Sturgis 04 Main
Route Map
Daily Journal
Getting There
Being There
Getting Back
Oxbow, Sk. Fri. 8/13 (445 mi)
Got up and decided I'd had enough of Sturgis and needed to get back on the road. Packed up, had a last
breakfast with the neighbors from Texas. Paid one last visit to the patch store before heading north,
passing again by Bear Butte. Very desolate scenery all the way through North Dakota - I stopped at every
gas station along the way! Road turned to gravel for 16 km after crossing into Canada. Got gas at
Barley's Pub in Torquay. Made it as far as Oxbow before I got tired. Checked into a hotel, had dinner,
and crashed after a long day of deep thoughts.
Winnipeg, Man Sat. 8/14 (281 mi)
Got up early, showered, dressed, and promptly fell back asleep. Headed out around 10:30 for an uneventful
ride to Winnipeg. Drove around looking for a gym, finally finding the "Shapes" fitness center, where I had
a great (and needed) workout. Tipped the scale at under 250 for the first time in decades! Stopped at a few hotels,
but all out of my price range, so I headed out of town, stopping at the Travelers Campground for the night.
Shared a campfire with Betty and Edna from BC.
Brule, Wi. Sun. 8/15 (456 mi)
Got up early and packed quickly since it was beginning to drizzle. On the road at 9:00 for a long ride, crossing back into the U.S. about 2:00. Lunch at the Chocolate Moose in International Falls, then on to Minnesota and into Wisconsin. Ranger directed me to a State campground 4 miles up the road - $19 for a completely wild spot. Came back to town around 7:30 and camped at a motel/campground for $5 instead (and a much nicer spot). Chatted with a nice family from Wisconsin (Mike, Sharon, and 2 boys) who were also touring on motorcycles. Woke up in the middle of the night with rain coming in because I had failed to put up the fly sheet, so all my stuff got wet, including my camera, which is why there are no more pictures.
Frederick, Mi. Mon. 8/16 (475 mi)
Woke up in the rain, so I packed up quickly. Visited the family from Wi briefly before getting back on the road. Crossed the UP and headed down towards Ann Arbor. When I got within 200 miles, I pulled off the highway to find a campground. Ended up at "Happi Days", where I got a $26 cabin instead of a $19 tent site. Hot tub wasn't hot, so I had a quiet evening watching TV.
Ann Arbor, Mi. Tue. 8/17 (200 mi)
Got up somewhat late, had a great omelet at the diner, and headed down to Ann Arbor. Visited the main campus and S. Forest. Made an important phone call from the Diag that made me feel much better. Headed down to the airport looking for the Michigan Flyers Club (where I got my pilot's License), but couldn't get past the gate. Called a few hotels and ended up at Hotel 6. Went to Champions Gym in Ypsilanti before heading into town to check out the brew pubs. About midnight, a huge crowd went by on their way to the cart races down Main Street. A typically strange student tradition of dressing up in outlandish costumes and hurtling themselves down the hill in dressed-up grocery carts. I followed along in the rain to the finish, and then walked back again.
Ann Arbor, Mi. Wed. 8/18 (27 mi)
Slept in and headed into town around noon. Rode up to North Campus to see the Aerospace Engineering Building, which is now hidden within a much larger complex. Stopped at Bursley Hall and checked out my old rooms. Went back downtown for some more shopping before hitting the Mongolian BBQ place. Stopped at Leopold Brewery before heading back to the hotel to repack all my stuff. The day left me in a fairly melancholy mood, so I didn't even venture back out.
Leesburg, Va. Thu. 8/19 (488 mi)
Packed up and headed out about 9:30. Rain started in Toledo and lasted well into Pennsylvania. Finally broke through the front (and some momentarily heavy rain) only to run into a wall of heat. Discarded my gear and had a good ride the rest of the way home, arriving around 6:30 pm.
Contact me at: rf6gunz@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2005, Rick Fletcher
