This is the route we planned to ride on this day. It got modified after I missed a turn.
My alarm went off at 5:30 AM. While I was excited to begin the trip, I wasn’t excited enough to hop out of bed. I turned off the alarm and rolled onto my back which usually is enough to keep me awake, or at least keep the dozing on the lighter side. I laid there for ten or fifteen minutes then finally roused myself enough to make it to the bathroom. After a shower and shave I got dressed and came out to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast. I ate some oatmeal and reviewed our route on Google maps.
Jon texted me about 6:35 to tell me he was on the way over to my house. This was a few minutes earlier than I expected, so I quick finished up my breakfast and put my final items in my bag. I backed the motorcycle out of the garage and into the driveway. Tundra Girl and Boy were still asleep and had no intentions of getting up to see me off, so I decided it wouldn’t be prudent to fire up the bike while it was still inside the garage.
I had my bike loaded and was just going through my final checklist when Jon rode up. We chatted for a couple minutes and then hit the road.
The morning was pleasant, in the low 70s with a bit of humidity. I opted to wear a jacket because I knew from experience that on humid days once you get up to highway speeds the moisture in the air can make things a bit chilly.
Today’s destination was Duluth. Rather than taking the quickest and shortest route there we opted to go through back roads and meander about to see the sights. It was going to add 200 miles to the trip (and make for a long 1st day of riding) but the purpose of a motorcycle trip is just that: to ride our motorcycles. So the extra mileage was part of the fun.
We headed north on interstate 29 out of Sioux Falls. There was a slight tail wind which made for some very pleasant riding. I rode in the lead with Jon following. Last year Jon would often lead on the interstate stretches so he could use his cruise control, but this year I led the whole trip. I tried to modulate my speed the best I could but it’s tough, especially if I try and save my wrist by utilizing my throttle lock. My bike would accelerate on the downhill stretches and slow way down on the uphill sections. Jon would try to match my average speed which meant going up hills he’d be right behind me and going down he’d drop back a bit.
We were barely an hour down the road when I noticed two things about my recent 50 pound weight loss. The first, which was a positive, was that my jacket and leather vest fit much better. Two years ago my vest was so tight it wouldn’t stay buttoned. On last year’s trip I purchased some vest extenders to keep the thing shut. This year I removed the extenders and still had about six inches of extra space with all the buttons fastened, even with my jacket on underneath. So in that regard I was much more comfortable.
What I didn’t expect about the weight loss was how much less padding I had underneath me. I was using my beaded seat cover which usually does wonders for increasing my comfort. This year even with the beads I found myself sitting right on my bones which became somewhat irritated and caused me to have to shift around more often. Even my backrest became less comfortable as now it was pressing directly on my spine rather than a layer of fatty cushion. Despite constant shifting and changing of positions I quickly ran out of ways I could remain comfortable. As a result, I spent a good chunk of the trip in pain. Not agony, but just a dull, annoying reminder that I no longer have the same amount of padding in the nether regions. It's a good problem to have, I suppose.
About sixty miles north of Sioux Falls we got off the interstate east of Estelline, SD. We took highway 28 east just a few miles, then headed north on highway 15 towards Milbank, SD. Milbank was our first planned stop for gas. When we got off the interstate the clouds to the north looked rather ugly. We could see rain in the distance and the air had that distinct smell of an impending shower. The farther we got up highway 15 the more it looked like we were going to squeak between two large clouds on either side of us that were dropping precipitation. The pavement was slightly damp, so we knew it had rained recently from the first cloud. We were trying to get through the break between them before the second one let loose. For the most part we were successful. A few times it started to lightly mist, but never enough to require us to pull over and put on our raingear. I was fine with that.
Roughly 20 miles south of Milbank I was happily putting along when Jon suddenly pulled up beside me and motioned that he needed to pull over. We came to a stop and parked on the shoulder. As it turned out his left highway peg came loose and was dangling from his engine guard. Thankfully it didn’t fall off completely so we didn’t have to double back and do a search and rescue mission. He pulled out his tool kit and re-attached the peg while I walked around, stretched and took pictures. I’m helpful like that.
