Spring Chicken Rally/Tour May 19, 2013 Jana and I are in the early stages of planning the Spring Chicken Rally/Tour for this year and we just hope that we are blessed with the good weather that we had last year. We will begin at the same location at Deer Park, but will drive an entirely different route to our house. We hope to see you there!

~~George Phariss

This year’s Secrets Tour will see something old and something new. What’s old is we’re going to go back to a popular format we followed in 2009. We’ll meander our way through Jo Daviess County and southwest Wisconsin to the good ole Potosi Brewery where we’ll stop for a cold one. Then on to Cassville where we’ll take the ferryboat to cross the mighty Mississippi. The nine car ferry carries 12 MGs. We’ll overnight in Guttenberg, Iowa in a rustic hotel in a stone building that was once a button factory situated right on the shoreline of the Mississippi. Some rooms have balconies overlooking the river. Walking distance up the shore is a lock and dam. It’s interesting to watch the huge barge sets and towboats negotiate the lock. The final day we’ll again meander through SW Wisconsin to return to our traditional end point in Monroe. And we might just stumble into a winery and/or cheese factory along the way. The plan is to get you to Monroe in the early afternoon so you can return home early in the evening.

What’s new is the schedule. Instead of a weekend jaunt this year’s tour will be held on weekdays. This is an experiment and is a result of two factors. Think about it; it seems everybody schedules all their activities on the weekends resulting in many conflicts. So many times people have told me they want to attend the tour, but they have a wedding, anniversary party, or school activity on the chosen weekend – especially in June. And, in this case, the Guttenberg hotel is already booked up on summer weekends and has been for months. On a weeknight we can have the place to ourselves. Plus, other facilities, like restaurants, are less crowded on mid-week nights. And, consider this, if we do the tour on weekdays you have another weekend open to enjoy other activities. So, here’s the plan. Tuesday, June 25, reception at our house at Lake Carroll followed by the must-do fish fry at the Yellow Creek Inn. Wednesday (26), the drive and boat ride to Guttenberg and Thursday (27) the way home.

Arrangements. Tuesday night we have a block of 20 rooms at the popular Country Inn and Suites in Stockton. The rate is $85.50, significantly less than the weekend rate we saw last year. Direct phone number is 815 947 6060. Ask for the MG Club block. Wednesday night it’s The Landing at Guttenberg. The hotel has only 19 rooms and we have all of them blocked. The rates vary widely from $49 to $159 depending on the configuration, location and river view. Ask for the room/rate information when you call and call early to get the best selection. Tell them it’s for the MG Club block. Direct phone number is 563 252 1615 and you can view the place on their website at www.thelanding615.com. Lots of good information there, including views of the room configurations with pricing. The cutoff date for the blocks is May 25. If you decide to tour with us please let me know at danherm@jcwifi.com or call 815 493 8417.

The experience of the river ride, quaint Guttenberg, the lock and dam and the unique hotel was a hit the last time and many have asked me: “when are we going back?” I hope you will agree with the advantages of the weekday schedule and join us for the 8th running of the Secrets Tour.

UPDATE: WE ALREADY HAVE 15 CARS REGISTERED SO THE LANDING IS FILLING UP. IF YOU PLAN TO GO MAKE YOUR ARRANGEMENTS EARLY!

~~Dan Herman