2,738 miles and 7 states. My Ride Report

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Ok! I am going to start off by saying I am not as good as Dr Greg at writing ride reports, but I had so much fun on the trip and promised I would write one when I got back so here it is.....

Ride report......

Leading up to this day there had been a lot of talks between my wife and I about whether or not I should just fly to Iowa and spend time there with her and her family. Now...my wife flew to Texa$ on Saturday the 23rd and was set to return on the 27th. She was then going to fly into St Paul on the 29th of July. The issue is this. Her mom hates cities, hates cities with a passion. She refused to go get my wife or drive to the airport. So that leaves renting a car and driving ourselves from the airport and having a rental car for 6 days, or I ride the bike out to Iowa and get there before the 29th and then steal my mother in laws car and go pick up my wife from the airport. I chose the option of me riding my bike there.

Day 1: July 25th, 2011


On the night before, July 24th, of my departure I loaded up my bags with everything I felt I would need for 2 weeks as my plan was to leave bright and early the next day. I woke up and was outside ready to go at 6am figuring I could knock out 200 miles before 9am and set myself up really good for a lot of miles that day. I rode straight from 6am to about 8:50 when I needed to stop for gas out on the eastern plains of Colorado. Now for those of you who are not familiar with eastern Colorado let me tell you this. There is nothing out there. John Denver truly was full of ****. After filling up the Nebraska border was only about 40 miles away, if that. This was my first line crossing of this trip so I was rather excited!


As I made my way into Nebraska I decided to get off the highways and get into the country and see what Nebraska truly has to offer. I was amazed at the vast spaces of pure nothing, and I was also amazed at how beautiful it is. I saw so many tractors and combines it wasnt even funny. Such a strange occurrence for me....




Now I needed to get back into a "city" so I headed towards Columbus Nebraska because I figured they would have 91 octane there for my bike. I was correct and in the process found one of the best memorials I have ever seen. This rivals anything in Washington DC in my opinion. Its was for the man who designed and built the landing craft boats used during WWII. His name was Andrew Jackson Higgins and the boats were known as Higgins Boats. You are allowed to walk around the memorial and touch everything. I stood in the boat and looked out the front bay door and could only imagine the fear our men felt as they heard the bullets pinging off the front of the boat right before a beach invasion. It was a very sobering experience for me and made me so thankful to our veterans and our family members who served and are currently serving.




I decided to get on my way and find a hotel to sleep in for the night. On my GPS I found a super 8 in Norfolk Nebraska and decided that would be the first night place. I started on my way and then i came across a dirt road that was on my GPS so I turned down it. According to my garmin it was 13 miles on this road into town, and about 2 more on pavement to the hotel. I figured because I am so ADV I would do it!



The room was basic, but it had a shower and a food place with in walking distance and it allowed me plenty of space to lay out a few maps and decided what the plan for day 2 was. Works for me!


I called my wife to let her know I was safe in the room. I walked to Wendy's and got a burger and then relaxed and watched some TV till I fell asleep. It was a great day 1 with over 500 miles done.

joe

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Day 2: July 26th, 2011
Day two started with a good breakfast at the Super, waffles! Ok not the healthiest thing, but it was mmm good. I took route 35 out of town and on the way hit some great twisty roads that were not very smooth....a multistradas dream.

234 is the towns population...the town of Hubbard


Soon after the town of Hubbard I crossed into Iowa on Route 20. I quickly got off route 20 and filled the bike up with fuel and decided I would hit the back country. The trip goal was to travel on as few interstates as possible so why not stick to the goal. I took a lot of country roads, some dirt, some pavement. I was in the middle of no where. It just makes me wonder what these people do when they need food or need to go to "town" which is 1 + hour away? Not sure I could live like this....but either way it was awesome to experience on the bike. These photos were taken in a 20 minute span and not a single car went by.





As I was making my way to my mother in laws I managed to come across what I would assume is a private road to a wind turbine thing. I always wanted to see one of these things up close so I decided I would risk being shot in the face by bubbas 12 gauge and give it a shot. These things are massive and 100% totally bad ass! The sound that comes off the blades when they go speeding by is crazy! They make a swooshing and high buzzing noise. I want one but dont think they will let me have one in Denver.



