Mission: North Dakota

[Cormanus]

I think he meant to say, "... I could have only two baskets of them."

Great story MTC. I continue to enjoy it.

[emptysea]

Day 5 - The Journey Home Pt. 1 Milbank, SD to Albert Lea, MN. Thursday, June 30, 2022.


I either forgot to start my Spot tracking device or the satellite was offline. thinking the former is more likely. No interactive map for this day, but here's a screenshot of the route from my Scenic nav app.

This was the third consecutive 250+ mile day for us and the 4th such day of our trip to this point. The prior day's long, hot, striaght, and flat ride could easily have fatigued us to the point where we may have been especially frustrated by what the Lantern Motel describes as "Continental Breakfast".

From "Mission ND" Group Text:
Cheryl: Breakfast will be here and we leave at 8:30
Ferret: Lol have you checked out the Continental breakfast here? You may change your mind. lol
Cheryl: Coming to check it out
Cheryl: Can we get out at 8 and go for breakfast? Breakfast here will not satisfy anyone.

I'm not saying that I plan for all contingencies on these tours, but it wasn't exactly a long-shot that a $50 motel in Milbank, South Dakota might not have fresh milk, much less fresh fruit. I had scouted out breakfast joints in and east of town weeks before and so we headed out to Millstone Family Restaurant where we had a delightful breakfast with side-orders of just the right amount of sass from our server. We were the only non-locals in the place, which is something I think all of us enjoyed. I did meet a rider (on a GS maybe? I forget) in the parking lot who was from central Wisconsin (again, if I recall). We talked for a bit, but I got the feeling he was "hangry" and needed some sustenance, so I managed to shut my own pie-hole and we all saddled up and headed out on US12.

As to fatigue from a few long, and one especially hot, riding days: not a peep from anyone in the form of complaint. We were having too much fun, I think. We were an odd lot as I think back on us - One always cold, one mostly hot. Two born, raised, and living in the third largest metropolitan area in the country, two from much more rural backgrounds. Some who find a restaurant the vicinity once they arrive at their destination and some who choose the destination based largely upon the restaurants in the vicinity. I like to finish my rides with a cigar and a cocktail. Ferret likes to finish with a dip in a pool or a hot tub. Cheryl checks her work email. Offroad takes a nap. There is little reason to think we could go a week without getting on one another's nerves and yet, not only did that not happen, but the contrary did. We laughed a lot. I taught Offroad a bit about cocktails -- mostly about how to make them, not how to tolerate their effects. Ferret entertained us with stories of his travels, his lovely bride, hunting, and growing up around motorcycling. Cheryl decided that post-ride pool/hot tub availability may need to be added to our list of lodging requirements. Offroad laughs easier than his soft-spoken, full-bearded, "black ops" baseball cap-clad appearance might lead one to believe, and he's always asking questions. His natural curiosity about everything around him probably made him an outstanding teacher. I think I'd have enjoyed being in his classroom.

In order to have a reasonable and more enjoyable Friday ride back to Wisconsin, it was necessary to get out group 250-300 miles southeast of Milbank on Thursday. Sometime in May, Cheryl scoped out the lodging and had found a Best Western Plus off the highway, with an Applebee's within walking distance in the town of Albert Lea, MN. The price was reasonable, and the place got very good reviews from Trip Advisor so she was confident that it would be a nice step up from Wednesday's stop.

Once the location was chosen, I went about planning a route to make things more interesting than Google's "fastest" route. As is often the case, at least in my part of the world, many of the most interesting riding roads run alongside rivers so, when I saw that the Minnesota River flowed roughly along a direct diagonal from Milbank to Albert Lea, I planned accordingly. A much more comfortable ride presented itself Thursday as we found a few sweeping turns, a scenic vista or two, and more comfortable weather (although likely "freezing" to Ferret) as we passed back into Minnesota at Ortonville and then through, Appleton, Montevideo, Granite Falls. We hit the first of the day's three detours just south of Granite Falls which took us straight south, left turn, straight east, away from the river roads and toward Redwood Falls. My route had us entering town from the north instead of from the west has the detour seemed to be taking us. The second detour of the day, ironically enough, was a left turn that took us north of Redwood Falls and back onto my originally plotted route; not that entering town from the north was any more or less desirable, but at least we were back on track.


