The Road Journal
The Road Journal
The “Broken Arm Tour”, “Two Hat Tour” or, “Boyhood Home Tour” July 2016
The trip plans called for following the Mississippi River to the headwaters in Northern Minnesota, beginning on the river near Burlington Iowa and taking portions of the Great River Road - depending on which side of the river offered the most interesting roads and scenery. Once at the headwaters, the plan was to head across North Dakota to our most Northwest goal of Glacier National Park and Waterton in Alberta. After a few days in Glacier the plan was to head south to Yellowstone then travel down into northeast Utah then back across Northern Colorado before heading back across the plains into southern Missouri through the Mark Twain national forest, about 6000 miles total. Noted temperatures were taken from the ambient temp probe on the Victory, which seems to be pretty accurate if checked when the bike is cold or while underway. This is the journal of our trip.
Tuesday, July 26th, 2016
Partly cloudy and warm. Temps in upper 70 and humid. We left home about 8:30 and traveled VIA I40 to just west of Cookeville, TN where we went up toward Carthage, Tn. There we stopped in and visited friends, Jeff and Susan Brown, who had just recently built a new home and recently moved in after their retirement. After a nice two hour visit we took the back roads north into Kentucky. The heat and humidity was oppressive (about 104 before factoring the humidity). We took many hydration breaks along the way. We stopped in at the Abe Lincoln boyhood home in Lincoln city, Indiana. He lived here from ages seven – twenty one. His mother, Nancy, is buried here and she died when Abe was on nine. We rode until about 6pm where we called it a day just north of Evansville, Indiana where we stayed at a Baymont Inn. There was a storm moving north just to our west so this turned out to be a good stopping point. A low fog was hanging over the cornfields from the “sweat” from the corn. The smell of pollinating corn was heavy in the air. We traveled 364 miles
Wednesday, July 27th, 2016
Partly cloudy, warm and humid. Uppers 70’s We were back on the road again by 8:30, but on central time now. Partly to mostly cloudy skies helped keep it a little cooler than the day before, but we could see large storms developing along the way. We stopped in one town called Olney, Illinois and noticed that is was called the home of the white squirrels. Interestingly there are only a few areas where these exist. Not albinos, but white varieties of the gray squirrel. We stayed in a state park in Florida once that was also a home to these squirrels. After lunch a Pana, Illinois we head in a general northwest direction. South of Springfield Illinois be were faced with a large thunderstorm. We were lucky as we drove into a small town called Pawnee and found an abandoned drive-through bank just as the storm hit. Torrents of water flooded the road and lightning was hitting very close by. We waited it out for about 45 minutes and rode on into blue partly cloudy skies. We crossed the Mississippi at Burlington Iowa around 6PM and spent the night at a Super 8 one the west side of town. There is some nice old Midwestern architecture in this town. We traveled about 343 miles today with plenty of stops. Highest temps were around 90.
Thursday, July 28th, 2016
Clear skies with morning lows in the upper 60’s. Much lower humidity to start. The haze that had been hanging over the corn fields from the corn sweat had disappeared over night as we headed up the Iowa side of the river. All along the river south and north of Davenport Iowa is heavy industry. Chemical, fertilizer, and oil companies line the river, including a large Alcoa plant north of town. After a short break for coffee we headed out of Davenport and crossed the river near LaSalle, Iowa, which just so happen to be the boyhood home of William “buffalo Bill” Cody. On the Illinois side of the river we made a stop at lock 13 and watched a barge lock through going up-river. We crossed back into Iowa near Savanna, Ill and began to ascend the Mississippi ridge north of Dubuque Iowa. The views from the ride along this ridge were fantastic, overlooking the Mississippi valley between Iowa and Wisconsin. As we rode the towns took up a Euro feel and names. Towns like Guttenberg and McGregor. Near Lansing Iowa the skies turned dark and we ran into light rain showers for a while. Once into Minnesota it was only about thirty miles to our hotel in Winona. We stayed at a hotel 8 and walked across the street and got a great pizza made with hollandaise sauce at a place called the Green Mill. Here, I lost my first cap – I left it in the restaurant seat. We rode 334 miles – and easy ride and great site seeing with high temps around mid 80’s.
