Tomorrow is Ferry Day

252 miles

Today we traveled from Hudson WI to Green Bay WI....all on one side or another.  The wind has been terrific (in a bad sense) with gusts up to 36 mph.  It has tossed us from the left to the right and jiggled us all over the lane.  My hands are sore from gripping the handle bars and my neck is tense from trying to hold my head still. The good news is we stayed ahead of the storms and except for a few light drizzles we were able to stay dry.  Hudson WI is a cute little resort town on the St. Croix River.  It has an artsy feel, like Asheville, NC or Antioch OH,  and also reminded me of Seattle.  The houses are of the 1950's era with neat green lawns, and there were numerous public parks.  After dinner at a local grill, we sat on a bench along the river and watched the waves lap over flooded picnic tables, and the locals walk their dogs and children.  This morning we watched grey skies roll in over us as we left Hudson.  We rode along with more traffic than we have previously, especially large trucks.  But how beautiful is Wisconsin.  Everything is gorgeously green, and the farms are picturesque.  The dutch red barns are surrounded by 4 or 5 silos of different heights.  The white clapboard farmhouses sit in a sea of rich green grass dotted with black/white dairy cows. And the perfect scene is repeated over and over.  Of special interest to BMRPop is the availability of premium hight test fuel.  He was impressed by the gas pump that designated  "Premium Recreational Fuel". We quickly made it to Green Bay, not even stopping for lunch. Our first stop in Green Bay was Lambeau Field, of course, Home of the Green Bay Packers. We strolled around the lobby of the field house, and quickly enjoyed looking at some of the memorabilia.  Everything is green and yellow.  One of the houses across the street from the field had memorabilia from the old Lambeau Field, including a yellow colored turnstile.  It also had flags flying.

Tonight we look forward to dinner at Brett Favre's steakhouse, and tomorrow we head to Manitowoc to board the SS Badger.

Five Down Four More to Go

226 miles

Let me just say a few words about the small (VERY small) town of Stockholm SD. It sits right off of 212, a two lane highway that pretty much is just a property line for farmland. There is one paved road that runs through Stockholm (Main St) with about 5 or 6 additional roads branching off. On the main road there is one bed and breakfast that also functions as the only restaurant and the Stockholm library. All the roads that branch off of Main St are gravel/dirt roads with a lot of pot holes. We were not expecting such rough terrain, but we were able to manage it keeping the shiny side up at all times.
Below is a picture of Alice's bed and breakfast, restaurant, and library!


BMWPop had to changed his oil so today was a nice relaxing short day... or so we thought when we started out of Stockholm around 10 am. Leaving at 10am was a good choice considering the morning fog that seemed to linger a while.


We only traveled 226 miles today but we fought HARD winds every minute of the way. The wind was unpredictable; leaning left, leaning right, giggling back and forth at the mercy of the Anemoi. We were more exhausted today than the previous 400 + mile days. We stopped in Hudson WI where there had obviously been some flooding.
Today we were able to hit North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin today! That only leaves Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, and DC to complete all continental 48 states! Tomorrow will be another short day as we tackle Wisconsin. Then the following day we conquer our first ferry ride. My biggest debate... do I take Dramamine or not? I'm scared of getting sea sick, however I don't want to be drowsily riding the bike off the ferry into Michigan.

I had mentioned our vest in earlier posts. Here is what they look like!

