A Prodigal Son Returns ... on a Griso

[Bill Hagan]

Actually, I am more of a prodigal grandfather than son.

 

Be that as it may, I'm back here after a long silence, save occasional input to docc's South'n Spine Raid threads. My return, of course, isn't likely to make any of your "So What" meters twitch.

 

But, the short version of the long story is that after I bought a Norge in January 2007, which brought my Guzzi battlefleet to three, i.e., the Norge, the '98 HDM EV, and the '04 Ballabio, I sold the Ballabio. To my eternal regret. My thinking at the time was that the garage was too crowded with car and three motorcycles. Yes, I know, doh. Move the car out! Actually, not so easy when the car is Kathi's MINI Cooper S convertible, mostly reserved for road trips and romance. Yes, thank you, even folks our age indulge in that!

 

But, I muddled along. After all, it's hard to whine about a life that has, in addition to all my other (mostly undeserved) blessings, two great Guzzis in the stable.

 

Then, last June, my job moved from Atlanta to the Midwest, a part of the world that, until this past June, I had only seen from 33,000 feet. I decided to go, too, tho only for a year, maybe two, then retire. In the meantime (July - October), I've put 5500 miles on the Norge, mostly in NW Illinois, SW Wisconsin SE Minnesota, and NE Iowa.

 

You won't find some of the spectacular scenery I (enviously) see in many of the ride reports here. No Alps in Illinois, or, FTM, much of anything between here and the Rockies to the west and the Appalachian chain to the east -- I'll leave the polar regions to the north, and the tropics to the south out of this -- except bucolic rural America. I love it.

 

There are, however, more challenging roads in this part of the world than you might expect, especially in that region known as the "Driftless Area," a large tract that touches the four corners of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, thus my focus there. This the place where the glaciers missed when they visited and retreated long ago.

 

But, I really did miss the Ballabio. The Norge and EV scratched itches, but not the one that cries out for a solo rides in the hills.

 

So, when I was having the Norge reshod at Rose Farm Classics, the Guzzi dealer in the Chicago burbs (and more of the latter than the former), I saw a red Griso. The rest is history ... and, I trust, lots of future.

 

Here are two short slide shows about that purchase and a subsequent ride to an informal Guzzi gathering in the area, along with, if you are snowed in enough to watch anything, a Norge tour last month of that driftless area I mentioned.

 

Bill's New Griso

 

Starved Rock Ride

 

Driftless Ride

 

Today, as it hits 7F tonight and "high" in the mid 20's, the Griso and Norge sit in my apartment's garage, pinining, as I do, for spring.

 

Regards from MIlan ... Illinois,

 

Bill

[belfastguzzi]

Prodigal Bill's new romance, eh. Very nice.

[fotoguzzi]

Nice Bill, your a lucky guy!

[Chuck]

except bucolic rural America. I love it.

Me, too. I also *love* the "driftless region". Some of my best days on a motorcycle have been spent there. Now, all you need is a "project" to keep you interested during the winter, and your assimilation will be complete. Eat more cheese..

[Admin Jaap]

Welcome back Bill! Always nice to see one of the old forum hands back again