Kim n Karen....On the Road: 2022

Sunday, Sept. 11…Home (Blue October)

Last leg of the trip today. Told Rapunzel to take us home and she showed the route to be 280 miles which would take just over 5 ½ hours. Easy Peasy!!

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I know I’ve said this before but it resurfaces in my thoughts with every bike trip we take: people like to talk to bikers. No matter where we are…campgrounds, gas stations, restaurants, hotels…if we’re off the bikes people talk to us. They encourage us to ride safe, tell us stories about their riding days, ask about our travels, make comments about the little monkeys, etc. Have you ever seen anybody do that with a person in a vehicle? How often does anyone approach a stranger in a car/truck to warn them about staying safe, regale them with tales of times they’ve been in a car, or randomly ask where they’re headed? Not saying it never happens, just saying that it probably doesn’t happen often.

When a biker gets off his or her bike, it’s not a quick thing. Both driver and passenger, if there is one, get off the bike to get the riding kinks worked out, get something to drink, go to the bathroom, make a phone call, eat a candy bar, or whatever. And if there’s a group of bikers, a stop is a chance to talk with each other about that random thing they saw back a ways, what they thought about the route they were on, where they want to eat, etc. Like I said, a stop generally isn’t quick.

That’s why I think bikers get approached…because we’re literally out in the open and available. Plus the monkeys…who can resist the monkeys? 😊

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Rapunzel rides with Kim because he has a phone holder on his handlebars. I’m not sure that we really needed her help today but we plugged in our address and gave her free rein to take us home anyway. Turns out that wasn’t the best idea we’ve ever had. She took us on some bumpy back roads but they were paved so we put up with it. Definitely roads less traveled. And we went through some little towns in the Upper Peninsula that I never knew existed; but that was okay as I feel it’s good to expand my knowledge of the upper part of my state. But when she told us to turn on a gravel road…well, that’s when she was relieved of her navigational duties. By this time Kim, who had lived in the U.P. for over 35 years, didn’t even know where we were. He wanted me to find a way to Escanaba using my nav screen so I told Biker Girl to take us home, knowing that once she got us to US 2 we’d be in familiar territory. I took the lead and she did her job admirably.

I don’t know if Rapunzel figured the back roads into her mileage estimation or if that was an idea she got along the way but I have to think there was a more direct route to get to Escanaba than the one she had us on. Next time her route will be scrutinized before take-off.

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Color is starting to appear in areas of the western U.P. The ride last night and today definitely had a look of fall to them.

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Hit the St. Ignace area at about 3:15. Perfect timing for a late lunch of Lehto’s pasties.

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Temperature was 67^o in the middle of the Mackinac Bridge. 😎

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We rode with Larry to his house…arrived there before 5 p.m. Talked a bit then boogied on home. Got home before 6 and were greeted by 4 excited WonderKids. It was a good homecoming. 👍

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As it turns out we invited Larry to go on the longest bike trip he’s even been on and along the way Mother Nature also did her part in expanding his riding resume. It’s easy to ride when the weather is sunny and warm. Not as fun to ride through 90+ degree temperatures, wind that tries to rip your head off, and rain that goes on for hours and hours. But he did it with a smile, his good nature never failing. It was a good adventure and we’re looking forward to the next one.

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Today’s miles: 290

Total miles: 2659

Saturday, Sept. 10…Pocketful of Sunshine (Natasha Bedingfield)

Morning Musings: Woke to a rainy Saturday. Not going to ride in a northeasterly direction which looked like a good route last night. The radar shows the rain heading that way and we’d stand a good chance of riding in it all day. Going east to Oshkosh then we’ll head north along the lakeshore. Looks like that stands a greater chance of allowing us to stay dry.

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I found it interesting that the sand on the beach volleyball court outside our room in LaCrosse appears to be dry even though it’s been raining steadily. Kim thinks it may be just lighter colored sand but I like the fancier notion that it could be waterproof sand. 😎

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When making reservations last night I spoke to a young man with an accent who told me his name was James. While waiting for his computer to respond he made small talk.

James: “How’s your day been?”

Me: “My day has been wet. We’re traveling on motorcycles, it’s been raining all day so we’re wet.”

James: “Oh, so you’re on motorcycles. Do you ride your own?”

Me: “Yes, I do.”

James, with awe in his voice: “You ride your own? That is so awesome! Yes, yes, that is awesome, isn’t it?”

Me: "Why yes....yes, it is!"
😎

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Evening Update:

We didn’t run out of the rain on our way east to Oshkosh; in fact it was raining harder the farther east we went. That deserved another look at the radar. Ding dang! The trajectory of the big green cloud had changed slightly and now there was no way we were going to get out of the rain by riding east. We decided to head north toward Rhinelander because it looked like the green cloud would be out of that area in a couple of hours. Of course, either way we’d have to ride through rain; just hoping to get out of it quicker by going north.