Friday, July 29th, 2016
Foggy and cool, probably in mid 60’s. We left out of Winona about 8:30. A prominent feature behind the hotel was Sugarloaf Rock. We crossed over immediately to the Wisconsin side of the river and headed north on hwy 35 which is a really nice road right on the river and wetlands. Large bluffs towered above the river on our right as we traveled up to Prescott, WI where we left the Mississippi and followed the St. Croix. This is really pretty country with somewhat quant and touristy towns with a lot of bike hangouts along the river. We stopped at several parks along the way, one called Interstate park where we hike a bit. After lunch at the Anderson Lumber Yard café, we rode north through the Minnesota lake country to Bemidji, MN for the night. This was the northern limit of our journey in the mid-west and the long run across the plains begins tomorrow. We traveled 370 miles today, mostly river roads with little traffic. Temps climbed fairly high by evening, probably mid 80’s.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Overcast and cool, with a weak front moving in off the plains. Low 60’s. On the road early to see the big Paul Bunyan and Babe statue in Bemidji, MN before riding southwest to the headwaters of the Mississippi at Itasca State Park. It begins to sprinkle when we arrived at the park. We took the short stroll down to where the river starts. As soon as we got there however, it began to pour rain. A few quick photos and we hurried back to the visitor center to wait out the storm. Once the rain tapered off we donned or rain gear and headed west. Road construction and detours set us back from taking the original routes and we were afraid we would run short of time so we headed towards Fargo, ND to pick up the interstate in order to make Bismarck early enough to rest up some. The weather cleared as we continued west and was quite pleasant on reaching Bismarck. Today’s ride was 370 miles and mostly nice riding. Temps in the 80’s
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Clear skies but the temperatures were beginning to climb fast. Today we headed north out of Bismarck to visit Fort Mandan on the Missouri river. This was the winter encampment of the Corps of Discovery in the winter of 1804-1805. I also purchased a nice looking cap in the gift shop. After a guided tour of the fort we headed due west on hwy 200. It was a nice ride for a while but then we started getting into the oil fields that were being developed in the area. The roads were under construction for miles with large trucks pulling oil trains (up to three trailers). The dust and heat – around 100 degrees - were getting pretty bad. Unfortunately I lost my new cap when the saddle bag opened while we were riding and I hadn’t noticed it had blown out. Luckily as we reached the badlands of North Dakota we emerged from the construction and were rewarded with some nice scenery in the northern portion Roosevelt National Park. We took the scenic park road through hills and valleys of the Little Missouri. Buffalo were roaming around and there were many nice vistas of the valley. Oil is king up here, and the infrastructure is built around that activity. We stayed at a very nice Ramada hotel in Williston, ND for the price of a motel6, but it was build out in the middle of a field and the roads hadn’t even been paved in to it. Roughnecks were checking in for the week. At least they served a great dinner and breakfast at the hotel. The entire area looks like a boom town gone semi-bust with the drop in oil prices slowing things to a crawl.
It was a leisure ride today, with a lot of stops and slow going because of road construction, bad roads, and sightseeing. In all we rode 273 miles with temperatures hitting 100.
