Today was going to be the longest day of the trip, about 450 miles all on back roads. I had it in my head to try and be on the road by 7:30. My alarm went off at 6:15 AM. I had gotten to bed at a fairly reasonable time, and didn't have too much trouble sleeping, so I felt remarkably rested. Many times on my motorcycle trips I wake up feeling like I've been run over.
I showered, shaved and dressed, then wandered down to the lobby for their continental breakfast. They weren't doing their normal breakfast due to the pandemic, but had an assortment of individually wrapped goods that you could take back to your room and eat as the breakfast tables had all been removed. I filled my plate and went back to my room, where I ate and brewed a cup of decaf coffee (thank you, mechanical heart valve.)
Once my stomach was full, I brushed my teeth and finished packing. I had the bike loaded and ready to go at 7:50. Once again not on time, but not horribly late. Today's route had me riding along the Canadian border to International Falls, then heading southeast down through the Iron Range to Duluth.
I had read on the internet that Thief River Falls got its name from the falls that happen where the Thief River joins with the Red Lake River. These rivers join at the Red Robe Park, so I decided before I left town I would check out the city's namesake. I first found the park at the end of a residential street. Hmmm... can't see the river from here.
I rode around on a different street and found the park entrance. From here I could see where the two rivers came together. I decided the the falls must be further up the river where I couldn't see them, or back in the day they had a different idea of what falls are versus what I think they are.
This park did have a very large statue of Chief Moose Dung, which has to be the most unfortunate name ever. In fact the city now refers to him as Chief Red Robe in the interest of tourism. The statue doesn't look very happy, which I can understand. I wouldn't be very happy if people called me "moose dung" either.
My route had me initially leaving town heading north on highway 32 for about 40 miles, until it junctioned with highway 11 where I would head east.
The morning was cool, in the low 50s. I put on a sweatshirt under my jacket, chaps, a neck warmer, my ear covers and thicker gloves. I had some long underwear and winter gloves along with me, but decided I didn't need to go quite that warm. The wind had died down from the previous day, and the sun was out again.
As I was riding along, my neck pillow suddenly went flying. Five trips ago in 2016, on the way to the Four Corners, I bought a neck pillow at a truck stop. I snap the neck pillow around one of my belt loops, on which I can rest my left arm as I ride. This really helps, as due the dislocated shoulder I suffered in a motorcycle accident 19 years prior, riding can get pretty painful after a while. By supporting my arm it greatly increases my comfort. So when it went flying I had to turn around and retrieve it. Thankfully traffic was light so nobody came along and ran it over before I could pick it up.
At Roseau, MN I stopped at a park for a stretch break. Several cars went by very slow and people eyed me suspiciously. It was weird. So after about 5 minutes I got back on the bike and continued east.
I was heading into what I thought was going to be the most interesting part of the day, scenery-wise. It wasn't bad, but as I was going to later discover, the part of the ride I thought was going to be the most interesting wasn't, and the part that I thought was going to be dull was anything but.
For the stretch between Rosseau and Warroad, MN, I was around 5 miles south of the Canadian border.
There was actually a lot more traffic along this stretch of highway than I thought there would be. In my mind I thought cars would be sparse this far north, but vehicles were pretty steady the whole day.
In Baudette, MN I made my first gas stop of the day. While I was stopped I took the opportunity to clean my windshield as the dead bugs were starting to build up on it. The temp had also warmed enough that I removed my neck gator.
Iced tea sounded good and I looked in the cooler and saw they had a sale on a 32 oz half lemonade and half tea for 99 cents. While I generally try not to drink my calories, I decided this sale was too good to pass up so I bought one. It turned out to be more lemonade than tea, and upon reading the label I saw that the tea portion of the drink was made from tea powder, not brewed tea. Kind of a letdown, but certainly not the worst thing that has ever happened to me.
As I was leaving town I had to stop and snap a photo of Willie The Walleye. Apparently Baudette has crowned itself the walleye capital of the world. And, not surprisingly, on the internet there is some dispute as to this title.
The next portion of the day's journey had me riding right along the Canadian border all the way to International Falls, MN where I planned a lunch stop.
About 30 miles down the road the half of the 32 oz tea I had drank was starting to make its presence known on my bladder. I came across a roadside park with a porta-potty and stopped to relieve myself.
While I was in the port-a-potty, I heard a car drive up. As I exited there was woman standing there and she apologized for disturbing me. Ummm... not sure what you thought I was doing in the port-a-potty.
I walked around the park area, and found this marker that I'm not sure what it signifies. It looks like a geographic marker of some sort. According to Google Maps it's about 100 yards south of the Canadian border.
Speaking of Canada, and I was, here's what Canada looks like across the river.