A Day in South Dakota

388 miles

We had breakfast in Oacoma SD, lunch in Gettysburg SD, and dinner in Stockholm SD. It was a day in South Dakota! The highlight of the day was visiting Gettysburg. For all of my 27.99 years I have heard about BMWPop's first cross-country trip in 1972 with his college buddy. They were both on Hondas, however, BMWPop was on a Honda 305 Dream. It was "one of the first electric start motorcycles Honda made AND the same bike Elvis had." Heard the story WAY to many times. One of my favorite stories from that epic trip happened in Gettysburg SD. BMWPop's riding buddy had an unfortunate meeting with a sheep that was trying to cross the road. The bike's front forks were bent and his buddy's shoulder was broken. In order to finish the trip the Gettysburg clinic braced his buddy's arm in a position position so he could still ride. Thankfully, the local Honda engine shop (not motorbike shop) was able to bend his forks back so he could continue to ride. It took a few days for all the human/motorbike repairs, so they camped in the Gettysburg City Park until they were ready to continue on. As we pulled into Gettysburg, BMWPop's face light up. We found the city park where they camped. The best part was discovering the Honda shop that was still open. The original shop was next door to the current Honda shop and had vintage Honda motorbikes out front. As we were getting pictures of BMWPop in front of the original shop, he took a peak inside one of the windows. To our delight there was a Honda 305 Dream sitting inside the original shop! Classic!


I was happy to spend a whole day in South Dakota. My favorite part of our last trip was riding through the Black Hills. One of my favorite parts of this trip so far has been riding through the beautiful scenery South Dakota provides. However, there are three things that intrigue me; 1) the birds b) the cows III) the wind
1) Apparently word has not gotten out about my deadly encounter with a South Dakotan bird yesterday. I'm not sure if these birds think we are giant insects (with our bright green vests and bubble helmets) or some kind of enemy. The birds have continually tried to dive bomb us as we made our way through SD. It wasn't just the unusual dive-bombing that concerned me but also the behavior of the ever so abundant pheasants. The pheasants would sit in the middle of the road and stare at you as you approached (around 80-90 mph). They would look at you as if to say "Oh, you know what? I should probably get out of the road." It wouldn't be till you began your swerve to avoid them that they eventually hustled out of the way. Pheasants are beautiful birds that lack intelligence.


b) Cows, cows, and more cows. Its funny to see how the cows react as we pass by; some ignore us, some glance up but then continue eating, and some stare us down. I think I have watched far to many BBC On the Wild Side: Animal Voice Overs (either that or spent far to long on the road with no music), because I can almost hear them saying "Bessie, did you see those green vests? I didn't know vests were in this season. I have to get one of those. All I have are these big earrings that I didn't even get to pick out."


III) For most of the trip the trip a strong wind has been coming from the southwest. My motorbike, BB (Blue Bayou or Blue By You--depending on the situation), is light and tall. This combination does not do well in crosswinds. Therefore, for most of the trip I have been leaning into the wind wearing out the left side of my tires simply trying to stay in my lane. For whatever reason as soon as we start to head east in SD (and as soon as I start to think I will finally get a rest from the wind), all of a sudden there is a forceful wind coming from the northeast. This means I am once again leaning into the wind wearing out the left side of my tires trying to stay in my lane. I noticed BMWPop was having the same problem when I glanced at his tires. We are going to have to only take right hand turns for the next three months just to even out the tread.