This was one of the straight stretches on the route. If the road is going to be straight, I prefer it to run along a set of railroad tracks -- keeps the cross traffic to a minimum, especially when there's a train rolling a long beside me.

We were again following parallel to the Minnesota River, although a few miles to the west as we headed to New Ulm. For some reason my brain kept singing to me, "Meet the New Ulm. Same as the Old Ulm" when ever I saw a sign for the town or it's name on my maps. It's possible that I listened to The Who just a little too much in my youth.


Around a curve and under a bridge. A pleasant start to the day's ride

The road drifted back to the banks of the river for a bit as we headed southeast to our next detour just outside Mankato. This one was indeed unfortunate because they were completely repaving what I felt was going to be the best section of road for the day, Old MN Hwy 66. We wound up on US169 which was fine, but only just fine.

I told someone before the trip (I don't recall who, but not a motorcyclist) that we were staying in Albert Lea. She (I remember that part) asked, "Will you go through Blue Earth?"
"Wasn't planning on it, why?"
"You HAVE to stop at the Jolly Green Giant monument!"
I was intrigued and when she explained that it was a visitor center with a giant statue of the frozen food advertising icon, I naturally routed our trip to Blue Earth. I mean, another giant"World's Largest" roadside attraction for the route? Had to do it, even though InhouseBob says it doesn't really count since the Jolly Green Giant is already, well, a giant and therefore his statue is actually life-sized.

It turns out that the JGG statue and visitors' center was a great stop. Not only was the JGG there himself, but Lil Sprout as well! And they had a play area where "kids" could play various musical instruments. Never did figure the connection between the Green Giant and the music park, but us kids had a great time at both places. And since they behaved themselves so nicely, we had to stop for ice cream at the nearby Dairy Queen before continuing on our way.


"Ho Ho Ho! Green Giant!"


If one were so inclined, one could caption this with the same caption as the prior picture, but with different punctuation. I more inclined to avoid having my wife kill me, so I'm not going to be the one.


Bald Guy Making Music


Other Bald Guy Making Music


Lil Green Sprout flanked by goofballs.


I was able to find another Tour of Honor site for the trip near Albert Lea in the town of Wells. A very slight jog in our final approach to Albert Lea gave me up to that point 9 memorial visits in 7 different states. (editor's note: the geek in me wants to confirm the exact numbers of sites and states up to that point on the calendar...so stay tuned for a follow up).


Tour of Honor Site MN5 - Wells, MN


MN5 - Veterans Memorial Park, featuring 4 black granite walls with space for 1024 names of local veteran's dating back to the Civil War.


I was surprised by the number of motorcycles in the hotel lot. Ferret noticed that some of the riders staying with us were from the renown women's riding group "The Motor Maids". Ferret struck up a conversation which he can relay, but has reported elsewhere in the forum. They seemed very nice to me when we chatted the next morning. If I recall, they agreed with me that 65 degrees is a good riding temperature. I don't have nearly as much information on this group as The Ferret does, but here's a link to their website [url=https://www.motormaidsinc.org/]Motor Maids


Motor Maids - They were racking up the miles that week, that's for sure. The Ferret might have more photos and/or stories regarding them

We dined at Applebee's which was fine (again, only just fine). They had chips that were so salty that I could only have two baskets of them. Ferret and I shared a cigar and conversation although I guess I didn't really share my cigar with him unless second-hand smoke counts as "sharing". We talked a bit about politics, but in a very broad, nearly philosophical way. He called his wife for their nightly conversation in which he talked to her about his grand kids' baseball games and the Motor Maids. He usually finds a more private place for his evening calls so I felt privileged that he allowed me within earshot -- a true sign of friendship, I think.

Friday would be our last day of riding together on this trip, but it became obvious to me as I put out my cigar, that there would be many more rides together with these wonderful folks.

Again - Ferret and Offroad may have more photos or comments to add here and I hope they do.

The last installment of this saga should drop tomorrow. Thanks for following along.

I couldn't restrain it - too funny.

I couldn't restrain it - too funny.

I can't be the only one who would eat otherwise unappetizing food simply because of a combination of my hunger and its proximity.

Also, my grammar is not the best, but I don't think it's glaringly incorrect in this particular case.

[Cormanus]

Day 5 - The Journey Home Pt. 1 Milbank, SD to Albert Lea, MN. Thursday, June 30, 2022.