I continued down highway 11 for about 20 more miles when my bladder was full again. I came across another roadside park, so I stopped. There was a sign near the port-a-potty that said, "Warning! Hornets!". I didn't see any hornets, and by now my bladder didn't care so I decided to risk it and use the facilities. I'm happy to report that I came through unscathed.
Another 20 miles down the road I reached International Falls, MN. This city is one of the northernmost cities in the lower 48 states, and is known as the "icebox of the nation." Frequently, it is the coldest spot in the United States. They have reached actual air temperatures of -55°F (-48°C). On this particular August day, however, the temp was in the low 60s so it wasn't too bad.
International Falls has Fort Frances as a sister city across the border. I rode through town until I got to the bridge to cross the border. I don't have a passport, so I hadn't planned on actually entering Canada. Good thing, as during this time they had pretty much shut down U.S. residents from entering the country due to COVID-19.
I then decided to find some lunch. I had a big breakfast and knew I would be stopping at Betty's Pies later in the afternoon and then eating supper at Shorty's Smoked Meats, so I didn't want anything too heavy. I thought about grabbing a simple burger with no fries, but came across a Subway. I decided that was fairly light.
I went in with the intention of getting a 6" sub. Of course, by the time I ordered I went with the foot long because I'm a pig. They had limited seating in the restaurant and I was worried they were going to tell me to take my food to go. I wanted to sit in an actual chair for a few minutes. Luckily they didn't ask me to leave and I sat for about 15 minutes while I ate my sub.
Back on the road, I headed south on highway 53 towards Ely, MN.
As I had mentioned earlier, I expected the second half of the day to be a duller ride than the first half. I was pleasantly surprised that the more I rode on this day, the better the scenery got.
It was about 120 miles from International Falls to Ely.
Along this stretch of highway I encountered a deer standing on the left side of the road. I'm very thankful that the animal stayed-put and didn't try to dart out in front of me. That would ruin a motorcycle rider's day in a hurry.
Near Angora, MN I turned east on highway 1 which would take me in to Ely. The closer I got to Ely, the better the scenery got.
Ely, MN was not the town I expected it to be. The first thing I noticed was how busy it was. On the map it looks like this little dot in the middle of nowhere. It was packed with tourists, both in cars and on the sidewalks. At least half of the cars had canoes or kayaks strapped to them. As it turns out, Ely is one of the primary entrances into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
I found a gas station that didn't seem overrun with people and topped off the tank. I went inside and used the restroom, and bought an unsweetened iced tea. This time I made sure to get one that was made with real tea. While I drank my tea I decided to take the opportunity to remove my chaps. The temp was right around 70 and the sun was out, and while I wasn't too warm with the chaps on I thought maybe I'd be more comfortable without them. I thought about removing my jacket as well, but decided I could always pull over and take it off later if I got too warm. I had already switched to lighter gloves after lunch.
From Ely I continued east towards Lake Superior. My next planned stop was at Betty's Pies in Two Harbors.
Highway 1 turned into a hidden gem of a road. East of Ely it started to twist and turn, and climb and descend hills.
Trees lined either side of the road, making for a very scenic ride.
I was really enjoying myself when I came across a bridge that was under construction with a flag man stopping traffic. It kind of bummed me out, because there was a logging truck waiting in front of me. I figured the logging truck was going to slow me down through the curves, and given the nature of the road there was no passing. While I waited, a guy on a BMW sport touring motorcycle pulled up behind me. So now I figured the logging truck was going to bum out two people.
Once again, I was wrong. When the flagman turned his sign around to allow us to proceed, that logging truck took off. I quickly realized that the guy (I'm assuming it was a guy) driving the logging truck probably drives this same stretch of highway day in and out, and knows it like the back of his hand. He knew exactly how fast he could take each corner, where to brake and where to accelerate. I was on the bleeding edge of my riding skills to keep up with him. In fact, the BMW behind me fell farther and farther into the distance until after about 10 miles when I couldn't see that rider any longer.
I'm guessing the guy fell back due to the choice of not wanting to ride the road this fast. A BMW sport touring motorcycle should be able to out-corner my cruiser any day of the week.
After about 25 miles, the logging truck turned and went down a gravel road. I was actually sad to see it go. I continued trying to keep a good pace but I know I wasn't going as fast as that truck would have gone.
Eventually I came over a hill and goe my first glimpse of Lake Superior. I was sad to be leaving highway 1. This truly was one of the best stretches of motorcycle roads I've found.
Highway 1 ended at the lake and I headed south on highway 61 towards Duluth. I had ridden this highway with Jon five years earlier, so this time around I didn't stop and see all the sights. It was getting towards late afternoon, and while I wasn't in agony, I was starting to notice my body getting tired.