It felt like I was wet everywhere except my back…boots and socks were soaked, water had gotten through the seams of my rain jacket so the sleeves of my fleece and t-shirt were soaked, three pair of gloves got soaked, and so on. Wet, wet, wet! Rain felt like needles on my face and I don’t even know how to describe what was happening with my goggles.

It’s not an overstatement to say there was jubilation in my soul when we rounded a curve and saw bands of blue sky up ahead. Heading north had worked…we ran out of the rain at about 4:30 while it continued raining into the evening to the east of us. Oh, there was a lot of drying out and warming up to do but it was such a relief to be out of the rain! There was evidence that it had rained in the area but the road was already drying and there was no road splash from passing cars. And when we stopped for gas, the sun actually popped through the clouds. I think Larry did a jig when the sun peeked out…and if he didn’t, I know he wanted to. 🌞

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Got gas in Wagner and took the time to discuss where to go next. If we continued east there was a good chance we’d ride back into rain. If we went north then we’d be adding miles and we wanted to be within a 300 mile range of home when we stopped for the night. So we split the difference and headed northeast to Iron River, MI. The radar showed that the sky was clear and Google showed there were hotels. It was a little more than 90 minutes away and as a bonus, we could be there before it got dark. On the way there I realized that there really is no way to adequately describe what today’s ride was like or how fantastic it felt when we were finally out of the rain.

So, three very soggy bikers walked into the Iron River AmericInn at about 7:30 and got a room. I ordered pizza to be delivered to our room and then headed down to the laundry area to dry gloves, fleece, t-shirt and such. Kim relaxed in the hot tub after pizza and then we watched old movies as shoes, pants, socks and gloves dried on the heater. Then it was time for a well-earned sleep.

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Today’s miles: 293

Total miles: 2369

Friday, Sept. 9…Here Comes The Rain Again (The Eurythmics)

No campfire last night because the campground wasn’t allowed to sell us any firewood due to recent extreme heat/dryness and wind. The owner said this is the third time this season that he’s had a ‘no fire’ directive.

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Woke to evidence that it had rained overnight...and it started raining again about 8:30. It had stopped for a bit but had started back up by the time we left at 11 a.m. Planning a route was tricky because we wanted to make good time which meant heading east on I-90 but also wanted to avoid the big green cloud on the weather radar which meant avoiding I-90. Like I said, tricky. We still have over 850 miles until we’re home and only 2 ½ days to do it since we left late today.

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Today’s weather event was rain. So thankful that yesterday’s wind had stopped because rain and extreme wind would have had me making a case for staying put. And that wouldn’t have gotten us any closer to home.

We decided to start out riding the interstate and figured we’d reassess at every gas and rest area stop. We’ve been stopping every hour and a half or so because Larry’s bike has a smaller tank than ours…great time to keep track of the weather map and check our route. The radar showed the green cloud was heading in a northeasterly direction between Mitchell and Sioux City so we should have been able to put the rain behind us eventually.

But we couldn’t outrun the rain because, as it turns out, the weather map wasn’t lining up with reality. We rode in and out of the rain all day even though the radar showed our route as being in the clear. Not the first time the weather people got it wrong. There was the occasional lighter patch of sky on the horizon but it was elusive and we just couldn’t catch it. It’s interesting how in a dark sky, a slightly lighter shade of dark can be a beacon of hope.

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Despite using chapstick with an SPF of 30 many times a day, my lips took a hit from the sun and heat. Didn’t really get sunburned but my bottom lip developed a crack. Yesterday the wind tore it up. Couldn’t keep chapstick on it for long in the wind. So the silver lining to this rainy day is that my lip stayed hydrated and happy all day long. 😎

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The temperature had been hanging right near 60^o most of the day. As we descended down to the Mississippi River from the Minnesota side, the temperature actually rose. It was 70^o when we cruised into LaCrosse, WI, at 8 o’clock. Warmest the air had been all day.

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No campfire tonight because we’re in a hotel and I think management would frown upon it. 😏

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Minnesota has embraced it windiness in the form of wind turbines. There are oodles (more than one hundred, less than one million) of turbines dotting the landscape along I-90. Saw one in the process of being assembled using a very tall crane. Wonder who benefits from the power they generate.

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We have about 500 miles to go in 2 days. Forecast for tomorrow morning is rain but the radar shows it heading in a northeasterly direction, mostly staying clear of our route. Now where have I seen that before?

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Today’s miles: 362

Total miles: 2076

Thursday, Sept. 8…Muskrat Love (Captain and Tennille)

Morning Musings:

Crawled into bed at 11:30 p.m.---temperature was still 76^o with a warm breeze. While I complain about how hot it’s been while riding, it has been nice sleeping weather. According to local gossip and the weather report, that’s all about to change.

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Went to sleep last night to an owl hooting and woke up this morning to some raucous crows. Such are the joys and annoyances of tent camping.