After leaving the turbine I got lost and my GPS was dead. AWESOME! Thankfully I brought an actual map and could find my way pretty easily. I found my way and then found a big Pocahontas statue in...get this...Pocahontas Iowa. :lol:



Just to give you an idea of some of the roads I was on till I made it into the destination of day 2, Britt Iowa. Day 2 was spent exploring country roads and not much else. It was a great day with about 300 miles done.




Joe

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Day 3: July 28, 2011

I decided that I wanted to take a day trip to see the field of dreams in Dyersville Iowa. Its the only movie I can think of that they made something for a movie and the movie foretold what would happen. They made the field for a movie, they said people would come, and people did and do from all over the world to see the field. The trip to the field was 200 miles each way roughly which was done in two different routes. The first way was more round about and country.



When I arrived at the field I was very excited to finally see it! I love the movie and baseball was a huge part of my life, even to the point of a full ride to college for playing baseball. I was sad to see the field in the shape it was in when I got there. They received 13" of rain the night before and were expecting more that day as you can tell from the clouds. I walked around the field, walked into the corn, and even called my dad asking for a catch.




Being that there was no one there to play catch I decided to take a shorter route home and try and stay free from the rain. That did not happen....I got drenched.



Standing on the side of the road I noticed something....this was in my tire.


So I plugged it....and rode home on it without issue.


When I got home I called my wife to inform her of my safe trip and noticed that I couldnt hang up or do anything on my phone. Not sure if it got wet or it just decided to be a pain in the butt. I went to Verizon and they refused me a phone and told me I have to get one mailed to me. I told them Verizon would prefer I ride half way across the country with a phone that doesnt work and if anything goes wrong I will instruct my wife to sue the pants off Verizon, the store owner, the manager, and the clerk...hahaha...got me no where. oh well. I then went to another store and the two girls there gave me a phone to cover me on the trip so i told them they were awesome

Day 3 was great and I am glad I got to go see the field. I wish I got to play catch while there but it was still cool none the less!

Joe

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Day 4: July 30th, 2011

My wife flew into town on the 29th the Friday and I drove up to the airport to pick her up. It was great to see her after over a week of not seeing her. On July 30th I decided to ride and mentioned it to my wife and she told me to do so. That's why my wife is amazing....she hadn't seen me in about 8 days and she was 100% encouraging in me riding my bike. So where do I go? I had no plan and I left my GPS off till I got good and turned around then hit go home to Britt.

I left at about 6am again and had such an amazing morning. The air was crisp and it was about 65 degrees out and there was an amazing amount of fog. The picture does not do it justice really.



There are a lot of dirt roads around Britt Iowa and I decided to take a lot of them. The bike did great on the dirt and the only thing that suffered was me. I just dont feel comfortable on dirt roads. I would much rather be on hard packed dirt than roads covered in softer gravel. Off of the dirt road i found this cool little path so I took it and it led me no where but back to the road in about a half of a mile.


On the way home I decided to stop in Crystal Lake Iowa and see what it was like. The whole town seemed shut down and it was very sad. A lot of the towns are getting shut down by the economy as they are all factory workers. Most of the businesses were boarded up and closed. I did find this totally awesome bull head fish statue thought...hahah.


I took dirt roads back to the town that my wife was born in took a few detours just to see the town. The dirt roads home....a HUGE intersection. haha just kidding.



and my totally bad ass tire to show how ADV I am.


First thing you need to know about Britt Iowa is they are known for hobos. Yes people who ride trains....hobos. They have a festival and museum and everything you could think of for them!


The museum...


The rail car put there so they could sleep near it when they come into town...



joe

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Day 5: August 2nd, 2011

So after much deliberation and bing picked on by OT I decided I would get a new tire. I made a few calls and found a dealership by the name of Motoprimo in Minneapolis that could get the tire I wanted and have it in time for me. Being that I was going to Red Wing and Hagar City Wisconsin. I left nice and early again to head up to the dealer as it was about 160 miles there so I took a scenic way to the highway and then went north and found the dealership. Change in plans! I was going to Red Wing the next day and not the day I went to the dealership....oh well... so I decided to make a day trip to the dealership and get a new tire.


The dealership...Over all they were really cool guys. The tire change took about 2 hours total which I didnt think was to bad considering I didnt have an appointment or anything. While there I got to sit and play with the 800xc and the Super Tenere. Both bikes are super hot but the 800xc wins my vote and will be in my garage when the multistrada is all paid off.





