2008 Nowhere Ride Around The Great Lakes!
Brad rode from Utah through Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa until he arrived at Bill’s house in Illinois. The trip across Interstate 80 was anything but typical. Brad had to endure a snow storm, hail, rain and tornado winds. In Nebraska Brad dodged a full size cabin cruiser boat! He is still wondering where it came from, there was no trailer, no truck and no lake around to explain why that large boat was in the middle of the highway! Brad stopped at the Nebraska State HOG Rally in Fremont (May 23rd 2008). He met the woman who was finished number 2 or 3 in the ABC’s of Touring Contest the year before-on a Sportster!
On Memorial Day we left Bill’s house in the Quad Cities, Illinois and headed north along the Mississippi River and crossed in Dubuque, Iowa. It was a nice ride through the farms and along the river. Once we crossed the river going east, we followed highway 151 north toward Madison, Wisconsin. We tried to detour south to go around Madison but for some reason the highway we got on only went west. At one point the east and north bound signs would have had us going in circles so we ignored the signs and used some common sense to go northeast regardless of what the signs were displaying. Eventually we found highway 151 again and headed toward Fond Du Lac where we decided to take highway 41 around Lake Winnebago and toward Green Bay. We were making good time enjoying the warm spring day. We stopped just north of Lake Winnebago to take off our leather jackets and take a break.
Once we got back on the road we headed toward the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We thought we’d ride until we found a small town north of Green Bay and find a campsite for the night. It felt like 80 degrees when we noticed a blanket of clouds moving in. We were a little concerned about rain and thought that the temperature would change a little. Change a little? The FREEZING wind bit through our chaps---it dropped to about 30 degrees! That makes the wind chill let’s say REALLY COLD!! We had to pry our fingers from the handlebars when we stopped for fuel! Did I mention we thought about camping? As if the cold was not enough to make us want a hotel but the campsites had signs warning of bears! That made the decision a tough one—hotel here we come! We were on a desolate road with puny pine trees on our west and Lake Michigan with her choppy waves and cold wind on our east. It was a site to remember with the gray sky, rough waves, freezing wind through the pine trees, caution for bear postings and no sign of any hotels!! We pressed on to Escanaba, Michigan since it was the next biggest town on our paper map. As if the cold was not enough...the shifter linkage on Bill's bike broke leaving him in 5th gear as we entered Escanaba! Luckily Brad had some Booby Trap Trip Wire to make our first road side repair.
Once we got back on the road we headed toward the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We thought we’d ride until we found a small town north of Green Bay and find a campsite for the night. It felt like 80 degrees when we noticed a blanket of clouds moving in. We were a little concerned about rain and thought that the temperature would change a little. Change a little? The FREEZING wind bit through our chaps---it dropped to about 30 degrees! That makes the wind chill let’s say REALLY COLD!! We had to pry our fingers from the handlebars when we stopped for fuel! Did I mention we thought about camping? As if the cold was not enough to make us want a hotel but the campsites had signs warning of bears! That made the decision a tough one—hotel here we come! We were on a desolate road with puny pine trees on our west and Lake Michigan with her choppy waves and cold wind on our east. It was a site to remember with the gray sky, rough waves, freezing wind through the pine trees, caution for bear postings and no sign of any hotels!! We pressed on to Escanaba, Michigan since it was the next biggest town on our paper map. As if the cold was not enough...the shifter linkage on Bill's bike broke leaving him in 5th gear as we entered Escanaba! Luckily Brad had some Booby Trap Trip Wire to make our first road side repair.
Escanaba, Michigan: We asked directions to the nearest hotel in Escanaba only to arrive and find that it was full. The bell hop told us of another hotel about 10 or 12 miles further that had rooms available and a bar that was open. Brad was more concerned if the hotel was 10 or 12 miles away. The bell hop said it was closer to 10 miles not 12 miles. Brad asked him if it were 10 we’d ride but not 12! It was apparent that the cold temperature had numbed our brains since we were standing inside the lobby of a hotel that was full and our only option seemed to ride 10 or 12 more miles to the next hotel that the bell hop had called to confirm they had rooms available. It we were numb and shaking uncontrollable from the cold. That extra too miles seemed unbearable but we were willing to ride 10 miles more!
