Day 20, Niagara Falls, Home, Summary

Day 20, Friday 6/29 –Saginaw MI to Wayland NY, 410 miles/7562 ttl

The decision was to cross Canada to NY rather than go south to Rt 90 & Cleveland. The trip across Canada was uneventful (good news) but the delay at the Lewiston bridge was 2 hours so I made my way to the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. It was a beautiful day at the falls and the tourists were out in full force but the crossing only took about 20 minutes.

Niagara Falls

Summary:

20 days

Total miles = 7562

Average miles/day = 378

Max miles/day= 1029, St Louis to Albuquerque

149.1 gals of gas

Average 50.7 mpg

We encountered almost no rain. A few spatters near St. Louis and a few more in upper Michigan but the roads didn’t even get wet.

We did have HEAT. Several times we saw triple digits. It was 110F in Las Vegas.

I could live without Denver and Las Vegas.

No major incidents on the bikes

I did encounter ~10 miles of bad road in Montana due to construction. Learning – when the sign says “Motorcycles consider alternative route” do it!

Lodging was hard to find in North Dakota due to the oil boom and I had to travel into the night and a couple hundred miles further than plan.

The bike ran flawlessly, hour after hour, in the heat and heavily loaded. The only thing that failed was the “info” button and it should be a warranty item.

Highlights

The high desert in Arizona

Independence Pass – Colorado & the Rockies in general
Million Dollar Highway

The Durango to Silverton Train

Arches National Park
Jeeps in Canyonland National Park (my favorite)

Daniel & Canyon De Chelly

The Grand Canyon (Nancy’s favorite)

Chief Joseph Highway & Beartooth Pass

The prairie in Wyoming, Montana & North Dakota (away from the oil boom)
Speed limits on rural 2 lane roads out west (65 - 70 mph)
Gas prices anywhere away from NYS

Lowlights

Humidity & allergies everywhere east of the Mississippi

Construction & dirt/gravel roads on a heavily loaded road bike

Triple digit heat

Drivers in NYS – Friday the 29^th, everyone was in in “get to 4^th of July vacation” mode and they were aggressive and rude.

I did note that people were more likely to approach and start a conversation out west, were friendlier at stops and more polite on the highway in general.

Would I do it again – absolutely, starting tomorrow. I need to service the bike and wash my clothes. I would look for some new roads (not all) and skip Denver & Las Vegas. I would include Glacier National Park in Montana and more time at the Grand Canyon for starters.

Touring on a motorcycle is very different than traveling in a car. It is difficult to covey but a key difference is you are not isolated from the environment – you travel in it.

Great ride/great vacation.

BTW - This blog had 337 page views (not counting mine for updates). Thank you for keeping track of us!
Dave

Day 19, Mackinac Bridge

Day 19, Thursday 6/28 – Duluth MN to Saginaw MI, 606 miles/7152 ttl

The first 250 miles across the Upper Peninsula was smooth roads lined with trees, the last 130 included views of Lake Michigan, then came the Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Bridge.  The bridge is 5 miles long and 552 feet high and provides incredible views of both Lakes Michigan and Huron during the trip over it.

The picture does not do the situation justice. The bike is filthy and covered with bugs.

Look close - Eewww!

Day 18, Eastern ND to Duluth

Day 18, Wednesday 6/27 –Bottineau ND to Duluth MN (via International Falls), 527 miles/6546 ttl

Northern – eastern North Dakota is not experiencing the oil boom. The soil is black, rock free and very rich.  The fields are flat and huge and there is water everywhere – unlike Montana. There are miles and miles of yellow canola. 

Yellow Canola to the horizon

Minnesota seemed familiar – a lot like NY with tree lined roads, 55 mph speed limits and very muggy temps.  55 mph seems like crawling after running 65 to 70 (on 2 lane roads) throughout the west.

Day 17, Montana & ND Oil

Day 17, Tuesday 6/26 – Great Falls MT to Bottineau ND, 621 miles/6019 ttl

Route 2 across Montana provides a taste of the big prairie with hundreds of miles of grassland and fields of wheat. The equipment the farmers were using were as big as the 1000 acre fields. The towns were typically a collection of small tight houses around a huge grain elevator.

The Missouri River near Fort Peck

Trains & Grain Elevators were a common theme

Western North Dakota = oil = boom towns

I turned north in Williston (just over the state line) to try and get away from the trucks of all sizes, traffic and smell of crude. Towns away from Williston & Minot are tiny and spread far apart. The lack of gas stations caught me by surprise and provided a few worry some miles.  The display on the bike said I had 12 miles worth of gas left when I found a (closed) station in Bowbells (population 336) that took a credit card at the pump.

Every motel was filled with oil workers. I had to travel 200 miles from Williston and into the night to find a vacancy.

The beautiful rolling prairie is dotted with small lakes and new oil & gas wells – everywhere.

Day 16, Beartooth Pass

Day 16, Monday 6/25 – Cody WY to Great Falls MT, 415 miles/5398 ttl

Chief Joseph Memorial Highway is the very picture picturesque road to the Beartooth Highway and Beartooth Pass. 

The Highway on the way to the Pass

We took our time and stopped often on both highways to enjoy the dramatic scenes and cool temps. The land changed from rolling grasslands with lots of beef cattle to steep pine forested mountains and raging streams.

At the top of the pass a lift was operating and people were skiing. It is well above the tree line.

At the top Beartooth Pass, 10947 ft

The "Daves" - there was ice on the lake

Ginny & Dave

I split with Dave & Ginny at Billings MT and headed west and north to Great Falls where I start my way back east. Dave and Ginny headed east to visit family near Chicago.

With Montana came green fields, crops and lots of cattle, allergies, the sound of birds at the rest stops and BUGS. My windshield and helmet shield look like a random spattering of sick Technicolor bug splats. Montana roads are smooth and lightly traveled. Limits on the 4 lane are 75 mph and 2 lane are 70 mph. People are friendly and talkative and attitudes are lenient. In both Cody WY and Great Falls MT I saw people riding wheelers on the main roads.


About half way between Billings and Great Falls I thought I was running into a weather system but it turned out to be the high haze from forest fires to the west.

The hammer east to humidity and slower roads starts on Tuesday.

Day 15, Cody WY

Day 15, Sunday 6/24 – Green River WY to Cody WY, 291 miles/4983 ttl

Wyoming is a state of big spaces, beef cattle and working people.  We traveled though the big empty, incredible vistas and deep river gorges.  Most of the rural 2 lane roads we have traveled on in the west have
 been 65 mph so the miles slide by.

The big empty between Rock Springs & Farson

Near the Continental Divide

Greybull River Gorge

Cody - But it's dry heat...right

Day 14, Flaming Gorge

Day 14, Saturday 6/23 – Beaver UT to Green River WY, 406 miles/4692 ttl

Today we pushed further north and across the continental divide (again) on route 191 in Utah. Elevation at the summit was 9114 ft and it was deliciously cool.

View from the summit

Further on the (91 mile long) reservoir in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area was like a blue jewel in the desert.

Sweeping curves, smooth roads, stunning vistas, it was a great ride.

Classic South West