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We didn’t have any firewood for a campfire last night…we got back at about 8:30 p.m. and the office closes at 5. So we sat at the picnic table by lantern light and further discussed our options for today. Now that Larry’s bike is behaving as it should we talked about the time line of leaving. Main concern is that the weather forecast doesn’t look favorable for camping beyond this afternoon. Small chance of rain this afternoon…that’s not too bad. But the larger picture shows rain starting later this evening and continuing throughout the night with the temperature dipping into the 30’s. And Friday’s high is only expected to be in the high 40’s. Not what you want to hear when you’re camping…or on a bike.

So we’re breaking camp today then heading to Hill City Cycle for an assessment of the clutch situation. Kim received a text from the owner last night saying to bring it in at 10 when they open and they’d get on it. Since the situation has improved, hopefully it’ll be a quick assessment and we’ll be on our merry way.

After that we plan on riding the Wildlife Loop and maybe see Mt. Rushmore, maybe not. But the overall plan is to get out of here before the weather changes on us. We can get on down the road, get a motel or a KOA cabin and stay dry tonight. Might have to brave some colder temps tomorrow but we have layers of clothing to put on to deal with that.

Time to get packing up.

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Evening Update:

Mechanic at Hill City Cycles totally agreed with Kim’s Plan A, flushing the clutch line. Said he would have done the same. And when Kim told him his theory on why the clutch started working when the bike got moving, he agreed with that too. So we were back on the road by 10:30 a.m. headed for the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park.👍

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Got a distant view of Crazy Horse on our way to Custer State Park. There has been progress made since I was there in 2019…the hole underneath his arm is opening up.

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Custer State Park: Saw a herd of buffalo off on a hillside safely away from the crowds but still where they could be seen. How thoughtful of them.

It was a few degrees cooler today and the prairie dogs were scampering around their habitat areas prompting people to stop on the road to take pictures of the cute little critters. Which meant we also had to stop even though we had no interest in taking pictures. The park should make turnouts so traffic can continue to flow in that area.

The donkeys were also traffic stoppers…literally because they walked out in the road and made vehicles stop. Then they went from vehicle to vehicle hoping for a tasty morsel which some people were happy to hand over. Sort of like seagulls but cuter.

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Then it was time to head east. Since our objective was to stay ahead of the rain we opted to run I-90. That was the fastest way to put some distance between us and the big green cloud on the weather radar. However, we encountered hellacious wind as soon as we got on the freeway. Got off at the exit for the town of Wasta which had a gas station, an RV park and a bar/restaurant…and not much else. Wasta was founded in 1903 with a population of about 155. It has seen a steady decline over the years. The 2020 census puts it at a population of 65. But we needed gas and decided to get a late lunch at the Wasta Bar. No menus available but the bartender/waitress rattled off what they had: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken strips, fries and pizza. Ordered a burger and fries; it was one of the best tasting and cheapest burgers I’ve had this entire trip.

After eating we talked about where to stay…closest KOA with an available cabin was in Mitchell. It was a good drive down the road so we knew we’d be getting in after dark but that’s okay, we were staying in a cabin. No tent set-up tonight! But none of us figured we’d be rolling in about 9:30, maybe an hour and a half after sunset. That was way too long to be riding in the dark battling the kind of wind that was pushing against us, trying to rip our heads off and knock the bikes over at the same time. It felt so good to arrive at camp and get off the bike knowing I didn’t have to get back on it for a solid 12 hours! Now here’s hoping we don’t have to fight the wind tomorrow.

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Thankfully the wind today was warm and while I was fully expecting the air to chill when the sun went down, it didn’t. It was still 77^o when we pulled into campground at 9:30 p.m.

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This was our biggest day for mileage. That’s impressive considering we were riding around Custer State Park at about 25 mph until about 1 o’clock.

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Our stop at a Murdo, SD, gas station was memorable for a couple of reasons. First, the wind blew Larry’s gas cap off his seat into the path of a truck that ran over it and smashed it. Stuffed a rag in the gas tank until he can get another one. And second, there was a baby muskrat wandering through the parking lot of the gas station. After wandering under several vehicles at the pumps (including our bikes) it walked into the corner of sidewalk by the building. Took a moment to scratch itself oblivious

to the people walking by checking it out. Then it huddled there curling into a ball like it was just trying to get out of the wind. A local guy pumping gas talked about it like it was a common occurrence but it looked more like a celebrity sighting for how many cameras came out to take its picture. I stayed by my bike to get my picture...good zoom on my camera. 😎

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Today’s miles: 383

Total miles: 1714

Wednesday, Sept. 7…Breakdown (A Long Way From Home)---(Kris Kristofferson)