Engadine, Michigan: The next day we were ready for the cold temperatures and rode toward Sault Ste Marie to cross the border into Canada. Along the way we stopped for lunch at a little dinner in Engadine. The diner appeared to be someone’s house that was converted to a diner. This fits our rule for eating at local restaurants and avoiding the chain restaurants. In this part of the country this was not a problem. We haven’t passed too much of anything since was left Escanaba. We walked inside the diner and were greeted by a joyful young lady behind a counter. The menu was written on a chalk board and some fresh baked goods were on display in the glass under the counter. We placed our order and she asked what we wanted to drink. Brad noted that drink choices were not on the menu. He asked if she had some lemonade. She took two steps backwards, opened the refrigerator door and exclaimed that there was still some in the pitcher. What a great place! They had fresh lemonade in a regular pitcher in the refrigerator and not a fountain machine. We sat down to realize that everyone had stopped talking and was staring at us. Then we heard the celestial music coming from speakers rigged to the ceiling. One group of older ladies actually left as we were sitting down. Perhaps coincidence but that group of ladies was over half the diner. It seemed empty now with the exception of two smaller groups. We tried hard to strike a conversation but he staff were the only people that responded. Neat place thought. We’ll never forget the young lady checking the refrigerator for lemonade. That was cool and she was so enthusiastic about it.
Sudbury, Ontario: Our trip got interesting when we stopped in Sudbury for the night. We were hungry and wanted to have a couple drinks and thought a local pub would be just the place. After all, one of our main rules is to avoid chain restaurants. First we needed a place to stay. The first hotel we found was full. Some convention was in town and filled all the hotels. The hostess at the hotel was kind enough to take up the search for rooms at other hotels in the area. This was great. After several telephone calls she was successful and booked a room for us at a hotel in downtown Sudbury. We chatted about the eateries in town and asked about local pubs. She recommended a great pub near our hotel so we were set. On the way back to our bikes we chatted with another local who recommended the same pub. So down town we headed. Checked in at the hotel and again asked for recommendations to a good local pub. The hotel bell hop told us about the same place. It has to be a great place! We unpacked the bikes, washed up and headed out on foot to find this great pub everyone was recommending to us. We followed the directions and walked to this notorious pub that everyone seemed so excited to tell us about. We opened the door, walked inside allowing our eyes to adjust to the darkness and BAM! We realized that the place was full of women strippers who had biceps bigger than our thighs! We did not even take the time to turn around--we immediately backed out with fear! "Pub" must have been a code word for stripper joint or something!
The Peddler’s Pub in Sudbury: We ended up finding a nice Irish Pub, The Peddler’s Pub, which did serve sandwiches and drinks---with no manly strippers! This was a great little place. We chatted with folks for hours. We had a great time. Upon telling the story about our search for a nice pub we realized that everyone must have stereo type us about preferring a rough stripper joint because we were two biker guys riding Harleys dressed in chaps and leather. Who would have known we are just two guys who like to ride motorcycles and eat at nice small town pubs? To those great folks at the Peddler’s Pub that night---thanks for the stories and hospitality!
The next morning we woke to a bright sunrise and 32 degree F temperature for the day. The temperature didn’t really bother us since we dressed for it. Sometimes the cooler temperatures are much more tolerable than the hotter temperatures.
