Oh Shenando, I long to see you

On Monday the 9th of August we crossed the Missouri River, at the point where the Lewis & Clark Expedition is commemorated by the US Geological Survey. The heat continued to be blistering, but as our destination drew closer, our anticipation increased.   More to come later today.                                                                                            

Look away, you rolling river

On a motorcycle tour, the dangers lurk in unexpected places

                                                                                                                                                                           

THEY CALL IT POP

Try buying a bottle of soda in Minnesota and they'll say you're from back east, since it goes by the name of pop out here. Riding I90 west we're in deep corn country. Lovely rolling plains that beckon you westward. We took a detour to see the town of Woodstock, Minnesota.

Yes, there's a Woodstock in Minnesota too!

Gave us the opportunity to get off the highway and ride county roads for a while. This is big windmill country, and we wished for a cool breeze while we wheeled along in 95 degree heat. First time we both road without jackets. Some help but heat rules, and dehydration threatened. We stopped at a burger chain out side of Woodstock, where some folks inquired about the trip. These were hip seniors (so are we). They'd been to Sturgis in their youth, and wished us a fine, fun ride. We got back on I90 and pushed the speedometer, to keep up with hundreds of motorcycles going in the same direction. Many, many, many Harleys hauling laden trailers. Thinking about the old west, it seemed like a high speed wagon train going through Sioux Indian country. On to Mitchell South Dakota where we stopped for the night after riding only 219 miles.

I'M JUST WILD ABOUT JACKSON

Saturday: A long, long day from Milwaukee to Jackson, Minnesota. Across vast plains of wheat and soy beans, perfect skies and hot, hot, hot weather. Destination for the evening was Albert Lea Minnesota. But since the county fair was in town, there were no hotel rooms to be had. Another 80 miles to Jackson. Riding into the sunset without a sun visor nearly blinded me until I hit upon a quick fix. That roll of black electrical tape came in handy. Laid down 3 strips across the top half of my face shield and blocked the sun perfectly.  After a 440 mile day, we arrived at the AmericInn (how clever) and luxuriated in the swimming pool with other two wheel travelers recovering from the heat.

The Silversides: For Frank Sierra

Leaving on the ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee, we passed by the WWII era sub, the Silversides.

Woodstock, Ontario

No, it's not Route 28 West in NY.  There is a Woodstock in Canada, as well as New York, Vermont, Virginia, Illinois and various other states.

On the shores of Lake Michigan

Reporting right now from Muskegon, Michigan where we'll board a ferry across Lake Michigan and debark in Milwaukee for the next leg of our journey to Sturgis, South Dakota. With a couple of hours on our hands, I'll bring this narrative up to date.

We departed from Woodstock, NY on Wednesday 8/4 at 10 am. The Wing is packed to capacity for 2 people on a 30 day tour. We're disciplined in our packing, with only a few changes of clothes, necessities, a camera and laptop for the duration. The first day's ride took us along the NYS Thruway to Buffalo, then north to Niagara Falls, where we crossed into Canada. Weather was hot and humid the whole day, but we made decent time and rode 374 miles before finding a hotel near the Canadian side of the falls.

Our room overlooked the Niagara river, downstream of the falls. Notably, the room was furnished with a king size bed, and a huge, red, heart-shaped jacuzzi with mirrored walls on 2 sides. Resembling a honeymoon haven or a trysting suite, it reminded me of a hotel we tried in Caen, France during our honeymoon, a quarter century ago. That room was painted cerulean blue, and hung with erotic-ish paintings, while the featured attraction were the ceilings, mirrored for entertainment.

Too tired after a long day's riding, we skipped the jacuzzi, ventured out for drinks and dinner, and then fell off to sleep with the promise of more riding the next day bringing us closer to our destination.

We awoke Thursday morning to breakfast at a passable hotel buffet, packed up our gear and motored off to visit Niagara Falls. Streets crowded with tourists and traffic greeted us, as the heavily laden Wing maneuvered slowly, trying to find a parking spot. The American falls, across the river looked tiny in comparison to the vast Canadian horshoe falls. Unable to debike anywhere nearby, we rode the length of the town 4 times, marveling at the sights, and then turned onto Queen Elizabeth Highway going west across Ontario.

Ontario is farm country sprouting cornfields everywhere you look. Heat and humidity demanded that we constantly hydrate, so we took a cool-off break at a roadside Burger King. "Oh, you're the Goldwing riders," a woman's voice exclaimed. It was Trish and Tom from Michigan, fellow motoryclists who stopped to talk (as bikers commonly do) about roads, riding, destinations etc. They gave us a couple of pointers about Sturgis, and rode off themselves.

Barb and I continued across Ontario in the heat, eventually reaching Sarnia, where we would cross back into the US, in Michigan. Sarnia was one gigantic construction zone, and heavy traffic crawled for 8 kilometers toward the bridge. After 2 hours of stop and go, breathing truck fumes, and with a cramping clutch hand, we reached the toll booth and were informed that it would take another 45 minutes to cross into the US.

Exhausted, exasperated and exclaiming that "They won't let us leave Canada!" I pulled into the duty-free parking lot to rest, get a cold drink and assess the traffic. Cars and trucks were crawling uphill on the bridge, a prospect that my left hand would not undertake just then. Inquiring of the duty-free personnel, they told us that traffic had been awful for over a week, due to delays on the American side at customs. Resigned to passing an entire afternoon and potentially evening at this petit coffee shop, we strolled then through the shops and purchased a bottle of my favorite Irish whiskey, Tullamore Dew, at 50% off. After 2 hours, at last the sun hid out behind cloud cover, and we decided to chance the bridge. It was at least 45 minutes until we arrived in Port Huron Michigan, where we were in no mood to find the monument to the founding of SDS, as requested by Bob Rhodes. (Sorry Bob!)

Another 40 miles or so took us to Flint Michigan, where at 9:30 in the evening, we found a modest, budget motel and rapidly nodded off to sleep. End of the second day.

MISSION STATEMENT

WingTravels describes the voyages of Howard and Barbara Schamest, riding a white 2008 Honda Goldwing. On August 4th, two days from today, we'll begin what I've dubbed "Ride Across America." It suggests a quest and so it will be.

Leaving from Woodstock New York, our first destination lies halfway across the country in Sturgis, South Dakota, and a motorcycle rally that draws thousands every year.