I did stop at a roadside pull-off and caught a couple pictures of Split Rock Lighthouse. I have a Thomas Kinkade painting of this lighthouse hanging on the wall at home. It's a small one that is right behind my recliner that I paid $20 on eBay, not one of those giant canvas prints that cost thousands of dollars.
After I had taken these pictures and before I got back on my bike, a guy came up to me and started talking. He'd noticed my South Dakota plates and, like many people, asked if I was heading to Sturgis. I didn't bother pointing out to him that with South Dakota plates I'd be heading in the wrong direction if I was going to the Sturgis rally. He asked if I lived near Custer, SD and I said that I didn't and in fact lived 400 miles away from Custer. Nevertheless he continued on telling me a story about a guy he supposedly knows in Custer who will let him stay with him any time he wants. This guy really pegged my "odd" meter, so at first opportunity I politely excused myself from the conversation, got back on my bike and took off.
Just north of the town of Two Harbors is the world famous Betty's Pies. I pulled in for a slice.
When I parked the bike I looked at the back side of the building and was discouraged to see a line of people at least 30 deep. It was now about 5 PM and I really didn't want to stand in line. I thought about just getting back on the bike and heading on to my hotel, when I noticed that the line was for the carry out window. I didn't see anyone waiting to go inside the seating area. I figured it was worth a quick check to see how long the wait would be.
I went through the door and asked the host if he had room for a single person. Not only did he have room, but there was hardly anyone inside the building. He seated me immediately.
The waitress took my order, and I asked her what was the best pie they sold. She said the "Great Lakes" is their most popular pie, so I told her to bring me a slice of that. After she walked away it occurred to me that I had no idea what was in the Great Lakes pie.
When the pie arrived I inquired about the ingredients. The pie is a mixture of apple, blueberry, rhubarb, strawberry and raspberry. It was good, but it didn't really have a distinct flavor. I'm not disappointed that I tried it, but I think on my next visit I'll order something different.
I finished my pie, paid and was back on the bike inside of 15 minutes. I only had about 30 miles left to my hotel.
I pulled up at the Super 8 hotel shortly before 6 PM. I checked in, then unloaded the bike and put everything in my room. This was the same hotel that Jon and I stayed at in 2015, so I was somewhat familiar with it.
I wasn't yet hungry, so I relaxed for about an hour and a half. I tried to find the Minnesota Twins vs the Pittsburg Pirates baseball game on the TV, but the hotel didn't get that channel. Instead, I turned the TV off and pulled the game up on my laptop.
My supper plans were to eat at Shorty's Pizza And Smoked Meats across the river in Superior, WI. I had heard about this place after seeing it on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network. Previously I had eaten at two other places featured on Triple D: the Anchor Bar also in Superior, WI, and the Flying Mango in Des Moines, IA. Both of those expreiences were pretty good so I was looking forward to adding another Triple D restaurant to my list.
About 7:30 I hopped on the bike and road over the Bong Bridge (not making that name up) to the town of Superior, WI. I found the restaurant without any trouble. As the crow flies, it was two and a half miles from my hotel. Having to take the bridge, put it more in the 5 mile ride range.
The Bong Bridge is a bit nerve wracking on a motorcycle. It's tall enough to allow ships to pass underneath, which means you're way up in the air. And it's not straight, so while you're that high up you're also going around a curve.
I went in and found the place nearly empty. I was later to learn that they had been closed for many months due to the pandemic, and just by chance I visited on the same day they reopened. Talk about luck!
They gave me a seat, and at my request put the Twins game on the TV across from my table. I ordered the "Triple D" pizza, which is the smoked meat pizza that they featured on the show.
I ate and watched the Twins play some terrible baseball. They really didn't look good on this day.
The pizza was OK, but didn't live up to the expectations I had placed on it. The crust was a bit overdone on the bottom and crunchy. I wonder if perhaps they were a little rusty from not being open for a while? Also, the smoked meat had a bit of a cinnamon flavor, which I assume came from the rub they used. It was a bit unusual. Not bad, just unusual on a pizza. If I were to go back I may try a different pizza or maybe do something other than pizza.
After supper I decided to gas up the motorcycle before heading back to the hotel. A few blocks from Shorty's was my favorite convenience store of all time: Kwik Trip. I love Kwik Trips (not to be confused with Quick Trips or QT, which is a different chain.) On this night though, I resisted the urge to go inside and grab food and just gassed up.
I headed back across the Bong Bridge to make my sphincter pucker again, and then returned to the hotel. I called my wife and talked to her for about half an hour. Then I finished watching the Twins game in which they somehow managed to pull out a victory at the end, read my book for a while and then called it a night.
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This page last updated on 05/17/2023