To state the obvious, I didn\u2019t take the high road thru Duluth into Canada.\u00a0 Hwy 12 is a pretty road, and there was more of it left.\u00a0 So after a short obligatory run on Interstate 94 in Montana, I rode with Bones and Ruth, SE on Hwy 12.\u00a0 That is a beautifully remote part of the country; there were sections in which we wouldn\u2019t see a gas station for 100 miles.\u00a0\u00a0 At some very remote spot, we passed a sign that said something like \u201croad construction — consider an alternate route,\u201d which I thought was funny because there was NOTHING out there.\u00a0 Funny,\u00a0 \u2018til we came to the sign that said \u201cpavement ends,\u201d followed shortly by \u201cStop.\u201d\u00a0 Of course, it was one-lane \u201cpavement ends,\u201d so we stopped for the flagman in this middle of no-where.\u00a0 I turned off my bike & walked up to the flagman who explained \u201csome bikes have made it thru\u201d and that the detour will take us down in the ditch, but they blade the quarter-mile of ditch-detour.\u00a0 When I got back to my bike, a semi had pulled up behind me.\u00a0 Now the only thing less funny than dropping my Wing \u2013 aka a 900 lb couch balanced on 2 wheels \u2013 would be to drop it whilst dirt bike riding in a ditch and then be run over by a semi.\u00a0 So I walked back & talked to the semi-driver.\u00a0 I told him I wasn\u2019t excited about dirt-bike riding & that I could drop my strato-lounger.\u00a0 He laughed, \u201cI guess you don\u2019t want me to follow you close & run over you then?\u201d \u2013 \u201cYou got it.\u201d \u2013 \u201cDon\u2019t worry, if you drop it, I\u2019ll help you get it up.\u201d\u00a0 Whew.\u00a0 Life was looking better \u2018cause he looked like he could get my bike up.\u00a0 Finally it was our turn – & it was MUCH worse than either Bones or I imagined.\u00a0 There were ruts 2 to 4+ inches deep, some with hard sides, others with soft crumbly sides.\u00a0 Some were only a tire width, others were wider.\u00a0 Some were dry on the bottom, some were carpeted with slimy mud.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 But the Wing handled it much better than I would have guessed, & I concentrated on keeping the RPM\u2019s 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.\u00a0 But I made it – & felt like I\u2019d run a marathon.<\/p>\n
We just kept follow Hwy 12 east \u2013 briefly into ND, then dipping down into SD, where \u2013 if possible \u2013 it became more remote.\u00a0 Hwy 12 crosses the Missouri River, which was flooding in many places.\u00a0 At one point, they had built something of a levee to run the highway down.\u00a0 The birding in that area is amazing.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 By now, the mountains had dropped away and we were riding flat, straight roads.<\/p>\n
The second night, (after Bones realized I\u2019m not put off by budget motels), we stopped at a \u201csmall\u201d motel in Aberdeen, SD, after a 456 mile day.\u00a0 My room was $40 for the night, including tax!!\u00a0 OK, so they didn\u2019t have Wi-Fi, coffee, or turn down service with a mint on the pillow \u2013 but it was very clean & the bed was comfortable.\u00a0 When I went out the next morning, there was Bones cleaning my windshield.\u00a0 Better than a mint on the pillow \ud83d\ude09 We walked to breakfast, and Bones said he had called some friends in Minneapolis \u2013 they were going to take off from work & ride out to meet us.<\/p>\n
We continued on Hwy 12 east into Minnesota and had stopped for gas when I heard this growing rumble \u2013 up pulled 2 Harleys & 1 Valkyrie \u2013 Bones friends had found us.\u00a0 Donnie & Gilbert were on the Harleys; Dave on the Valkyrie.\u00a0 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\u2019t met); they said, \u201cOK, we can take you there.\u201d\u00a0 Hmm, so I called Maureen & told her a group of Harleys was going to deliver me to her doorstep.\u00a0 She laughed & said to be sure they all come inside, and that a bunch of Harley\u2019s parked outside her house should be good for her neighbors.\u00a0 We left, and when we got into the 5 o\u2019clock bumper-to-bumper traffic in Minneapolis, I almost wished for more ditch dirt bike riding.\u00a0 It was AWFUL.\u00a0 I was running #4 in the pack, with Dave behind me, and Bones just in front.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Bones solved the problem by lane splitting; I passed on that learning opportunity and watched him disappear into the waves of traffic ahead.\u00a0 I tried to get Dave to lead, but he wouldn\u2019t \u2013 found out later he didn\u2019t where we were either.\u00a0 Any way I was on my own in that mess.\u00a0 I kept moving & finally found Bones and Donnie waiting in a split in the road.\u00a0 After more than an hour in that hell, with the traffic moving just enough that I couldn\u2019t put a foot down but not fast enough to totally release the clutch, we pulled up to Ken & Maureen\u2019s \u2013 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.\u00a0 She served hors d\u2019oeuvres & asked many questions.\u00a0 Ken came in from work (he\u2019s an attorney who does primarily insurance defense work); like Maureen, he was intrigued with this group of unusual visitors.\u00a0 Then they roared away, heading for a Mexican restaurant.\u00a0 I settled into the very comfortable home of my hosts, and we began to get to know each other.\u00a0 Soon the day was over; after a good night\u2019s sleep & a delightful walk in a large park across the street, it was time to get back on the bike.\u00a0 But not before Lauren, their delightful daughter had her picture taken on my bike, with her parents.\u00a0 I left Minneapolis on Wednesday, heading to Evanston, IL (a suburb of Chicago)<\/p>\n
I\u2019d had such a good time on Hwy 12 that I thought I\u2019d again take a \u201croad less traveled\u201d as I headed to Sarah\u2019s, my niece in Evanston.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I left Ken & Maureen\u2019s late, hit some construction traffic, took the long way, forgot to have lunch until 4 PM, AND rode too many miles.\u00a0 But I finally got to Sarah\u2019s just before 8PM\u00a0 \u2013 good news, the 5 o\u2019clock traffic was over.<\/p>\n
This morning, Thursday, June 30, Sarah & I enjoyed a slow breakfast, several walks, a \u201ctour\u201d of Lake Michigan (it\u2019s 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.\u00a0 (I’ll work on the map & let you know when it’s up.)\u00a0 But after lunch I\u2019d again run out of excuses.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll cross over the boundary into Canada, go north of the Great Lakes, and come back down into Maine.<\/p>\n
Miscellaneous trivia — I\u2019ve ridden 7,100 miles, through 19 states.\u00a0 Tomorrow I will have been on the road for 4 weeks.\u00a0 It\u2019s 1,025 miles from here to Madawaska, Maine; then it\u2019s another 2,113 miles down to Key West if I stay on Interstates (which won\u2019t happen) and if I don\u2019t \u201cswing by\u201d Nova Scotia (which adds another 800 miles to the ride).\u00a0 And then I head back to NW Fl where my grand kids live and my dog is kenneled \u2013 another 800 miles.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll make it to Key West within my self-imposed six week schedule, but doubt I can get back to my dog, Grace that quickly.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 I\u2019ve 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.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking forward to getting that 3rd<\/sup> corner!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" June 30, 2011 Battle Creek, Michigan To state the obvious, I didn\u2019t take the high road thru Duluth into Canada.\u00a0 Hwy 12 is a pretty road, and there was more of it left.\u00a0 So after a short obligatory run on … Continue reading