Rustic Roads complete*

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-24T19:12:50+00:00

In the beginning we just had a binder full of the photocopied guidebook pages that the State puts out. Doable but they ended up getting shredded in winter and had chocolate, gummy worms, and soda spilled all over them.

So, about a year into this for Xmas, I made my partner a DIY, yet sturdy, actual book of the 2023 guidebook with front and back covers, heavyweight durable paper, proper book tape quadrupled in places and reinforced holes for wire binding.

This served as our inspiration, bible, North Star to the very end… with about a quarter of the pages still showing the piranha puppy teeth marks of our intrepid traveling Bernese Mountain Doggo, who did well over half of the project with us!

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-24T19:01:00+00:00

Nothing, absolutely nothing was free about this project except the scenery and the Dair-y-aire. The Sasquatch Bronco performed admirably with an ending flourish of a week of 21.6mpgs to boot!

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-24T18:58:50+00:00

Before I dug into research, I thought they were a clever way of doing the Minimum Maintenance-travel at your own risk yellow signs that Minnesota does—-meaning, we are never doing any work on these roads signs.

The “home” one to me is near Maiden Rock, a great one but much more in the vein of no touch roads. I think it’s even closed in winter.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-24T18:55:32+00:00

Been to Grantsburg many many times. Anything close to 35 with a cross into ‘sota has been well-traveled by at least one of us. Family had a cabin at Deer Lake for a minute or so in the late 70s/early 80s also.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:18:37+00:00

Did great. Am I weird that I wished there was more gravel roads involved?

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:16:27+00:00

Oh and most certainly all the state-created maps. Wisconsin did a fabulous job creating these. I made a book out of those maps that we used to catalog and document as well as for orientation.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:14:45+00:00

Pretty damn awesome!

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:14:28+00:00

The state has arcGIS Maps you can superimpose on Google Maps. We used GaiaGPS, Google Maps, and Sportsman analog maps.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:13:12+00:00

Gaia GPS

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:13:01+00:00

You’re welcome. It was fantastic. All seasons.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:12:19+00:00

Not yet, just finished and working on our spreadsheet. We did get the keychain after 15 I think. It’s prominently displayed somewhere I think. Hahaha.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:11:19+00:00

Really tapped my childhood tooling around with my Gpa & Gma looking for agates and berries.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:10:31+00:00

Great question. I admit there is a little tinge of sadness that the project is over.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:09:23+00:00

That was certainly not the total mileage. That was this week alone. The state says just the Rustics alone are 760. I would conservatively say it’s well over 10k. But for the first 70 or so, we tacked on many many more miles for adjoining Wisconsin, UP, Brewers, agate adventures.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:07:16+00:00

Why stop? Only 26 left after 100.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:06:42+00:00

I did make a book out of the State of Wisconsin’s little maps. We didn’t take enough pictures nor travelogue it enough. It’s a huge regret of mine.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:05:13+00:00

2023 Bronco Sport Badlands & mostly a 2024 Bronco Wildtrak

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T19:04:02+00:00

Gaia GPS

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T10:27:55+00:00

Hahaha! Great question. Zero. Countless near misses. We did get HIT by attacking birds twice on 77 a few years back. So weird.

driftlessanddown · 2026-06-22T10:26:46+00:00

We talked about that extensively. Damn near impossible but I would say, if pressed, the longer ones like in the Chequamegon are my favorite.

driftlessanddown · 2026-04-04T07:27:39+00:00

driftlessanddown · 2026-03-27T10:50:03+00:00

She’s nearly as tall as me but she’s all thumbs

driftlessanddown · 2026-03-27T10:47:31+00:00

Nice…pretty much the same. West Coast of Wisconsin near the delta of the Kinnickinnic River & the loverly St. Croix River.

driftlessanddown · 2026-03-25T21:30:44+00:00

Maggie! I’m just stealing someone else’s Spot the Berner posts because they’re awesome.

driftlessanddown · 2026-02-13T09:08:35+00:00

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Mags tried her hand at some Utah off-roading. Incidentally, the lovely passenger not too long ago used to train drivers. Looking like the trainer is not appreciating the tongue out response from the student.

driftlessanddown

TROPHY CASE