Morning musings: Every clock in my possession is reading a different time. Computer is still on Eastern…Fitbit made it to Central…phone is on Mountain. So it’s a mental adjustment every time I look at the time. However, this morning my brain was still a little fuzzy when I sat up and looked at my Fitbit. It was light outside and the clock read 7:42 so I got up. Wasn’t until later that I realized it was an hour fast…that I was ready to start my day at 6:42 a.m. which is not normal for me at all. But we went to bed before 10 last night so I suppose that gave me 8 hours of sleep.
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Saw the sun come up blood red and hazy over the mountains. Beautiful sight but the day is already shaping up to be hot. My phone indicated that it stayed in the 60’s overnight and was a balmy 67^owhen I stepped out of the tent a little before 7 a.m. Already up to 73^oat 9 a.m. Hate to think what it might be like if the sky wasn’t hazy right now.
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We are surrounded by big hills/small mountains so phone service is spotty but we’re hanging around camp until 10 a.m. to call a local bike shop. The Hill City Harley Store is mostly apparel so they are no help to Kim...he wants new mirrors. Currently his mirrors are mounted on the faring and sit below his handlebars so he actually has to lift his elbows to see what’s behind him. Not so much a problem with just one bike back there but keeping tabs on two bikes while pulling the trailer has become an issue. So new mirrors have become a priority for him. Larry just wants oil and Hill City Harley does have that.

Evening update:
   OMGoodness! It’s been quite a day.
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   Kim found mirrors at Hill City Cycle. They were used but he didn’t care about that…they were top mount mirrors and that’s what mattered. The fact that they only cost $30 made that guy a friend of Kim’s for life. 😎
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   Rode into Custer State Park…turned left out of the campground and we were on our way to Needles Highway. Has to ride some switchbacks and twisties to get there but we eventually made it through the Needles Eye Tunnel where we stopped for a photo op, play traffic director and talk with people. Then it was ride another 15-20 miles on more twisties until we reached the intersection that would take us to the Wildlife Loop. And that’s when our finely crafted plans went sideways.
    Larry pulled up alongside Kim to tell that his clutch wasn’t working. Thankfully there was a large

paved area with restrooms across the road so he pulled into there. Somewhere between the Needles and this intersection his clutch gave out. He could shift up and down without using the clutch by listening to the rpm’s…neutral and starting from a dead stop were going to be the issue.
   Kim assessed the situation then Larry made a call to a mechanic friend back home who concurred with Kim’s assessment. While that was happening I rode to a nearby store to get water…lots of water because it was freakin’ hot again today. Then Kim rode to the Custer Ace Hardware to get tools and fluid to carry out Plan A…do something about bleeding the line. Plan A didn’t work as hoped.
   So another call was made back home for more advice then Kim went back to the hardware store for
Plan B supplies. By the time they realized that Plan B wasn't panning out, it was 6:30 and the sun was on its downward path. It seemed prudent to get Plan C into play…get the bike back to camp. From there, the bike would probably have to be towed to Hill City Cycle but that was preferable to leaving it on the side of the road in Custer State Park.
   What ultimately became Plan C sounded a little dicey to me but Larry was game…try to start the bike in first without the use of a clutch and just get going. I’ve accidentally tried to start my bike in first without the clutch and there was nothing smooth about it. However smooth it was or wasn’t for him, Larry got the bike started and we took off on the least twisty route…me in the lead, Larry in the middle and Kim brought up the rear. We stopped along the way to propose another option to heading back to camp: Drop the bike off at Hill City Cycle tonight and call them first thing in the morning. Of course that would mean we’d have to juggle ourselves around to get back to camp because there would be three people and only two bikes, one of which doesn’t have passenger pegs. Still, we could make it happen if we needed to.
   It was during this stop while Kim was calling Hill City Cycle to leave a message about the bike that Larry pulled in his clutch and felt some pressure. What?! Kim quickly came over and tried it…yes, there was pressure. At that point our options changed again. Larry was able to start the bike like normal and run through the gears using the clutch as he accelerated. Wow! That was truly an answer to prayer…a little later than I had hoped but an answer still the same. We cruised on into Hill City for supper and made a tentative plan for tomorrow…which is subject to change depending on the weather forecast. But a stop at Hill City Cycle is still on the agenda.
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   At the intersection where we stopped there were big green signs indicating that going either left or right would lead to the Wildlife Loop. The bike’s saddlebags were open, Larry was obviously searching for something and I was standing nearby drinking water. A van pulled near and the passenger window rolled down…I thought they were going to ask if we needed help. But the young woman pointed to the left and asked if going that way would them to the Wildlife Loop. Momentarily surprised, I just nodded and my mouth said, “Sure, you can go that way” while my brain was sarcastically saying “Do I really look like a tour guide, lady?” 😐
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   Kim made pancakes, eggs and sausage again this morning. When the neighboring camper wandered out of his camper, he inquired whether there was any left. When Larry told him that it was gone, that he needed to get up earlier, he responded, “Oh, I was up early enough to see him cooking, just didn’t get outside in time. Yeah, I’s up early, just late gittin’ around.”
“I’s up early, just late gittin’ around.”   I liked that.
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Today’s miles: 64
Total miles: 1331

Tuesday, Sept. 6…Sweating Bullets (Megadeth)

Sandman redeemed himself last night…made a visit almost as soon as I laid my head down. And it was a good night’s sleep that’s for sure. Guess those hours riding in the sun and extreme heat served a purpose, although I didn’t see a purpose for the heat and wind when it was happening.