I either forgot to start my Spot tracking device or the satellite was offline. thinking the former is more likely. No interactive map for this day, but here's a screenshot of the route from my Scenic nav app.

This was the third consecutive 250+ mile day for us and the 4th such day of our trip to this point. The prior day's long, hot, striaght, and flat ride could easily have fatigued us to the point where we may have been especially frustrated by what the Lantern Motel describes as "Continental Breakfast".

From "Mission ND" Group Text:
Cheryl: Breakfast will be here and we leave at 8:30
Ferret: Lol have you checked out the Continental breakfast here? You may change your mind. lol
Cheryl: Coming to check it out
Cheryl: Can we get out at 8 and go for breakfast? Breakfast here will not satisfy anyone.

I'm not saying that I plan for all contingencies on these tours, but it wasn't exactly a long-shot that a $50 motel in Milbank, South Dakota might not have fresh milk, much less fresh fruit. I had scouted out breakfast joints in and east of town weeks before and so we headed out to Millstone Family Restaurant where we had a delightful breakfast with side-orders of just the right amount of sass from our server. We were the only non-locals in the place, which is something I think all of us enjoyed. I did meet a rider (on a GS maybe? I forget) in the parking lot who was from central Wisconsin (again, if I recall). We talked for a bit, but I got the feeling he was "hangry" and needed some sustenance, so I managed to shut my own pie-hole and we all saddled up and headed out on US12.

As to fatigue from a few long, and one especially hot, riding days: not a peep from anyone in the form of complaint. We were having too much fun, I think. We were an odd lot as I think back on us - One always cold, one mostly hot. Two born, raised, and living in the third largest metropolitan area in the country, two from much more rural backgrounds. Some who find a restaurant the vicinity once they arrive at their destination and some who choose the destination based largely upon the restaurants in the vicinity. I like to finish my rides with a cigar and a cocktail. Ferret likes to finish with a dip in a pool or a hot tub. Cheryl checks her work email. Offroad takes a nap. There is little reason to think we could go a week without getting on one another's nerves and yet, not only did that not happen, but the contrary did. We laughed a lot. I taught Offroad a bit about cocktails -- mostly about how to make them, not how to tolerate their effects. Ferret entertained us with stories of his travels, his lovely bride, hunting, and growing up around motorcycling. Cheryl decided that post-ride pool/hot tub availability may need to be added to our list of lodging requirements. Offroad laughs easier than his soft-spoken, full-bearded, "black ops" baseball cap-clad appearance might lead one to believe, and he's always asking questions. His natural curiosity about everything around him probably made him an outstanding teacher. I think I'd have enjoyed being in his classroom.

In order to have a reasonable and more enjoyable Friday ride back to Wisconsin, it was necessary to get out group 250-300 miles southeast of Milbank on Thursday. Sometime in May, Cheryl scoped out the lodging and had found a Best Western Plus off the highway, with an Applebee's within walking distance in the town of Albert Lea, MN. The price was reasonable, and the place got very good reviews from Trip Advisor so she was confident that it would be a nice step up from Wednesday's stop.

Once the location was chosen, I went about planning a route to make things more interesting than Google's "fastest" route. As is often the case, at least in my part of the world, many of the most interesting riding roads run alongside rivers so, when I saw that the Minnesota River flowed roughly along a direct diagonal from Milbank to Albert Lea, I planned accordingly. A much more comfortable ride presented itself Thursday as we found a few sweeping turns, a scenic vista or two, and more comfortable weather (although likely "freezing" to Ferret) as we passed back into Minnesota at Ortonville and then through, Appleton, Montevideo, Granite Falls. We hit the first of the day's three detours just south of Granite Falls which took us straight south, left turn, straight east, away from the river roads and toward Redwood Falls. My route had us entering town from the north instead of from the west has the detour seemed to be taking us. The second detour of the day, ironically enough, was a left turn that took us north of Redwood Falls and back onto my originally plotted route; not that entering town from the north was any more or less desirable, but at least we were back on track.


This was one of the straight stretches on the route. If the road is going to be straight, I prefer it to run along a set of railroad tracks -- keeps the cross traffic to a minimum, especially when there's a train rolling a long beside me.

We were again following parallel to the Minnesota River, although a few miles to the west as we headed to New Ulm. For some reason my brain kept singing to me, "Meet the New Ulm. Same as the Old Ulm" when ever I saw a sign for the town or it's name on my maps. It's possible that I listened to The Who just a little too much in my youth.


