We took the (Rustic) road less traveled...on Vespas

“Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I, I took the one less traveled by.
And that has made all the difference.”
-- Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken"

Robert Frost's diverging road -- we assume it was scenic, with faded red barns, trees shedding their leaves, horses languidly hauling ... whatever -- was in New England. Let's face it, when it comes to fall foliage, Vermont gets all the PR, and Wisconsin the crumbs.

It's not fair. We have roads less traveled, too. And there's an easy way to follow them in Wisconsin: just seek out those brown and yellow signs proclaiming "Rustic Road."

The Legislature established the Rustic Roads program in 1973 to help preserve Wisconsin's scenic, lightly traveled country roads. The state now has 103 marked Rustic Roads covering over 572 miles in 54 counties. Racine County alone has seven of them, Walworth County has five and Kenosha County has one. There's even a 10-member Rustic Roads Board; Ray DeHahn of Racine is our representative on it.

Last weekend, with temperatures nearing 70, a clear and cloudless sky, and luminous red and yellow leaves swirling in the breeze was perfect for exploring Rustic Roads. Which is just what a group of Chicago Vespa enthusiasts did. They put-putted here on the little Italian motorscooters and traveled down 10 of Wisconsin's Rustic Roads, barely noticing that there might not be many more such Sundays before winter forces two-wheelers into hibernation.

More pictures HERE.
The state has a nifty program to encourage motorcyclists to travel the state's "system of lightly traveled asphalt or gravel roads highlighting the state's natural beauty." Wisconsin gives motorcyclists an embroidered patch if they travel 10 of the Rustic Roads; a certificate if they traverse 25 of them. All a cyclist has to do is submit pictures of himself and/or the motorcycle next to the requisite number of Rustic Road signs.



So every few miles, they stopped and pulled over and took pictures of each other, of themselves, of their Vespas. Except for the fact that cameras have gone digital, one could have imagined the program being a sly way to sell film. Or gasoline -- but the Vespas barely sip that. Soon after driving up from Chicago, they filled up at Wind Lake, each having used little more than a gallon for the 80-mile first leg.

The round trip of 10 Rustic Roads involved about 120 miles through Racine, Walworth and Kenosha Counties. I joined the riders as they crossed Route 20, heading north on Raymond Road toward Rustic Road 37 at 3-Mile. My round trip to and from Racine was exactly 150 miles: on twisty roads, up and down hills, on asphalt stained with manure, past drying corn stalks, harvested fields, orchards and wineries, faded barns and charming farmhouses decorated with piles of pumpkins and fake spider webs on their mailboxes.

There are woods, rolling meadows, wildlife areas, an occasional one-room schoolhouse and log cabin. No traffic, no trucks, no fast food joints, almost no gas stations (oops, I could've used one right near the end in Twin Lakes).

My companions from Chicago were a diverse lot: a photographer, a semi-retired computer geek, a former restaurateur, an almost-orthodontist, a refrigeration engineer and his wife. Their scooters ranged from 150cc to 250cc; all together barely more horsepower than a single Harley-Davidson. We met a lot of Harleys, whose drivers invariably honored us with the cyclists' left-handed salute, fingers pointed down, and universal smiles all around.

Want to take your own ride? HERE's the route we took. And HERE's a link to the state's interactive map of all Rustic Roads, with clear descriptions and maps of each one, listing all the highlights, county by county.

Happy riding!