Sometimes it takes getting lost in Wisconsin’s rustic roads to find yourself.
I hold on to the back of the leather seat with one hand, and my stomach lurches as I swing my leg over to take a seat on the back of the motorcycle for my first Harley ride. With the deep red motorcycle revving beneath me, I position my feet on the footpegs, bracing myself for takeoff. It isn’t long until I give the infamous motorcycle wave to another biker down the road.
“You get to take in all the smells of Wisconsin,” says Ron Luepke, my driver, as he turns back.
The words come through muffled as they whip past my ear and into my hair. The distinctive sound of the Harley’s pistons echo against the maple trees dotting Highway M on the outskirts of town.
The joy of riding stems from something deeper than family tradition. It’s the look of the sleek chrome and colorful paint job, the sounds and smells of exhaust from the bike itself and the thrill to be free and lose yourself in the depths of Wisconsin land.
Two Wheels Move The Soul
Ron and Gloria Luepke of Watertown, Wisconsin, love taking to two wheels to explore everything Wisconsin offers—green hills, rustic red barns, overhanging trees, and yes, the tangy smell we all know too well, cow manure. Motorcyclists like the Luepkes show that there’s more to biking than the image of leather, bandanas and tattoos. The two are among an overwhelming number of motorcyclists in Wisconsin who choose riding as a lifestyle.
For Ron Luepke, the need to ride started before he could reach the pedals. Living near the Harley-Davidson plant in Milwaukee, Ron grew up watching motorcycles drive past his house, dreaming of the day when he would be able to ride one himself. When he was about 9 or 10 years old, he told himself, “One day I need to get one of those.”
It wasn’t long before Ron Luepke was on a bike, but perhaps a little earlier than he should have been. Before earning his official license, he rode his Honda 90 around the neighborhood, unintentionally gaining attention from the police.
“Yeah, I was bad to the bone,” he jokes.
By the time he was about 16 years old, you could say Ron Luepke was earning himself a rebel reputation, but that’s probably the last thing people would say to describe Luepke’s nature.
Ron and Gloria Luepke’s motorcycle paths weaved together as their relationship grew through motorcycle rides with some of their church community on Sundays after Mass.
Sweet and petite, Gloria Luepke has even deeper motorcycle roots in her family, as her grandfather had a motorcycle since the 1920s. She speaks fondly of a family picture that is up on the wall in a Harley-Davidson dealership, explaining that motorcycle riding is simply in her blood.
Today Gloria Luepke has her seat on the back of their Road Glide Ultra Harley. But that’s not because she can’t drive the bike herself. Ron Luepke assures me that there are women even smaller than Gloria riding the big bikes these days.
“She could actually ride my bike if she got brave enough,” Ron Luepke says.
Because they both grew up surrounded by the Harley-Davidson brand, one might think no other motorcycle would be an option, but both started out on a different bike brand.
“People work their way up through the Hondas and the Yamahas and Kawasakis and Suzukis to get to a Harley,” Ron Luepke explains. “The goal is to get to a Harley.”
Despite what she’s riding, Gloria Luepke insists that it’s more important just to be out on two wheels. Taking in the scenic views and experiencing the freedom of riding doesn’t require a certain bike—all that matters is the two wheels connecting you with the road.
Joshua Barraza, art and marketing director at Badger Harley-Davidson in Madison, says, “There’s nothing like buying your first bike and going for your first ride.” Barraza also says that working with any motorcyclist, whether they’re upgrading or stopping in to do some test rides, gives him a chance to watch their dreams become a reality.
Barraza’s personal riding experience led him to Wisconsin after working in California for some time. He says the scenery and landscape of Wisconsin allow riders to go within a few minutes from a city-esque feel to the countryside along rolling hills.
“There’s nothing like it in the world,” Barraza adds. Riding in California may have been fun, but the ability to ride without heavy traffic and escape a metropolis to the scenic views of Wisconsin is one quality that’s unlike any other state, he says.
“Going through rolling hills, just getting lost in the moment—that alone right there is why I ride a motorcycle and why I think a lot of people ride motorcycles,” Barraza says.
Ron and Gloria Luepke ride to get lost in the moment and also to travel around the country. The two have taken cross country trips together with groups of more than 80 motorcycles, shutting down gas stations along the way when registers couldn’t keep up with all the gas sales. And while they’ve enjoyed excursions such as trips on Route 66 with many motorcyclists, they’ve also taken long trips with a small group of close friends from Michigan.
Establishing lifelong friends along the way, the Luepkes have gained valuable experience and memories from their motorcycle riding excursions. For many motorcyclists, this biking lifestyle leads them to many new people and experiences they wouldn’t otherwise have. Whether they’re riding around the country or around the bluffs of La Crosse, Wisconsin, their love of the road continues to grow.
Rustic Roads Ahead
Ron and Gloria Luepke have aspirations to ride some of the less traveled roads of Wisconsin through a program established by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation called the Rustic Roads Program.
Rustic Roads is now a collection of 117 scenic roads that span 59 counties statewide. Through an application process, anyone can suggest a route to be a rustic road, but Jane Carrola, Rustic Roads coordinator for the Department of Transportation, says the process doesn’t end there. Throughout the application process, the local government must support the designation of the road, and the local government with jurisdiction will be responsible for maintaining that segment of road.
“Designation comes from the state, but it’s a truly neat, local-orientated program,” Carrola says.
Greg Patzer, manager of Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation’s Motorcycle Safety Program, explains that many motorcyclists collect patches for different areas of participation. The Wisconsin Rustic Roads program gives patches to those who travel at least 10 of the designated routes. The motorcyclists take a photo in front of the Rustic Roads sign on the path until they collect 10 for proof. Some overachievers have ridden every single one.
The Rustic Roads program covers nearly 670 miles of Wisconsin highway, offering some beautiful, lightly traveled places to be seen around the state.
“I’ve had many people say they love the rustic roads because they never know what little surprise they might have on them,” Carrola says. She explains that the nature of each road has different characteristics, so there’s a road out there for everyone.
Other states may have nice scenic roadways, but Wisconsin is one of the few states with a program that specifically denotes these roads for the convenience of riders. The rustic roads started in 1973 as a very innovative program for its time, unearthing and mapping the state’s most unique roads.
While the Luepkes plan on riding some of the rustic roads in the near future, they also like creating their own way.
“We try to find our own [roads], and sometimes it’s fun to just go out on the motorcycle and get lost,” Ron Luepke says.
“Let’s head north. Let’s head west,” Gloria Luepke adds as examples.
“And just ride,” he concludes.