Episode 026 - Turk's Stormy Kromer Ride - Best Motorcycle Roads - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1HcqqHQAvw

Transcript:

(00:00) if you've never heard of a stormy chromer then you're in for a treat the treat that keeps your head warm and makes you feel [Music] cool hello and welcome to best motorcycle roads I'm Tom and I'm Todd we have over 65 years of combined motorcycling experience and 30 years of planning and riding motorcycle trips we're here to share with you everything we've learned over those years our goal at best motorcycle roads is simple make your next motorcycle trip the best it can be diving into technology planning

(00:40) packing roots and other tips and everything in between from essential prep to Unforgettable Roots we've got you covered before we Kickstart today's Journey we ask you to sign up for our BMR Rider alerts it's our way of keeping you in the loop with the latest rides tips and stories we promise no spam only the essentials to enhance your motorcycle Adventures join the BMR crew today we'll put a link in the show notes this segment about motorcycle gear reviews and tips we call the toolkit in the toolkit today we have beanies not

(01:13) the babies but the thin strips of material no uh for me I really like riding with a Under The Helmet beanie um I have like kind of a cic like sweat I guess you'd say and if I ride for um a couple three days I'll start to get a rash on my forehead so I started riding with a beanie which just kind of Wicks the sweat and away from your head and I really like it I think it also sometimes provides a little bit of more cooling when you have the vents and the helmet open um do you ride with one I haven't

(01:47) but you know I I think I probably should it would probably save the liner of my helmet I didn't even think about that uh it would just make it last long mine just looks brand new yeah yeah mine does not interesting it gets it gets eaten up a little bit Yeah and they're really reasonably priced um and you know even if they get if it's a really hot day you can rinse them out and they're dry by morning yeah they're really handy um and I just I don't know I I've always I've rode with them for a while and I

(02:15) couldn't figure out why my my I was getting a rash you know and then I started figuring out oh okay so yeah for me it's kind of essential but uh yeah it's nice so are they cotton or are they a wicking material or what three kinds like I think there's some that's are latex there's some are cotton there's some thicker ones that you can wear in the winter um but it's kind of I think I just check the material and kind of give it the sniff test and see what all right see what you think but I've got one

(02:41) that's a little thicker and then I've got some that are really thin and both seem to work similarly um but yeah yeah cuz I see people wear you know they wrap a bandan yeah first and then put the hel I did that first and man it was a pain um you I think the bandana is great if you're going to skip the helmet not recommended but um but no for me when I found those that was pretty simple and you can usually get them three for 10 bucks they're not they're not expensive okay so yeah ridewise is the section we

(03:08) focus on planning and safety tips ride wise is the section we focus on planning and safety tips um might talk today about how to choose destination routes uh picking the right route uh and considering factors like scenery difficulty and road conditions M you know we we've almost always done this on our own you have you you've just zoomed in on Google Maps and and kind of looked you know through things but I'm finding more and more that there is great information in in some of these motorcycle forums absolutely um or the

(03:44) Facebook motorcycle forums the motorcycle maps group is great the motorcycle roads and trip advice is a great one Facebook group y yeah Facebook group um because both of those groups have over 25,000 riders in it they cover like the whole country and yeah it it just feels like anytime you ask a question there's you know 20 people that live close by or they ride that road on a regular basis you know they know the destinations they know the places to stay they know the the places to eat they they can tell you about the

(04:17) condition of the road you know they can also warn you that hey there's a a bridge out or new construction in an area that may not even be listed on your Google Map yet yeah we've talked a lot about like T Dragon you know and I know this year they repaved it in 2024 and now it's open again and so now you're starting to see posts about that but I mean it's a real deal and then there was actually one I saw recently too um in Wyoming this year there's some road that fell out you know and so you're right I

(04:46) mean it's a lot of these will have on I mean Google Maps is pretty good but it is nice to know um ahead of time yeah I mean we tried Google Maps a couple of weeks ago and uh it didn't know it didn't know the bridge was gone right well and I think of also um when you say that that's really what we're kind of trying to do here trying to paint a picture for people about the Midwest and talk to other people about other areas I mean so it works out well yeah the next segment is what we call the mile marker

