Day 26

Today was another day spent at the reunion, starting off with a charity auction. There were many items up for grabs but the one that caught my eye was a painting that my late grandmother had done about 4 years ago. Her hands had become weak and unsteady by the time she painted that but it was a chance to buy something that has a lot of sentimental value now that she has passed. I wasn't too concerned what the cost was, and it seemed as though the other bidders realized that as well. I ended up paying $110 for the piece, something that will hopefully stay with me until they put me in the ground as well.

It was another enjoyable day of meeting new people and hearing some of their stories. By the time we left at around 9pm I was very tired though. There's so much activity at an event like that and it's not something I'm used to after travelling on my own for over three weeks. In the afternoon as the weather started to change for the better I began to get the itch to get back on the road.

Once I got to the room at around 10pm I said my goodbyes to the folks and then got some laundry done. I also booked rooms for the next two nights as I know what I want to see on the way to Washington. I'll be spending a few days out there and then heading home. It feels a little strange to only have two more hotel rooms I need to book for the trip home.

I've very much enjoyed the trip thus far, although at times it feels like I'm trying to get too much in. I look forward to the last days of the vacation, and by the same token I also look forward to going back home. Sleeping in my own bed will feel good again too, although overall I've been happy with the rooms I've stayed in.

Even with all the less than desirable weather I would do this trip again in a heartbeat as I've been so fortunate to see so much and experience so much of both Canada and the USA. As I sit here I'm already looking forward to new scenery and experiences next year, but first I need to finish this trip and get back to work for a while!

Painting my grandmother did, it's in good hands now

Day 25

No riding for me today as the plan was to spend the day at a family reunion here in the Swift Current area. I caught a ride with my parents, rather I thought I was, until Dad told me I was supposed to drive. It felt a little strange driving a cage after not being in one for almost a month. Since the weather was less than ideal it was a welcome break though.

We made it to the college grounds where the events are taking place in time for the Sunday morning worship service. Quite a few different people spoke before one of my late grandmother's brothers spoke for a while. Most of the family is deeply rooted in the Christian faith, as is the case with my mom's side of the family back home. It was encouraging to hear the stories of what God has done in his life, and through him as well. 

After the service a delicious lunch was served, and it also started an almost full day of meeting new people related to me in some way. Some of the names I've heard over the years growing up, Mom would mention her uncles and cousins occasionally when telling stories. I met and talked with so many people that by the time we left at 9:45pm they were all starting to blur together. I really enjoyed the day of meet and greet, even though most are complete strangers the family connection is somewhat evident still. They were also a friendly group, which makes it easy to converse. I don't know how many people asked about my trip, I felt like a broken record as I would share a little with many of them. 

In the afternoon Mom, Dad, aunt Mary, uncle Andrew, and myself spent a few hours touring the area that both Mom and Mary spent some of their childhood in. That was a big part of the reason for me stopping here in the first place, as I've always been curious to see where her first 8 years were spent. Having her here to explain things makes it much more interesting as well. I saw the grave sites of both sets of her grandparents, some of the roots that remain planted here for her and to a degree myself as well. 

All in all it was a nice day, relaxing yet busy at the same time. The weather doesn't look that great for tomorrow so for now the plan is to stay another day here. I need to do some laundry yet at some point tomorrow and the forecast for Tuesday looks really good so I might as well since I have the time. 

When I leave Tuesday I plan to take the Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park, something I wanted to do last year but the road wasn't open yet. That's some new country again, and there should hopefully be some great pictures there to make up for the lack of pictures the last couple days (for those of you that don't enjoy all the words as much lol).

Great grandmother's grave is unmarked beside me as I took this picture

Day 24

Well there is very little to report for today unless you would all like to hear rain stories. It was an absolutely miserable day to be on the road for the bulk of the ride today. It started off as a light rain for the first little bit but turned into mostly a downpour. It stayed that way for 600km, taking almost 9 hours to ride that stretch. I was down to below 80km/h for stretches as I had a tough time seeing through the rain. The last 300km were dry though, thankfully, and I was able to crank through them in three hours. It took 12 hours to complete the 901km today, pretty good considering the conditions. 