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Up around 8 a.m. and on the road about 10:30. Kim fixed a hearty breakfast of eggs, pancakes and sausage while I packed up our stuff. Then I set about finding a place to stay tonight somewhere in the Custer State Park area. So many choices so it took a bit of time. Since the Black Hills area is our end game I booked two nights at the Horse Thief Campground so we have the freedom of taking a full day to see the sights around here…and Kim can ride without the trailer chasing behind him. He’s looking forward to that.

We arrived long before dark today out of sheer necessity…the camp office closes at 5 p.m. this time of year. Arrived before 4:30 and had our camp set up before 5. In fact, we went into Hill City to eat and pick up a couple of things and still got back before dark. We should get bonus points for that.

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Rode through the Badlands today. There was a haze in the sky that I was attributing to the blasted heat but fellow campers said it was smoke from the California wildfires. Whatever the cause it gave a muted look to the Badlands. Still impressive, just muted.

There was a bicycle tour riding through the park…lots of cyclists and several chase cars. The road
through the Badlands isn’t flat…in fact, it’s mostly hilly and curvy. Didn’t see a lot of smiling faces as they pedaled along; it had to be a brutal ride because at one point I saw 100^o on my bike. One hundred degrees! Shoot, I was sweating buckets and I wasn’t even exerting myself. Obviously they couldn’t have known what the weather conditions would be when they signed up for this ride; I admire their dedication to see it through in the face of that kind of heat. I was concerned about them staying properly hydrated…there weren’t many water bottles visible on the bikes. Later when Larry and I were talking about it, he mentioned the exact same thing…no water bottles. They could have been using a Camelbak type hydration system…but it seems that would promote more sweating. But really, what’s a little more sweat when you’re already bathed in it?

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Wildlife sightings: Several prairie dogs in the park and two pronghorn along the highway heading to Rapid City. Usually we see bighorn sheep in the park also but not today. Probably were hunkered down somewhere to beat the heat.

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Seems most every store or restaurant in Hill City has a railing; the city is on an incline and the sidewalks are high. I’m sure the railings are a safety thing but they also serve another purpose: people like to lean on them and watch the world go by. Or motorcycles…maybe it’s the bikes they like to watch. Because Hill City was hopping with bikes tonight.

I have always been parking challenged on my bike. I struggle to properly execute the pull ahead and back up against the curb type of angle parking that is typically done along a street. Which is exactly the type of parking we had to do in Hill City tonight…with people leaning on the railing and watching. 😧

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Today’s miles: 182

Total miles: 1267

Monday, Sept. 5…Windy (The Association)

Got into camp last night, set up and then I scampered off to the shower. By the time I came back out, the hot dogs were done and the campfire was blazing. Felt good to cozy up to the fire although honestly it wasn’t cold out. The conversation around the fire last night was a joy to listen to, simply because I don’t know that I’ve ever heard Kim and Larry laugh as much as they did last night. Not a guffaw, a chortle or a snicker…it was flat out laughter. And the source of their amusement? Our tendency to arrive after dark which prompted humorous comments on every option I came up for today’s route and lodging.

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Didn’t think I’d have any trouble falling asleep last night after a long day on the bikes but I did. I lay there waiting, waiting and waiting some more for Sandman to work his magic but I must have been last on his list of people to visit because it sure took me a while to fall asleep. But eventually I must have because I was wakened in the wee hours of the morning by a low rumbling voice. At first I thought it was Larry talking in his sleep over in his tent but soon abandoned that idea because a woman’s voice joined in. Didn’t take but a few more seconds to realize that I was hearing dialogue to a movie or TV show…and whoever had it on hadn’t turned down the sound at all before going to sleep. And doesn’t it seem that sound is magnified in the dark? Anyway, Kim hadn’t heard it during the night but heard it upon waking and set about finding out where it was coming from. Didn’t have to go very far because it was the camper in the site right in front of ours. Maybe 8:30 a.m. or so it was shut off and a young man stumbled out of the camper. Maybe he was up watching TV all night or uses a loud TV as his white noise.

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There were no eggs this morning but Kim did whip up a batch of pancakes while I started packing up.

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We made reservations for a cabin at the Belvidere East KOA and the route we planned was 294 miles and kept us off US 90. So it would be another 300 mile day but if we arrived after dark at least we didn’t have to put up the tents. And we would lose an hour by crossing into Mountain Time.

**Update: We arrived at camp at 5:30, a couple of hours before dark. 😎**

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Our route out of Pipestone was Highway 34 and the cornfields carried over the state line into South Dakota. But the cornfields soon gave way to hayfields, sunflower and sorghum fields. There were cornfields occasionally but appeared to be more for livestock purposes than ethanol.