Monday August 1st, 2016
Pouring rain and temps in 70s We woke up to the sound of rain so we slept in a little. The hotel had a great made to order breakfast buffet, so we took our time and loaded up for the days ride. As soon as we were finish with breakfast the weather cleared and deep blue skies appeared to our west. We were on the road at 9:30 and after a few wrong turns we finally got back on US2 heading west towards Montana. Near the state line we stopped to visit Fort Union, a major trading post and fort at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri river. There was a 1830’s period actor (trader’s assistant) at the Indian trade house that talked to us like we had just arrived on a riverboat and began to explain the goods he had to trade. He explained the trading process in great detail. The fireplace was original but the rest of the fort had been restored in 1972. From there we rode out to the river confluence and viewed where the two rivers meet. We were now in Montana. We road into a town called Malta and found a visitor center and picked up a map and visited the frontier antiques museum they had there. On the far side of town we stopped at one of the only eating places we had seen for a while –The Western Café. Traveling on we passed several small villages and Indian reservations – Assiniboine tribes. Fort Belknap reservations and others. We rode 350 miles total and arrived at Havre, MT around 7:30 Mountain daylight time. The noon day highs were probably in the low-mid 90’s.
Tuesday August 2nd, 2016
Severe clear. Cool morning for the ride into East Glacier Park It was an easy ride for us today. Back on highway 2 heading west, we passed by Fresno reservoir on the Milk river, named so by Lewis & Clark because of the milky color of the water. We traveled west through Cut Bank and into the Blackfeet Indian reservation. While driving through the Blackfeet town of Browning it seemed a little dismal, but Browning would play an important role in our trip as you will learn later. The wheat harvest was beginning to wind down this far north. As we approached our destination the front range of the Rockies make a stark contrast against the rolling plains in front of us. We made a brief stop near the campsite of Lewis’s northern most camp, Camp Disappointment. The campsite was used by a detachment of the expedition from July 22–26, 1806. Captain Meriwether Lewis, George Drouillard, the two Fields brothers—Joseph and Reubin—, possibly five more men, along with six horses, were exploring the Marias River in an attempt to show that the Missouri River watershed extended to the 50th parallel north in order to claim more land for the United States under the Louisiana Purchase. However, they discovered that the watershed does not extend to the 50th parallel and consequently named their campsite Camp Disappointment. We checked in to the Mountain Pines hotel around 3:45 which gave us some time to scout the local area. We visited East Glacier lodge and took a few photos. The structure is built out of huge pine timbers. Huckleberries are all over the area and one specialty is Huckleberry pie. So, we had to try some at a local restaurant call Luna’s Place. East Glacier Park is a relative small town and quite peaceful. The total ride distance today was only 188 miles of cool dry riding.
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016
Nice and cool, with overcast skies. Low temp was 51 overnight with a high recorded at 61. We started the day with a great breakfast at the Whistle Stop, a fantastic Bacon Omelet! With high winds predicted and a chance of showers in the mountains we opted to make our run up the eastern side of Glacier and go up to Waterton International Peace Park in Alberta Canada. We picked up highway 49 and traveled up past Two Medicine Lake. The scenery was spectacular as the bright morning sun lit up the high peaks. Fog and clouds were rolling out of the valleys and the wind really was starting to pick up. In Alberta we visited the Prince of Wales Lodge. The wind was really up now and at times it was hard to stand up outside of the lodge. I saw one kid that was running and the wind blew him down and rolled him along the pavement like a tumble weed. We wanted to go on up to lake Cameron but the road was closed, probably due to rock slides. We spent some time downtown Waterton Park and had a good “designer” dog at Wiener’s café. On the way back out near the town of Babb we experienced some really high winds that made riding the open areas tough. We retraced our route back to East Glacier in time to relax and rest up. We covered only 208 miles today but the scenery was awesome. We didn’t go up into Two Medicine or St Mary’s as we were going to cover them tomorrow.
Thursday, August 4th, 2016
A picture perfect morning. Skies were clear and the temperature was about 42 degrees. We started the day with breakfast at Luna’s – good coffee with a western omelet. Today was the day to travel the Going to the Sun highway in Glacier, but fate changed our plans. As we were pulling out of the gravel parking lot at our hotel room and traveling at a walking pace, I got a little off balance and dropped the bike the left side. It caught Susan off guard and she landed on her left elbow. Unfortunately she fell hard enough to facture her left arm. After and ambulance ride to the Blackfeet community hospital in Browning (about 15 miles), it was confirmed that is was indeed fractured. I rode back to the hotel and walked up the street and rented a car, then returned to the hospital to pick her up. I was able to book her a flight home in the evening but would have to drive her to the Kalispell Montana airport which was about 50 or so miles to the west. I arrived back at our hotel about 6-7, returned the car, and went to my room to plan my solo return route back home. It was a long tiring day. Everyone was most kind and helpful; otherwise it would have been much more stressful than it turned out. I rode about 28 miles on the bike – to the hospital and back to the hotel room.