BONER!!


Super Tenere!


I have the nebraska and Iowa signs....and now Minnesota.


The day wasnt very exciting honestly. The best part of the day was seeing a burnt orange 800xc and being able to play with it.

Joe

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You guys bored of this yet? lol

Day 6: August 3rd, 2011


Today was the day I went to Red Wing and Hagar City and rode some amazing roads. I was surprised honestly at the quality of the roads and how curvy they were. I rode what the locals call the Alphabet roads. Is this true for those who know what I mean? I was told about these roads by the guys at the dealership so I took them and loved every minute of them. Up hill, down hill, curves, and right along the river or the rail. It was so cool! I honestly didnt take any real pictures as I was having to much fun riding around the roads. I did however take some pictures of the in laws vacation home on the river. I did get the Wisconsin welcome sign though!



The road to the trailer was awesome honestly. It was completely wooded and gave you the feeling of riding in a forest. The trees were very thick and everything was flooded with swaps.



I did find this totally awesome bike and decided I wanted to buy it and fix it up, but that was x'd when I couldnt transport the bike home on my bike.


My wifes uncle then showed up on his cruiser and told me I was crazy for riding a bike from Colorado to Wisconsin. Now get this...he showed up dressed like a squid with a dog on his lap. Yes a freaking dog. It just sits there and rides with him. Kind of funny actually.


Dinner that night was awesome and provided by my father in law. Burgers and corn...mmmm. so freaking good.


Day 6: August 4th, 2011
Now the next day my wife was getting dropped off at the airport and flying back to Colorado so I was heading back to Iowa to stay at my mother in laws for one last night. why you ask? Well....Minnesota and Wisconsin dont recognize my ability to have a firearm and have it with me, so I left my gun at my mother in laws and had to go back and get it. This is the route I took and again didnt take pictures as I was enjoying the ride to much. I think it was route 19 from red wing is what I took.



Here is a some random photos and before I left the river....



Joe

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Day 8: August 5th, 2011

This section might need to be broken into a few posts as I took some pictures I think you all would like to see....

After getting to my mother in laws the night before I packed up my stuff and prepared for my departure early the next morning. This time my final destination would be home in Denver. I always like to get everything ready to go and packed and on the bike the night before so when I wake up all I have to do is shower eat some breakfast and hit the road. I was surprised in the morning by some good old fashion Iowa breakfast. Now my advice to you is to not look at this plate to long as it will clog your arteries and you will have a heart attack. Breakfast was so good and it did give me the energy I needed for the day.



All packed up and ready to hit the road....


I decided I would make my way through Iowa back roads and then hit up with I90 so I could get the SD welcome sign.


Now as others have pointed out SD is the home of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. I did not know when sturgis was but I do now. I also know when to never go through SD again. I saw thousands of Harley Davidson motorcycles. Now the sad part is probably 80% of them were in the back of trailers or pick up trucks. The ones I did see riding had zero gear on but they were sporting awesome HD gear from head to toe just so you know how bad ass they are. I took this photo at a rest stop...poor bikes.



As I made my way on I90 through SD I noticed a few things. The views dont really change when you go from Iowa to Western Minnesota and South Dakota. I needed to get off the interstate to really see the state. First I needed gas before I went to the middle of no where. While getting gas a f1200GS pulled in and had some ADV stickers on the hard cases. We struck up a conversation and talked bikes for a brief bit. He is gonna do a RR on ADV he said. This just proves I am ADV...hahahaha


I ate some food, got gas and proceeded in getting off the main roads and hit some country lanes. Once you get off I90 SD is beautiful. The roads were curvy and you could go as fast as you wanted to go. I didnt see a cop in about 500 miles. On the side of the road were these sand bar looking things that were so cool. They were huge! I wanted go and play in them but I figured I would fall, roll and ankle and end up dead at the bottom of one, so I didnt. haha






To be continued.......

joe

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Continued......

