museum tells the history of that mode of transportation. And you can grab a bite to eat at the Depot Café located in a refurbished Chicago, Burlington & Northern Train Depot originally built in 1892.

Continue north on scenic road Hwy. 151 into southwestern Wisconsin, which is chock-full of interesting places to visit, not to mention some of the best riding roads in the upper Midwest. You’ll find bluff-lined small rivers, deep valleys, winding roads, craggy bluffs and broad plateaus. Pull out your Wisconsin map and check out the scenic roads: Hwy. 35 north along the Mississippi River and Hwy. 60 along the Wisconsin River to mention a couple.

Stop in Platteville, WI for a tour of The Mining Museum ( http://wicip.uwplatt.edu/platteville/visitors/mining.html) where you can cool off in the 52-degree, 1845 Bevans Lead mine, which produced over two million pounds of lead ore in one year. Other displays and exhibits are available at the museum, including a ride around the mine grounds in an ore car pulled by a 1931 mine locomotive.

If you are a fan of the Lands’ End clothing company (www.landsend.com), Dodgeville, WI is Mecca for you. The Lands’ End headquarters is located in Dodgeville and you can take a tour; phone 608-935-9341 for more information. In downtown Dodgeville you’ll find a Lands’ End outlet store offering 40% off regular prices.

Before you leave Dodgeville, detour a few miles north on Hwy. 23 to visit House on the Rock (www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/WISPRhouse.html) just south of Spring Green, WI. House on the Rock is Wisconsin’s single most popular attraction. Alex Jordan’s father had a falling out with Frank Lloyd Wright, whose Taliesin is a little farther north on Hwy. 23, and built House on the Rock in the early 1940s as a parody of Taliesin. The 14-room house sits on a 60-foot chimney of rock, and the 200 acres of surrounding land contains a complex array of streets, buildings and gardens. It has been described as "a magical place where priceless treasures from the past meld with contemporary icons and whimsical technical wizardry." The world’s largest carousel is there; it contains more than 20,000 lights and 269 real and mythical creatures.

Nearer Spring Green you’ll find Taliesin (www.taliesinpreservation.org), where you have your pick of five tours in Frank Lloyd Wright territory. Stop first at the visitor’s center, which affords a great view of the Wisconsin River through its expansive windows. You can also get a bite to eat in the café there before you set off to explore the 600-acre property and buildings. Some tours fill up early, so it’s best to have reservations, especially for the House Tour.

If you are looking for something more Old World and nearer (sort of) your machine’s heritage, take a side trip down to New Glarus, WI, located south of Madison on Hwy. 69/39. New Glarus is known as America’s "Little Switzerland" and you can sample Swiss cuisine and atmosphere on the balcony of the New Glarus Hotel (www.newglarushotel.com). The New Glarus Hotel, which is not a hotel anymore, was built by Swiss immigrants in 1853. If you want to work off some of that ‘MOA rally excitement and Swiss food you can dance to a live Polka band on Friday or Saturday.

Madison, WI would be a good place to "camp out" for a couple of days and take side trips to Dodgeville, Taliesin, House on the Rock and New Glaris if you prefer to do it that way. Also in Madison, you can visit the State Capitol, which lies in the heart of the city between Lake Monona and Lake Mendota; it is the only state capitol built on an isthmus. Free tours (www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_state_capitol_tour.html) of the capitol building are offered daily excluding holidays. If you are in town on a Saturday morning be sure to check out the open-air market that fills the Capitol Square. Local farmers bring everything from sprouts to sausage to the market. The pedestrian mall that runs between the State Capitol and the University of Wisconsin offers good dining, shops, galleries and museums.

Continue north on Hwy. 151 to Beaver Dam, WI, where you can visit Mischler’s Harley Davidson-BMW (www.mischlershd.com) if you want to mix your BMW with lots of Harley’s because Mischler’s is primarily a Harley dealer.

Continuing on to Fond du Lac, if you plan ahead or if you brought a video CD player with you, you can purchase a set of 4 CDs called Talking Country Roads (www.fdl.com/talking_roads) that will guide you through the rural roads of Fond du Lac County. Or if antique car racing’s your game ride on over to Road America in Elkhart Lake on July 14-17 for the Brian Redman International Challenge ( www.roadamerica.com/2005/races_bric.htm), which features F-1 and Can-Am cars. Mario Andretti is the Grand Marshal.

At this point you’ll need to decide whether to continue on this route, which will take you through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and south through Michigan’s mitten. If you want to take the high-speed Lake Express Ferry (www.lake-express.com) from Milwaukee, WI to Muskegon, MI now’s the time to head east to Milwaukee. The Lake Express crosses 70 miles of Lake Michigan in 2 ½ hours. BMW MOA members receive a 10% discount (www.bmwmoa.org/rally/rally05/ferry.htm) but you must call in your reservation in advance.

Lake Winnebago is the nation’s second largest freshwater lake. From Fond du Lac, you can go around either side of the lake (www.lakewinnebagoroadtrip.com) that you prefer. The most population lies along the western coastline, but if you are looking for scenic roads and views, and a little solitude, try riding up the eastern coast in Calumet County. Check out the Lake Winnebago Road Trip themed tours (www.lakewinnebagoroadtrip.com/tours.html), which include sites for architectural buffs, families, food lovers, history and museums, etc.