Friday, August 5th, 2016
Clear skies, 43 degrees. Today is the start of the long journey home. I thought I would get started with a good breakfast, hoping it might help cheer me up. Out of East Glacier, I made my way to Great Falls and visited the Lewis and Clark museum at Giant Springs state park. This was a great museum and I would have like to have spent more time here. I did listen to a nice presentation from Sacagawea (actor) about her part in the Corps of Discovery. I continued on highway 89 and rode through Lewis and Clark National forest. It was perfect weather, cool, clear, and bright. Still, my mood was low because I missed Susan and knew she would appreciate the spectacular country I was riding through. At highway 12 I turned east and into high desert. It was flat and dry, much like a southern Colorado desert. I headed south at highway 3 and into Billings in early evening where the temps had climbed into the low 90’s. A high bluff lines the city to the north and many huge homes are built directly on the bluff. As is typical, the less fortunate live at the bottom of the bluff. I settled into my room and rode out to a local Texas Roadhouse and had a nice sirloin at the bar where I had a pleasant conversation with and old Vietnam combat veteran. Today was an easy 390 miles, most of it in ideal riding conditions.
Saturday, August 6th, 2016
Solid overcast skies and 71 degrees I got an early start around 7 CMT. I made a stop for cash, snacks, and water at the local Walmart. I decided to ride over the Beartooth Pass so I headed towards Red Lodge, MT. It started to rain just north of Red Lodge and continued to rain harder as I started up Beartooth. At Beartooth Pass it began to clear off towards the west. With the temperature of 41 at the pass It was a welcome sight to see the sun peeking through the clouds. Now in Wyoming, I took the Chief Joseph Highway. In my opinion, this is a better ride than Beartooth. It was cool and sunny the entire ride along this route until I descended into Cody Wyoming, then the temperature really started to climb. Cody appears as a green spot in the middle of the desert. Here, I decided to stop for fuel and lunch before heading east into the Bighorn Mountains. I took the southern route through the mountains, through Ten Sleeps, and across to Buffalo. I was told that many of the John Wayne moves where filmed in this area. I started to get fuel in Buffalo but all they had was 87 octane so I decide to continue on towards Casper on the Interstate where I figured I’d find fuel soon. This was a bad decision. As it turned out, there was only one exit in the entire 114 miles to Casper, and I had enough fuel for 64 miles. I was extremely lucky to find one fuel station at the only town along the route called Kaycee. After filling up I found that I had less than half a gallon of gas left. The rest of the ride into Casper was through open rolling prairie. I got to see a nice sunset to the west while the setting sun cast an Alpen glow on large thunderheads to the east. Rain showers over the prairie could be seen far to the east. It was a moving scene. I arrived at Casper just after sunset, had a few snacks, and crashed for the night. I traveled 469 miles today. Even with the rain and stops I made very good time because of little traffic.