Around a curve and under a bridge. A pleasant start to the day's ride

The road drifted back to the banks of the river for a bit as we headed southeast to our next detour just outside Mankato. This one was indeed unfortunate because they were completely repaving what I felt was going to be the best section of road for the day, Old MN Hwy 66. We wound up on US169 which was fine, but only just fine.

I told someone before the trip (I don't recall who, but not a motorcyclist) that we were staying in Albert Lea. She (I remember that part) asked, "Will you go through Blue Earth?"
"Wasn't planning on it, why?"
"You HAVE to stop at the Jolly Green Giant monument!"
I was intrigued and when she explained that it was a visitor center with a giant statue of the frozen food advertising icon, I naturally routed our trip to Blue Earth. I mean, another giant"World's Largest" roadside attraction for the route? Had to do it, even though InhouseBob says it doesn't really count since the Jolly Green Giant is already, well, a giant and therefore his statue is actually life-sized.

It turns out that the JGG statue and visitors' center was a great stop. Not only was the JGG there himself, but Lil Sprout as well! And they had a play area where "kids" could play various musical instruments. Never did figure the connection between the Green Giant and the music park, but us kids had a great time at both places. And since they behaved themselves so nicely, we had to stop for ice cream at the nearby Dairy Queen before continuing on our way.


"Ho Ho Ho! Green Giant!"


If one were so inclined, one could caption this with the same caption as the prior picture, but with different punctuation. I more inclined to avoid having my wife kill me, so I'm not going to be the one.


Bald Guy Making Music


Other Bald Guy Making Music


Lil Green Sprout flanked by goofballs.


I was able to find another Tour of Honor site for the trip near Albert Lea in the town of Wells. A very slight jog in our final approach to Albert Lea gave me up to that point 9 memorial visits in 7 different states. (editor's note: the geek in me wants to confirm the exact numbers of sites and states up to that point on the calendar...so stay tuned for a follow up).


Tour of Honor Site MN5 - Wells, MN


MN5 - Veterans Memorial Park, featuring 4 black granite walls with space for 1024 names of local veteran's dating back to the Civil War.


I was surprised by the number of motorcycles in the hotel lot. Ferret noticed that some of the riders staying with us were from the renown women's riding group "The Motor Maids". Ferret struck up a conversation which he can relay, but has reported elsewhere in the forum. They seemed very nice to me when we chatted the next morning. If I recall, they agreed with me that 65 degrees is a good riding temperature. I don't have nearly as much information on this group as The Ferret does, but here's a link to their website [url=https://www.motormaidsinc.org/]Motor Maids


Motor Maids - They were racking up the miles that week, that's for sure. The Ferret might have more photos and/or stories regarding them

We dined at Applebee's which was fine (again, only just fine). They had chips that were so salty that I could only have two baskets of them. Ferret and I shared a cigar and conversation although I guess I didn't really share my cigar with him unless second-hand smoke counts as "sharing". We talked a bit about politics, but in a very broad, nearly philosophical way. He called his wife for their nightly conversation in which he talked to her about his grand kids' baseball games and the Motor Maids. He usually finds a more private place for his evening calls so I felt privileged that he allowed me within earshot -- a true sign of friendship, I think.

Friday would be our last day of riding together on this trip, but it became obvious to me as I put out my cigar, that there would be many more rides together with these wonderful folks.

Again - Ferret and Offroad may have more photos or comments to add here and I hope they do.

The last installment of this saga should drop tomorrow. Thanks for following along.

I couldn't restrain it - too funny.

I couldn't restrain it - too funny.

I can't be the only one who would eat otherwise unappetizing food simply because of a combination of my hunger and its proximity.

Also, my grammar is not the best, but I don't think it's glaringly incorrect in this particular case.

Your grammar is just fine.

By way of explanation I once worked as a sub editor. The deputy editor was obsessed, amongst many, many other things, with the misplaced only and the split infinitive. The eradication of both was drummed into me. Neither adds any real clarity and, indeed, often results in a certain clumsiness.

I’m not sure what gave rise to that hideous bout of pedantry and I apologise.

[emptysea]

No need to apologize at all.