Back in South Dakota Again

Salina Kansas to Oacoma South Dakota. A short trip through Salina for dinner last night took us past four different Lutheran churches. There must be a lot of different Lutheran flavors. North on I-135 at I-70 it is no longer an interstate but simply four lanes of limited access US 81. Then just north of Minneapolis Kansas it is no longer limited access but the speed limit is 65mph. This is like Texas. You pull out of your driveway onto a four lane road were traffic may be doing 70mph or more. Across the state line into Nebraska and back to helmets required. At Hebron we stopped for gas and a weather check. Sure enough scattered showers to the north. Cars from that direction showed signs of rain. C-Zuki and Burgma had been wearing rain gear since we left Salina. Reluctantly I donned my banana suit to be prepared and avoid having to stop and climb into it when the rain started. Sure enough scattered showers all the way to O'Neill, Nebraska. None heavy enough to be a problem. Each time the rain lasted only a few minutes. Like the rain in the Florida Keys which lasts only a short time and clears quickly, but in Nebraska it does not warm up. Soon we reach I-80, take it west just to Grand Island and turn back north on US 281. (All day the roads get narrower and rougher as we progress. We are now down to old fashion two lanes, but the traffic diminishes too. By the time we reach South Dakota it will be long straight two lanes, just us, the cows and an occasional local pickup truck.) Lunch in St Paul, Nebraska at Runza which appears to be a local chain. I had to try the namesake sandwich. C-Zuki nailed it: the Runza is stroganoff on a hoagie roll. Mine came with swiss cheese and mushrooms. Rich and tasty if unusual. The side of "Frings" is simply french fries and onion rings mixed. We are now rural. Each time we stop for gas someone saunters up and asks where we are coming from and where we are going. In Runza's parking lot a man about my age shares that he went through the Canadian Rockies on an R75 (750 cc BMW). After gas in O'Neill, Nebraska we finish our run on 281 and head west again on US 18 now the terrain starts to roll. Passing the local truck traffic becomes more difficult because the hills and curves limit visibility. Eventually we will turn north again on state route 47 and take it to I-90 and South Dakota. Farther south the road was straight as a string and the hills were gentler and longer. This has been a day of great variety in roadways and scenery: an excellent and very enjoyable route.

We have gone mostly north for two days and the winds have been very strong from the west and south west. Especially yesterday in Kansas, but also today in Nebraska. Even headed west the winds from the south west have pushed her left to right. When we check tire pressure tomorrow I want to check her tire treads. I am sure that they are worn more on the left side as she has leaned substantially into the wind for two days and 900 miles. Check the mess on her left side case. A bird was apparently too intent on snagging and insect on the fly and did not see her. It glanced off her leg and hit her side case squarely leaving only blood and guts.

Just south of South Dakota there is a ten mile stretch under construction. Fortunately it is not as rough as it appears, but with just a few miles to go to the border we crest a long hill and the road ahead is dirt! We can see a car or truck in the distance kicking up a large dust cloud as it moves toward us. Then the bottom of the hill comes into view. Our paved road veers 90 degrees to the left and the road straight ahead is a county road. We are all relieved.

We are encamped tonight on the banks of the Missouri having reached I-90 (after starting today just south of I-70 and traveling mostly on secondary highways). Tomorrow is a short day with a scenic trip along the river to Pierre and then a stop by to reminisce in Gettysburg before joining friends in Stockholm.

Two Down - Seven to Go

 435 miles

We had a pleasant ride today through the Ozarks, into Oklahoma and then up into Kansas. The skies never got really stormy black but switched between bright sun and overcast. Oklahoma has amazing turnpikes. We traveled on two, each had a posted speed limit of 75 mph, yet no one was traveling less than 85.  Needless to say we made good time despite battling the high winds from the southwest beating up on us.  Lots of horses and cattle in these parts, and many young calves romping about. We saw a few sheep as well.  I did notice that the cows tend to stand with either their head or tail towards the wind.  I believe the wind could tip them otherwise.  The roads were not crowded and we did not see law enforcement in either OK or KS.  That was an observation that does make you wonder what you would do if you really needed help.  The only officer we saw was a KS State Trooper who was participating in a 'Safety Fair' at the Kansas Welcome Center.  Yes...we definitely blended in with that scene; neon lime green is really in.  Oklahoma and Kansas are 'no helmet' states, and we rarely saw motorbike riders with helmets.  Not only were we in the minority in helmet wearing but we also seemed to be heading the wrong direction. We passed many, many bikes heading south.  The terrain in these states reminded us of Texas, with lots of brush and flat low grass plains. 
Dinner tonight was in a little local pizza bar that displays, among other memorabilia, a letter written to Abraham Lincoln asking hm to grow 'whiskers'.
We hope to cross into South Dakota tomorrow and that our luck with the weather continues.