(05:16) it's our story segment this is the mile marker um today we're looking at kind of a a potential Wisconsin trip um we've been to a few of these cities before maybe not quite in this order um you know and it's it's always sometimes it's nice you know like it's funny you ride a circle one way if you turn around and ride it the other way it looks like it's totally different so I know when when I'm looking at some of these roads I try to figure out like well what way did we come through here last time and then how

(05:44) can we adjust that and and get a different look I mean this um reminded me of Guttenberg Iowa when we had came recently from the north and hadn't really come that way and was like whoa where are we at we didn't even know where we're at we're like oh well we've been here before you know but it's interesting when you start to see those different looks um so see what we're thinking about is a Wisconsin and Michigan tour um we call it we're calling this one Turks uh stormy chroma

(06:11) ride and we'll talk about why in a minute but the first time day I had a stop at a town we've loved many times before Tomahawk Wisconsin um Tomahawk is a beauty of a little town we've stayed in it a number of times and I think one of our favorite places there is the pine tree Supper Club um which is just the classic Wisconsin Supper Club if you if you haven't been Wisconsin haven't been a Supper Club Wisconsin you got to go cuz they love them there you know but uh all along the way that would be you know

(06:39) Guttenberg PR to Sheen hitting that Great River Road for us it's almost a main stay of every trip we take but still thank goodness right like it's almost like you get um spoiled by it yeah um so so those are some things there it would head us from Tomahawk to Ironwood Michigan um a lot of uh you know when you start to get the Northern Wisconsin Michigan you're looking at um um forests you know and so fun rides through some of the forests um there's the Black River Harbor uh gabo Falls if we want to stop there's some waterfalls

(07:14) and we don't haven't generally stopped to take pictures at those um sometimes based on time sometimes not but the one place that we would probably go ahead and stay in Ironwood because that's exactly where the uh the the stormy chromer factory tour is so stormy chromer is an old hat um you know Turk gets much more passionate about the hat but one of the cool things they have in town and we've been starting to do a little more of these is they've got the giant cap so you can go get your picture

(07:45) taken at the giant cap um yeah so it's cool but I there's a factory tour there which I think would be would be a fun time to do as well and is uh is there a particular style of hat that they make there or that's I mean that's the brand obviously the brand is stormy chromer and they make all sorts of hats or what no they make stormy chromers it's almost like a it's a branded type of hat it's kind of got flaps and Funk it's an old old hat gotcha okay some say I think it was a a predecessor to the baseball cap

(08:17) maybe even um so it's cool you have to look it up um I'm not an expert maybe we can give the uh expert report when we get back um but it it's cool um it's kind of an old style hat but kind of cool all right yeah so then after um you know spending some we'd stay in iron wood um um and then spend the day there's a few things there including another uh cool thing is the world's largest Indian 52t tall statue which I think would be pretty neat and then the downtown has murals so again another

(08:49) good place is to take those pictures maybe stop for breakfast take some pictures you know so you can kind of get those nostalgias going cuz I know I can't remember a darn thing anymore so it's good to have pictures that I can look back on we were there no I wasn't well here's a picture of you there okay maybe I was so um I don't remember when we were uh in this area last time did we visit the giant loon statue okay 16ft loon statue near Mercer uh Wisconsin so there's some all roads in Wisconsin are

(09:21) good if you don't like the one you're on just turn on the next one and it'll be great um we sometimes call that ride in the alphabet but I do know that there's a great state park there that kind of has a mountain Rib Mountain State Park so that'd be a place to maybe drive through stop you know take a break in and then um I've skied at Rib Mountain have you yeah yeah there's a lot of great uh winter events at Rib Mountain yeah um and then we'd probably stay somewhere in the ucair area and there's

(09:49) tons of great things in that area and then swinging back home you went to Dora for to Luther College so swinging back through Dora um wow what I mean there's Rose a plenty there probably too many to ride on a trip through but you know it's always good to stop and get a piece of pizza at Ms oh yeah um and all that so it's it's fun there's a couple good ice cream shops in deor too whippy dip one yeah I don't know if that's as good as the sugar what's the other one called Sugar Shack no maybe it's the Sugar