My writing style, to the extent I have one, is to write as though I was telling the story aloud. Apparently I split infinitives when I talk more than Misterprofessionality splits lanes when he rides. (LOL and just kidding, Mr.P). However, I will try to not split them in future.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Day 5 - The Journey Home Pt. 1 Milbank, SD to Albert Lea, MN. Thursday, June 30, 2022.


I either forgot to start my Spot tracking device or the satellite was offline. thinking the former is more likely. No interactive map for this day, but here's a screenshot of the route from my Scenic nav app.

This was the third consecutive 250+ mile day for us and the 4th such day of our trip to this point. The prior day's long, hot, striaght, and flat ride could easily have fatigued us to the point where we may have been especially frustrated by what the Lantern Motel describes as "Continental Breakfast".

From "Mission ND" Group Text:
Cheryl: Breakfast will be here and we leave at 8:30
Ferret: Lol have you checked out the Continental breakfast here? You may change your mind. lol
Cheryl: Coming to check it out
Cheryl: Can we get out at 8 and go for breakfast? Breakfast here will not satisfy anyone.

I'm not saying that I plan for all contingencies on these tours, but it wasn't exactly a long-shot that a $50 motel in Milbank, South Dakota might not have fresh milk, much less fresh fruit. I had scouted out breakfast joints in and east of town weeks before and so we headed out to Millstone Family Restaurant where we had a delightful breakfast with side-orders of just the right amount of sass from our server. We were the only non-locals in the place, which is something I think all of us enjoyed. I did meet a rider (on a GS maybe? I forget) in the parking lot who was from central Wisconsin (again, if I recall). We talked for a bit, but I got the feeling he was "hangry" and needed some sustenance, so I managed to shut my own pie-hole and we all saddled up and headed out on US12.

As to fatigue from a few long, and one especially hot, riding days: not a peep from anyone in the form of complaint. We were having too much fun, I think. We were an odd lot as I think back on us - One always cold, one mostly hot. Two born, raised, and living in the third largest metropolitan area in the country, two from much more rural backgrounds. Some who find a restaurant the vicinity once they arrive at their destination and some who choose the destination based largely upon the restaurants in the vicinity. I like to finish my rides with a cigar and a cocktail. Ferret likes to finish with a dip in a pool or a hot tub. Cheryl checks her work email. Offroad takes a nap. There is little reason to think we could go a week without getting on one another's nerves and yet, not only did that not happen, but the contrary did. We laughed a lot. I taught Offroad a bit about cocktails -- mostly about how to make them, not how to tolerate their effects. Ferret entertained us with stories of his travels, his lovely bride, hunting, and growing up around motorcycling. Cheryl decided that post-ride pool/hot tub availability may need to be added to our list of lodging requirements. Offroad laughs easier than his soft-spoken, full-bearded, "black ops" baseball cap-clad appearance might lead one to believe, and he's always asking questions. His natural curiosity about everything around him probably made him an outstanding teacher. I think I'd have enjoyed being in his classroom.

In order to have a reasonable and more enjoyable Friday ride back to Wisconsin, it was necessary to get out group 250-300 miles southeast of Milbank on Thursday. Sometime in May, Cheryl scoped out the lodging and had found a Best Western Plus off the highway, with an Applebee's within walking distance in the town of Albert Lea, MN. The price was reasonable, and the place got very good reviews from Trip Advisor so she was confident that it would be a nice step up from Wednesday's stop.

Once the location was chosen, I went about planning a route to make things more interesting than Google's "fastest" route. As is often the case, at least in my part of the world, many of the most interesting riding roads run alongside rivers so, when I saw that the Minnesota River flowed roughly along a direct diagonal from Milbank to Albert Lea, I planned accordingly. A much more comfortable ride presented itself Thursday as we found a few sweeping turns, a scenic vista or two, and more comfortable weather (although likely "freezing" to Ferret) as we passed back into Minnesota at Ortonville and then through, Appleton, Montevideo, Granite Falls. We hit the first of the day's three detours just south of Granite Falls which took us straight south, left turn, straight east, away from the river roads and toward Redwood Falls. My route had us entering town from the north instead of from the west has the detour seemed to be taking us. The second detour of the day, ironically enough, was a left turn that took us north of Redwood Falls and back onto my originally plotted route; not that entering town from the north was any more or less desirable, but at least we were back on track.


This was one of the straight stretches on the route. If the road is going to be straight, I prefer it to run along a set of railroad tracks -- keeps the cross traffic to a minimum, especially when there's a train rolling a long beside me.

