Trip Out West - Part 3

The bike was packed by 7:00. It was already raining...

It rained rained for over 3 hours, sometimes very hard. My new Goretex-lined waterproof boots failed me - well, sort of. My jeans weren't totally covered by the rain suit, and got soaked. This soaked into my socks and wicked down my socks into my boots. If it weren't in the 40's I wouldn't have minded so much, but my feet started to freeze... And my hands...! By the time I stopped for gas my hands were so wet and cold I couldn't move my fingers to pull off my gloves.  Ahhh......that's why they call this an "adventure"...!

When I got to North Dakota the weather cleared, and eventually turned quite sunny and warm. This allowed me to drive for quite an extended period -- a total of 819 miles -- ending in Glendive, Montana.

Along the way I passed "Jack" on his Harley. He caught up to me, then followed me to my next gas stop. It turned out he was driving in the same direction for about 300 miles, driving from his home in Minnesota to his new construction job in North Dakota. He waited for me while I had a quick lunch, then we drove out together. The goal was to drive about 10 MPH over the speed limit, but that plan flew out the window when we followed some pace cars with radar detectors. Let's just say me shortened the time of the trip considerably...

Jack from Minnesota

Today's travels took me from Wisconson through Minnesota, North Dakota, and to Montana. I stopped in Glendive, having accumulated about 830 miles for the day (>1300 km).

(Click on map to enlarge)

Here's a quick snapshot I took in North Dakota:

(Click on image to enlarge)

Today? Not sure how far I'll get, but I'd like to get as many miles in as possible. I'm sure the Rockies will slow me down considerably, not just because of the twists and turns, but because of the scenery I'll want to stop to take pictures of... 

Comments

Unknown said…
You are seeing such awesome sights... good for you... keep those all in your minds eye to tell me all the stories behind them when you get back. :-)
10:20 PM
Anonymous said…
Peter it was awesome to have got to road trip with you for that short time. I hope to meet again some day.
Keep the wheels down my friend :)

Jack.
6:31 AM
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