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Howard and Joan Manthei got a more personal reception than they expected when they pulled off Interstate 90 Monday afternoon.

The couple from Hutchinson, Minn., were cooling off at a picnic table and perusing Wisconsin road maps at the I-90 rest area on French Island when Gov. Scott Walker himself sauntered up to say hello and admire their Harley-Davidson.

Though they’ve biked all over the U.S. and Canada, the Mantheis said they enjoy riding in Wisconsin and were planning to check out a bed and breakfast in Baraboo.

Touting the economic impact of visitors like them, Walker was in La Crosse to promote a $3.5 million overhaul to the 1977 visitors center, the third-busiest in the state.

“We’ve invested more money in tourism marketing,” Walker said, mentioning ad campaigns in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. “It’s paid off. We’ve seen a tremendous increase in the economic impact.”

The tourism industry in Wisconsin grew by about 4 percent last year, Walker said, supporting about 185,000 jobs, including about 4,000 in the La Crosse area.