We were again following parallel to the Minnesota River, although a few miles to the west as we headed to New Ulm. For some reason my brain kept singing to me, "Meet the New Ulm. Same as the Old Ulm" when ever I saw a sign for the town or it's name on my maps. It's possible that I listened to The Who just a little too much in my youth.


Around a curve and under a bridge. A pleasant start to the day's ride

The road drifted back to the banks of the river for a bit as we headed southeast to our next detour just outside Mankato. This one was indeed unfortunate because they were completely repaving what I felt was going to be the best section of road for the day, Old MN Hwy 66. We wound up on US169 which was fine, but only just fine.

I told someone before the trip (I don't recall who, but not a motorcyclist) that we were staying in Albert Lea. She (I remember that part) asked, "Will you go through Blue Earth?"
"Wasn't planning on it, why?"
"You HAVE to stop at the Jolly Green Giant monument!"
I was intrigued and when she explained that it was a visitor center with a giant statue of the frozen food advertising icon, I naturally routed our trip to Blue Earth. I mean, another giant"World's Largest" roadside attraction for the route? Had to do it, even though InhouseBob says it doesn't really count since the Jolly Green Giant is already, well, a giant and therefore his statue is actually life-sized.

It turns out that the JGG statue and visitors' center was a great stop. Not only was the JGG there himself, but Lil Sprout as well! And they had a play area where "kids" could play various musical instruments. Never did figure the connection between the Green Giant and the music park, but us kids had a great time at both places. And since they behaved themselves so nicely, we had to stop for ice cream at the nearby Dairy Queen before continuing on our way.


"Ho Ho Ho! Green Giant!"


If one were so inclined, one could caption this with the same caption as the prior picture, but with different punctuation. I more inclined to avoid having my wife kill me, so I'm not going to be the one.


Bald Guy Making Music


Other Bald Guy Making Music


Lil Green Sprout flanked by goofballs.


I was able to find another Tour of Honor site for the trip near Albert Lea in the town of Wells. A very slight jog in our final approach to Albert Lea gave me up to that point 9 memorial visits in 7 different states. (editor's note: the geek in me wants to confirm the exact numbers of sites and states up to that point on the calendar...so stay tuned for a follow up).


Tour of Honor Site MN5 - Wells, MN


MN5 - Veterans Memorial Park, featuring 4 black granite walls with space for 1024 names of local veteran's dating back to the Civil War.


I was surprised by the number of motorcycles in the hotel lot. Ferret noticed that some of the riders staying with us were from the renown women's riding group "The Motor Maids". Ferret struck up a conversation which he can relay, but has reported elsewhere in the forum. They seemed very nice to me when we chatted the next morning. If I recall, they agreed with me that 65 degrees is a good riding temperature. I don't have nearly as much information on this group as The Ferret does, but here's a link to their website [url=https://www.motormaidsinc.org/]Motor Maids


Motor Maids - They were racking up the miles that week, that's for sure. The Ferret might have more photos and/or stories regarding them

We dined at Applebee's which was fine (again, only just fine). They had chips that were so salty that I could only have two baskets of them. Ferret and I shared a cigar and conversation although I guess I didn't really share my cigar with him unless second-hand smoke counts as "sharing". We talked a bit about politics, but in a very broad, nearly philosophical way. He called his wife for their nightly conversation in which he talked to her about his grand kids' baseball games and the Motor Maids. He usually finds a more private place for his evening calls so I felt privileged that he allowed me within earshot -- a true sign of friendship, I think.

Friday would be our last day of riding together on this trip, but it became obvious to me as I put out my cigar, that there would be many more rides together with these wonderful folks.

Again - Ferret and Offroad may have more photos or comments to add here and I hope they do.

The last installment of this saga should drop tomorrow. Thanks for following along.

I couldn't restrain it - too funny.

I couldn't restrain it - too funny.

I can't be the only one who would eat otherwise unappetizing food simply because of a combination of my hunger and its proximity.

Also, my grammar is not the best, but I don't think it's glaringly incorrect in this particular case.

You are not alone.

I tend to eat first, then look (and smell) after at what the heck I just swallowed.

[Cormanus]

No need to apologize at all.