I was very thankful to arrive safe and sound in Swift Current after a good scare early in the day. The bike started fish-tailing in a corner, not sure exactly what caused it but I'm guess I was hydroplaning over a puddle. I actually thought I was going to lose control of the bike for a second but managed to correct the situation. I believe the good Lord was looking after me there, as I'm sure he has many times over the course of the trip so far!

I gained back another hour today, back on Mountain time for a little while. It was a little after 8:30 by the time I'd checked into the room, and then it was time for coffee with my parents. I will spend the day with them tomorrow at the reunion, and hopefully tour the area mom spent the first 8 years or so of her life. I may stay Monday as well as I feel like I need a little down time. That would also give me a chance to do some laundry at some point as well. After 13,500km it would probably be beneficial to take the extra day off and recoup for the final two weeks of vacation. 

I didn't take any pictures today as the only place it wasn't raining was mostly in the area I rode through on day 3. The rain gear I bought seems to work quite well as I stayed pretty dry through the day. It's tiring though to have a day like this so now it's time for bed!

Day 23

The prospect of an easy day ahead of me today was clouded (pun intended) by the weather forecast for where I was going. After loading the bike for the 23rd time, I rode over to a restaurant for a nice breakfast to start the day. I was up early enough so that I could take my time.

Once I got out on the highway the sun was actually out for quite a bit of the ride, a very pleasant development. It was fairly windy today as there isn't much in western Minnesota or North Dakota to block the wind, but it was mostly at my back until I reached Fargo, ND. This whole trip I've been hoping I could break the 400km mark on a tank of gas, having multiple opportunities so far but the uncertainty of available gas has kept me from getting there. Today was going to be the day, easily on pace for it as I crossed into North Dakota. Unfortuantely the wind that had been kind of at my back turned into a nasty cross wind that started chewing through my gas much too quickly. I pulled into a gas station of the interstate with 384km on the tank, the bike sputtering as I shut it off. I'll get it somewhere on the trip yet, as I do carry a small 1 gallon gas can that's designed to fit in one of the back corners of the bags.

By that point it was also becoming very obvious that it wasn't going to stay dry for too much longer, and I booked it to Jamestown with no unnecessary stops. I grabbed a quick bite to eat for lunch when I arrived, and then checked into my room to unload the luggage for the service appointment. I got to the shop at a little after 2pm, almost an hour early. I got my work order written up and we rolled my hog into the service bay minutes before the sky exploded. The timing was perfect and I was quite happy to avoid the massive thunderstorm that rolled through for the next three hours. 

Shout out to the boys at Stutsman HD here in Jamestown, they treated me better than I've ever gotten treated at any shop, including the place I bought my bike. The most friendly staff I've met so far, too bad it's so far from home or this would become my go-to place to bring the bike. Their shop rate here is also only about two thirds of what the shops in Alberta are charging, and the mark up on parts and accessories seems to be lower as well. I had noticed some extra oil on the left rear shock the other day when I was adding air, but totally forgot to mention that when I booked it in. They obviously did their job going over the bike, because that got fixed (under warranty). Good thing that was warranty, it's $192 for one of those!

They had a used bike sitting on the show room floor with some aftermarket mufflers on it, one of the brands I've been looking at. One of the sales guys was happy to fire up the bike so I could hear it, and just like that the sale was made! I didn't do the stage 1 or head pipes as I'm going to be broke enough once I'm back at home, but it does sound better already. It also looks way better in my opinion, and the rest of the stage 1 stuff I'll maybe do in winter or next spring. They recommended a new front tire as it's getting to the point where it will have to get changed out soon. I'm hoping it lasts another 6000km or so and then I can do both at once.

After I was done at the shop I rode back to the hotel, the rain almost done by then. I parked the bike and walked down the street for dinner. After the meal I walked over to the Wal-Mart to grab some supplies I needed and then watched some of the NHL Entry Draft on my iPad. They don't seem to care about that down here as not one channel on TV had it on. I haven't cared much about hockey either after the third round, not even watching a minute of the Cup final. Overall I've barely used the TV's in the rooms I've stayed it, and I can't say I miss TV much. It's so easy to get consumed by technology to the point where it run's a person's life. When one can control it, it can be very useful, but if it takes control then I feel like one loses out on living life to the fullest.