(10:20) Shack I don't know I've been to the whippy dip a few times I was like we could get under the Sugar Shack but that might be new I don't know if that was there one probably not when you were not new but you forget how long you've been out there but up in uh up in the Wisconsin Dora Minnesota area there's some some great roads um boy I mean you can't almost go wrong the roads that are there are just uh up and down some Bluffs in Valley area man I mean I don't know wow you're making me want to take a ride up

(10:52) there we definitely should I'm not so sure we shouldn't also just tack on maybe a you know we rodee recently did that day ride and we just kind of turned before we got to Dora yeah but I'm thinking maybe we should just hustle all the way up and then see what we can find cuz you know I don't you probably had when you were um but you know my son married a gal from um Rochester and there's some ways to get to Rochester from there and I was like I need to write this road number down like where

(11:20) am I right now because it's a two-lane State Highway you know it's a big road it's unbelievable it's fantastic you ride through some great little towns there some beautiful little towns there I mean that might be one of those days we just go off no maps and just see what we can find and um yeah we need to make that app that just drives you but avoids gravel I think actually I think Harley has a pretty good option for that but they proba so maybe we'll let Chris lead that day and say would Gemini do that

(11:50) for us I don't know I'll have to check into that before the next time and and see but uh you know I don't the last time I've checked Google Maps hasn't done a good job of identifying gravel roads um which can be tricky um at times and it's not like it's terrible and Gravel Road riding isn't horrible but it's just gets everything so dang dirty and then it feels like you got to go wash and it just gets dirt in places even on your when you're riding the clothes and the just

(12:18) electronics for me it's not worth it I mean I think you take that deck step to a different type of bike when you want to want to ride gravel roads more and I mean the good those is is sometimes they're a little less populated which is nice mhm um and then there's some fantastic roads or gravel roads in some of these areas too um you know you get out west there's some logging roads trans Wisconsin Trail is a good um Jeep and and and like uh ad ADV bike riding Trail um there's a section that's pretty

(12:47) Sandy if you're not into that but like when we were in Michigan there is a ton of off like what I would call non-paved road trails that that you can go but yeah yeah some other what are some other good places around Dora that um that one might want to ride to I mean between Dora and Cresco and then maybe up up north a little more I don't know there's some great stuff up there yeah I mean you're you're only 15 miles or so from the Minnesota border I think yeah Mabel Minnesota's up there Harmony y Harmony

(13:20) uh yeah there's all kinds of there's just roads everywhere up there I tell you it's nice well and it is fun I mean and this is what we're trying to work on a little harder is get a little more of a database put together on some of these things cuz you want to find those mom and pop shops if you can and a just because sometimes they're more fun and better two you want to support that local economy I mean doesn't matter if you know some of these bigger businesses are going to stay in business no matter

(13:46) what but some of these need help and if you're in the area why not you know so yeah it's it's pretty pretty cool but no this would be a great ride I think we've done similar things this we've rode a lot of Wisconsin um we have been in the Ironwood area of Michigan but but to kind of tie in a couple of those places and then maybe find a couple more routes that we haven't normally on would I think it'd be I think it'd be pretty good yeah the podcast can be found on best motorcycl

(14:13) roads.com podcast all the information you need will be there uh but you can subscribe on Spotify Amazon music apple pocketcast and YouTube this is the interactive segment we will be looking for input from you uh we want you to send us your questions and suggestions for roads topics and anything else you have on your mind today's roadside Q&A comes from Phil and Phil's asking how do we always find these quirky roadside attractions the historical landmarks or the hidden restaurants that we talk about on our our podcasts I would start

(14:48) back with what we're talking about I mean it's like well those you know going to those forums is one for sure you know um it's and a lot of times I would say a lot of these we've never found them ahead of time I mean some of these ones where we've talked before about going to that Edington Diner and getting a you know a tender line the size of a garbage pale top I mean those are kind of out there right but but you know I would say a honestly one of the and now I think it has closed but you know in Marshfield

