Alaska 2012
 
 

Day 02

July 6

 
  
 
 
 At least this morning is a little cooler and for that I am glad. I determined on this trip that I would try to walk two miles in the morning as often as I could. That's what I do back at the Holler along with some other exercises. If my math brain is working, about a thousand paces should be a half mile since my stride is about a yard or so. After I finish, I get SweetTreat ready to hit the road again.  
  
 Randy's across the street does a real breakfast, so that sounds like a good plan to me. I get a big plate of pig meat, hen fruit and some taters and I'm one happy camper. The sweet lady serving me, Miss Julie, even brings me a whole pitcher of ice water so I can drink my fill.  
  
 

She asks me -

"Where are you from? Where are you headed?"

When I let her know that I'm riding my bike to Alaska and back, she tells me that she is a rider also. Her husband has a Triumph Tiger and she has her license also but no bike. She's tried a friend's V-Strom and she really likes it. We talk about my website and I tell her -

"The main reason I have my site is to encourage people to take that trip that they've been talking about for years. My mom and dad were going to Hawaii for their fiftieth anniversary. He never made it. My mom's dad was going to retire at 65 and travel which he loved to do. He died at 64 1/2. And I bet you have a trip that you want to take yourself. Don't wait - pull the trigger while you still can. Start planning and then just do it."

She tells me of a trip her and her husband were planning to do on the bike early on but were talked out of it. As she goes off to tend to her other customers, I can see the wheels turning. I decimate the feast and drink enough water to fill up a thirsty camel. Miss Julie is doing the check out, so I prompt her again with a big smile -

"Now don't just think about - start planning. Y'all could do a test run over to Colorado to sort things out."

She says that she will and I believe that she will.

 
  
 Today is a real routing challenge - get on I94 and stay on I94 until I get to exit 215 in Glendive, Montana. I believe I can make it without Fred's help, but I humor him and turn him on.  
  
 Before long I see the Minnesota state line sign. I have to give them credit - they have the most impressive state line signs of any state that I have traveled through. And I've been to them all except Hawaii - and I've been told that there are no state line signs in Hawaii.  
  
 My big concern is the morning traffic in the Saint Paul/Minneapolis area. I'm taking the I694 bypass around and the traffic is not too bad. I don't mind traffic as long as it doesn't go into stop and go mode. That can prove to be deadly for motorcyclists if just one person doesn't pay attention. 
  
 Once I clear the Twin Cities, I'm right back into another construction zone. 
  
 As we slowly motor along under the reduced speed limit, I wonder what stories this old farmhouse could tell if only we could listen for a while. 
  
 Soon I am clear of the construction and cooking along. It is so nice that today the speed limits are higher than the temperatures. It makes for a much nicer riding environment than yesterday. 
  
 I don't have to make the frequent stops like yesterday, so I am making much better time. I notice at this gas stop this interesting store next door, so I take a few minutes to check it out. I pick up a few things that I need and some killer trail mix.  
  
 The sky does not look too friendly, but I see a little blue so I figure I'll ride and hold off on putting my rain suit on. I don't like to 'bake in the bag' unless it is really cold and wet or it looks like it's gonna be wet for a while. 
  
 I've spent enough time in Minnesota that I really understand the 'land of 10,000 lakes' thing. They seem to be everywhere - along with mosquitoes that need a clearance from the landing tower to light. 
  
 But soon I'm out of there and into North Dakota.  
  
 Here too the farmlands stretch as far as I can see and they seem to be a lot greener than back home. 
  
 

Since my Canadian trip last year, I have stopped drinking carbonated beverages and iced tea. I switched to water since I couldn't get good brewed ice tea in Canada and have never switched back. So my beverage of choice now is ice water or a good jug of cold milk every now and then. If you had told me when I was a kid that I would be paying for a bottle of water, I would have told you -

"You're nuttier than a fruit cake. We just get that stuff out of the ground for free!"

Such is progress I guess of some sort ....

 
  
 The side wind is pretty strong - strong enough to create waves on the small lakes. Me and SweetTreat get really good at going straight while we're leaning. 
  
 The cloud cover makes the temperatures rather pleasant. And I sure won't melt if a little rain falls on me though it would make my clothes fit a little looser. 
  
 The thing I often forget about North Dakota is that it shares a lot of the same geological features as Minnesota. It too has many lakes scattered across the countryside. 
  
 Looking ahead, I figure I'm fixing to get wet in a big way. But I see a strip of blue in the direction I'm heading so I'm just gonna suck it up and ride through it. 
  
 The rain does come but I can hunker down behind SweetTreat's bodywork and stay pretty well dry. The gloves get a little wet but they'll dry out in short order. And I see my first 'butte' of the day backed by some blue skies. 
  
 There's an interesting 'sculpture' off to my right with an invite to come and see more. But I decide I'll pass up the opportunity as I've still got a ways to go according to Fred. Fred was advertised as a 'motorcycle, waterproof' GPS and he is getting his chance to see how waterproof he is today. 
  
  As I continue west, the landscape becomes more varied and rugged.  
  
 I see lots of evidence of water that once moved through the area. I guess it still probably does in the winter with all of the snow that falls here.  
  
 The barren mountains seem to hold back the green from reaching the blue skies. I would imagine that they also held back the folks trying to traverse this land in days gone by. 
  
  Here it seems a lot drier than earlier in the state. Most mountains are brown and look pretty arid.  
  
 Soon I cross over into another state - Montana - and I know I'm not far from a place to lay my weary head. 
  
 When I am booking places to stay, I try to find motels that have restaurants and gas nearby. I prefer to gas up on the way in, and then walk to supper and breakfast. This Super 8 has both so that is why I chose it. 
  
 I get SweetTreat all settled in for the evening, then go in and clean up a bit. A shower feels great to wash off the road dirt of the day. 
  
 Next door is the restaurant and about the only nice thing I can say about it is that it is close. It's pretty pricey and my waitress does a disappearing act after dropping off my glass of ice water. I don't mind paying good money for good food, but I do mind paying good money for so-so food and disinterested service. When the food finally comes, it's about as so-so as you can get. That's just the vulgarities of the road, but I make a mental note to avoid this stop when I come this way again. The motel is way overpriced for being pretty much in the middle of nowhere and the restaurant will not be getting my breakfast business for sure. I eat what is before me quickly and it at least fills the empty spot. I settle up and then wander back to my room to check my eyelids for holes.