Back on the bikes we rolled into Milbank and pulled into the first gas station we encountered. Here comes a gross part of the story so if you’re somewhat squeamish go ahead and skip to the next paragraph. When I ride I wear earplugs to cut down on the roar of the wind and engine, and to attempt to preserve what little hearing I have left. I use the foam type that you compress and then stick into the ear canal, which then expand and block out sound. Often times there will be little bits of ear wax that stick to the ear plug when I remove them. The plug I pulled out of my right ear, however, had a gigantic chunk of wax stuck to it. Seriously, it was large enough that with it blocking my ear canal I really questioned my need to even wear earplugs. Being a typical guy, when I saw the amazing colossal chunk of ear wax I immediately began laughing. Jon asked what I was laughing at and I showed him. Him being a typical guy, he also started laughing. I then flicked the chunk of wax off the ear plug so that I might re-insert the plug once we fueled up.
After topping off our tanks we went inside to use the restroom, and bought some snacks. I grabbed what I thought was a diet iced-tea, but after I opened it I discovered I got the sugared version. Oh well, it’s vacation. Jon’s not a big breakfast guy and hadn't eaten anything before we left, so he bought a few snacks to munch on. His wife wanted him to call at our first stop. My wife would still be asleep and would kill me if I called and woke her up. We’re both obedient husbands, so he did and I didn't. I spent a couple minutes double-checking the directions for our route that I’d printed out via Google maps and attempted to memorize all of the upcoming turns we were to make.
The stop was a bit longer than planned, but eventually we roared on down the road heading northeast on highway 12 to Big Stone City where we were to cross over the border into Minnesota and then head north on highway 75. On the east side of Big Stone City I second-guessed that I had missed a turn, so I pulled over and checked my directions. I then led us back about a 1/4 mile and turned south. About another 1/2 mile down that highway I third-guessed myself and pulled over again to look at the directions. Google map’s directions aren’t the most clear thing I’ve ever seen. I determined that the original path was correct so we did another U-turn and found our way back onto highway 12. We eventually located highway 75 and headed north.
The clouds were starting to break up and the sun was coming out. The wind was still at our back. Speaking of back, my back side was hurting. At Graceville we turned right to head back east on highway 28.
My original route had us heading north on highway 13 at Chokio. Unfortunately the Google directions didn’t say "turn left on highway 13 in Chokio," it just said, "turn left on highway 13." I missed the sign for the highway and rode straight through. Around Alberta, MN I was strongly suspecting that I missed the turn, plus I needed the bathroom. So I turned down a street in town to check the directions again.
After confirming that I indeed took us about seven miles past our turn, we re-evaluated our original route. The Google directions had us weaving east and north through a bunch of small county roads. It looked like a recipe for getting lost. I noted that if we continued east on highway 28 for another seven miles we would hit Morris, MN and then could pick up highway 59 which would take us north up to I-94, which we could then take west to get back on our original route. It would add nearly 30 miles to the trip, but would probably save me from pulling over and checking the directions a dozen more times. So we took a vote and it was unanimous to change our route.
As long as we were stopped, we both needed a restroom break due to the fluids we ingested during our gas stop. We rode down the street looking for any open business that might have a rest room, but didn’t find anything. So we turned around and then spotted a whole row of porta-potties lined up behind a building. I’m not sure why they were there, but I’m glad they were. We made a pit stop and round some relief.
The next few hours on our amended route weren’t all that exciting. Much of rural Minnesota looks similar to rural South Dakota, with a few thousand more lakes. I did find it interesting that in the town of Elbow Lake, MN, the lake located next to it is actually called Pomme De Terra lake. Maybe the real Elbow Lakie is hiding?
After what seemed like far too long we reached I-94 and swung back west for about 10 miles until highway 59 again headed north. I was intrigued by a few flocks of pelicans I saw flying in "V" formation. I knew geese flew like this, but didn’t know that pelicans did too. A few miles up highway 59 we went through the town of Pelican Rapids and realized that from what I'd seen in the sky, it’s not just a made-up name.
By the way when geese fly in their "V" formation, do you know why one leg of the "V" is longer than the other? Because there are more geese on that side!
Nearly 300 miles since we left home we arrived at Detroit Lakes which was going to be a gas and lunch stop. When looking for a good place to eat in Detroit Lakes I Googled "best restaurant in Detroit Lakes, MN" and the overwhelming consensus of the interweb was that we should stop at a place called Zorbaz. So we did.