I am currently about 500 miles into the day so far and am feeling great honestly. I had found a few hotels the night before and called them to see if they had any openings. One did so I figured I would head the next 60 miles or so there and check in. When I got to the town I decided I wasnt staying there. Now I dont want this to sound bad or upset anyone but I didnt feel very safe in town and the town over all was very dirty. Now come to find out that the town is right smack between two native american tribes who dont like each other. It is also know for its housing being that the whole town is Gov't funded so native americans can live there cheaply. It was very obvious I was an outsider and I was looked at very funny. I decided I would ride out of town and I would rather camp somewhere than stay there. Well...before I left town i called Dues to get some hotel phone numbers and he gave me a few in Scottsbluffs and I figured I would ride the 180 or o miles there and see how it goes. On the road there I learned a few things about SD/Nebraska. Its crazy how deserted some places are, and every farmer I rode by gave me a big thumbs up and a smile. Must have been nice not seeing a Harley Davidson...hahaha. The other thing I learned was that they have big freaking bugs. Bugs that when doing 85mph hurt like a son of a bitch! They also explode when you hit them, so I need to wash all my gear and get them off of it. Anyone know what this thing is......?



Exploded!


I found myself turning off the road very often honestly. I would rely on the gps and then I would get an idea and just turn and see what the gps said and how to go. I found some cool roads and I didnt know nebraska had so many turns! just kidding.




I rolled into Scottsbluffs on fumes. My gas light was on and I had no idea if I was going to make it to town on what I had. Luckly I did and there happened to be a gas station right across the street from my hotel. I also have to say that if you are ever in scottsbluffs dont stay at the Days Inn. My shower didnt drain, my phone didnt work, and the sink had no plug. So much for showering and stuff. I ended up just sleeping there and heading out.




Joe

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Last Day
August 6th, 2011


The last day of the trip was a good one. Nebraska, Wyoming, and back into Colorado. As you have just read my hotel wasnt the greatest place in the world. I was happy to get out and get back on the road, even though it was the last day and made me kind of sad.

Oh the way out of town I got some food at the local gas station and noticed that they were nice enough to name the food company after me.


Now as I pulled out of town I again was confronted with some great views. I guess being from Colorado you view Nebraska as a waste land with nothing but flat grasslands and nothing for miles. Nothing for miles is true, but the views were beautiful.



I made a "wrong" turn and made my way into wyoming and then back into Nebraska then met up with 80 and heading into Wyoming. You can see my "wrong" turn on the map up top. I entered wyoming on I80 and of course got the welcome sign....


No pictures of Wyoming because I was on I80 the whole way. It was a nice ride and way more country for a major interstate than I expected. I turned onto I25 South in Cheyenne and headed for the Colorado border. When I crossed into Colorado I was so excited. Felt great to be back "home" and be in the state I left. Its so beautiful here it always amazes me.


When I got home I got off the bike and snapped a picture outside of my garage signifying the end of the trip....



joe

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The trip came to and end and I was torn. I was happy to be home and showering in my shower and sleeping in my bed with my wife next to me. I was also very sad because for the past 2 weeks I lived out of my soft bags and had my bike to take me places I have never been. It was heaven honestly. My whole life I wanted to own a motorcycle. It started with the desire to have superbikes and go fast and drag knee everywhere, and it transformed into wanting to enjoy the ride and go places I never thought I would go, let alone on a motorcycle. People told me I was crazy for wanting to ride that far alone and there is a zen that comes from being on the road alone. You dont have to answer to anyone or plan for anyone else. You have complete control and can do what every you want whenever you want. Maybe its selfish of me, but that feeling is why I love motorcycles.

What did I learn about my bike? Pierre Terblanche is an amazing man. After owning a 749S and having that be one of the best superbikes I have ever owned, the Multistrada continues to impress me. I did dirt roads, curvy river roads, major interstates, and country roads straight as an arrow. The multi handles them all in a manner that impressed me. It truly is a remarkable machine.

Over all I did 2,738 miles. I had 1 flat tire, 2 broken cell phones, and 2 rainstorms get me soaking wet. I wouldnt change it for anything and I am excited for my next trip which if I get my way will be Denver to Fairbanks Alaska via the Alaskan highway.

Here are a few photos just of the trip that I didnt post prior....



My brother in laws son....his face is priceless when looking at the fish. haha



The view from the house boat at sunset....


My amazing wife who encourages me and I am so thankful for. I quit my last job and she let me buy a motorcycle. She has also encouraged me to ride my bike and see things I want to see. She is an amazing woman.


There you have it....I hope you enjoyed it.


joe