SUMMER TRIP TO EDMONTON AB IV

“,,,it’s about the journey, not the destination”

I never knew there was a town named Anamoose North Dakota!

        As I was loading the bike I decided to see if I could put the liner from the broken saddlebag into the travelbox. It fit with just some adjusting of the contents of the travelbox. As I was packing for this trip I wanted gear for a variety of temperatures. Edmonton is pretty far north, and I had ridden across North and South Dakota in the summer when it had been terribly hot. I needed to prepare for both extremes. 

So much country to seem but you can’t appreciate it unless you get off of the interstate.

       Wide open spaces, little traffic allowed me to just cruise along at 65-70 mph. The Spyder is great at covering ground. The blue tooth stereo worked well and I just settled in listening to music on Sirius from the 70’s. Today was around 400 miles, so it allowed me to stop mid morning and read for a while. From Minnesota into North Dakota towns are a distance apart. The reserve light came on a couple of times this day, but there was no problem. Once I crossed the border into Canada I would need to be more careful.

One thing about the roads out here is that they are mostly straight.

        Once again clouds made an appearance. I had ridden through some light rain, and some very heavy rain. The Spyder gives you enough protection that you don’t have to stop and put on a rain suit unless it is  a heavy rain. 

One of those special people you meet on a trip like this.

        I pulled into Minot around 5:30pm. After checking into the motel I decided to go out for dinnner. Looking at information I found a 50s diner fairly near my motel. Right up my alley. I ordered my meal and became aware of an “older” gentle man. He seemed to be a regular. He knew the waitstaff by name and they engaged in a running conversation with him through dinner. He had noticed my license plate and was curious about my trip. We ended up sitting there talking for over an hour, and finally the server told us it was time for them to close. We thanked them and I left a good tip. As we parted ways I was once again reminded that one of the favorite aspects of touring on a motorcycle was the people you meet. Back at the motel I settled in and watched a movie. Tomorrow I would cross into Canada. It would be just about another 400 miles to Saskatoon SK. 

Notice all of the traffic going by? 

"...it's about the journey, not the destination..."

     I've been motorcycling for over 50 years. In that time I have learned a few things, and made a BUNCH of mistakes. I am a touring rider, not a sport rider. What this means to me is that I feel that the real value of motorcycling is in going on trips, riding the backroads, as much as possible, meeting new people, enjoying "the journey."

cb400F Super Sport 

      While I am a touring for rider that doesn't mean I spend all day, every day on the interstate. Like most riders I love the twisties. I have 10 motorcycles in the garage, ranging from a Moto Guzzi v50 that I bought when I did my student teaching in Germany, a Honda cb400F that I bought for $250, to a Honda ST1100, a BMW R1150GS and a Honda FSC600 Silverwing scooter, my most recent purchase.

ST 1100 on the Blue Ridge Parkway

     I have ridden in Germany (when there was still a Wall!!), over much of Canada, and 46 of the 48 contiguous states. When I was younger I camped most of the time (I was BROKE!!!) but now I usually stay in motels. I really enjoy riding 200 to 300 miles a day, on "back roads," but sometimes you just have to cover miles to get where you want to be.

at Mount Rushmore

     Last summer I took a trip with my good friend Curt to the Dakotas. We rode 500 miles the first two days, which got us to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After that we rode 200 to 300 miles a day until the last day, which was another 500 mile day. You might think this is a lot, but remember the activity each day was to ride the motorcycle. We ended up doing 5,000 miles in two weeks, and had a great time.

1150GS in Florida 

     This summer I'm going to take a "..trip of a lifetime." I leave on June 1st for a 5 week trip to Alaska on the BMW. A few years ago I broke my ankle and was laid up for 6 weeks. During that time I discovered Long Way Down and Long Way Round, the two programs that Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman made about their journeys from the top of Scotland to the southern tip of Africa, and from London across Europe and Asia to Alaska and on to New York. Those two programs inspired me to buy the BMW R1150GS. This summer I plan to do a trip across Canada to Alaska, then down to Washington, Oregon, to Colorado and Pikes Peak, and then home. Over 10,000 miles. Sounds like fun.