Okay, one more song title. Thanks to REO Speedwagon for capturing the moment.
I called a friend tonight who has been following the blog closely. He said I kind of left everyone hanging with the last post, and until my call, didn’t know if I’d made it back or not.Well, I’m here safe and sound in Valparaiso Indiana, a place scorched by the heat wave that I avoided for almost three weeks.Sorry for the lapse, but the last day covered 1400 miles, in around 28 hours. When I got home, I petted the dog, hugged my wife, peeled my riding suit off to my bicycle shorts, lay down on the garage floor and promptly fell asleep.
My last post left off in Saskatoon SK, about 300 miles from the border. I headed south in cool temperatures, but with a vicious wind from the west flanking me for the better part of 600 miles until I pointed the Strom east on I-94.
My desired crossing point of Portal ND was inaccessible due to flooding; a sign advised of a detour to Raymond MT,an extra 100 miles to the west.Not good. I enquired at a gas station and learned the Port of Oungre while not a 24 hour facility, was only an extra 40 or so miles out of the way. As I rode south, I was struck by what appeared to be small lakes, complete with white-caps , but were in reality, flooded fields. The border post, is situated in some of the bleakest landscape this side of the moon imaginable. There was literally nothing for 50 miles, and even with my extra fuel, and the Strom’s good range, I was glad I filled up in Canada.
The ride through North Dakota, revealed the devastation from the flooding that dogged me on the way up, and more recent examples.I even heard that I-94 had been reduced to one lane in the area of Bismark.
One of my most fervent desires was to avoid Minnesota during high traffic hours. This was due to my miserable ride through the state on day one.To that end I decided to ride all night. Once again, like a bad dream, I was greeted by signs that alerted the rest areas were closed. Funny, they closed the day I entered the state, and were reputed to open the day after I left. Maybe they just don’t like me. But whatever the case, the closure of important public assets, to make a political point is inexcusable;the money wasted on signs, barricades, and fencing could easily have kept them open, at least to a limited degree. These rest areas are vital to the safety of all travelers. And since they are on an interstate, they belong to all Americans.
At some point during the long night, I noticed that I was weaving badly, so at a gas stop, I found a dark corner and caught 20 minutes of shut-eye. Revitalized by the bit of sleep, and driven by a burning desire to vacate the state, I pushed into Wisconsin. There at the first rest area, I took a proper nap on one of the fine benches provided.
Illinois, the land of toll-ways, was now all that stood in my way. My frequent breaks placed me around the dreaded O’Hare area mid-morning. Once again, the I-pass made short work of the run. This is one area Illinois excels; one literally can pass through the toll counters at full speed. Indiana among other states can learn from them on that score.In a losing argument with the Garmin, I found myself broiling on the Eisenhower, but since traffic was relatively light, (by Chicago standards) I was soon crossing the line into the Hoosier state.
Today’s activities consisted of sleep, and trying to get the rest of the Dalton off of the Strom.That task is proving to be difficult, and it won’t be soon accomplished. The Dalton however will never be purged from my spirit.
The Strom, that a mere three weeks ago was a bright and shiny, new steed, now has character. With just under 10,000 miles on the clock. The chain will need to be replaced, as will the rear disc, scored by the metal to metal contact.It is on it’s third set of rear pads.Chalk that up to the Dalton. My boots and riding suit, also sparkling clean at the start of this adventure, now display the appearance of been dragged down a bad road for hundreds of miles.I am five pounds lighter, despite eating whatever was available, and not exercising for three weeks. That is, other than wrestling 600 plus pounds of machine down a rugged road.
So where does ridetowrite.com go from here?My plan is to evaluate the ride, bike, gear, and equipment and report what I have found.Also, I want to follow up with some of the interesting people I met on the road. And while I am no expert in motorcycle travel, I have done a bit of it. Enough to make a number of mistakes, and even some good calls. I will expand and evaluate for those who are interested, right here.And for all of you who rode along, thank you. It was great having you by my side.