(15:18) Wisconsin we just pulled by hey there's a place you know and we kind of get us it gets a look right I mean that closed yeah oh that was a family restaurant I can't was it just I Family Restaurant is that the name of it permanently closed and now nut de nuts are some something so we'll have to try that but all right it'll be a you know better Instagram post maybe but no yeah I mean it was just Family Restaurant big Skillets you know it was awesome yeah but I think um like some of the places you found along the way is

(15:50) like Between the Buns I mean there was just some like that was just that was an accident that was an accident yeah a lot of these have been just accident find those destinational areas you kind of start to search for restaurant in that area and just see what you can dig up yeah but there's there's plenty of if you want to just ask on those forums I would start there some quirky start there yeah I absolutely would too I know there's a I wish I could remember the name there's a place in I think it's

(16:13) Wisconsin that it's a bar and you can they've got all kinds of it's not Targets on the wall it's like metal tractors or trucks or and you take nickels and you're just like trying to throw Chuck them awesome yeah get things stuck in there oh my gosh they probably have those sucked right out that's a yeah yeah I I don't I don't remember the name of go I'm going to ask the question and find out I want you to because now I want to know where that is we could add this to this trip we're going to be in

(16:41) Wisconsin yeah now we have the last mile it's our way to close the episode with our Reflections I can start today Todd I don't know I'm excited because uh Turk loves this sto stormy chromer hats and uh he's so passionate about these these hats that like I feel like I want to get one and go visit the tour and I mean I remember when we toured like the um Gibson guitar tour you know you like I think sometimes like I get stuck on the miles and like I think sometimes it's like we need to learn about what is this

(17:16) Ironwood you know like let's do 400 miles let's get to the town and then let's do a little exploring you know let's not beat it up so we're so dead to the world that we don't want to go do anything um but man like that tour was so interesting and he met so many interesting people you know that now I want to go do this you know stormy chromer tour and and figure out what other tours you know and I think the last episode we talked about these battlefields and touring these I don't know maybe I'm just getting old and this

(17:45) is kind of interesting um but for me that's I'm I'm looking forward to thinking about um when we design our trips to kind of find a few more things not maybe so like you know we talk sometimes I love these big like we had the biggest bluegill we you know this is going to be a 75 foot Indian when we get done with it um you know Mega hat you know like I don't know quirky things the biggest ball of twine picture you know that's what I'm looking for well and and you know you kind of got my mouth

(18:14) watering a little bit for some M's pizza and the whippy dip you know up in Dora yeah and when I was up in up at school up there that's where I learned to ride I had a friend that had a motorcycle I learned to ride but you know I probably didn't explore that area you know on a motorcycle enough um and now I I'd kind of like to do that let's let's kind of look at getting at least make that a stop if we can um there's lot you know there's some there's some kind of hidden gems there too like Milan if he falls

(18:43) and you know there's some there's some neat things to see up there that uh I'm sure the the others in our group have not seen well and it'd be cool to throw throw that in the chat even though you know we Proclaim ourselves to be experts in this area but yeah but some there's always something else you know I don't know but still open there was ANW that was open in in Cresco you know it's like there's not any of many of those that are open anymore right so just stuff like that there's a I think Iowa's

(19:07) wrestling Museum might be in Cresco too oh is it yeah just you know the little things like that or these little quirky businesses that are yeah you know I do enjoy tours of I agree things like that like a hat place or you know I I remember well this this overseas you know we took a tour of the um what what's the the crystal the that Waterford Crystal I took you know a tour of that plan and it was that blew me away that uh just we can't ride our motorcycle but the Precision and how long it takes you to Apprentice to learn

(19:43) how to make one particular cut on one particular U like machine well no it's all done by hand but you know it can take you like seven years just to become a master at that one thing wow and there's like 50 things to learn and there's only been one person that has learned how to master all these Cuts in the entire history of Waterford CST anyway oh wow no I mean I love I love tours like that yeah me too if this episode revved up your day don't keep it to yourself like subscribe and share it with your crew we're all about the

(20:16) thrill of the ride and the bond it creates keep the spirit of Adventure alive and remember bikes friends and endless roads the stories ride forever take care [Music] [Music]