Zorbaz is an interesting little place. It’s a little bar and grill that looks like some place where Jimmy Buffet would hang out. Half of the seating was indoor, and half was outdoor. We’d been outdoor all morning and the temps were starting to rise, so we opted for the indoor seating in the air conditioning. The guy at the door told us to "seat yourself and walk up to the bar to order when you’re ready." We looked around and there were a few booths, and a bunch of tables with stools. Being tired from our ride we opted to grab the last booth available.
The restaurant was rather dark and my eyes were pretty well adapted to the bright sun outside. Combine that with my age and reading the menu became a challenge. I finally was able to figure out what I wanted, but it took a while due to the small font. Zorbaz specializes in both pizza and Mexican food. I ordered a wet burrito and Jon ordered a pizza.
It took about twenty minutes for our orders to arrive. While we were waiting I sampled the many hot sauces sitting at the table. When my burrito showed up I was a little surprised with how small it looked. However once I got into it I realized that the plate was dished fairly deep and that there was a lot more food in front of me than I expected. It was tasty and I wound up being stuffed full. Jon reported that the pizza tasted very good, but after seeing my burrito he regretted he didn’t go in the Mexican direction as well.
Once we had eaten, our next goal was to get gas and find highway 21 north out of Detroit Lakes. We took a moment to apply sunscreen as it was now plenty warm and our jackets were no longer needed. I tried out Jon’s spray-on sunscreen. I liked how easy it was to apply, but I was less than impressed with the performance as I got just slightly red by the end of the day. As it turned out after I sprayed it on I was supposed to rub it into my skin, which I neglected to do. Also when it dried I felt kind of crispy like I'd sprayed my face with hairspray, but again maybe if I rubbed it in that wouldn’t have happened.
We found a gas station, then back-tracked and weaved through town to located highway 21. The Google directions were like deciphering hieroglyphics. Finally we were successfully heading north on the correct highway. That is until we hit a junction at White Earth and I made yet another wrong turn. A couple miles down the road I figured out we were heading in the wrong direction so we made another "U" turn and got straightened out again.
Highway 21 ended at the junction of highway 113, where we then headed east towards Lake Itasca (the headwaters of the Mississippi river.) This thirty-four mile stretch of highway turned into a great ride. The road curved back and forth through the trees. The curves were sharp enough to lean the bike over pretty good, but not so sharp that you were constantly shifting gears. There were hardly any junctions, so cross traffic wasn’t a danger. Traffic was light so we didn’t have to pass too many other vehicles. It was a lot of fun and I’m glad we made the time to ride this little piece of road even though it wasn’t the most direct route to Duluth.
All good roads eventually come to an end, and this one was no exception. At highway 71 we had to either go north or south. We turned south to head into Park Rapids even though heading north would have been the shorter route to Duluth. When plotting the course I was hoping that going this direction would be more interesting.
North of Park Rapids we passed another couple on motorcycles who were riding at a slower pace. Once we hit the town, I needed to stop and use the restroom. After we got back out to the bikes the couple pulled up next to us. I was worried that they were going to be mad about us passing them, but they were actually just looking for some friendly conversation with some fellow riders. We chatted for a couple minutes and then they went inside. I applied some more sun screen and we were off to continue our adventure.
Now we turned back east on highway 34. There was quite a bit of traffic on this road. In the town of Nevis I stopped to get a picture of Paul Bunyan.
I had received a recommendation that highway 64 was a scenic ride, so we turned and headed north at that junction and rode up to highway 2. While it was OK, I’m not sure I agreed with that person’s opinion. In retrospect, we should have headed north right off of 113 and taken that up to highway 2 at Bemidji. It would have shortened the ride slightly and been about the same scenery. Although I wouldn’t have seen Paul Bunyan, so I guess there's always a trade-off.
I had ridden highway 2 back in 2009 on my trip to Michigan. Not much had changed since then. It was a fast-moving four lane road, which this late in the day was a plus. However, the scenery wasn’t anything special, which this late in the day became wearisome. After what seemed like an eternity we arrived at the town of Deer River and made a gas stop.
Both Jon and I were getting pretty tired and sore, having traveled nearly 475 miles up to this point. Originally I had planned on leaving highway 2 and taking highway 6 south to Remer, then from there taking highway 200 which joins back up with highway 2. This was going to add about 25 miles to the trip versus just taking highway 2 directly into Duluth. The original planned route was about 120 miles, and the direct route was 95 miles. We had another discussion where we both were really wanting to just wrap up the day and get to our hotel, but at the same time highway 2 wasn’t all that exciting. After not feeling drawn strongly to either choice, I finally decided that we’d wait until we got to highway 6 and then I’d just make a choice at that point.