The Shop in Sudbury: That morning Brad & I visited the local Harley Dealer. Brad needed an adjustment to his helmet microphone and I was wanted to get my shifter linkage looked at. We found the "The Shop" in Sudbury. The Shop had their grand opening about 20 days prior to our arrival. The construction fence was still surrounding the new building and the parking lot was yet to be paved. We arrived just before opening time that morning so we waited in the parking lot and watched the employees drive up and enter the building. We were in the service area using some wrenches to adjust the microphone when a man walks in wearing a very nice Marine Corps leather jacket. Brad greets the gentlemen, "Nice Jacket." The man without hesitation in his quick pace immediately snapped back, "Yeah, you have to freak'n earn it!" Brad & I looked at each other puzzled and chalked it up as being too early in the morning and the man simply didn't have his coffee yet....later inside we see the man again working at the merchandise counter. We were curious to find out what sparked the attitude because we feel that we definitely earned our privilege to wear the Marine Corps Eagle, Globe, and Anchor--Brad is a retired Marine and Bill is an active duty Marine! Turns out this man was stuck at a traffic accident and was a late for work at his new job, resulting in a bad mood. In conversation we learn that the man was a member of the Canadian Military. He trained with Marines at Camp Pendleton and other places. We found out that we had much more in common and ended up chatting about our military experiences. After he got his coffee he turned out to be a great guy! He gave both of us a Shop t-shirt. Thanks for the shirts! Semper Fidelis!
The Shop in Sudbury: That morning Brad & I visited the local Harley Dealer. Brad needed an adjustment to his helmet microphone and I was wanted to get my shifter linkage looked at. We found the "The Shop" in Sudbury. The Shop had their grand opening about 20 days prior to our arrival. The construction fence was still surrounding the new building and the parking lot was yet to be paved. We arrived just before opening time that morning so we waited in the parking lot and watched the employees drive up and enter the building. We were in the service area using some wrenches to adjust the microphone when a man walks in wearing a very nice Marine Corps leather jacket. Brad greets the gentlemen, "Nice Jacket." The man without hesitation in his quick pace immediately snapped back, "Yeah, you have to freak'n earn it!" Brad & I looked at each other puzzled and chalked it up as being too early in the morning and the man simply didn't have his coffee yet....later inside we see the man again working at the merchandise counter. We were curious to find out what sparked the attitude because we feel that we definitely earned our privilege to wear the Marine Corps Eagle, Globe, and Anchor--Brad is a retired Marine and Bill is an active duty Marine! Turns out this man was stuck at a traffic accident and was a late for work at his new job, resulting in a bad mood. In conversation we learn that the man was a member of the Canadian Military. He trained with Marines at Camp Pendleton and other places. We found out that we had much more in common and ended up chatting about our military experiences. After he got his coffee he turned out to be a great guy! He gave both of us a Shop t-shirt. Thanks for the shirts! Semper Fidelis!
Eric, the vice president, gave us a tour of The Shop and told us some history of Sudbury, the nickel mine and his father's snow mobile business that eventually led to them becoming a Harley Davidson Dealer. Thanks Eric for the tour and history! In our opinion The Shop dealership certainly ranks at the top for customer service.
Gowanda, New York: We ended up in Gowanda, New York during the 10th Annual Historic Hollywood Theater benefit ride and celebration. We had dinner at a small diner and got to see the motorcycle parade. The main street in front of the historical theater had four rows of motorcycles parked and the rest of the streets of this small town were full of bikes. The National Guard had the chopper that Orange County Choppers crafted on display. The celebration included an outdoor concert and tour of the historical theater which was pretty cool. We’ll have to stop by next year to get last year’s rally shirts on clearance!
Wadsworth, Ohio: We stopped in Wadsworth, Ohio to see The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall. It was in Wadsworth from May 30-June 2nd 2008. The Wall That Heals is dedicated to the Vietnam Veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice. The Wall helps the family members and friends of or fallen loved ones. The Traveling Wall was the reason we stopped in Wadsworth. It was a humbling experience. God Bless the dedicated volunteers who brought the Wall to Wadsworth.
It was pretty warm that afternoon at the Wall so we decided to visit the Wadsworth American Legion to cool off. The post gave us a warm welcome and we exchanged some stories with the President and patrons. After we finished our cokes (really-we don’t drink and ride!) we walked back to our bikes which were parked on the other side of the main street area. Once we got to our bikes we realized something very important. Our plan for that day only took us to the Wall! We didn’t know where to go next! We had enjoyed swapping stories with the folks in the American Legion so much that we thought we must be crazy for wanting to leave. So we grabbed our paper map from the bikes and walked back to the American Legion. We swapped some more stories while talking about other places to visit.
