Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Badlands National Park
I swung through the Badlands on route-240 to see the layers volcanic sediment that makes it so famous.
South Dakota rest stop
It was a windy trip through the plains of South Dakota. I managed to ride leaning to the left. A trucker told me to take a secondary road, but I didn't, and the wind eventually calmed down.
Super 8 Motel in Worthington, MN
After 510 miles, I stopped in Worthington, Minnesota, 60 miles east of Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 1030pm. I checked into the Super 8 Motel because it had free wifi. All the food places were closed by the time I checked in, so I went to the glorious Super Walmart and bought some frozen food. The rain pants I bought at the Walmart in St. Louis were shredded from the wind. It was cold riding, so I wore my thermals, three jackets, rain pants, and knit cap. That was all I had, but it was still cold.
Somewhere in Minnesota
I entered Minnesota by crossing the mighty Mississippi River and noted that I would be running low on gas. With no gas stations in sight, I headed toward a small town off Interstate-90 called Rushford. A red BMW motorcycle stopped to see if I was okay. He recommended taking a different route back to the Interstate (rt 16 to 52), so I had a nice windy detour through a small canyon cut by a river as the sun was setting. It was the highlight of the day.
Amusement parks
The area around the Wisconsin Dells is plagued by tacky amusement parks and sights like "Ripley's Believe it or Not!". It is quite impressive in the number of places that surround the Dells. They must get many visitors in the summers. It was pretty dead when I was visiting.
Wisconsin Dells
Robert had to work the next day, and I had to travel. I got a late start and headed west toward Badlands National Park in South Dakota. It was more than 800 miles away, so I didn't expect to make it there in one day. I left after noon and stopped at the Wisconsin Dells to take a peek of the limestone gorge.
Dinner with Lois & Ken
Lois is out of frame on the left. Lois is Robert's mother. She cooked us a wonderful meal.
Picking tomatos
We picked Michael up from his first grade class and went to his grandmother's for dinner. She had him pick some vegetables from the garden.
Route 55
We took route 55 down from Lakewood. It follows the Wolf River. We passed a group of Harleys lead by a BMW. I resisted the urge to wave.
Crossing the stream
I lost one of the lures the day before, so today I returned with Tevas and shorts to retrieve it. The water wasn't too cold, nor was the current very strong.
$25 mountain bike
We went to Lakewood to rent a mountain bike. They let me use a brand new Diamondback without a deposit, credit card, or identification. I, of course, returned it the next day.
We went mountain biking along dirt roads near Cathedral Pines. Then we came back for lunch (gas station broasted chicken with wheat bread) and more fishing.
We went mountain biking along dirt roads near Cathedral Pines. Then we came back for lunch (gas station broasted chicken with wheat bread) and more fishing.
If a tree falls in the forest...
Shortly after I fell asleep, I heard the rustling of leaves followed by a large cracking and more rustling. The next morning, I asked Robert if he heard it (no, but he had heard my snoring!). I went to investigate and found this tree that had fallen over next to the road.
Coke can stove
Adam made three lightweight alcohol backpacking stoves for me when we went skiing this year. I finally tested them out on this trip. This is the soda can stove. They work brilliantly and are cheap to make. The fuel is denatured alcohol from the paint section of your local hardware store. It boils water within five minutes.
Camplife
We were the only ones here, other than Ken the owner. The camp right along the river with nice tables and fire rings. There are showers and toilets, and a group area with a volleyball net, and even cabins. There's a rope course, and they offer raftng trips and atv rentals. It's a fun place especially at only $4.50 a person a night.
Wildman Ranch
Robert and I headed off into the hills, Athelstane, Wisconsin, for some fishing, camping, mountain biking, and Brokeback Mountain. Yeah, right.
Vincent
"Old Faithful". This used to be Robert's dog, but now it is clearly Sarah's. So much for "man's best friend".
Dinner with Sarah & Robert
(Vincent and Pepper at their feet.) On Sunday, when Adam and his family headed off to church at 1030am, I hit the road -- 399 miles to Waukesha, Wisconsin. I had bought thermal underwear, a knit cap, and rain pants in St. Louis, and pretty much wore all of this on this trip. I had pretty good weather, except for a few patches of rain, when I stopped at a gas station restaurant in Mendota, Illinois. I didn't get to Waukesha until 8pm.
Bouncy ball
You get six balls, and try to get them in slots. The total should be either less than 11 or more than 31. The ball is rubber and very bouncy and the table is not level. The sign should read " Lose BIG" because the prizes SUCK.
Catholic carnival
We walked to the Catholic school and spent a few hours at a carnival. The boys occupied themselves with the games of chance.
Hunter's soccer skills
Hunter is the smallest player, but here he takes on the opposing team's best player. His team lost by only one point, but Hunter made one of the goals.
Agony of defeat
Saturday is soccer day, and we went to two games to watch the boys play. Hunter is in a select club that plays year 'round and requires a tryout. Nolan plays on the recreational league.
Adam cooking fish tacos
He made excellent fish tacos in Salt Lake City for the ski trip, and he did the same again.
Hospitality center
Of course, you get to have free beer here. I rode my bike, so I had root beer and pretzels.
Cans of Busch light
These were empty cans. The floor by the filling station was saturated in wasted beer -- a shame!
Vats of beer
Yes, that's all beer. There are many of these vats at the plant. There was a crazy statistic like if you had to drink all the beer in one vat, you would have to drink a 24-pk every night for the next 140 years. Or something like that. Once again, I may be wrong.
Beer pipes
Alpha beer is beer before it has gone through beechwood aging. Chip beer has gone through that process already. I may have this wrong, as I am not a beer expert.
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