Another BMW "fix" waits at Nick’s BMW (www.nicksbmw.com) in De Pere, WI, just south of Green Bay.

If you are a Packers fan, the Packers Hall of Fame (www.packers.com/hall_of_fame) in Green Bay explores 80 years of history with 77 exhibits, plaques of all 130 members of the Hall of Fame and a recreation of Vince Lombardi’s office. You can explore America’s railroad heritage at the National Railroad Museum (www.nationalrrmuseum.org/index.html). The museum contains Eisenhower’s WWII command train coaches, plus archives, libraries, memorabilia and rolling stock, and you can also see the General Motors Aerotrain from the 1950’s (pictured at right) and sit in the Union Pacific No. 4017—the Big Boy—the world’s largest steam locomotive.

Leave the town of Green Bay on Hwy. 41 north. At Marinette, WI you will cross the Menominee River into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. If you happen to be in Marinette on July 14-17, check out the Green Acres Cruisin’ 50s Concert & Car Show (www.travelwisconsin.com/d2k/servlet/internet.Details?RSID=25676&RANGE=260), which features 50s artists such as Bill Haley’s Comets and Shag.

Once in Michigan, follow Hwy. 35 north through Escanaba, MI, site of the 1987 BMW MOA National Rally. Hwy. 35 hugs the coast and you’ll get plenty of good views of Lake Michigan and Lake Michigan’s Green Bay. In Escanaba pick up Hwy. 2 east, which runs through picturesque Hiawatha National Forest.

If you’ve got the time, a trip up scenic route Hwy. 94 to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (www.nps.gov/piro/index.htm) is worthwhile. This 73,000 acre park, which hugs the Lake Superior shoreline, is famous for its 200-foot high multicolored sandstone cliffs, the Grand Sable Dunes, beaches, forests, wildlife and waterfalls. Summertime activities include sightseeing, camping, kayaking, hiking, fishing, picnicking, a maritime museum, a lighthouse and a visitor's center. The Lakeshore contains three drive-in campgrounds but they are often full in July, so have a backup plan if you are camping.

Cross the Straits of Mackinac over the 5-mile long Mackinac Bridge (www.mackinacbridge.org). The bridge opened for traffic in 1957 and since then it has carried more than one million vehicles between St. Ignace and Mackinaw City. For those of you who are acrophobic, the bridge is 200 feet above the water, but it can be crossed on pavement instead of the metal grate surface if you so desire.

Take Hwy. 23 south along the shore of Lake Huron. This route affords some great views of Lake Huron, quaint towns and some fine northwoods forest. If lighthouses (www.alpenacvb.com/lighthouses.htm) are your interest, Hwy. 23 has eight of Michigan’s finest.

Spending some time in the Alpena, MI area might be a good idea. The city’s got a wonderful website (www.alpenacvb.com/things.htm) that will steer you toward a dizzying array of recreations and activities, from crafts to sinkholes. You can take a shipwreck tour in a 40-foot glass bottom boat or watch BMX bicycle races. For you GPSers, you can put on your walking shoes, take the GPS off your bike and go geocaching with the Northern Michigan Geocachers ( www.nmg-geocaching.org).

At Oscoda (www.oscoda.com/cvbattractions.htm) turn inland and ride the 22-mile River Road National Forest Scenic Byway, which parallels the Au Sable River. Go north when you reach the Lumbermans Monument Visitor Center and check out the view at the Eagle’s Nest Overlook where two Bald Eagles have been nesting since 1985.

Once you reach the Bay City-Midland area, it’s best to hop on I-75 and head south toward Flint. In Montrose, just north of Flint, you’ll find the Montrose Historical & Telephone Pioneer Museum at 144 E. Hickory Street. The museum contains telephones dating from 1882 and local memorabilia. If you are into bigger things, such as General Motors automobiles and the history of Flint, don’t pass up the Alfred P. Sloan Museum (www.sloanmuseum.com) a little farther south in Flint.

Continue south to the Detroit area for some more automobile history. The southeastern part of Michigan is the home to auto companies that are responsible for producing a billion automobiles and trucks during the last century. In this area you’ll find large and small museums, home sites and other automotive attractions. Check out the Motor Cities Travel Guide (www.experienceeverythingautomotive.org/pdf/2004_travelguide.pdf) and the Automobile National Heritage site (www.autoheritage.org) for suggestions.

BMW Motorcycles of Detroit is your next BMW "fix." Find information at www.bmwdetroit.com.

Just south of Detroit head over to the coast of Lake Huron to Monroe, MI and visit the La-Z-Boy Chair Company’s world headquarters and museum (www.la-z-boy.com/about/our_history.aspx) on Telegraph Rd. And, just in case you need to pick up that last item for camping in Lima, nearby Dundee has a 225,000 square-foot Cabela’s store (www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/community/aboutus/retail-detail.jhtml?detailedInformationURL=..%2F..%2F..%2Fcontent%2Fcommunity%2Faboutus%2Fretail%2Fretail_stores%2Fdundee%2Fdundee.jhtml) featuring a 48-foot mountain and a 65,000 gallon aquarium.

Head south into Ohio and the next stop is home… Beemerville, USA!