Warm weather, sun shine, and mostly empty winding scenic side roads conspired to make our weekend cruise most enjoyable. Some of us got an early start on Friday. Barney managed to drive his MGA nearly 200 miles in Jo Daviess County on Friday, including about 150 miles of gravel roads. Several MGs were visiting Dan Herman’s place on Lake Carol Friday afternoon, and taking in an evening fish fry.
For the two-day tour we had a dozen MGs one new Mini and one sport-ute standing in for an ailing MGB. Saturday had us cruising the quiet side roads through the hills everywhere we went, taking in lunch at Poopies in Savanna, then a stop at Pallisades State Park overlooking the Mississippi River. We also spent a few hours in Galena, then took a stop at Galena Cellars Winery, finishing the day with dinner at Woodbine Country Club.
All of the cars were still with us for the Sunday leg, starting with a run to Massbach Ridge Winery for a shop tour and tasting party. From there we took a short visit to the watch tower on US-20, then on to Elizabeth, taking a few hours for lunch and tour of the town, including the historic pioneer fort, rail museum, and numerous antique and gift shops. Final leg of the “official” tour took us back to Woodbine for a visit to a glass museum and gift shop. From there it was a free-for-all with small groups picking their favorite routes to return home.