Well my picture wasn’t in focus but I made it to North Dakota. Was a long day to say the least. I woke up, or rather, I got out of bed at 7:30. The bed in my super glamorous tent was not very comfortable and I didn’t get more than about four solid hours of sleep. I got loaded up and headed out shortly after 8:30.
I was right, I-35 ended right after I got back on it. No real change other than I’m now hitting stoplights and going into towns rather than through them. Hit my first one about fifty miles in, Concordia. Coming into town I noticed several flashing lights ahead. Building fire. Both of my lanes were blocked by emergency vehicles and traffic was routed into the turn lane. No real delay. The building was small and still being doused with water but no flames were present. I stopped to fill up and continued north.
Traffic was very light the entire morning. Very few vehicles out on the road. The Kansas landscape changed the closer I got to Nebraska. The flat squares of farmland changed to rolling grasslands for a few miles then began to have more crops mixed into it.
Headed further north and crossed into Nebraska before long. The skies so far had been mostly clear with nothing more than thin, almost transparent clouds. It was a cool morning but not chilly, quite pleasant actually. I made my way to York and headed east on I-80 towards Lincoln. The landscape of Nebraska on this stretch is mostly farmland but nothing like Kansas. The land rolls and the fields are seemingly endless. Mostly corn.
The interstate turns into three lanes at Lincoln but runs along the north edge of the city so I never really hit any city traffic. Always happy for that. Another stop in Gretna. Needed fuel, water and a short break to stretch. As we started back down the on ramp I noticed another rider pass on the interstate, haven’t seen very many so far. We caught up to him quickly and found Libby’s sister – same bike, same color, less cargo. I waved and throttled ahead towards Omaha.
Omaha was more like city traffic. Nothing bad or slow but more cars than I care to have around me at one time. It wasn’t long before I crossed the Missouri River into Iowa and then cut north on I-29. This interstate is a straight shot into Fargo.
Lunch time. It’s about 1:00 by now but I wanted to get as close to half way before I stopped to eat something. Found 4Brothers Grill & Bar in Sioux City. Took a quick look at the menu and ordered the Twisted Sister Sandwich – chicken, bacon, avocado and swiss on a toasted pretzel bun. Several years ago Dad and I made an overnight trip to Leakey, TX (pronounced Lay-kee) to ride the 3 Twisted Sisters. Three country roads the twist and turn through lush green valleys. Lots of cliff side riding. Sandwich wasn’t bad but did take more time than I’d have liked. Apparently a group of 17 and a set of 7 came in right before me so my 30 minute lunch took an hour. No worries though, I’m about 320 miles from Fargo.
I continued on my way and before I knew it I was in South Dakota, literally. I was five miles in before I’d realized I’d crossed the border, never even saw the sign. But I didn’t get Iowa either and I’ve got them both already anyway so no big deal.
South Dakota was much of the same I’d seen all day, farmland. Mostly corn and one other crop I can’t identify. Iowa had farm houses and silver silos planted in the middle of many of the fields. South Dakota has red barns and houses.
South Dakota also has wind. A lot of it today. I got pushed around a lot and even started watching any trucks in front of me. If a tractor trailer moves suddenly, I know there’s a gust coming. Unfortunately the trucks lessened and the second half of the state got worse. I caught several one two punches that definitely raised the pucker factor.
Finally made it to North Dakota. The sun had vanished behind the cloud cover that had appeared in front of me. Wasn’t bad looking but was darker than anything from the rest of the day. The wind gusts disappeared almost immediately but the temp dropped too. Couldn’t tell you what it was all day but was down to about 70 when I got to Fargo. That’s not bad but gets chilly when you’re running several miles on a motorcycle. I had the shakes for a bit after I stopped for the day.
Dinner at the Blarney Pub, a steak stroganoff that was quite good. And now another beer, or two before I call it a night. Libby and I knocked out an even 700 miles today. No it’s not a typo, 700 miles. I feel it many places but it is a personal best. Tomorrow we’ll start heading back towards Amarillo. Just a couple of 500 mile days. The goal is to avoid this front bringing all this nasty stuff in. It’ll be a cold start in the morning but won’t take long to get back to warmer weather.
So sleep well my friends. Enjoy your Labor Day and stay safe, you’ve got work the next day!
The Motorcycle Diaries of an Easy Rider 