Tomorrow will be a full day of riding again, looks like it will be the most miles put down in a day so far on the trip. I'll be in Swift Current for Sunday, and possibly Monday as well as I need to get some laundry done again. After that I plan to ride through Glacier National Park on the way to see friends in Washington for the Independance Day weekend, before returning home the following week. Can't believe I'm this far into the trip already, seems like the day's are just flying by. It will be good to work again once I'm back though, so I can start saving money for next year's ride!

My bike has 4" cannons now:)

Looks much better, and also sounds a little better too. The bike will be pretty loud once I do the head pipes. I always seem to think I want to keep it quiet, but Harley's just need to be loud!

Played around on my (very expensive) riding jacket tonight

Day 22

For some reason I'm waking up before my alarm clock the last couple days, not sure how that works as it's not something that ever happens to me, ever! I guess that means I'm getting enough rest and I've needed it.

I got out of the room and on the road at 9am again this morning, but stopped for gas and breakfast only about half an hour down the road. The last few days there have been pretty meager offerings for the continental breakfasts so I haven't used them except for the morning coffee.

It was 10am by the time I got rolling again, a little late considering I wanted to put down a decent number of miles today so that I have a short ride tomorrow. I certainly want to be at the shop a little earlier than my 3pm appointment so that it will get done. I'll be a little over the recommended 8000km mark for oil change, and it will be nice to have them go over the bike to make sure it's all good. 

The weather was about as perfect as could be for about 600km today. It was warm, but not too hot, the only wind was a light breeze at my back, and everything was so nice and green. I felt so blessed to have a day like this, and for the chance to even do this trip. It's been so nice to let my mind unwind and sort through a lot of things over the last few weeks. I've battled many demons over the years, some that keep coming back. After quitting smoking for a year and a half I've been smoking too much over the last couple months. It's one of the vices that's been so hard to try and stay away from, and at this point I've failed. I guess that's part of life, we all have our issues that need constant attention and work.

Last night before going to bed I checked the air in my rear suspension, and it was a little low. I was wondering if that was the case as the ride seemed to be less comfortable than I thought it should be. The bike is also pretty loaded down with gear and a very overweight rider. The boost in air pressure in the rear suspension made a world of difference on the ride today, it felt almost like a new bike in some ways. I also lowered the height on the crash bar pegs I use to stretch the legs out on the highway, and that really improved the comfort as well. Theres always small things like that that can make a big difference when riding every day. 

Saw a lot of country again today as I travelled west across Wisconsin and then across a good chunk of Minnesota. I'm in Alexandria tonight at a great little mom and pop motel again, another gem of a place. It's so much more relaxing when one can find a place like this that in a nice neighborhood, clean, and in good repair. As I was stretching my legs a little after checking in I got to talking with a 72 year old man. We ended up talking for an hour and a half, mostly him talking, talking to me about all sorts of stuff. He served in the navy back in the day, and had some cool stories, though he talked mostly of other stuff. 

I was on I-94 all day, except for the 694 bypass around Minneapolis-St. Paul. After the craziness yesterday and to a degree the day before, today didn't seem like interstate riding. Traffic was mostly light and moving fast, but it doesn't feel fast when there's not a crushing volume of vehicles. The only exception was the bypass, it was pretty backed up there today. My timing has been awful the last two days, hitting the afternoon rush hour in both Milwaukee and Minneapolis. Today was the last major city on the trip though, so that should mostly be the end of that. The interstates have been awesome to make good time coming back west, but I want to come back to some of these areas again and ride the smaller highways and roads, just to see more of scenery.

Here's a few stats on the trip so far:

12,240km (equal to 30.5% of the earth's circumference)

711.531L of gas (not including the last 150km today after the last fill)

48.1mpg - 5.9L/100 (40.0 US mpg)

8 provinces travlled in

9 states travelled in

I've seen a lot of country, and missed a lot as well. That's the best part, there's always another road to ride!