My writing style, to the extent I have one, is to write as though I was telling the story aloud. Apparently I split infinitives when I talk more than Misterprofessionality splits lanes when he rides. (LOL and just kidding, Mr.P). However, I will try to not split them in future.

[the Ferret]

did someone say detour?



Empty Sea flying free amongst the windmills



Ahh the Motor Maids.. being the son of motorcycling parents (who rode Harley's and Indians) during the 40's and 50's, I read about the Motor Maids in my dad's motorcycle magazines particularly "The Enthusiast". That women riders back then rode full dress Harleys around the country was quite impressive to this lad so it was a distinct pleasure to meet several of them (all older than myself now..I think two were 76 and one was 80) on their way to a National Rally was quite a treat. Ride on Ladies!



Sea collecting another tour of honor site

[emptysea]

Day 6 - The Ride Home Pt. 2 - Back Into The Driftless

[url=https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/3cca-11a8100-0fa2/view]Interactive Spotwalla Map - Day 6

We hit the road for our 250 mile ride east to Baraboo at about 9:00am following a in-house hotel breakfast that was leaps and bounds better than the offering of the previous morning. Another beautiful day was ahead of us; we really did get lucky on the weather. Our only encounters with rain were predicted by Offroad with enough advance notice to get us indoors. I don't recall ever having to ride in anything more than a drizzle for the entire week. Frankly, I'm not 100% sure that our good fortune was due to Offroad's ability to forecast -- I actually think he has secret powers to control the weather, possibly developed over years of reading high school science text books. Regardless, we were indeed fortunate to have good weather and good health through the entire week.

The first 40 miles of the day were on 4-lane interstate. The next 30 were on straight and mostly flat 2-lane state and US highway. The remaining 180 miles would take us from an elevation of 1400 ft down to 600 feet along the Mississippi and then up and down across the land that glacial drift ignored; I like to think because it wanted to leave a topography perfect for future motorcyclists to enjoy.

Our first gas stop was in Hokah, MN, some 130 miles from our starting point. This was the longest stretch between fueling of the entire week and it caused more than a little "petrol anxiety" (a phrase coined by my wife) for the two of us with the smaller gas tanks. It may have also caused "bladder anxiety" for those of us with smaller internal "tanks".

Hokah sits on the last bluff we would traverse on the west side of the river (roughly 1200 feet above sea level). 8 miles down the hill on Houston County Highway 18 sits Brownsville, MN at about 600 feet above sea level. Not the steepest descent, but sharp enough to keep our interest with a couple of big turns and plenty of scenic river views along the short route. The Tour of Honor state director picked Veteran's Memorial in Brownsville to be site MN1 this year. I fully understand that what is interesting and fun for me may be a boring nuisance for others, so I am grateful to my riding companions for allowing me to intersperse these stops along the routes. Oh and an update to the stats cited in the DAY 5 portion of this report: As of my visit to MN1 on 7/1/22, I had visited 11 memorial sites in 8 different states for 2022. Photos and reports of subsequent memorial visits will be included in future Seat Time reports.


Tour of Honor MN1 - Veteran's Memorial, Brownsville, MN

I had scouted out a lunch spot in Lansing, Iowa. Called 'Shep's Riverside Bar & Grill', it checked all the boxes I wanted for a lunch spot - Views of the river, a menu with a decent amount of options, located in a different state than either breakfast or dinner, and a place at which we would arrive sometime close to lunchtime. Having each of a day's three meals in three different states is another thing that I find fun and interesting on motorcycle rides. I know Cheryl likes doing this, too, but I am reasonably sure that the other two on this trek only care what and when they eat with the where falling way down on the list of importance.

As it turned out, the where was a little more important for a different reason; Lansing, IA is not a particularly motorcycle friendly town. Not because of attitude, but because of geography. It was built into to a little bowl at the bottom of a bluff line so most of the roads are graded steeply, sometimes requiring tight left and right turns at intersections plus the dreaded "Steep uphill with a stop sign and right-hand turn at the top" intersection. We all navigated these streets with competence if not precision and arrived at the angled, gravel parking lot safely. I don't recall why, but we decided to pass on Shep's and opted for an eclectic coffee shop next door to it that had sandwiches and a deck overlooking the river. It was unimaginatively, but accurately named "Coffee On The River". Whatever the reason, the dining choice was a good one. The food was good, the views better, and the company delightful.