The sunflower fields were plentiful and most were looked healthy but they all had their heads hanging down away from the sun. I always thought that sunflowers followed the sun but not these. This is the explanation I found on the internet: Although popular culture has embraced the myth that sunflowers always follow the sun, this is inaccurate. Only young flowers “move” to face it throughout the day. Once they reach maturity, they stop sun-tracking—their blooms forever turned eastward. And though I didn’t catch onto it as I rode past them, these sunflowers were facing east. Interesting.

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Probably the first 100 miles of the day were ridden in constant wind. The kind of wind that birds can’t make any headway against…the kind of wind that tries to rip the helmet off your head and doesn’t really care if your head is still in it…the kind of wind that keeps you on high alert constantly and therefore is very mentally and physically fatiguing. Thankfully the wind wasn’t an issue after we headed north toward Pierre. But was an issue the entire day was the sun and heat…temps reached into the mid-90s and what I wouldn’t have given for the sky to cloud up a bit. Absolutely no escaping the heat and the only relief was air conditioning. But, on the plus side the road was good, traffic was light and we were in camp before dark. However, the guy checking us in tonight warned that the next couple of days could see temperatures above 100^o. Yuck!

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We debated about the need for a campfire since the air was still so hot when arrived at camp. But when the sun went down the air cooled down so a campfire wasn’t a silly idea anymore. We could have gone in the cabin and watched TV but sitting at a campfire is a much better way to while away the time.

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Small town of the day: Vilas, South Dakota. The town sign listed the population as 19; however, they are up to 29 as of the 2020 census. We rode through it today but I can’t find it on the map. Hmmm…

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I overheard Louie and Moxie talking about Jeffro becoming a member of the Ape Hangers.

Louie: "Moxie, what can we have Jeffro do as a prospect? Wipe the bikes down each day before heading out? Stay up and watch the bikes all night? Shine the helmets? What?"

Moxie, with a flip of her hand: “I already took care of that on Thursday night before we left.”

Louie: “Whaddaya mean you took care of it?”

Moxie: “Well, I said he could join the group if he agreed to be nice to me all the time. He said he could do that so I told Karen to add a patch to his vest when she made it. She did and now he’s one of us.”

Louie: "Moxie!!"

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Today’s miles: 298

Total miles: 1085

Sunday, Sept. 4…What Are You Listening To? (Chris Stapleton)

I was awake before 7 but because the bed was warm and the air felt cool, I didn’t get up until about 7:30. Kim was up before 7 and later reported that his bike registered 39^othe first time he checked it this morning. But once the sun broke through and then over the trees the temperature was steadily on the rise. Fifty eight degrees felt toasty warm while in camp but it felt slightly chilly when we took off at 10. The temperature was still on the rise, though, and soon enough we had our jackets off.

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Woke up this morning literally faced with the consequences of forgetting to put sunscreen on yesterday. The first clue I had was when I reached up to rub my face while still in bed. Face felt

unusually hot and slightly tender against my hands. I stepped outside the tent and mentioned I may have gotten sunburned yesterday. Kim laughed, said it was picture worthy and was asking if it was to take a picture as he was fetching his phone. I said okay since I only knew what it felt like…I hadn’t seen myself yet. And I agreed…it was picture worthy if only for the laugh.

While it might be akin to locking the barn door after the horses got out, I dutifully sunscreened today…several times throughout the day.

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I know the premise behind this trip was to just enjoy the ride, don’t pressure ourselves to meet any goals. But realistically we have to have a daily goal simply so we can get reservations for a campsite somewhere before we even get on the road for the day. Winging it in this instance seems only applicable to birds.

Last night around the campfire we talked about the distance to the Badlands (about 675 miles) and how to split that up. Decided we could do another 300+ miles today so we wanted to look for a campground near the midpoint from Ladysmith to the Badlands. Since steering clear of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area was also a priority I told Rapunzel to avoid highways before I let her calculate our route.

It took a bit of doing to fine tune things but eventually we settled on heading north to St. Cloud, MN, then angling southwest to pick up a good state road on which to ride into South Dakota, again wanting to avoid US 90. I started randomly picking cities near the MN/SD state line in hopes they met the distance criteria and if so, then looked to see if there were any nearby campgrounds. Pipestone Family Campground in Pipestone, MN met all our criteria. Called this morning to see if they had any openings for tonight…no tent spots left but they were willing to put us in an RV spot. As soon as we knew where we’d be laying our weary heads for the night, we headed on down the road.

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We spent a good deal of the day driving past thousands of acres of corn. Farm equipment businesses were plentiful and well stocked. It seemed that each small town had grain silos next to train tracks. There had to be some serious tractor time involved in getting these fields prepared, planted and then harvested. Do humans and livestock really consume that much corn?

Then we passed a processing plant with a weird smell emanating from it and I realized a third possibility for the use of that corn: ethanol. Turns out Minnesota is a national leader in ethanol policy and development and currently has 21 ethanol plants and over 11,000 corn farmers who supply it with feedstock. It ranks No. 5 in the nation in ethanol production.

So maybe none of that corn was for human or livestock consumption.