While sitting in the American Legion a gentleman walked in wearing a U.S. Olympics sweat suit. It seemed kinda odd and we didn’t recognize him from a Kellogg’s box. So we had to ask who he was. Turns out he was a real Olympian! His name is Gary Broadbent an Olympic Boomerang champion! I had to ask the same question my 8 year old son asked month ago…does boomerangs really return after they are thrown? Gary said he had a box of boomerangs in his car and he’d show us. OK this is crazy—why is he wearing his Olympic Team USA sweat suit and driving around town with a box full of boomerangs. We were beginning to think this guy was loony! Just kidding Gary! It all made sense once Gary explained that he give motivational speeches to children at schools. He just finished one of his motivational speeches and boomerang demonstration earlier that day. So Gary took us out his car in the parking lot to demonstrate that boomerangs really do return once thrown. It took Gary three throws to adjust for the wind. The first throw hit the car to the left. The second throw hit another car. At this time we started putting our guard up thinking some angry car owners were gonna attack us if this keeps up. Gary didn’t mind-he was confident that no one would mess with him while the two biker guys were near. On the third throw the boomerang return right back to Gary’s hand. It worked! Boomerangs work! Who knew we'd meet a boomerang champion on our bike trip to nowhere. Gary, Thanks for the boomerangs!! Boomerangs are COOOOL!
Indiana-Illinois states line: Somewhere along the way we were caught in a down pour of rain. Visibility was zero! We pulled off and stopped at a coffee shop for shelter. Over coffee we exchanged stories with an old timer farmer. He was telling us about how technology has advanced the farming industry and how the new machines have GPS and computers to plan and tend to the needs of the crops. This farmer showed us a picture of his Harley which he kept in his wallet. It was a nice Electra Glide with some young model perched on it. We asked if the model was his daughter; with his age it could be more like a granddaughter. To our surprise it was his wife! According to his old farmer he was in heaven with the Harley and young woman.
Indiana-Illinois states line: Somewhere along the way we were caught in a down pour of rain. Visibility was zero! We pulled off and stopped at a coffee shop for shelter. Over coffee we exchanged stories with an old timer farmer. He was telling us about how technology has advanced the farming industry and how the new machines have GPS and computers to plan and tend to the needs of the crops. This farmer showed us a picture of his Harley which he kept in his wallet. It was a nice Electra Glide with some young model perched on it. We asked if the model was his daughter; with his age it could be more like a granddaughter. To our surprise it was his wife! According to his old farmer he was in heaven with the Harley and young woman.
The next morning we crossed the state line. We started riding that morning with our rain suits on. The rain suits were starting to get hot and there were dark skies but no rain. We stopped and took the suits off. A few miles from the state line we stopped for fuel. This gas station minimart was in the middle of nothing but farm fields but close to the road. We were grateful for the covered pumps because no sooner than we started fueling the bike the sky lit up with bolts of lightning and loud thunder. Rain came down in a heavy stream instead of drops! In seconds about a quarter inch of water was in the parking lot. Brad dodged house boats in Nebraska but did not want to even think about riding in this storm. We pushed the bikes away from the gas pumps and ran inside were we ate lunch and waited for the storm to pass.
Warren County, Missouri: We were heading for the Harley Davidson factor in Kansas City Missouri. We rode through St. Louis and saw the Gateway Arch. We stopped at town in Warren County for dinner and to find a hotel for the night. This is where we learned an important lesson. We stayed in a hotel without a bar. We do not want to drink and ride so we walked to the closest bar about a quarter mile up a hill. This was the type of place that seemed like they didn’t like outsiders. Definitely a brawler bar. We sat at the bar, ordered our drinks and asked for a menu. Everything we asked for was not available. We were told the truck that delivers the meat or sauce did not arrive today. We drank our drinks and set out for the next bar and grille. We walked past the hotel and down the hill to a bar and grille that seemed a little more welcoming. It served some good food and drinks. We closed the place down and discovered that the hill we walked down from the hotel had grown. We didn’t remember it being that long or steep. There were no sidewalks either! So we decided that walking while intoxicated could be just as dangerous as riding. This experience taught us to stay at a hotel that has a bar connected.