Back in the Saddle Again

440 miles

After some last minute packing, a kickstand installation, a review of our hand signals, and a short tutorial on the definitions of east and west (don't ask), we headed out of Nashville. It wasn't long before we ran into some showers. BurgMa and I pulled over to put on rain gear while BMRpop just toughed it out. Luckily we had dried out by the time we reached Memphis. From Memphis we headed into The Natural State of Arkansas. Unfortunately I don't think we got to see Arkansas in it's "natural state." I was stunned by all of the flooding. Tree tops were sticking up out of lakes that formally were fields. Although, this was not the most disturbing site of the day. It became clear we are in for an eventful trip when all of a sudden we were passed by Reed Timmer's Tornado Intercept Vehicles, Dominator and Dominator 2. It's unsettling when the Dominator is heading the same direction you are. If you haven't seen this vehicle on Storm Chasers here is a visual for you.Tomorrow we hit the first and second of our nine missing states Oklahoma and Kansas. Keep your fingers crossed we don't need to take shelter in the Dominator!

The Map

We always start off with an idea of where we are headed. However, sometimes the best part of the trip is when the plans need to change. Here is our starting plan.

HIghlights of This Trip

Highlights of this trip will be the multiple ferry rides (lake Michigan, Long Island Sound and the Delaware Bay) the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Gettysburg South Dakota. Gettysburg?? Yes. This will be my first visit to Gettysburg in 40 years.  My riding partner & I camped there in '72.  He went out early to warm up his bike before an oil change. Just outside town a free range sheep bolted across the road into his path. We stayed several days while the local Honda mower dealer straightened his bike's front forks, and he recuperated after the local clinic set his broken shoulder. I am curious to see how the town has changed in 40 years.

The missing states

Again the trio (BmrPop, C-Zuki and BurgMa) is heading out on motorcycles. This time it is to complete the tour of states. We have only 9 states in the continental US (or 8 plus DC) through which the 3 of us have not traveled together. (Actually, that is not completely true; on our last trip we did zip through New Jersey for a hot half second, but apparently it didn't count for all of us...someone obviously blinked.)

Our earlier trips in 2006 (2 weeks) and 2008 (4 weeks) allowed us to cover most of the continental US. You can read our blog of those trips here: http://wheemedriving.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html and http://infinityusa.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html

So now we are off on our "Missing States" tour. We are pretty relaxed about this trip. Not much planning going on. We have some new toys (new GPS; BurgMa has a new helmet and a new Burgman!!! - No, I am NOT spoiled; we have tiedown straps) and we have abandoned some of our toys (the headset communication system). For this trip we'll go old school just like in 2006. This means we will need to have a refresher on the hand signals - the jazz hand for 'need gas'; the leg out for 'this is our exit'; the blinking headlight for 'I need to stop' in addition to others: the universals hand signs we all know, and the fun animal hand signs we developed on the cross country 2006 tour.

Concerns for this trip are the numerous and violent storms that have been occurring this spring. The Mississippi is way out of its banks, and tornadic activity has been plentiful. Challenges for this trip will be the planned ferry crossings, a first for us (C-Zuki has taken her bike on a ferry before but it is similar to the NJ story - it was a hot half-second so it doesn't count.) Potential joys are that we are hoping to stop in and visit some family and friends whom we have not seen for awhile. In addition, we hope to visit the home where BurgMa's grandmother lived, where BurgMa's mom was born, and where her father is buried. BmrPop looks forward to revisiting Gettysburg SD where, while on a cross-country motorcycle trip with a friend during the summer of 1972, his friend experienced an accident with a herd of sheep. And I am guessing here, but I am hoping that C-Zuki is looking forward to two weeks of 24/7 with her parents. I know I am excited about the time we will be spending with her.

Well, that's all for now. Next we hope to get a map up, and also figure out how to use our phones as a location tracking device so that we can post our progress through My Maps. We invite you to follow our journey, and wish us cool dry weather.