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The speed on today’s route was 60 mph, with the occasion bump up to 65. Despite leaving an hour earlier and traveling at a faster speed limit than the bulk of our route yesterday, we still managed to turn an estimated 6 hour trip into 10 hours and pulled into the campground just as it was getting full on dark. How do we do this?! 😏

Saw a beautiful sunset but was able to only get glimpses of it as we were still on the road…about 20 minutes out from the campground. It was a race against darkness at that point.

At our last gas stop (about 40 miles out) I debated about putting my fleece back on in case it got chilly. I decided not to and sure enough, when the sun went down the air got chilly. But I wasn’t about to suggest a stop so I could put a jacket on. Nope, no way, uh uh…I wasn’t going to be the reason we’d be arriving any later than we already were because I still had hopes of setting up in some semblance of daylight. So I took one for the team and rode on, knowing full well that as soon as camp was set up I was heading for a hot shower.

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We’ve pretty much been eating Nutty Bars and trail mix in camp because not only did we leave home with an absolutely empty cooler but we hadn’t stopped to get any kind of groceries either. Oh, we had good intentions but those good intentions didn’t put any food on the table, that’s for sure. We stopped to eat lunch both days so it’s not like we’ve gone hungry…we just haven’t had any food in camp.

But today we stopped and tonight we feasted…on hot dogs. It was served rather late and we didn’t have anything to go with the hot dogs except buns and ketchup but it was a feast all the same. At least it was something besides Nutty Bars and trail mix.

And I heard rumors there’ll be pancakes and eggs for breakfast tomorrow. 😋

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Small town of the day: Florence, MN with a population of 39. The area of the town is 70 acres which equates to .109 square mile. Small indeed!

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If I define ‘oodles’ as more than one hundred but less than one million, then today I saw oodles of bikes out on the road, enjoying the warm sunshine. And not one of those bikers looked tortured about it. 😎

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Zeus has a couple of ways to let me listen to music. One is the radio but getting a station to come in when cruisin’ down the road is always dicey plus there’s the incessant commercials. So the radio is a no-go. The other option is a thumb drive in the USB port. What could be better? No commercials and I get to pick the music.

Even though the 400+ songs I put on the drive are supposed to be played randomly I do hear a number of repeats. On long rides that can get annoying so today I wanted to see if I could get another option to work…Bluetooth. Since I can access our Pandora account on my phone and Zeus has Bluetooth capabilities, it seemed worth a try. Took a couple of attempts but it worked so first Chris Stapleton and then a 70’s rock station entertained me for the afternoon. The only negative is that I can’t change the Pandora selection through the bike; I have to do that through the phone itself so that means waiting until I’m stopped for more than the cycle of a traffic light. But that inconvenience isn’t a deal breaker.

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Today’s miles: 347

Total miles: 788

Saturday, Sept. 3…Hey Brother (Avicii)

Made our last trek up to the bathroom at about 12:30 and were marveling at how the predicted rain had missed us. I was just making myself comfy on the air mattress when the thunder boomed, the lightning flashed, and the rain came pouring down which made me wonder whoever originally thought a thin layer of nylon over top of the tent was adequate protection from the rain. But whatever…it’s what we had and I drifted off to sleep to the sound of the rain splattering overhead. It wasn’t until I woke up this morning that I did a run-through of what may have been left out in the rain. Note to self: Check your belongings before you go to bed. Your camera would appreciate it. 😐

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This morning one of the neighbors across the road from us came over to ask if we’d like a breakfast burrito. They had too much and would be happy to make us each one. Yes, please. But I have to admit that I did wonder if it might contain some of the weed they’d been smoking last night into the wee hours of the morning. But there was no weird taste and we made it through the day without the munchies, the giggles or getting unusually tired. None of which would be good on the bikes. So I’d say there’s No Regrets on eating the neighbor’s burritos. 😎

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Thursday night when Moxie realized that we were heading out on a bike trip, she started dropping hints that Louie’s brother wanted to join us. Like most children Moxie is
persistent when she grabs hold of an idea:

Moxie (for the fourth time): Can Louie’s brother go with us? Huh, can he?

Me: “Where is he going to ride? There’s no room on your seat and even if he is Louie’s brother, Louie may not want to ride squished next to him on Kim’s bike.”

Moxie: “Well…he could ride with your friend. What did you say his name was? Larry?”

Me: “What if Larry doesn’t want a little monkey riding with him? Did ya think of that?”

Moxie: “Whaddaya mean? You know that everybody loves little monkeys. I’m sure Larry would love to have him along. Besides there’s always room in a saddlebag.”

Me: “And he’s naked. You know how cold it can get when riding even with your fur. What’s he going to wear? You and Louie don’t have any extra clothes.”

Jeffro, Moxie, and Louie

Moxie: “Well, you aren’t doing anything tonight. Can’t you make him some clothes? Pull-ease?”

And that’s how Jeffro, Louie’s brother from another mother, joined our little group. I made some clothes for him and Larry was happy to make some space for him. Moxie is going to be insufferable if we keep this up.