A few miles down the road we reached the junction of highway 6, and I decided to go for it. I turned south and was rewarded with a beautiful ride for the next 60 miles. It wasn’t quite as good as highway 113 a few hours earlier, but definitely more interesting than highway 2.
Speaking of highway 2, we got back on it and started heading east on our last stretch to Duluth. These last 60 miles crept by slowly. I was really looking forward to getting off the bike and relaxing a bit.
It was approaching the evening hours which is when the deer start to become active. I was trying to keep a vigilant eye out, and sure enough I suddenly spotted a doe and a fawn standing on the edge of the highway. I hit the brakes and veered to the left to give me a little space should they decide to run my direction. Thankfully they ran in the opposite direction which seems to be a rare thing with deer. Jon later remarked that he saw me swerve, but never saw the deer.
Just outside of Duluth we encountered a few little sprinkles of rain. The clouds didn’t look very threatening and the sky still had some blue showing. As happened earlier in the day, it never amounted to anything more than some sprinkles and some damp road.
At long last we arrived in Duluth. I led us onto interstate 35, then got off at our exit and found our hotel. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a Super 8. However we were tired enough that it looked like the Sheraton.
I took a handful of things off the bike and went to the front desk to check in. There were two ladies behind the desk who were very friendly and chatty. Once we got our keys we went up to the room and were delighted to discover the air conditioner was on full blast and the room was nice and cool. I ran down to the bike and got my bag.
It was now 8:00 PM, about 13 hours since we climbed on the bikes early that morning. We spent about 1/2 an hour in the room relaxing. I texted my wife to let her know I was alive, then looked at some maps and tried to gather some ideas for supper. I still was somewhat full from the burrito at lunch, but not full enough to want to skip supper altogether. I had brought a list of recommended restaurants in the Duluth area that I had gotten from fellow members of an online forum for division II college football. I looked at the list to see if anything jumped out at me for a good meal.
Jon had forgotten some personal items, so he wanted to find a store before we ate. He has a friend who lives in Duluth, so he texted the guy to ask where the nearest store would be. The friend gave us directions to a Walgreens about a mile from the hotel.
We walked out and got back on our bikes like two crippled old men. Wait a minute, I think we ARE two crippled old men. Anyway, we found the Walgreens and then eventually found the items for which Jon was looking.
With the shopping being done, it was time to look for somewhere to eat. We rode around the immediate area for a while looking for anything interesting. At first we were thinking chicken would be good, but the only chicken we found was a KFC which neither of us were too excited about. Then we were thinking steak, so we searched for a steakhouse. Outside of fast food there wasn’t a whole lot available in this section of town by our hotel. There was an Italian restaurant we passed that was on my recommended list, but Jon had pizza for lunch and wasn’t in the mood.
After tooling around for a while we pulled over for a few minutes and discussed our options. It was now past 9 PM and we decided it probably wouldn’t be good for us to stuff ourselves, especially considering the way we were feeling we would most likely be in bed shortly after 10 PM. We agreed something light was the sensible choice (whoa… sensible choice - where’d that come from?) and decided a nearby Subway was good enough.
The Subway was manned by two college age guys who didn’t seem too thrilled to be manning a Subway on a Saturday night. I ordered my current favorite sub, the turkey bacon guacamole, and got it with a side order of indifference at no extra charge.
We ate our subs and relaxed. After eating Jon said he was in the mood for ice cream. I probably could have found room for ice cream, but I went with the footlong sub instead of the six inch so I really didn’t need any. There was a Dairy Queen a couple blocks away, but we decided we were too tired and opted to just head back to the room. We vowed that tomorrow night we would save room for ice cream.
Back at the room we showered and shaved so we wouldn’t have to do it in the morning. We both called our families to let them know we were still alive. Shortly after 10 PM we were both in bed (separate beds, just for clarification even though the Supreme Court recently made that type of thing legal.) Jon flipped through the channels for a few minutes while I read some of my book. He gave up trying to watch any TV and rolled over. I finished my chapter and turned out the light as well.
The bed was quite comfortable. Or maybe it wasn’t, but I was that tired.
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This page last updated on 06/28/2018