Kansas City, Missouri: We stopped at the Harley Davidson Factory in Kansas City with intentions to take the factory tour. Turns out the factory was closed to tours because they were making some modifications to the line. Someone suggested that the factory was working on a new model and was trying to keep it a secret. Who knows…we’ll have to stop another time to get the tour.
St. Joseph Missouri: Since the factory was closed we decided to head north so Bill could head back to Illinois and Brad could continue west to Utah. Bill was running low on oil so we stopped at St Joseph Harley Davidson. The staff was pretty friendly and the dealership has some neat antique motorcycles on display. We we told some of our stories about the trip. Someone suggested that we write a book about our trips and told us of other riders that have written books. Well this is not a book but we are testing the waters to see if we have the ability to entertain with words.
We ate lunch at a tasty restaurant across the street from St. Joe HD. The waitress was really great. She was able to read our minds about our orders. We are not exactly sure if she had the ability to read our mind or direct us on what side dishes to try or else. She would have put us in head lock if we didn’t listen. There was group of about four bikers from Virginia traveling from Sturgis during the off season that sat at the table next to us. The waitress greeted them the same which was entertaining!
At some point between talking to folks in St. Joe and the restaurant we learned that the Pony Express Auto Route was nearby. We decided to go find the Pony Express Trail and follow it! There was some construction so we took a detour north into Nebraska.
Auburn, Nebraska: The ride from St Joe and the heat had us ready to stop for the evening in time to enjoy dinner and sit and talk since this was the last leg of our trip together. We stopped in Auburn to fuel up and thought we’d ask the attendant about any local hotel and bars. Our experience with the hill and brawler’s bar in Missouri was still fresh in our mind. The attendant told recommended a place that we thought we’d visit. It was early enough to ride to another town if we didn’t have a good feeling about this town. The directions took us thought a small residential area and we found the bar with no problem. It was a nice quiet down town area with old building which we liked. We walked inside the bar in the middle of the afternoon and it was standing room only. It was anything but quiet inside! Really surprising for a small town we almost rode past. This was like no other happy hour we’d seen. We started chatting with a couple who told us they just came from a funeral. To our surprise the bar was full of people from the funeral. They were celebrating just the way the deceased person requested. It was a great time. We learned about the two power stations in the area. One was coal and the other was nuclear. The group of folks we exchanged stories with worked at both. We closed this bar down too. We could not have selected a better place to stop.
Oh, we nearly forgot one small detail. While at the funeral party the televisions kept showing a tornado warning for the area just north of Auburn. As the afternoon went on the tornado warning turned into a tornado sighting, then a touchdown. Then another town reported a touchdown. We were in Nebraska. Brad started getting concerned about dodging house boats on the highway. Good thing we did stay in Auburn and not went any further north. The next morning we saw the wreckage. Bill rode though southern Iowa and saw grain silos shredded and houses scatters across farmland. Bill had to detour several times due to the roads being flooded or debris in the roads. It was humbling to see the devastation and displaced folks.
Oh, we nearly forgot one small detail. While at the funeral party the televisions kept showing a tornado warning for the area just north of Auburn. As the afternoon went on the tornado warning turned into a tornado sighting, then a touchdown. Then another town reported a touchdown. We were in Nebraska. Brad started getting concerned about dodging house boats on the highway. Good thing we did stay in Auburn and not went any further north. The next morning we saw the wreckage. Bill rode though southern Iowa and saw grain silos shredded and houses scatters across farmland. Bill had to detour several times due to the roads being flooded or debris in the roads. It was humbling to see the devastation and displaced folks.
Hey our 2008 trip was an experience that we could not have planned if we tried. In 2009 we plan to go through Maine and toward New Brunswick. Who knows where we’ll end up! Our plan is to ride in a general direction with no expectations, stay off the main highways, eat at the local diners and enjoy visiting parts of this great county that are represented by small dots on our paper map.
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