Sunday, August 7th, 2016
Fog, something I hadn’t seen in a while. Temperature was 62 degrees at start. Another early start. I didn’t sleep very well and rolled out at 5:30 MDT. After breakfast and loafing around a bit to catch up on news, I was back on the road by 7. Heading toward Cheyanne on the interstate I rode in fog for 20-30 miles then branched off towards Scotts Bluff Nebraska on Highway 26 – the old Oregon Trail. I made a stop at Fort Laramie, WY for a while and checked out the ruins and the history behind this fort. This one fort had a great deal of impact on the development of the American west. I was in Nebraska by 10am. Along the route is another enduring symbol of the American west, Chimney rock. I stopped here, took a few pictures and checked out the history of the Oregon Trail and the impact of this landmark on the settlers traveling west. At Ogallala, NE I stopped for lunch and picked up Interstate 80 east. From here I made a bee line towards Lincoln, NE. I started to feel a little tired around York so I decided to stop for the night. Riding conditions were pleasant the entire day with the highs only in the mid 70’s, very little wind, and overcast most of the time. This is the first time I have crossed the plains not having to deal with a lot of wind. The total miles ridden today were 544.5 miles. From here it is only about 1000 miles home.
Monday, August 8th, 2016
Overcast at start with temperature around 64 I felt pretty good when I got up today at York and I was again able to get an early start around 7AM. Now on Central time, it felt a lot earlier than that. I continued on the I80 into Lincoln where I diverted due east on highway 2 and into Nebraska City, NE, which is located right on the Missouri. Here, I visited another Lewis and Clark museum that focused on the natural studies that The Corps performed on the expedition. It was amazing the amount of detail and information the Corps collected on these subjects. I crossed the river into Iowa to pick up I26. It wasn’t but a few miles and I was back in Missouri and heading to St Joseph where I took highway 36 straight across the state to avoid the Kansas City area. I crossed the Mississippi river at Hannibal, MO., Mark Twain’s boyhood home. At this point I had almost closed a loop. Once on the Illinois side I immediately jumped back on the Great River Road and headed south towards St. Louis. This was a very nice leg in rural country. I crossed the Illinois River on a ferry at Kampsville and taking hwy 67 into St. Louis. I breezed through the suburbs and out onto I64 east. I started to get tired so I stopped a rest stop and searched out a hotel in Mt Vernon, which was about 45 miles down the road. The humidity and temperatures were starting to climb so I figured this would be enough for today. Today was 576.9 miles. It was partly to mostly cloudy for the day so this help with the heat. The highest of which was 86. But the humidity was starting to become a factor now.
Tuesday, August 9th, 2016
Partly cloudy with thunder in the forecast along the route. 71 degrees I got another early start today because I knew I would lose another hour today to EDT, and still 400+ miles to get home. I wanted to get as much distance in the morning as I could because it was clear the air was becoming unstable. This wasn’t a problem because the traffic from Mt Vernon Ill on down to Nashville was like a race track. A 2 ton box van was doing 85mph (I drafted him a while until he split towards Memphis). Don’t know where the fire was, but it was a fast trip. I stopped at the rest stop just west of Cookeville, TN to check the weather and do the input output thing. Passing Cookeville I could see a large ominous cloud was parked on the mountain west of Monterey, TN. This area is notorious for summer thunderstorms and it was apparent I was going to experience one. I closed the air vents and rode on into the pressure washer. I emerged just a short time later on the eastern side of the storm into nice sunny blue skies and to my amazement, quite dry. I was disappointed however, because the nice collection of bugs from Montana to Tennessee had been washed off the front of the bike and I wanted to get a photo of that collection. I ran into another small shower near Crab Orchard and descended into the Tennessee Valley at about 2:30 EDT, arriving home at about 3:30. It was a short ride of only 423 miles today. The total miles ridden back from East Glacier Montana was about 2504 miles.
5243 miles through 12 states and one Canadian province. There were some interesting and non-planned coincidences. We stopped by Abe Lincoln’s boyhood home town. Later, I rode through Lincoln Nebraska, named after him.
We rode through William (Buffalo Bill) Cody’s boyhood home town of LaSalle, Iowa. Later, I would ride through Cody, Wyoming that was named after him.
I rode by General John Pershing and Mark Twain’s boyhood home towns. We stayed in East Glacier Park, just a few miles from Meriwether Lewis’s northern most camp, called Camp Disappointment. Here we also experience our own disappointment with Susan’s arm that ended the rest of our planed journey.