June 30, 2011 Battle Creek, Michigan

To state the obvious, I didn’t take the high road thru Duluth into Canada.  Hwy 12 is a pretty road, and there was more of it left.  So after a short obligatory run on Interstate 94 in Montana, I rode with Bones and Ruth, SE on Hwy 12.  That is a beautifully remote part of the country; there were sections in which we wouldn’t see a gas station for 100 miles.   At some very remote spot, we passed a sign that said something like “road construction — consider an alternate route,” which I thought was funny because there was NOTHING out there.  Funny,  ‘til we came to the sign that said “pavement ends,” followed shortly by “Stop.”  Of course, it was one-lane “pavement ends,” so we stopped for the flagman in this middle of no-where.  I turned off my bike & walked up to the flagman who explained “some bikes have made it thru” and that the detour will take us down in the ditch, but they blade the quarter-mile of ditch-detour.  When I got back to my bike, a semi had pulled up behind me.  Now the only thing less funny than dropping my Wing – aka a 900 lb couch balanced on 2 wheels – would be to drop it whilst dirt bike riding in a ditch and then be run over by a semi.  So I walked back & talked to the semi-driver.  I told him I wasn’t excited about dirt-bike riding & that I could drop my strato-lounger.  He laughed, “I guess you don’t want me to follow you close & run over you then?” – “You got it.” – “Don’t worry, if you drop it, I’ll help you get it up.”  Whew.  Life was looking better ‘cause he looked like he could get my bike up.  Finally it was our turn – & it was MUCH worse than either Bones or I imagined.  There were ruts 2 to 4+ inches deep, some with hard sides, others with soft crumbly sides.  Some were only a tire width, others were wider.  Some were dry on the bottom, some were carpeted with slimy mud.  Throw in potholes, an uneven camber for the ditch, and a stupid car driver in front that decided to stop in the worst of it all.  But the Wing handled it much better than I would have guessed, & I concentrated on keeping the RPM’s up, the engine pulling, absolutely NO braking, firm grip on the handle bars, & then I just held on while the rear wheel squirted around and the front end jerked.  But I made it – & felt like I’d run a marathon.

We just kept follow Hwy 12 east – briefly into ND, then dipping down into SD, where – if possible – it became more remote.  Hwy 12 crosses the Missouri River, which was flooding in many places.  At one point, they had built something of a levee to run the highway down.  The birding in that area is amazing.  I saw many, many orioles, lots of red-winged black birds, ring-necked pheasants, waterfowl like mallards, loons, coots & pelicans, and a small clutch of ducklings that were waddling into the tall grass beside the road.  By now, the mountains had dropped away and we were riding flat, straight roads.

The second night, (after Bones realized I’m not put off by budget motels), we stopped at a “small” motel in Aberdeen, SD, after a 456 mile day.  My room was $40 for the night, including tax!!  OK, so they didn’t have Wi-Fi, coffee, or turn down service with a mint on the pillow – but it was very clean & the bed was comfortable.  When I went out the next morning, there was Bones cleaning my windshield.  Better than a mint on the pillow 😉 We walked to breakfast, and Bones said he had called some friends in Minneapolis – they were going to take off from work & ride out to meet us.

We continued on Hwy 12 east into Minnesota and had stopped for gas when I heard this growing rumble – up pulled 2 Harleys & 1 Valkyrie – Bones friends had found us.  Donnie & Gilbert were on the Harleys; Dave on the Valkyrie.  After some introductions and good-natured kidding, I told them I was going to stay the night with Ken & Maureen in Minneapolis (friends of a friend, people I hadn’t met); they said, “OK, we can take you there.”  Hmm, so I called Maureen & told her a group of Harleys was going to deliver me to her doorstep.  She laughed & said to be sure they all come inside, and that a bunch of Harley’s parked outside her house should be good for her neighbors.  We left, and when we got into the 5 o’clock bumper-to-bumper traffic in Minneapolis, I almost wished for more ditch dirt bike riding.  It was AWFUL.  I was running #4 in the pack, with Dave behind me, and Bones just in front.  Then, of course, the back 3 bikes began to get separated from the two guys up front who knew where we were & where we were going.  Bones solved the problem by lane splitting; I passed on that learning opportunity and watched him disappear into the waves of traffic ahead.  I tried to get Dave to lead, but he wouldn’t – found out later he didn’t where we were either.  Any way I was on my own in that mess.  I kept moving & finally found Bones and Donnie waiting in a split in the road.  After more than an hour in that hell, with the traffic moving just enough that I couldn’t put a foot down but not fast enough to totally release the clutch, we pulled up to Ken & Maureen’s – actually, the other guys roared up and I arrived sounding like a Singer sewing machine. Maureen was the perfect hostess & was undaunted by this crowd of strangers on her well-manicured lawn in a very nice section of Minneapolis.  She served hors d’oeuvres & asked many questions.  Ken came in from work (he’s an attorney who does primarily insurance defense work); like Maureen, he was intrigued with this group of unusual visitors.  Then they roared away, heading for a Mexican restaurant.  I settled into the very comfortable home of my hosts, and we began to get to know each other.  Soon the day was over; after a good night’s sleep & a delightful walk in a large park across the street, it was time to get back on the bike.  But not before Lauren, their delightful daughter had her picture taken on my bike, with her parents.  I left Minneapolis on Wednesday, heading to Evanston, IL (a suburb of Chicago)

I’d had such a good time on Hwy 12 that I thought I’d again take a “road less traveled” as I headed to Sarah’s, my niece in Evanston.  The ride thru Iowa was beautiful with rolling hills, corn as far as you can see for miles, picture post card barns, and an occasional Amish home But then reality began to raise its ugly head.  I left Ken & Maureen’s late, hit some construction traffic, took the long way, forgot to have lunch until 4 PM, AND rode too many miles.  But I finally got to Sarah’s just before 8PM  – good news, the 5 o’clock traffic was over.

This morning, Thursday, June 30, Sarah & I enjoyed a slow breakfast, several walks, a “tour” of Lake Michigan (it’s like a quiet ocean & surprisingly clean), I had my cell phone fixed, and Sarah showed me how to post a URL link to my google map.  (I’ll work on the map & let you know when it’s up.)  But after lunch I’d again run out of excuses.  So I headed south through Chicago on Interstate 94 which was not as bad as the traffic in Minneapolis (but it still took 2 hours to go 70 miles).  I stayed on Interstates for my short day (only 200 miles but it included some rain) and stopped for the night in Battle Creek, Michigan.

I’ll cross over the boundary into Canada, go north of the Great Lakes, and come back down into Maine.

Miscellaneous trivia — I’ve ridden 7,100 miles, through 19 states.  Tomorrow I will have been on the road for 4 weeks.  It’s 1,025 miles from here to Madawaska, Maine; then it’s another 2,113 miles down to Key West if I stay on Interstates (which won’t happen) and if I don’t “swing by” Nova Scotia (which adds another 800 miles to the ride).  And then I head back to NW Fl where my grand kids live and my dog is kenneled – another 800 miles.  I think I’ll make it to Key West within my self-imposed six week schedule, but doubt I can get back to my dog, Grace that quickly.

There have been stretches when I doubted my ability to make this ride, but a couple of days ago I realized I can and I am.  I’ve met amazing and kind people, seen something of this diverse country from the seat of a motorcycle, improved both my riding skills and my confidence, and generally had a grand time.  I’m looking forward to getting that 3^rd corner!