Lots of corn fields west of Milwaukee

I've seen many of these types of signs over the last three weeks

First time I've had the tools out this trip, thankfully it was only to adjust my crash bar pegs at my first stop today

Not many pictures today, most were from the saddle just so I can look back in winter and wish I was on the road

Clouds moving in towards the end of the day's ride

Raining on both side of me, but here I was dry. Did get about an hour's worth of rain riding, but missed all the really nasty stuff

Skyline Motel in Alexandria, Minnesota. Great place to spend the night

The man sitting beside the white SUV on the right of the picture was my friend for the evening

Day 21

It was humid and foggy this morning, the humidity making it feel cooler by quite a lot than the last few days. I went to bed at midnight last night, too busy talking with people earlier in the evening put me behind schedule. For some reason I awoke around 6:30 this morning, never able to fall asleep again even though I tried. I didn't need to be up early as the only thing I wanted to see was the Harley museum.

After an hour on the road I stopped to fuel up the bike and grab some breakfast. There was nothing that caught my eye at the hotel in the morning and I wasn't really hungry. Shortly after the stop the traffic volume starting picking up drastically as I neared the Chicago area. Other than the museum, today is not a day that I would ever want to repeat. I decided against riding through the city of Chicago, which was probably a good choice, becasue even on the I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) bypas it was a frenzy of high speed craziness. It was mostly 4 lanes, up to 6 for short stretches, with almost everyone driving in excess of 120kph. The only ones driving slower were the thousands of trucks on the road. What made it even crazier was the 5 toll stops, where the cash lanes were always on the right, so there was a lot of zig-zagging across the road as cars, trucks, and me on the little bike all switched lanes. The only time my feet touched the ground in 240km was at the toll stops. Needless to say, once I got to the first rest stop in Wisconsin I took a nice long break.

I also crossed back into the Central time zone today, gaining back another hour that I lost going east. That made it 12pm at the rest stop, 340km into the day at that point and in the 4th state of the day as well. The last two days I've felt like I've been in a race so tomorrow the plan is to slow it down and maybe get off the interstates for a while. I'm piling up the kilometres though, having put down just as many in 3 weeks so far this year as I did in 4 weeks last year.

It was so nice to get off the bike once I got to downtown Milwaukee for a few hours at the museum. Seeing so much history of Harley-Davidson and all that's associated with that was super cool! Ever since I was a kid I've been enamoured with the whole biking culture, especially thinking of the freedom of the open road. Some of that is lost in the world we live in now it seems, but the history brought back nostalgic feelings of a time before I was even born (if that even makes sense). Everything was so new and raw back then, especially seeing the bikes people travelled on. The Harley-Davidson brand has a tremendous history, cutting edge technology as they developed over the years. It's that history, combined with them producing the best bikes on the planet, combined with the people that ride Harley's that formed why I ride one as well. Too have a tiny part in the history really is epic. There's always some that bash the bikes now, but they retain the classic look that no other brand can (although they sure try to imitate) and in my limited experience they build a solid bike that can put up miles.

The only disappointment I had was that the million mile bike is not in the museum. It was at one point, but has been moved to the motorcycle hall of fame in Sturgis. It's the only Harley that's got 1,000,000 miles on it, former Wisconsin Senator Dave Zien was the man that rode the bike all those miles. 1.6 million kilometres is almost beyond belief, a point I will never reach in my lifetime I'm sure. It sure should be in the museum in my opinion.

My timing when I left there was terrible once again, right in the heat of rush hour, on a Brewers game day. I rode right by the stadium where the Brewers played tonight, and it took me 45 minutes to ride 20km to the hotel I had booked for tonight. Would have been cool to take in a game had I thought of that earlier. Once I got checked in I walked over to a Texas Roadhouse that near my room for a nice juicy steak. My server was a younger girl that was almost a carbon copy of one of my cousins, it was so close it was a little freaky. She got a kick out of that, immediately asking if I had a picture, which I didn't. Even her personality and actions were similar, so strange how that can happen. Once I was done with the meal I went to the room to relax and wind down after a couple stressful days of riding. 