Cheryl and me under the sign at Coffee On The River


View from the deck behind Coffee On The River


Food with a view from the deck behind Coffee On The River



Hungry riders on the deck behind Coffee On The River


Ferret waiting for us on a bench outside Coffee On The River


Ferret waiting for us on his bike across the street from Coffee On The River

Ferret was the first one out and ready to go. Because of the crazy-ass sloping and gravel parking lot and because there was a group of maybe 10 riders waiting to park in it, he geared up and got out of the way. We all followed suit, but just took a bit longer. No harm. No foul. We retraced part of our route about a mile to the bridge and crossed back into Wisconsin. As soon as we passed the "Welcome to Wisconsin" sign we were greeted by an American Bald Eagle rising up from the culvert that runs along the side of the road. I was unable to get a picture to share with you, but I will have a snapshot in my mind of that moment for a very long time. 'Welcome to Wisconsin" indeed.


Black Hawk Bridge. The northernmost bridge spanning the Mississippi in Iowa.


Crossing back.

No roadside attractions or Tour of Honor sites from this point forward. The goal now was to get our host house, Glen and Laura's home in Baraboo, with due haste on halfway decent motorcycling roads. The first third of our ride after crossing the river followed state route 171 with mostly sweeping curves and following a fairly direct west-east line. I thought this would be a good way to make decent time without being boring. I was right. A great "connecting" road as some motorcyclists would describe it. We spent a little time on the less interesting US14, but then hooked up with County Highway N out of Ithaca, WI. N would deposit us on WI-23 for a few miles to County Highway W which would take us the rest of the way into Baraboo.

Glen and Laura have traditionally hosted an Independence Day Weekend get together for our group of friends (motorcyclist and non). The original plan for that weekend was that our friends from Illinois would be arriving on evening of 7/1 and staying through 7/4. One of the reasons -- OK, the only reason -- that Cheryl wanted to be back in Baraboo on that Friday was that she didn't want to miss the arrival of our other friends. Unfortunately, our friends' plans changed for a variety of reasons and none of them would be arriving on Friday. Some were unable to come up at all and others only for Saturday and Sunday. That was a little disappointing to me as I thought Offroad and Ferret would enjoy meeting and socializing with them. Ferret and Offroad would have loaded their trailer and headed south hours before any of our other friends would arrive in Baraboo.







W from 23 to Glen's front door is a scant 20 mile hop. Ferret's first comment upon arrival at the house was "Seems like you saved the best road for last". In fact, it is probably this 20 miles more than the other 200 or so we rode in Wisconsin that week that motivated Ferret to suggest Wisconsin for the 2023 CB1100 rally. W zigs and zags its way through forest, farm, and field. Literally. Toss in a couple of sandstone outcroppings and fresh asphalt and you wind up with a really delightful 20 miles. My personal favorite is a 20mph left-hand turn with a huge red barn on the inside of the corner just a few feet from the road. I have pictures of this barn someplace, but failed to take one on this day.

We arrived at Baraboo Base at about 3:30. Cheryl and I unloaded our bikes in the barn while Ferret and Offroad loaded theirs on to Offroad's trailer for their drive south on Saturday. Glen made "smash burgers" on his new outdoor flattop griddle for dinner. Absolutely delicious. After dinner I had a few minutes to enjoy some whiskey from a local distillery and a cigar while Glen got a fire started in the fire pit.

Around the fire, we talked of riding and roads, of weather and food, of giant fish and appropriately-sized giants; of our health, our friendships, our families. We enjoyed the setting sun and the quiet of the evening -- Friends enjoying each other's company after a great motorcycle journey. They say that any motorcycle trip that ends without injury is a great trip. If that's true, then a trip that ends around a fire pit with good friends and just the right balance of joy and exhaustion is just a little bit better than great.


How I enjoyed the quiet of the early evening.


All of us around the fire pit, talking of places where we'd never been and of the next time we'd be together on the road again.

That is her index finger, I promise you.


I think this was taken the next day, but I thought it appropriate to this report.


July 4th upon our return home

[Cormanus]

A great report on a ride that started with a very generous gesture: getting The ferret into the last of the states he needed to ride.

Thank you EmptySea. You set the bar high.

[emptysea]

It's a funny thing about that 'generous gesture' -- I think we all but forgot about the mission of the trip by the end of it. Our memories will be less about marking a spot on a map and more about the good times we had getting to and from that spot.