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Made a reservation at the Thornapple River Campground in Ladysmith, WI, before we left Newberry. And because we were getting conflicting routes on our phones and computer, Kim gave Rapunzel permission to navigate. It was about 335 miles to Ladysmith which we thought was very doable. What we hadn’t factored into that decision was the fact that none of us have been getting a lot of riding in lately. And that may have been part of the reason that we all agreed that those 335 miles were the longest we’d ever ridden. The other part to that is that we were on 55 mph roads for most of the route.

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Today’s smallest town (population sign required): Glen Flora, WI with a population of 92.

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Temperature was in the mid-60’s today with a momentary high of 71^o…and it was windy. But the sun was shining so we had that going for us.

We were a study in contrasts while riding today, for sure. Kim was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and vest…I had on a light fleece…Larry was wearing two jackets plus a winter hat. And sitting here around the campfire it feels like it’s shaping up to be a cool, dampish night. I think we have enough blankets to weather the night chill…and we’re hoping like crazy it doesn’t rain again.

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I made up a song today while I rode. I call it The Biker’s Lament and it’s sung to the tune of a popular children’s song:

Neck, shoulders, hips and butt…hips and butt

These body parts are angry with me now

Neck, shoulders, hips and butt…hips and butt!

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The award for the Best Name of The Day goes to the Peme Bon Won River. Crossed both the North and South branches and wondered about the name’s origin. Here’s what I found on the website alpsroads.net: The Peme Bon Won River is not named by Chinese French natives, but it has some elements of different cultures. "Peme" is indeed Native American, from the word for "crooked river" (peam-ah-wan-seba). They could have stopped there and named this the Pemewonsiba River, but no, the settlers decided it was a good river, and not bothering to ask how to say "good" in the local language, they stole "bon" from the French. As for Won, it has nothing to do with the Chinese currency. The etymology I read says it's a corruption of the English "one," just to fit with "Bon," but could they have mangled English itself that badly? Either its one good river, or it's a winningly good river. Fast fact: the town name Pembine is named after this river, and actually is a perfectly mellifluous name given its cacaphonous origin. Whatever the origin, I just thought it was fun to say!

And this is what Wikipedia had to say about it’s description: The Peme Bon Won River is a 6.1-mile-long river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is a tributary of the Menominee River and flows through Marinette County. It is formed by the confluence of its North and South branches. The North Branch contains a waterfall known as Long Slide Falls.

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Today’s miles: 337

Total miles: 441

No Regrets (The Walker Brothers)

In November 2021 when Kim was diagnosed with prostate cancer and before we knew anything more than that, we had a discussion about living in such a way that we had no regrets at the end. So right away I mentioned taking a bike ride to Rocky Mountain National Park in 2022. Kim agreed so we started making a very hazy plan. First thing to do was nail down a time. Since the summer was shaping up to be cra-zee busy with work for both of us, we began eyeing the end of August/beginning of September for a 2 week getaway. That would be enough time to head for Colorado.

As it turned out, getting two weeks away was a bit optimistic but we managed to block out 9 days…which wasn’t enough time to get out to RMNP and back. So we had to look at other destination options. Custer State Park in South Dakota? Tail of the Dragon? The Pig Trail in Arkansas? And were we going to stay in hotels or camp? Staying in a hotel would maximize our time on the road which would allow us to go farther but camping has always been part of our adventures. Oddly we had a hard time making a decision about this trip.

But it all fell into line when we invited Larry, a good friend whose son recently lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, to go with us. We got together to talk about it and ultimately decided that we’d head in the direction of Custer State Park along state roads. Making it to a specific destination wasn’t as important as just enjoying the time away and the time on the road. We also decided to camp because sitting around a campfire at the end of the day sounded much better than just hanging out in a motel room. So…we might not make it all the way out to Custer SP and we might have to hotel it if we can’t find a campground but it’s all good. No regrets! 😎

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Got the trailer hooked up and realized the lights weren’t working; Kim tried a couple of quick idea to no avail. It was already later than we had anticipated due to Kim working later than expected and last minute packing; he decided that we should get going and that he’d deal with the light problem when got to the Newberry campground where we had reservations. Left home about 5 p.m and arrived at the campground just after 8 p.m. Since setting up camp before it got too dark and finding something to eat was the priority, the lights will have to wait until the morning.

**Update: At about 11:15 p.m. Kim decided to investigate the trailer light issue with his trusty new flashlight
and got it figured out.**

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It was a balmy 79^o in the middle of the Mackinac Bridge at about 6:30 tonight.

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On our way to meet Larry I was bit perplexed as to how to track our mileage because I forgot to reset one of my trip meters. I usually have one track the daily miles and the other track the total miles. I forgot to reset the total miles…it still had all the miles I’d ridden in Arizona. Shoot! Making the mathematical adjustment each night seemed too complex so I reset it when we met up with Larry. Not too hard to convince myself that’s when our trip really started anyway. 😎

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Miles from Charlevoix: 129

Miles starting when we met Larry: 104