If you're not into bikes, these pic's aren't for you

this is the way it should be!

the oldest know Harley-Davidson in the world

the other side of the bike

Replica of the Easy Rider bike, a true American classic

This wall of tanks spans nearly 80 years of colors and designs, really cool

One of the 3 bikes used in the Terminator 2 movie

Replica of the Evel Knievel bike

This is the bike that washed over from Japan after the tsunami. They put it on display as it was found, no cleaning or repairs, so over the years the bike will keep being eaten by the salt

Route today, not including the stopover downtown at the museum

Day 20

Woke up this morning to overcast skies and forecasts calling for thundershowers everywhere I wanted to travel. That has seemed to be the norm by now on this trip, so it didn't bother me too much. Weather can always change and I was hoping that would be the case today. Other than a day or two I've been getting up by 7:30 at the latest every day, a schedule that's been easy to keep because I'm ready for bed by 11:00 or 11:30 every night. My mind has gotten a chance to relax a lot so far, but it's been a busy schedule for the most part. Even though I get up at that hour, it's usually only around 9:00 by the time I hit the road, as was the case this morning. That's just what it takes to get through the morning routine, as I enjoy some quiet time and a coffee to start the day.

From the hotel it was only about 40km to the Niagara Falls, a little more after I missed my exit immediately after the bridge over the Niagara River. I got to the Rainbow Bridge and the border crossing around 9:30 and had to wait around 20 minutes to get through. While waiting the seagulls overhead decided it would be a good idea to poop on me. Joke's on them, they missed, although they did hit the bike.

I spent around an hour or so at the Falls taking in the sights and walking down the sidewalk up above the river. It's an impressive sight for sure, the force of the water going over the falls and into the river below. Maybe I've been overloaded too much on the trip scenery wise but it didn't blow my mind. Had I taken the time to do the walk under the falls or take a ride on one of the boats down below it might have been mind blowing. Regardless, it was cool to finally see one of our Canadian landmarks, and I could see why the American side would be much less impressive.

After leaving the falls I ate an early lunch and then got going, heading for the border crossing at Sarnia. Traffic was absolutely insane on the 401 today, the worst I've seen on the trip so far. It was also very windy, and as has been the case for the last three days, hot. The humidity yesterday and today also made it feel much warmer. Once I finally got off the 401 onto the 402 traffic became normal again, down to two lanes each way and much fewer vehicles. Up until that point it hadn't rained a drop, but finally the clouds opened up. I took shelter under and overpass for 10 minutes, which is all it took for the storm to pass. Through it all I didn't even get that wet, never getting the rain gear out.

Just before crossing into the USA again I stopped for a coffee and donut at Tim Hortons again, getting my fix for the next few days. Dunkin' Donuts doesn't hold a candle to the coffee at Timmy's, poor Americans! The border crossing was painless again, the third time in three days I've crossed, but Michigan was about to give me a wet welcome. Literally two minutes after crossing the clouds opened up, a deluge of only 15 minutes or so, but there was nowhere safe to pull over. I couldn't see a thing, and got thouroghly soaked! As hot as it was it actually didn't feel that bad, free air conditioning for the next hour as I dried off:)

It was an uneventful ride for the remainder of the day, getting to my room in Kalamazoo just before 8pm. Check in took over 20 mintues as the lady asked me a lot of questions in regards to my trip. Spent another 20 mintues chatting with a guy outside about various things, from hockey to politics. I will say this, as long as one is friendly there is always someone to talk with it seems. People have been nothing short of awesome everywhere I go, not one bad experience with people so far. I really enjoy meeting so many new people, talking about anything and everything, even if it's having a laugh with the  girl taking my order who could barely get through it before running off to the bathroom. She claimed she drank too much water, and therefore was feeling sick. To me all the random meetings are what make the journey enjoyable, I've had more of a social life on the road than at home!

Tomorrow the plan is to only travel to the Milwaukee area, spending some time at the Harley museum. I gain back another hour as I'll be entering the Central time zone. I'm thinking of riding through Chicago, something I've been told not to do, but it sure does cut down on the riding time. I'd like at least a few hours at the museum before closing, and then get to the hotel room I've booked just west of Milwaukee. Another decent day in the saddle Thursday, and then a short day Friday to Jamestown for the service job on the bike.

View from on the Rainbow bridge waiting to get through customs, dodging seagull poop

Home for the night